Every decision we've summarized — searchable, filterable, neutral.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed a 48-month above-guidelines sentence for a defendant who facilitated a straw purchase of a firearm that was subsequently used to kill a police officer. The court held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in rejecting the standard sentencing guidelines for straw purchasers due to the severe consequences of the defendant's conduct.
The Eleventh Circuit dismissed an appeal sua sponte because the district court's order was not a final judgment. The appellate court lacks jurisdiction to review partial dismissals that leave other claims pending without proper certification.
The Fifth Circuit granted Lancaster's motion to proceed in forma pauperis but affirmed the district court's dismissal of his Bivens claim because he failed to demonstrate that the remedy should be extended to this context.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed Deshawn Stephone Hester's conviction for firearm possession by a felon while dismissing his appeal regarding sentence reasonableness due to a valid appellate waiver. The court found the district court's Rule 11 colloquy sufficient to establish that Hester's guilty plea was voluntary and that his waiver of appeal rights was knowingly entered.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment against Faline Arnold's employment discrimination and leave claims. The court found no reversible error in the lower court's adoption of the magistrate judge's recommendation after reviewing the record de novo.
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 Eleventh Circuit affirmed convictions under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act for drug trafficking occurring within a foreign nation's Exclusive Economic Zone. The court held that Congress possesses authority under the Felonies Clause to prosecute such conduct and that a vessel becomes subject to U.S. jurisdiction when its master fails to claim nationality.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed summary judgment in a foreclosure dispute, ruling that non-diverse defendants were improperly joined because the plaintiff could not state viable claims against them. The court further held that the plaintiff's challenges to the bank's authority to foreclose and his due process claims were meritless under Texas law.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed Nikonda Taye Ingram's conviction and sentence after finding his plea agreement waiver of appeal rights was valid and knowing. The court dismissed the appeal on issues covered by the waiver and found no meritorious grounds for appeal outside that scope following an Anders review.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a Title VII religious accommodation claim because the plaintiff failed to prove extraordinary circumstances excused her failure to meet the 90-day administrative exhaustion deadline. The court also upheld the dismissal of state law fraud and punitive damages claims due to insufficient pleading particularity and the absence of a freestanding cause of action under North Carolina law.
