Designated for publication per curiam (Jones, Dennis, Douglas), immigration Denying Honduran citizen’s petition for review of BIA order denying motion to reopen removal proceedings for adjustment of status based on marriage to U.S. citizen. The Court held that the petitioner was never previously validly admitted to the U.S. as a nonimmigrant because, while he had … More March 4, 2024, opinions
Designated for publication Douglas, J. (Wiener, Willett, Douglas), Wiener, J., dissenting; habeas corpus, ineffective assistance of counsel Affirming district court’s denial of § 2255 petition, holding that petitioner failed to show that he was prejudiced by his trial and appellate counsel’s performance in guilty-plea conviction of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams … More March 1, 2024, opinions
We report after each month on interesting statistics from the data we 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.) we will aggregate that–all of which provides useful insights into the inner workings of the Court, the relative … More February 2024 opinion statistics
Designated for publication per curiam (voting against en banc rehearing: Richman, Jones, Smith, Southwick, Willett, Ho, Duncan, Engelhardt, Oldham, Wilson; voting for en banc rehearing: Stewart, Elrod, Haynes, Graves, Higginson, Douglas, Ramirez); Elrod, J., dissenting (joined by Stewart, Graves, Higginson, Douglas, JJ.); Douglas, J., dissenting (joined by Graves, Higginson, JJ., and by Elrod, J., as … More February 29, 2024, opinions
Unpublished per curiam (Jones, Barksdale, Elrod), Elrod, J., concurring; criminal, sentencing, sufficiency of evidence Affirming convictions and sentences on drug trafficking-related charges related to sales of drugs by defendants in one of the defendants’ nightclubs. Judge Elrod concurred, opining that, while the admission of certain testimony and a redacted statement were harmless error, they “nevertheless … More February 28, 2024, opinions
Designated for publication Jones, J. (Jones, Wilson, Douglas), Jones, J., concurring; habeas corpus, Brady violation, due process Denying motion for permission to file a successive § 2254 petition by capital inmate to urge Brady violations regarding potentially impeaching evidence as to testimony from the petitioner’s girlfriend and due process violations regarding the petitioner’s request for … More February 27, 2024, opinions
Designated for publication per curiam (Jolly, Engelhardt, Oldham), criminal, sentencing, Miranda Affirming conviction and 235-month sentence on drug and firearm offenses. The Court held that the district court did not err in denying a motion to suppress a non-Mirandized statement by the defendant upon his arrest that he had a handgun in his bedroom, because … More February 26, 2024, opinions
Designated for publication Southwick, J. (Smith, Southwick, Higginson), removal, jurisdiction, personal jurisdiction Affirming dismissal of two non-diverse defendants as improperly joined and denial of remand, and affirming dismissal of out-of-state defendants for lack of personal jurisdiction, in action arising from injuries suffered during crash of single-engine airplane piloted by the plaintiff. The crash occurred in … More February 23, 2024, opinions
Designated for publication Wilson, J. (Stewart, Dennis, Wilson), breach of contract Affirming judgment in favor of plaintiff on claim that it was entitled to a commission for its role promoting the sale of the defendant, its former client; applying basic principles of contract interpretation and finding that the parties’ contract displaced the common law procuring … More February 22, 2024, opinions
Designated for publication Jones, J. (Jones, Haynes, Douglas), criminal, sentencing, restitution Affirming convictions for healthcare fraud and receiving Medicare kickbacks, upholding the admission of recordings of the co-conspirators, the calculation of the amount of improper benefit for sentencing purposes, and the calculation of the restitution award. per curiam (voting against en banc rehearing: Stewart, Elrod, … More February 19-21, 2024, opinions
