Designated for publication Kaswatuka v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 20-10632, appeal from N.D. Tex. Stewart, J. (Stewart, Costa, Willett), employment discrimination, Title VII, Americans with Disabilities Act Affirming 12(b)(6) dismissal of plaintiff’s employment discrimination claims against the TSA. The Court first held that the plaintiff had waived any arguments other than those directly related … More August 2, 2021 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 July 2021 statistics
Designated for publication Sanchez Oil & Gas Corp. v. Crescent Drilling & Production, Inc., 20-20304, appeal from S. D. Tex. Jones, J. (Jones, Clement, Graves), Fair Labor Standards Act, indemnification Reversing summary judgment in favor of defendant on plaintiff’s claim for indemnification for FLSA liability to subcontractor, finding existence of material fact as to whether … More July 30, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication Vazquez-Guerra v. Garland, 18-60828, petition for review of BIA order Ho, J. (Smith, Graves, Ho), immigration Denying petition for review of Mexican citizen’s petition for review of BIA order dismissing appeal of IJ order denying asylum and withholding of removal for her and her minor daughter based on an expressed fear that … More July 29, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication U.S. v. Jackson, 19-10627, appeal from N.D. Tex. per curiam (Wiener, Elrod, Higginson), criminal, crime of violence Vacating conviction of using a facility in aid of a racketeering enterprise with intent to commit a “crime of violence”; holding that predicate offense of sex trafficking of children is not a “crime of violence,” … More July 27-28, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication U.S. v. Sharp, 20-60437, appeal from N.D. Miss. Costa, J. (Jones, Southwick, Costa), criminal, search and seizure, sufficiency of evidence, severance, Confrontation Clause, right to counsel Affirming conviction on fifteen drug trafficking and firearms counts arising from three separate incidents. The Court held there was no clear error in the district court’s … More July 26, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication Texas v. U.S., 19-10011, appeal from N.D. Tex. per curiam (King, Elrod, Engelhardt), Affordable Care Act On remand from the U.S. Supreme Court, which had vacated the Fifth Circuit panel’s opinion upholding states’ challenge to the ACA, Court entered order vacating district court’s opinion and remanding to district court to dismiss suit. … More July 23, 2021 opinions
Unpublished Bowling v. Willis, 19-40914, appeal from E.D. Tex. per curiam (Jones, Barksdale, Stewart), vexatious litigant Dismissing appeal in part, and affirming in part, district court’s declaration of plaintiff as a vexatious litigant and issuance of a pre-filing injunction requiring court approval prior to any filings. U.S. v. Herrera, 20-10720, appeal from N.D. Tex. per … More July 22, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication Landry’s, Inc. v. The Insurance Co. of the State of Pennsylvania, 19-20430, appeal from S.D. Tex. Oldham, J. (Smith, Oldham; Ho, recused, op. by quorum); insurance Reversing district court’s summary judgment that insurer did not have a duty to defend retail chain that was defending itself against a claim by the processing … More July 21, 2021 opinions
Unpublished U.S. v. Clark, 20-10094, appeal from N.D. Tex. per curiam (Smith, Stewart, Graves), criminal, First Step Act Vacating district court’s denial of a motion for sentence reduction under the First Step Act, and remanding for further proceedings in light of United States v. Shkambi, 993 F.3d 388, 393 (5th Cir. 2021). U.S. v. Castillo, … More July 20, 2021 opinions
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