Category: Take the Fifth

December 20, 2023, opinions

December 21, 2023

Designated for publication Elrod, J. (Higginbotham, Smith, Elrod), criminal, sentencing Affirming conviction for wire fraud, affirming 120-month imprisonment term, but vacating written judgment that sentence would run consecutively with any state-court sentences and remanding with order to conform to oral pronouncement that federal sentence would run concurrently with state-court sentences. Unpublished per curiam (Jones, Barksdale, … More December 20, 2023, opinions

December 19, 2023, opinions

December 20, 2023

Designated for publication Wilson, J. (Higginbotham, Stewart, Wilson), Prison Litigation Reform Act, mootness, prisoner suit Vacating district court’s preliminary injunction regarding housing of juvenile offenders in detention facility at the Angola State Penitentiary, and dismissing appeal from merits of that injunction, on basis that time period for injunctive remedy under the PLRA has run and … More December 19, 2023, opinions

December 18, 2023, opinions

December 19, 2023

Designated for publication Jones, J. (Jones, Higginson, Duncan), Higginson, J., concurring; Clean Water Act, mootness Vacating district court’s judgment declining to review the Corps of Engineers’ jurisdictional determination under the Clean Water Act that landowner’s property contained jurisdictional wetlands, which determination the Corps had reached after the remand by the district court of an earlier … More December 18, 2023, opinions

December 15, 2023, opinions

December 18, 2023

Designated for publication Southwick, J. (Barksdale, Southwick, Higginson), Higginson, J., dissenting; voting rights, election law, standing Reversing summary judgment in favor of voter advocacy organization, and rendering judgment in favor of Texas officials (actively defended by intervenor attorney general) rejecting organization’s challenge to Texas’s original “wet” signature requirement as a violation of the Civil Rights … More December 15, 2023, opinions

December 12-14, 2023, opinions

December 15, 2023

Designated for publication Duncan, J. (Higginbotham, Higginson, Duncan), criminal, guilt plea Affirming conviction of attempted interference with commerce by robbery, finding sufficient evidence in the record to support the defendant’s guilty plea. Haynes, J. (Clement, Haynes, Oldham), ERISA Affirming dismissal of ERISA claim against insurance company hired by plan’s sponsor, administrator, and fiduciary to maintain … More December 12-14, 2023, opinions

December 11, 2023, opinions

December 12, 2023

Designated for publication Oldham, J. (Jolly, Engelhardt, Oldham), jurisdiction, voting rights Vacating district court’s declaratory judgment regarding the unconstitutionality of Houston’s voter-registration provisions, and remanding to the district court with instructions to dismiss without prejudice due to the lack of an Article III case or controversy. The Court noted that the parties were in agreement … More December 11, 2023, opinions

December 8, 2023, opinions

December 11, 2023

Designated for publication per curiam (Smith, Higginson, Engelhardt), criminal, Commerce Clause, Second Amendment, gun laws Affirming conviction of possession of a firearm by a felon. The Court held there was no plain error in application of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) under the Commerce Clause, holding that Circuit precedent is clear that the statute does not … More December 8, 2023, opinions

December 7, 2023, opinions

December 8, 2023

Designated for publication per curiam (Richman, Jones, Smith, Barksdale, Elrod, Willett, Ho, Duncan, Engelhardt, Oldham, Wilson, JJ., voting for stay; Stewart, Southwick, Haynes, Graves, Higginson, Douglas, JJ., voting against stay); Oldham, J., concurring (joined by Jones, Smith, Barksdale, Elrod, Willett, Duncan, Engelhardt, Wilson, JJ.); Richman, C.J., concurring; Ho, J., concurring (joined by Elrod, J.); Higginson, … More December 7, 2023, opinions

December 6, 2023, opinions

December 7, 2023

Unpublished per curiam (King, Haynes, Graves), criminal Granting Anders motion to withdraw, and dismissing appeal. per curiam (Jones, Smith, Dennis), criminal Granting Anders motion to withdraw, and dismissing appeal. per curiam (King, Haynes, Graves), criminal Granting Anders motion to withdraw, and dismissing appeal. per curiam (King, Haynes, Graves), prisoner suit Affirming dismissal of Texas state … More December 6, 2023, opinions

December 5, 2023, opinions

December 6, 2023

Designated for publication Higginbotham, J. (Higginbotham, Smith, Elrod), Smith, J., dissenting; criminal, sentencing, Armed Career Criminal Act, habeas corpus On defendant’s § 2255 motion, vacating sentence on conviction of possession of a firearm by a felon, and remanding for resentencing without the ACCA enhancement. On a 2011 charge for possession of a firearm by a … More December 5, 2023, opinions