Every decision we've summarized — searchable, filterable, neutral.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment for prison officials regarding an Eighth Amendment claim about black mold, ruling that reasonable remediation efforts negate a finding of deliberate indifference. The court also upheld a jury verdict against the plaintiff on a heat-related claim, rejecting arguments regarding ineffective counsel and jury composition.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the grant of summary judgment for facility officials, holding that they were entitled to qualified immunity regarding visitation restrictions. The court found that no clearly established First Amendment right existed for civil detainees to unrestricted visitation under the specific pandemic-era and post-pandemic circumstances faced by the facility.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed a drug trafficking conviction, ruling that the government acted in good faith when using a cell-site simulator warrant authorized under the Pen Register Act. The court also held that specific drug quantities are sentencing factors rather than elements of the crime, so juries need not find them to convict.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a 480-month sentence for drug distribution offenses, ruling that any error in classifying protonitazene as fentanyl under the Sentencing Guidelines was harmless. The court held that the district court explicitly stated it would have imposed the same sentence regardless of the drug classification and that the sentence remained substantively reasonable.
The D.C. Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a civil rights claim against a judge, ruling that the appellant forfeited jurisdictional challenges by failing to raise them on appeal. The court further held that the judge was protected by absolute judicial immunity from the claims brought against her.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Charlie Holley's convictions for assaulting a federal employee and firearm offenses, rejecting challenges to the admission of body-worn camera footage and a 911 call. The court also upheld the 192-month sentence, finding the district court properly considered Holley's mental health history under the sentencing guidelines.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed a district court ruling that a federal judgment creditor's secured interest in a debtor's assets takes priority over a state judgment creditor's claim, even after the state creditor obtained a retroactive correction to fix a misnomer in his judgment. The court held that the federal district court had appellate jurisdiction over the final turnover order and that the Rooker-Feldman doctrine did not bar the federal court from adjudicating the priority dispute between the competing creditors.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a civil rights complaint alleging an unconstitutional vehicle search. The court held that the plaintiff failed to plausibly allege a Fourth Amendment violation because the search was a valid inventory procedure following a lawful arrest.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a prisoner's Section 1983 complaint, holding that private contractors monitoring inmate calls did not engage in unconstitutional retaliation. The court found that the reporting of a call discussing a prison murder did not deter a prisoner of ordinary firmness from filing consumer complaints.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment for a nurse practitioner who discontinued a prisoner's medical shower permit. The court held that her decision did not constitute deliberate indifference under the Eighth Amendment because she relied on prison directives and the plaintiff's alternative access to showers.
