Every decision we've summarized from United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed most of Lori Milliron's convictions but vacated one perjury count due to insufficient evidence regarding the prosecutor's questioning.
The Tenth Circuit reversed a district court ruling that denied qualified immunity to a fire chief. The appellate court held that the official did not violate clearly established law by terminating a firefighter without a post-termination hearing under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit denied a certificate of appealability to an Oklahoma prisoner seeking to challenge his state court convictions. The court affirmed the district court's denial of the habeas petition, finding no reasonable jurists could debate the lower court's resolution of the constitutional claims.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit reversed a district court dismissal of a trademark infringement dispute between two charter school entities. The appellate court held that the underlying management contract was ambiguous regarding the scope of post-termination name usage rights.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed a criminal sentence for a contractor who bribed a public official to rig bids for a residential school. The court held that the district court properly applied sentencing enhancements for the involvement of a sensitive public official and a fraudulent benefit exceeding two hundred fifty thousand dollars.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirmed the conviction of Robert MacLean for abusive sexual contact on a commercial flight. The panel rejected arguments regarding the exclusion of a police report and the denial of a lesser-included offense instruction.
The Tenth Circuit denied a certificate of appealability to a state prisoner challenging the timeliness of his habeas petition. The court affirmed the district court's dismissal, finding the prisoner failed to meet the requirements for equitable tolling or the firm-waiver exception.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence of Gregory Miller for producing child pornography. The court held that the district court properly denied Miller's motion to withdraw his guilty plea and imposed a thirty-year sentence.
The Tenth Circuit reversed a district court dismissal, holding that the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act does not strip federal courts of jurisdiction over suits brought by the United States against state environmental agencies. The court further ruled that the Colorado River abstention doctrine did not justify deferring to parallel state proceedings in this context.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit dismissed an appeal filed by a defendant who had agreed to an appeal waiver in his plea agreement. The court found that the defendant's arguments regarding the length of his sentence fell squarely within the scope of that waiver.