Topic

Constitutional

Every decision we've filed under Constitutional.

Related topics

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 17 2026
6th Cir. 25-1429 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. DOUGLAS JAMES WILMURTH

The Sixth Circuit affirmed Douglas Wilmurth's federal conviction and sentence, rejecting his claim that the district court plainly erred in ordering his term consecutive to undischarged state imprisonment. The court further held that the written judgment's search condition for supervised release was substantially identical to the oral pronouncement, leaving no discrepancy to correct.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - General (28 USC 2241) Sentencing Guidelines Supervised Release
Read summary →
Apr 17 2026
4th Cir. 22-7371 Panel Decision

Dorrbecker v. Howard

The Fourth Circuit affirmed the denial of a Navy captain's habeas petition, ruling that military courts had subject-matter jurisdiction over his offenses committed on a U.S. base in Italy. The court held that the Uniform Code of Military Justice applies to servicemembers accused of crimes against dependents stationed abroad, regardless of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - General (28 USC 2241)
Read summary →
Apr 16 2026
11th Cir. 2:25-cv-00070-ECM-KFP Per Curiam

Deutsche Bank National Trust Company v. Thomason

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court's order remanding a foreclosure ejectment case to state court, ruling that the defendant's removal attempt violated a prior filing injunction. The court held that the injunction expressly barred future filings regarding the property and warned of summary dismissal for non-compliance.

Constitutional Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
Read summary →
Apr 16 2026
10th Cir. 4:21-CR-00351-GKF-3) Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. JAMES WILLIAM BUZZARD

The Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a hearing on ineffective assistance of counsel because the rejected plea offer lacked a firm expiration date. The court dismissed the ineffective assistance claim without prejudice, directing the defendant to pursue such constitutional challenges through a 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion rather than on direct appeal.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255) Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
Read summary →
Apr 16 2026
10th Cir. 4:25-CV-00161-SEH-JFJ) Panel Decision

ERICK WANJIKU v. GENTNER F DRUMMOND

The Tenth Circuit denied a certificate of appealability and dismissed the appeal because the petitioner failed to demonstrate that jurists of reason would find the district court's ruling debatable. The court held that the petitioner lacked the required state custody to maintain a habeas petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2254.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255) Habeas Corpus - General (28 USC 2241) Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254)
Read summary →
Apr 16 2026
10th Cir. 1:22-CV-00262-SWS Panel Decision

DERRICK R. PARKHURST v. DAN SHANNON, Director Wyoming Department of Corrections; AMERICA STINSON

The Tenth Circuit affirmed summary judgment on a prisoner's retaliation claim regarding a threat to fire him from a kitchen job due to a lack of specific evidence about the job's value. However, the court reversed summary judgment on a separate retaliation claim involving a disciplinary charge, ruling that a finding of guilt does not preclude liability when the prisoner relies on suspicious timing and departures from prior practice.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - General (28 USC 2241) Summary Judgment
Read summary →
Apr 16 2026
9th Cir. 3:17-cr-00291-MO-1 Unpublished

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. HENRY KONAH KOFFIE

The Ninth Circuit affirmed Henry Konah Koffie's drug trafficking convictions, ruling that constitutional errors at trial were harmless due to overwhelming independent evidence of guilt. The court addressed issues involving the Confrontation Clause, Fourth Amendment suppression, and the denial of a Franks hearing.

Constitutional Fourth Amendment - Search & Seizure Sixth Amendment - Confrontation Clause
Read summary →
Apr 16 2026
6th Cir. 24-4068 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. CHRISTEN L. CLARK

The Sixth Circuit vacated the district court's denial of a defendant's motion to withdraw a guilty plea, ruling that the sudden resignation of counsel due to pending disciplinary action created a presumption of ineffective assistance requiring an evidentiary hearing. The court held that the district court abused its discretion by relying solely on the plea colloquy without resolving factual disputes regarding the voluntariness of the plea.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255) Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
Read summary →
Apr 14 2026
11th Cir. 1:23-cv-21944-DSL Per Curiam

DANIEL KESNECK v. DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

The Eleventh Circuit dismissed Daniel Kesneck's appeal sua sponte because his notice of appeal was filed after the statutory deadline. The court held that under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 58, the district court's order became a final judgment 150 days after entry, making the filing deadline December 29, 2025.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - General (28 USC 2241) Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254)
Read summary →