Every decision we've summarized from United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the defendants' convictions for Hobbs Act robbery and brandishing a firearm, rejecting the argument that the robbery failed to affect interstate commerce. The court further held that the defendants forfeited any claim that the jury might have relied solely on a robbery of a victim outside the store.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the Army's denial of a former soldier's reenlistment application, ruling that federal military regulations prohibiting waivers for major misconduct override state expungement laws. The court held that the Army acted within its congressionally delegated authority and did not act arbitrarily or capriciously in rejecting the appellant's request.
The Seventh Circuit dismissed Michael Tovar's appeal in a civil forfeiture case because his brief failed to challenge the district court's reasoning on issue preclusion. The court held that Tovar could not relitigate the source of the seized cash, which had already been determined during his criminal sentencing and prior appeal.
The Seventh Circuit granted appointed counsel's motion to withdraw under Anders v. California, dismissing the appeal as frivolous. The court held that the defendant's broad plea agreement waiver barred his challenges and that no non-frivolous issues remained for review.
The Seventh Circuit vacated the dismissal of a prisoner's due process claim, ruling that lengthy disciplinary segregation may implicate a protected liberty interest requiring factual scrutiny. The court further held that allegations of a hearing officer predetermining guilt and directing false evidence are sufficient to state a constitutional violation.
The Seventh Circuit granted appointed counsel's motion to withdraw and dismissed Kendall Guyton's appeal after determining the case was frivolous under Anders v. California. The court found no non-frivolous grounds to challenge Guyton's sex trafficking conviction or his 324-month sentence.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Yang Shao's bankruptcy petition, ruling that her repeated filings across multiple jurisdictions constituted a bad-faith scheme to defraud creditors. The court upheld the lower courts' findings that Shao violated filing restrictions and engaged in fraudulent asset transfers to evade foreclosure.
The Seventh Circuit granted appointed counsel's motion to withdraw, finding the defendant's appeal regarding the revocation of his supervised release to be frivolous. The court affirmed the district court's decision because the defendant waived key objections and the evidence supported the finding of domestic battery.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment for police officers in a civil rights suit involving an inventory search of a trespasser's vehicle. The court held that the plaintiff failed to prove the officers' conduct was clearly established as unlawful and that the district court did not abuse its discretion in refusing an adverse inference instruction for missing dashcam footage.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a § 1983 lawsuit challenging a state family court order, holding that federal courts lack jurisdiction to review or alter such orders under the Rooker-Feldman doctrine and the domestic-relations exception. The appellate court modified the judgment to clarify that claims dismissed on jurisdictional grounds should be dismissed without prejudice, while claims dismissed on immunity or pleading deficiencies remain with prejudice.