Designated for publication Engelhardt, J. (Wiener, Engelhardt, Oldham) (oral argument withdrawn), personal tort, preemption Reversing judgment for defendant on claims arising from fatal truck-auto accident in which one of defendant’s employee’s was the involved truck driver; and remanding for further proceedings. Satnam Singh Lehal’s tractor-trailer jackknifed on the way to Laredo, Texas, crossed into oncoming … More August 3, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication Higginson, J. (Richman, Higginson, Douglas) (no oral argument), qualified immunity Affirming qualified immunity summary judgment dismissal of claim against officer on excessive force claim. On April 27, 2022, Houston police pursued Jalen Randle to execute three felony warrants (aggravated assault, felon in possession of a firearm, and evading arrest). After an immobilization … More July 8-9, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication Duncan, J. (King, Higginson, Duncan) (no oral argument), tax law Affirming tax court’s judgment upholding imposition of estate-tax liability and assessment of 20% negligence penalty. As Anne Milner Fields’s health rapidly declined in 2016 due to end-stage Alzheimer’s, her great-nephew and agent Bryan Milner transferred approximately $17 million of her assets into … More June 8, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication Wilson, J. (King, Higginson, Wilson) (oral argument), criminal, sentencing Affirming 60-month sentence on conviction of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana. James Troy Phillips led police on a high-speed car chase reaching over 135 miles per hour to evade a traffic stop because he had a large quantity … More May 27-28, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication per curiam (Haynes, Ho, Oldham) (no oral argument), Ho, J., concurring; Oldham, J., concurring; criminal, Second Amendment Affirming conviction of possession of a firearm by a felon. Peter Villa Cordova pled guilty to possessing a firearm after a felony conviction in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). His prior felony convictions include … More May 20, 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
Unpublished decisions per curiam (Wiener, Willett, Wilson) (no oral argument), criminal Granting Anders motion to withdraw, and dismissing appeal. per curiam (Smith, Graves, Wilson) (no oral argument), criminal Granting Anders motion to withdraw, and dismissing appeal. per curiam (Clement, Richman, Willett) (no oral argument), criminal Granting Anders motion to withdraw, and dismissing appeal. per curiam … More April 27, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication per curiam (Southwick, Engelhardt, Wilson), criminal, First Step Act On remand from the U.S. Supreme Court, vacating defendants’ sentences that it had previously affirmed, and remanding for resentencing under the First Step Act in light of Hewitt v. United States, 145 S. Ct. 2165 (2025). Wilson, J. (Higginson, Ho, Wilson); Ho, J., … More August 18-19, 2025, opinions
Richman, J. (Richman, Willett, Douglas), Americans with Disabilities Act, sec. 1983, expert witness Affirming district court’s exclusion of plaintiff’s expert witness and grant of Rule 50 motion dismissing plaintiff’s ADA claim. William Carter, a paraplegic man, was jailed for eight days in the Shreveport City Jail for unauthorized use of 911. Prior to his incarceration, … More July 21, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Douglas, J. (Dennis, Oldham, Douglas), Dennis, J., dissenting; sec. 1983, pretrial detention Affirming dismissal of claims by pretrial detainee regarding the alleged misuse of suicide watch protocols by county and county officials. Ronnie Alexander, a pretrial detainee at Henderson County Jail, was moved to a “violent cell” after he falsely claimed to … More July 10, 2025, opinions
