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Constitutional

Every decision we've filed under Constitutional.

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Civil 3414 Criminal 1968 Summary Judgment 812 Sentencing Guidelines 723 Civil Rights - Section 1983 653 Immigration (Civil) 649 Supervised Release 475 Drug Trafficking 445 Civil Rights - Employment 370 Firearms 323 Qualified Immunity 252 Anders Brief 243
Mar 19 2026
6th Cir. 22-3544 Published

MARVIN G. JOHNSON v. DAVID BOBBY, Warden

The Sixth Circuit held that a state prisoner's federal habeas petition is not rendered moot by a subsequent resentencing from death to life without parole, as long as the underlying conviction remains intact. The court affirmed the denial of Johnson's petition, rejecting claims of ineffective assistance of counsel regarding the admission of criminal history evidence and the failure to raise a Confrontation Clause challenge.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - General (28 USC 2241) Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254) Sixth Amendment - Confrontation Clause
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Mar 19 2026
5th Cir. 24-30494 Panel Decision

John Ford, former Officer John Doe Police Officer Plaintiff— v. DeRay Mckesson; Black Lives Matter; Black Lives Matter Network, Incorporated Defendants—

The Fifth Circuit reversed the district court's grant of summary judgment for protest organizer DeRay Mckesson, holding that sufficient evidence exists for a jury to determine if his negligence in leading a violent protest proximately caused injuries to Officer John Ford. The court emphasized that after eight years of litigation, the case must proceed to trial to resolve factual disputes regarding Mckesson's leadership role and the foreseeability of the violence.

Constitutional First Amendment - Speech Summary Judgment
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Mar 19 2026
11th Cir. 0:24-cv-62261-WPD Per Curiam

Mencia v. United States

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the denial of a federal prisoner's motion to vacate his conviction, ruling that his statute of limitations argument lacked legal merit. Although the district court failed to address a specific timeliness claim, the appellate court determined a remand was unnecessary because the claim would fail regardless.

Constitutional Drug Trafficking Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255) Statute of Limitations
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Mar 18 2026
11th Cir. 5:24-cv-00280-MW-MJF Per Curiam

Gorham v. Smiley

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se plaintiff's amended complaint as a shotgun pleading that failed to comply with federal civil procedure rules. The court also upheld the district court's denial of the plaintiff's motion for appointed counsel, finding no exceptional circumstances existed to warrant it.

Constitutional Sixth Amendment - Right to Counsel
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Mar 18 2026
11th Cir. 5:24-cr-00058-TPB-PRL-1 Per Curiam

United States v. Williams

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Desean Williams's conviction because his claim of a conflict of interest regarding his plea agreement's appellate waiver was raised for the first time on direct appeal. The court held that resolving the factual predicate of this claim would require acting as a fact-finder, a role it cannot perform without a record developed in the district court.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255)
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Mar 18 2026
1st Cir. 24-1715 Panel Decision

RODOLFO CARR v. KENNETH LIZOTTE

The First Circuit affirmed the denial of a habeas petition challenging a first-degree murder conviction, ruling that the Sixth Amendment speedy-trial clock did not begin until Carr's 1997 indictment. The court further held that Carr's claims of ineffective assistance of counsel failed because his attorneys' strategic choices were not objectively unreasonable and the additional evidence would not have changed the outcome under state law.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254)
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