Unpublished decisions per curiam (Higginbotham, Engelhardt, Ramirez) (no oral argument), criminal Granting Anders motion to withdraw, and dismissing appeal. per curiam (Stewart, Graves, Oldham) (no oral argument), civil Affirming dismissal of plaintiff’s claims, with no description of nature of claims or issues on appeal. per curiam (Jones, Duncan, Douglas) (no oral argument), criminal Granting Anders … More May 13, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication Jones, J. (Jones, Duncan, Douglas) (no oral argument), Americans with Disabilities Act Affirming dismissal of ADA claims. Albert Hayes worked as an IT systems administrator for Army contractor GStek at Fort Polk. After COVID-era telework ended and he was required to return to the office, Hayes was diagnosed with Autism, Major Depressive … More May, 8, 11, 12, 2026 opinions
Designated for publication Higginbotham, J. (Higginbotham, Smith, Oldham) (no oral argument), Oldham, J., concurring; criminal, sentencing, supervised release Vacating mandatory supervised release requirement for financial-change notification, and remanding for correction of judgment. In October 2023, Jayden Douglas Richard Vacchino lured a sixteen-year-old girl from Floresville, Texas, to Shreveport, Louisiana, for sex after meeting her online. … More May 7, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication Oldham, J. (single judge) (no oral argument), habeas corpus Denying motion for certificate of appealability from district court’s denial of Rule 60(b) motion construed as an unauthorized successive § 2255 motion. At issue was (1) whether the court could issue a COA when the applicant’s claims do not implicate the denial of … More May 6, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication Richman, J. (Richman, Willett, Douglas) (oral argument), Willett, J., concurring; Douglas, J., concurring; maritime law, arbitration Vacating denial of arbitration, and remanding with instructions to issue order compelling arbitration of seaman’s claims from severe leg injuries. Jeremiah Hill, an able-bodied seaman, suffered severe leg injuries when unsecured cargo crushed his leg aboard … More May 5, 2026, opinions
Unpublished decisions per curiam (Richman, Southwick, Willett) (no oral argument), criminal Granting Anders motion to withdraw, and dismissing appeal. per curiam (Higginbotham, Engelhardt, Ramirez) (no oral argument), criminal, sentencing Affirming imposition of mental health treatment condition in supervised release term as part of sentence, when there was no professional diagnosis—only the defendant’s self-reported anxiety and … More May 4, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication Duncan, J. (Southwick, Duncan, Engelhardt) (no oral argument), abortion law, standing, administrative law Granting Louisiana’s motion to stay the FDA’s 2023 REMS (order allowing mifepristone to be prescribed online and dispensed through the mail without any in-person doctor visit) pending appeal under 5 U.S.C. § 705. After Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health … More May 1, 2026, opinions
I report after each month on interesting statistics from the data I generate from the daily opinion summaries from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and at the end of each court year (Oct.-Sept.) I aggregate that–all of which provides useful insights into the inner workings of the Court, the relative success … More April 2026 opinion statistics
Designated for publication U.S. v. Wilson, 24-10633, appeal from N.D. Tex. per curiam (Jones, Smith, Graves, Ho, Duncan, Engelhardt, Oldham, voting for en banc rehearing; Elrod, Stewart, Richman, Southwick, Haynes, Higginson, Willett, Wilson, Douglas, Ramirez, voting against en banc rehearing) (oral argument at panel stage); Willett, J., issuing opinion “respecting the denial” (joined by Elrod, … More April 30, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication Wilson, J. (Willett, Duncan, Wilson) (oral argument), qui tam, False Claims Act Affirming dismissal of False Claims Act qui tam suit. Jack Palmer, hired by Comcast in 2016 to audit Tata Consulting Services’ immigration practices, filed a qui tam action under the False Claims Act (FCA). Tata employs roughly 30,000 workers in … More April 29, 2026, opinions
