Every decision we've summarized from United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed a 48-month above-guidelines sentence for a defendant who facilitated a straw purchase that led to the death of a police officer. The court held that the district court acted within its discretion to reject the standard sentencing guidelines for straw purchasers based on the specific, violent consequences of the defendant's conduct.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed a 324-month sentence for drug trafficking, ruling that defense counsel's explicit agreement with the Presentence Report's drug quantity constituted a deliberate waiver of any challenge to those facts. The court held that strategic choices made during sentencing cannot be undone on appeal simply because they later appear unwise.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed Michael Madigan's federal bribery convictions, ruling that wiretap recordings and circumstantial evidence sufficiently proved a quid pro quo exchange between the former Illinois Speaker and utility company ComEd. The court further held that jury instructions regarding the definition of official acts and corrupt intent were legally sound and not prejudicial.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed a 75-month federal sentence for a bank fraud scheme, rejecting the defendant's challenges to two sentencing enhancements. The court found sufficient evidence that the defendant knowingly used sophisticated means and supervised other participants in the fraud.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a federal employee's retaliation claim, clarifying that the bar on reviewing security-clearance decisions is a non-jurisdictional rule of mandatory deference rather than a lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. The court held that adjudicating the plaintiff's pretext claim would impermissibly require the judiciary to second-guess the Executive Branch's sensitive national security judgments.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the denial of Social Security disability benefits, ruling that substantial evidence supported the ALJ's assessment of the claimant's residual functional capacity. The court held that the ALJ properly weighed the claimant's subjective complaints of fatigue and cane use against inconsistent medical records and daily activities.
The Seventh Circuit vacated and remanded the Tax Court's decision because the lower court failed to apply the claim of right doctrine when determining if loyalty fund payments constituted taxable income. The appellate court clarified that the claim of right doctrine is an independent basis for excluding income, broader than the trust fund doctrine previously applied.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment for the Indiana Department of Transportation, ruling that the plaintiff failed to prove her disability was the sole cause of her termination. The court held that the employer's legitimate reasons of poor performance and insubordination were sufficient to defeat claims under the Rehabilitation Act and Title VII.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the denial of a preliminary injunction against an Indiana law restricting human sexuality instruction in early elementary grades. The court held that the statute is not unconstitutionally overbroad or vague because it targets official teacher speech and contains an ascertainable core of meaning.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the denial of a preliminary injunction against Wisconsin's requirement for FDA authorization before selling electronic nicotine delivery systems. The court held that the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Tobacco Control Act do not preempt state laws regulating the sale of these products.