Every decision we've summarized — searchable, filterable, neutral.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed a district court judgment upholding the Commissioner of Social Security's denial of disability insurance benefits. The appellate court found that the administrative law judge's evaluation of medical evidence and vocational testimony was supported by substantial evidence.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court dismissal of a civil rights complaint against a bail recovery company. The court held that private bail agents are not state actors and that the district court properly declined supplemental jurisdiction over state law claims.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed two final written decisions of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board finding patent claims unpatentable as obvious. The court rejected the appellant's arguments regarding hindsight, teaching away, and motivation to combine prior art references.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a service member's habeas petition challenging his court-martial convictions. The court held that the military courts fully and fairly considered all of the petitioner's non-jurisdictional claims, precluding federal review on the merits.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a forty-two-month sentence for a defendant convicted of conspiring to transport aliens. The court held that sufficient evidence supported a two-level sentencing enhancement based on a coconspirator's possession of a dangerous weapon.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the denial of a prisoner's third motion for compassionate release. The court held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in finding the defendant's circumstances were not extraordinary and compelling.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a firefighter's First Amendment retaliation claim after he posted racially offensive content on his public Facebook page. While the court found the district court erred in concluding the posts did not address matters of public concern, it held that the City's interest in maintaining public trust and workplace efficiency outweighed the employee's speech rights.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the revocation of a defendant's supervised release and the imposition of special conditions related to child sexual abuse material offenses. The court held that the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination does not apply to supervised release hearings and that the district court's conditions were reasonably related to the defendant's crimes.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed a supervised release revocation sentence where the district court considered factors typically reserved for initial sentencing. The court held that the defendant failed to demonstrate a clear or obvious error affecting his substantial rights.
The Sixth Circuit denied a petition for review from a Guatemalan national seeking asylum based on domestic violence and political association. The court upheld the Board of Immigration Appeals' finding that the proposed social groups were impermissibly defined by the harm suffered and that the nexus to political opinion was speculative.
