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.

Feb 29 2024
6:23-cv-01624- Per Curiam

Linthicum v. Wagner

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of a preliminary injunction, holding that legislators' walkouts to deny a quorum are official acts protected by Nevada Commission on Ethics v. Carrigan rather than personal speech under the First Amendment. Consequently, the Senators could not claim retaliation for absences incurred during their protest, meaning Oregon's constitutional disqualification provision applies without violating free speech rights.

Civil Civil Rights - Employment
Read summary →
Feb 24 2024
1:24-cv-00066- Published

THOMAS EUGENE CREECH v. IDAHO COMMISSION OF PARDONS AND PAROLE and JAN M BENNETTS, Ada County Prosecuting Attorney

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of a preliminary injunction, rejecting a death row inmate's due process claims regarding Idaho's commutation proceedings. The court held that the state's procedures satisfied constitutional minimums and that any alleged prosecutorial errors were harmless given the overwhelming evidence supporting the denial of clemency.

Civil Rights - Section 1983 Constitutional Habeas Corpus - General (28 USC 2241)
Read summary →
Feb 24 2024
1:20-cv-00114- Per Curiam

THOMAS E. CREECH v. JOSH TEWALT, Director, Idaho Department of Correction; TIM RICHARDSON, Warden, Idaho Maximum Security Institution; CHAD PAGE, Chief, Division of Prisons, Ida...

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of preliminary injunctive relief to death row inmate Thomas Creech regarding his scheduled lethal injection. The court held that Creech failed to demonstrate a likelihood of success on his Due Process and Eighth Amendment claims because his arguments about drug provenance were speculative and he offered no viable alternative execution method.

Civil Civil Rights - PLRA / Prisoner Civil Rights - Section 1983
Read summary →
Feb 20 2024
22-1804 Published

Valley Hospital Medical Center, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board

The Ninth Circuit enforced the National Labor Relations Board's amended order finding that Valley Hospital committed an unfair labor practice by unilaterally ceasing union dues checkoff after a collective bargaining agreement expired. The court held that the Board was not bound by its prior decision and could change its interpretation of the National Labor Relations Act provided it offered a reasoned explanation for the shift.

Civil Labor
Read summary →
Feb 20 2024
23-137 Published

NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD v. VALLEY HEALTH SYSTEM, LLC DBA DESERT SPRINGS HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER; VALLEY HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER, INC. DBA VALLEY HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER

The Ninth Circuit enforced the National Labor Relations Board's order finding that hospitals committed an unfair labor practice by unilaterally stopping union dues checkoff after their collective bargaining agreements expired. The court ruled that the Taft-Hartley Act does not require specific revocability language to be written into employee authorization forms for the deduction to remain valid.

Civil Labor
Read summary →
Dec 28 2023
21-411 Published

FILIBERTO ALCAREZ- RODRIGUEZ v. MERRICK B. GARLAND, Attorney General

The Ninth Circuit held that the Board of Immigration Appeals abused its discretion by denying a motion to remand without addressing evidence of unavailability due to homelessness or evaluating good cause under Matter of R-C-R-. The court remanded the case for the BIA to properly consider whether the petitioner established prima facie eligibility for asylum and related relief.

Civil Immigration (Civil)
Read summary →
Dec 27 2023
21-456 Published

Rodriguez-Hernandez v. Garland

The Ninth Circuit held that a Washington state harassment conviction categorically qualifies as a crime of violence, barring the petitioner from cancellation of removal and other discretionary relief. The court also affirmed the denial of Convention Against Torture relief due to insufficient evidence of a specific threat of torture upon return to Mexico.

Civil Immigration (Civil)
Read summary →