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 3 2026
3:24-cv-05597-MJP Unpublished

Niles v. United States

The Ninth Circuit reversed a district court dismissal of a Second Amendment challenge to firearm prohibitions imposed by protection orders. The appellate court held that the Rooker-Feldman doctrine does not bar federal review when a plaintiff challenges the underlying statutes rather than seeking to overturn a specific state-court judgment.

Mar 3 2026
3:24-cv-05597-MJP Unpublished

David E. Niles v. United States of America; Nicholas W. Brown

The Ninth Circuit reversed a district court's dismissal of a Second Amendment challenge to firearm prohibitions tied to protection orders. The appellate court held that the Rooker-Feldman doctrine does not bar the claim because the plaintiff challenged the statutes themselves rather than seeking to overturn a specific state-court judgment.

Mar 3 2026
25-851 Unpublished

Maria Magdalena Perez De Lopez; Jose Noel Lopez Perez v. Pamela Bondi, Attorney General

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of asylum, withholding of removal, and Convention Against Torture relief to two Salvadoran nationals. The court held that substantial evidence supported the agency's findings that the petitioners failed to prove past persecution, a well-founded fear of future persecution, or eligibility under a cognizable particular social group.

Mar 2 2026
18-70983 Unpublished

Gonzalo Chavez Esquivel v. Pamela Bondi

The Ninth Circuit denied a petition for review of an immigration order, upholding the agency's finding that the petitioner's proposed social group lacked the required particularity and social distinction. The court also affirmed the denial of protection under the Convention Against Torture, though a judge dissented on the grounds that the agency failed to properly consider evidence of torture risk.

Mar 2 2026
23-963 Unpublished

RAMON SOLANO-TENORIO v. PAMELA BONDI, Attorney General

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of cancellation of removal and voluntary departure, holding that substantial evidence supported the finding that the petitioner's wife did not face exceptional and extremely unusual hardship. The court further ruled that the agency did not abuse its discretion in denying voluntary departure given the petitioner's significant criminal history.

Mar 2 2026
17-72144 Unpublished

Maria Isabel Alcantara Mendez v. Pamela Bondi, Attorney General

The Ninth Circuit denied a Mexican national's petition for review of her asylum and Convention Against Torture claims, ruling that she forfeited her challenge to the definition of a particular social group. The court held that the petitioner failed to meet her burden of proof because she did not properly raise alternative groups before the immigration judge.

Feb 13 2026
25-1803 Unpublished

Carlos Mauricio Arevalo-Montano; K. S. A.-N.; E. T. M. N.; K. N. A.-N v. Pamela Bondi, Attorney General

The Ninth Circuit denied a petition for review of a Board of Immigration Appeals decision rejecting asylum claims for an El Salvadoran father and his three children. The court held that the proposed social groups of Uber drivers and the Arevalo-Montano family failed to meet the legal requirements for cognizability and nexus to protected grounds.

Feb 11 2026
3:12-cr-03617-CAB-1 Unpublished

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. ISSAC SYMEON BRAGG

The Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court's supervised release conditions, rejecting claims that a prohibition on loitering in prostitution areas was unconstitutionally vague. The court also upheld a condition requiring sex offender treatment, finding the delegation of authority to a treatment provider to determine necessity was constitutionally permissible.