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Constitutional

Every decision we've filed under Constitutional.

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Civil 2084 Criminal 1218 Summary Judgment 466 Sentencing Guidelines 413 Civil Rights - Section 1983 395 Immigration (Civil) 354 Supervised Release 285 Drug Trafficking 272 Firearms 213 Civil Rights - Employment 204 Intellectual Property 159 Qualified Immunity 151
Apr 29 2026
11th Cir. 9:05-cr-80107-DPG-1 Per Curiam

United States v. Dixon

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of Derek Dixon's motion for a sentence reduction under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2), ruling that the trial court properly exercised its discretion to reject the request despite a lowered guideline range. The appellate court found no abuse of discretion given the extreme violence of Dixon's crimes and his prior agreement that the maximum term was reasonable under § 3553(a).

Compassionate Release Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255) Sentencing Guidelines
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Apr 29 2026
11th Cir. 2:24-cr-14037-DMM-1 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. OTIS FURMAN CRABBE

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Otis Crabbe's conviction for methamphetamine distribution, rejecting his claim that a stationhouse interrogation statement was involuntary. The court found the government met its burden to prove voluntariness and that the district court properly handled expert testimony, jury selection challenges, and lesser-included offense instructions.

Constitutional Fifth Amendment - Self-Incrimination
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Apr 29 2026
9th Cir. 2:03-cv-00978- Published

James Scott v. Ron Broomfield

The Ninth Circuit reversed a district court's grant of habeas corpus relief, holding that the California Supreme Court reasonably concluded that trial counsel's performance was not deficient and did not prejudice the defendant. The panel remanded the case for the district court to consider Scott's remaining claims while affirming the denial of relief on the guilt-phase ineffective assistance of counsel claim.

Constitutional Fifth Amendment - Self-Incrimination Habeas Corpus - General (28 USC 2241) Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254)
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Apr 29 2026
8th Cir. 25-1533 Panel Decision

Jabbok Schlacks; William Schlacks v. Neil Chheda; Schlacks 2020 Transfer, LLC; RC Opportunity, LLC

The Eighth Circuit affirmed the denial of a motion to compel arbitration, holding that the Schlacks brothers were not parties bound by the partnership agreement's arbitration clause. The court found no clear and unmistakable evidence that the brothers agreed to delegate arbitrability questions to an arbitrator or that equitable estoppel and agency principles applied to bind them.

Constitutional Second Amendment
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Apr 29 2026
1st Cir. 25-1354 Panel Decision

SANDRA NATASHA ST. JOHN v. ANDREA JOY CAMPBELL

The First Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a habeas corpus petition filed by a deported individual, holding that federal jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 requires the petitioner to be in custody of state authorities at the time of filing. Because the petitioner had been deported to Trinidad and Tobago before filing her claim, she failed to satisfy the statutory custody requirement.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - General (28 USC 2241) Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254)
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Apr 28 2026
4th Cir. 25-6683 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. BERNARD CELESTINE

The Fourth Circuit affirmed the denial of Bernard Celestine's motions for sentence reduction and compassionate release while dismissing his appeal regarding a successive habeas claim. The court held that Celestine failed to challenge the procedural dismissal of his § 2255 motion in his informal brief, thereby failing to demonstrate the requisite substantial showing of a constitutional right denial.

Compassionate Release Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255)
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Apr 28 2026
9th Cir. 4:22-cv-00051- Published

DOE 1, ET AL. V. META PLATFORMS, INC.

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a putative class action alleging that Facebook's design incited violence against the Rohingya in Myanmar. The court held that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act bars claims treating Meta as a publisher of third-party content, even when the platform's algorithms recommend such content.

Civil Constitutional Labor
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Apr 28 2026
3rd Cir. 24-2740 Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. AARON LYONS

The Third Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Aaron Lyons's habeas petition, ruling that his claim based on the Supreme Court's Rehaif decision was procedurally defaulted. The court held that the legal argument regarding knowledge of conviction status was reasonably available when Lyons pleaded guilty, and he failed to demonstrate actual innocence to excuse the default.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255) Sentencing Guidelines Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
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