Topic
Every decision we've filed under Civil.
The Ninth Circuit granted a writ of mandamus to recuse a district judge from a civil rights case due to her longstanding friendship with the opposing prosecutor. The court held that the judge abused her discretion by failing to recognize that a reasonable person might question her impartiality given the allegations of misconduct against her friend.
The Second Circuit held that a user who exchanges personal data for a free online newsletter qualifies as a 'subscriber of goods or services' under the Video Privacy Protection Act. The court further ruled that the unauthorized disclosure of video viewing history to a third party constitutes a concrete injury sufficient for Article III standing.
The Second Circuit held that a disability discrimination lawsuit brought by a former resident of a transitional adult home was moot because the state amended regulations and allowed his return. The court clarified that while the plaintiff had standing when the suit was filed, subsequent events eliminated his concrete stake in the outcome.
The Fifth Circuit granted the State of Texas's request to stay a district court injunction that had declared parts of Texas S.B. 1 unconstitutional. Relying on the Supreme Court's Purcell principle, the court held that altering election laws three weeks before an election creates unacceptable confusion and administrative burden.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the criminal conviction of a chief engineer for maintaining an inaccurate Oil Record Book while a foreign-flagged vessel was in U.S. waters. The court held that the regulation's plain language requires the record to be substantively accurate, not merely physically preserved.
The D.C. Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Tony Parks' Title VII retaliation claims, ruling that his pleadings failed to allege facts constituting a materially adverse action or a causal link to protected activity. The court further held that Parks forfeited challenges to his failure-to-promote and other discrimination claims by failing to raise them in his appellate brief.
The D.C. Circuit affirmed the denial of Social Security disability benefits, holding that the Administrative Law Judge's decision was supported by substantial evidence. The court found the ALJ provided valid reasons for assigning less weight to treating physicians' opinions based on documented medical improvements and symptom control.
The Second Circuit affirmed that purchasing a competitor's trademark as a search keyword does not inherently constitute trademark infringement under the Lanham Act. The court held that because the resulting advertisements and landing pages did not display the plaintiff's marks, there was no plausible likelihood of consumer confusion.
The Ninth Circuit granted Jaswinder Singh's petition for review, holding that the Board of Immigration Appeals erred in its adverse credibility determination and its internal relocation analysis. The court remanded the case for a renewed credibility assessment and a proper individualized inquiry into whether Singh could safely relocate outside of Punjab.
The Second Circuit held that Title VI's bar on employment-related claims does not prevent an employee from suing for retaliation when the underlying complaint concerns non-employment discrimination. The court vacated the dismissal of the plaintiff's claim and remanded the case for further proceedings on the merits.