May 7, 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

April 8, 2026, opinions

Unpublished decisions per curiam (Jones, Duncan, Douglas) (no oral argument), civil Affirming dismissal of plaintiff’s suit under Rule 41(b). David Pete, proceeding pro se, sued Equifax and JND Legal Administration for $200 billion under various theories. The district court denied his in forma pauperis motion—finding he had falsely claimed the U.S. Attorney General owed him … More April 8, 2026, opinions

March 26, 2026, opinions

Designated for publication Higginson, J. (Haynes, Higginson, Ho) (no oral argument), antitrust Reversing grant of state-action immunity on plaintiff’s Sherman Act claims against city. Megatel Homes sought to develop roughly 517 acres (the “Cipriani Property”) located outside the City of Mansfield’s corporate boundaries but within its extraterritorial jurisdiction. To obtain water, Megatel needed service from … More March 26, 2026, opinions

March 4-5, 2026, opinions

Designated for publication Davis, J. (Davis, Jones, Stewart) (no oral argument), criminal Affirming conviction of possession of a firearm by a felon. Lester Landrum pleaded guilty but preserved constitutional challenges to the statute, arguing that it violates the Second Amendment (both facially and as applied), the Equal Protection Clause, the Commerce Clause, and that it … More March 4-5, 2026, opinions

March 3, 2026, opinions

Designated for publication Graves, J. (Clement, Graves, Ho) (oral argument), breach of contract, choice of law, indemnification, attorneys’ fees Affirming in part and vacating in part summary judgment for plaintiff on claim for indemnification for lawsuits arising from alleged fraudulent over-billing, and affirming in part and vacating in part award of attorneys’ fees, and remanding. … More March 3, 2026, opinions

February 24, 2026, opinions

Designated for publication per curiam (Smith, Richman, Graves) (oral argument), free exercise, mootness On receiving an answer of “no” from the Texas Supreme Court on the certified question of whether Texas’s Code of Judicial Conduct prohibited judges from publicly refusing to perform same-sex weddings while continuing to perform opposite-sex weddings, holding that the suit was … More February 24, 2026, opinions

February 20, 2026, opinions

Designated for publication per curiam (en banc; Elrod, Stewart, Southwick, Haynes, Graves, Higginson, Willett, Douglas, Ramirez, voting against en banc rehearing; Jones, Smith, Richman, Ho, Duncan, Engelhardt, Oldham, Wilson, voting for en banc rehearing) (oral argument at panel stage), Ho, J., dissenting from denial of en banc rehearing (joined by Jones, Smith); en banc, qualified … More February 20, 2026, opinions

February 2, 2026, opinions

Designated for publication Douglas, J. (Dennis, Oldham, Douglas) (oral argument), Oldham, J., dissenting; maritime law Affirming issuance of maritime lien against vessel to secure payment for marine fuel oil bunkers. The dispute centers on an unpaid delivery of marine fuel (“bunkers”) to the Liberian-flagged cargo vessel ARGOS M. Three Fifty Markets, a UK-based commodity trading … More February 2, 2026, opinions

January 9, 2026, opinions

Designated for publication Clement, J. (Clement, Graves, Ho) (oral argument withdrawn), Ho, J., concurring; criminal, sentencing Vacating sentence on conviction of failing to register as a sex offender, and remanding for resentencing. The Fifth Circuit held that the district court erred in sentencing Sergio Yovani Quintanilla-Matamoros based on an incorrect sex-offender tier under the Sex … More January 9, 2026, opinions

January 2-6, 2026, opinions

Designated for publication Douglas, J. (Smith, Higginson, Douglas) (oral argument), sec. 1988, standing, attorneys’ fees Affirming vacatur of attorneys’ fee award after vacatur of declaratory judgment relief for lack of standing in plaintiff’s constitutional challenge to city’s home rule charter. Plaintiffs-Appellants challenged provisions of the City of Houston home-rule charter requiring initiative petition circulators to … More January 2-6, 2026, opinions