Topic
Every decision we've filed under Constitutional.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the denial of a motion to suppress evidence found on a microSD card, ruling that the subsequent warrant search was constitutional under the good faith exception. The court held that an officer's reliance on the warrant was objectively reasonable because the legality of the school district's initial search was unclear.
The Eleventh Circuit reversed the district court's grant of habeas relief, holding that Marcus Bernard Williams failed to demonstrate prejudice under Strickland v. Washington. The court concluded that Alabama courts would likely have weighed Williams's severe aggravating circumstances more heavily than his new mitigation evidence regarding childhood trauma.
The Eleventh Circuit dismissed Edward Lee Brown's appeal sua sponte because he filed his notice of appeal prematurely. The court held that a magistrate judge's report and recommendation is not a final judgment, and the district court's later adoption of that report cannot cure the defect of a premature filing.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court's partial denial of a habeas motion, holding that ineffective assistance of counsel regarding jury instructions on controlled substances did not prejudice a defendant's separate healthcare fraud convictions. The court reasoned that the fraud charges relied on distinct evidence and legal elements unrelated to the intent required for distributing controlled substances.
The Eleventh Circuit dismissed Cheddie Lamar Griffin's appeal from his § 2255 motion denial because his notice of appeal was filed after the statutory deadline. Although the prison mailbox rule applied, the filing date of March 10 missed the 60-day window that expired on March 4.
The Sixth Circuit reversed the district court's grant of habeas relief, holding that the state court's refusal to provide a defense-of-others jury instruction was not objectively unreasonable under AEDPA standards. The court concluded that the evidence did not support a reasonable inference that the petitioner acted to protect others from imminent harm, rendering the instructional error harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Sixth Circuit reversed the district court's grant of habeas relief, holding that the state court's refusal to provide a defense-of-others jury instruction was not objectively unreasonable under AEDPA standards. The court found no constitutional violation in the trial proceedings regarding the jury instructions or other claims, thereby reinstating Mercer's conviction and denying her federal relief.
The Fourth Circuit dismissed an appeal from a district court's denial of a habeas corpus petition because the petitioner failed to meet the statutory threshold for appellate review. The court held that the prisoner did not make a substantial showing that reasonable jurists could find the lower court's assessment of his constitutional claims debatable or wrong.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the denial of Michael Henderson's federal habeas petition, ruling that his trial counsel's performance did not fall below an objective standard of reasonableness. The court found no reasonable probability that securing Richardson hearings or deposing a detective would have altered the outcome of Henderson's capital sexual battery conviction.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Mohamed Muthana's due process and administrative claims because his own immigration petition proved he listed the address where the government sent notice. By failing to meaningfully contest this dispositive evidence in the lower court or on appeal, Muthana waived his right to challenge the denial of his request to reopen immigration proceedings.