9th Cir.

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Every decision we've summarized from United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Mar 4 2025
6:16-cv-00035- Published

STATE OF MONTANA v. TALEN MONTANA, LLC; NORTHWESTERN CORPORATION; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE; UNITED STATES BUREAU OF RECLAMATION; UNITED STATES BURE...

The Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court judgment quieting title to riverbeds, holding that only the Sun River to Black Eagle Falls Segment was navigable in fact at the time of Montana's statehood. The court rejected the State's argument that actual river use alone establishes navigability and confirmed that the segment-by-segment analysis required by PPL Montana was correctly applied to all disputed reaches.

Administrative / Agency Review Civil
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Feb 28 2025
5:24-cv-00206- Published

KIANA JONES v. STARZ ENTERTAINMENT, LLC

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of a motion to compel individual arbitration, holding that a consumer was not a 'party aggrieved' when an arbitration provider consolidated thousands of identical filings. The court ruled that the Federal Arbitration Act does not allow a petitioner to challenge procedural consolidation or seek to modify the agreement to force individual arbitration.

Civil Insurance
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Feb 25 2025
3:17-md-02773- Published

Sarah Key; Andrew Westley; Terese Russell; Carra Abernathy v. Qualcomm Incorporated

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of state antitrust claims against Qualcomm, holding that California law does not depart from federal precedent regarding the company's licensing policies. However, the court vacated summary judgment on Unfair Competition Law claims because the federal court lacked equitable jurisdiction to award restitution for past conduct.

Civil Intellectual Property Summary Judgment
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Feb 24 2025
3:23-cr-08027- Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. PHILIP ALEJANDRO POWERS III

The Ninth Circuit affirmed Philip Powers III's convictions for setting three forest fires, ruling that his necessity defense failed because his actions were objectively unreasonable and he did not face imminent harm at the time of the first fire. The court held that even in a life-threatening situation, a defendant must choose the safest available method to signal for help, and Powers failed to meet this standard.

Criminal Other Criminal
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Feb 20 2025
6:23-cr-00001- Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. BRANDON WADE KURNS

The Ninth Circuit affirmed Brandon Wade Kurns's conviction and sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The panel held that photographic evidence and ATF transfer forms sufficiently proved the enhancements applied, and that the district court did not violate the Fifth Amendment by suggesting Kurns could testify to rebut the government's case.

Criminal Firearms Sentencing Guidelines
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Feb 19 2025
3:21-cr-00024- Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. GREGORY W. PHEASANT

The Ninth Circuit reversed the district court's dismissal of a criminal charge, holding that the Federal Land Policy and Management Act provides a sufficient intelligible principle to validate the Secretary of the Interior's regulatory authority. The court clarified that statutory mandates for sustainable land management constrain executive discretion enough to satisfy Article I's non-delegation doctrine.

Civil Securities
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Feb 18 2025
2:23-cv-02093- Published

JOHN DOE, an individual v. GRINDR INC.; GRINDR LLC

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit against Grindr, holding that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act bars state law tort claims against the app for injuries sustained by an underage user. The court further ruled that the plaintiff failed to plausibly allege Grindr was a knowing perpetrator or beneficiary of sex trafficking, precluding relief under the FOSTA statutory exception.

Child Sexual Abuse Material Criminal
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Feb 13 2025
21-1422 Published

EDGAR MURILLO-CHAVEZ v. PAMELA BONDI, Attorney General

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of cancellation of removal for a lawful permanent resident convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude. The court held that the petitioner failed to prove prejudice from ineffective assistance of counsel because his Special Immigrant Juvenile status did not constitute a legal admission, meaning his offenses occurred within the seven-year bar period.

Civil Immigration (Civil)
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Feb 13 2025
22-1568 Published

Advanced Integrative Medical Science Institute v. United States Drug Enforcement Administration

The Ninth Circuit denied a petition for review challenging the DEA's refusal to exempt a doctor from registration requirements to administer psilocybin under the Right to Try Act. The court held that the DEA's letter was a final agency action and that its denial was not arbitrary or capricious because the agency provided a reasonable explanation for declining to initiate rulemaking.

Civil Immigration (Civil)
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Feb 12 2025
23-1745 Published

Lapadat v. Bondi

The Ninth Circuit granted the Lapadats' petition for review and remanded their asylum case, holding that the Board of Immigration Appeals erred by disregarding credible testimony of past persecution. The panel further ruled that the record compels a finding that the Roma are a disfavored group in Romania.

Civil Immigration (Civil)
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