Every decision we've summarized from United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a district court ruling that a city council member's removal from a municipal board of adjustment did not violate procedural due process. The court held that the plaintiff lacked a constitutionally protected property interest in his board seat because the city retained broad discretion to appoint and remove members.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the denial of foreign official immunity to a former Salvadoran colonel accused of ordering the extrajudicial killing of Dutch journalists. The court held that violations of jus cogens norms, such as extrajudicial killing, do not constitute sovereign acts protected by immunity under international and domestic law.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the denial of a motion to suppress evidence in a case involving a traffic stop and a subsequent frisk. The court held that the stop was not unconstitutionally prolonged and that the officer had reasonable suspicion to frisk the defendant for weapons.
The Fourth Circuit reversed a federal district court order granting habeas corpus relief to a South Carolina prisoner. The appellate court held that the state courts did not unreasonably apply federal law in rejecting the petitioner's speedy trial and ineffective assistance of counsel claims.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence of Charay Lamont Trent for drug trafficking and firearm offenses. The court found no plain error in the district court's handling of the Second Amendment challenge to the firearm conviction.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the convictions and sentence of Booker Tyrell Henley. The court found no reversible error regarding jury instructions, sufficiency of evidence, or the district court's sentencing decision.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the denial of qualified immunity for two detention officers who delayed checking on an inmate for twenty minutes to avoid extra paperwork. The court held that the officers violated clearly established law by consciously disregarding a substantial risk of serious harm after hearing sounds of distress.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the denial of qualified immunity to two supervisory correctional officers who failed to act on repeated warnings about a detainee's severe medical condition. The court held that the right to adequate medical care for pretrial detainees was clearly established, even when non-medical officers initially deferred to medical staff.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a preliminary injunction requiring intelligence agencies to follow their own termination regulations. The court held that career officers facing reduction-in-force terminations possess a property interest in reassignment and internal appeal procedures.
The Fourth Circuit vacated Shronda Covington's conviction for violating a prisoner's constitutional rights due to an erroneous jury instruction on causation. The court also remanded Tonya Farley's sentence because the district court improperly considered acquitted conduct when calculating her sentencing guidelines range.