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
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
Designated for publication Wilson, J. (King, Higginson, Wilson) (no oral argument), immigration, Religious Freedom Restoration Act, res judicata Withdrawing December 15, 2025, opinion and substituting new opinion affirming dismissal of challenge to denial of visa for foreign student plaintiff sought to sponsor under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, but in change from original panel opinions … More February 12-13, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication Duncan, J. (Haynes, Duncan, Ramirez) (oral argument), sec. 1983 Affirming dismissal of claims of family of man who died during self-defense exercise in police cadet training. The court affirmed the district court’s dismissal of all § 1983 claims brought by Brittney Kennedy on behalf of her late husband, Marquis Kennedy, who suffered … More February 4-5, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication en banc (orally argued to merits panel), Quorum Clause, en banc Ordering en banc rehearing of August 15, 2025, panel opinion (Graves, Higginson, Wilson [dissenting]) reversing district court’s judgment that the Quorum Clause of the Constitution requires physical presence by members of Congress to conduct votes, and vacating permanent injunction of portions … More January 14-15, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication per curiam (en banc) (oral argument at panel stage) (voting for en banc rehearing: Jones, Smith, Willett, Ho, Duncan, Engelhardt, Wilson, JJ.; voting against en banc rehearing: Elrod, Stewart, Richman, Southwick, Haynes, Graves, Higginson, Douglas, Ramirez, JJ.), Ho, J., dissenting from denial of en banc rehearing (joined by Jones, Smith, Engelhardt, JJ.); … More January 12, 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
Designated for publication per curiam (en banc) (voting against rehearing: Elrod, Stewart, Southwick, Haynes, Graves, Higginson, Willett, Ho, Douglas, Ramirez, JJ.; voting for rehearing: Jones, Smith, Richman, Duncan, Engelhardt, Oldham, Wilson, JJ.); Ho, J., concurring in denial of rehearing; Oldham, J., dissenting from denial of rehearing (joined by Jones, Smith, Richman, Duncan, Engelhardt, Wilson, JJ.) … More December 18-20, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Richman, J. (Smith, Dennis, Richman) (oral argument), Dennis, J., concurring; criminal, sentencing Affirming conviction and concurrent five-year and life sentences for conspiracy to stalk and cyberstalking using a dangerous weapon and resulting in death; but vacating conviction and consecutive life sentence for using, carrying, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during a crime … More December 10-11, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication per curiam (Higginbotham, Ho, Douglas) (oral argument withdrawn), criminal, sentencing Affirming sentence on conviction of possession of a firearm by a felon. The Court affirmed the sentence of Eddie Hudson. The court found no error in the district court’s decision to treat Hudson’s 2008 Arkansas robbery conviction as a prior “crime of … More December 5, 2025, opinions
