Designated for publication Oldham, J. (Higginbotham, Smith, Oldham) (oral argument), election law, Americans with Disabilities Act, standing Reversing permanent injunction against provisions of Texas SB 1’s imposition of certain elections restrictions under Title II of the ADA. Multiple civil-rights organizations challenged nine provisions of Texas Senate Bill 1 (the Election Protection and Integrity Act of … More August 12, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication Higginson, J. (King, Higginson, Wilson) (no oral argument), False Claims Act, settlement agreement Affirming district court’s judgment enforcing oral settlement agreement reached at mediation of False Claims Act claim. The United States sued Dr. Dongxin Ma and Ma Acupuncture PC under the False Claims Act for allegedly submitting approximately $1.3 million in … More June 15, 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
Designated for publication Wilson, J. (Willett, Duncan, Wilson) (oral argument), qui tam, False Claims Act Affirming dismissal of False Claims Act qui tam suit. Jack Palmer, hired by Comcast in 2016 to audit Tata Consulting Services’ immigration practices, filed a qui tam action under the False Claims Act (FCA). Tata employs roughly 30,000 workers in … More April 29, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication Engelhardt, J. (Higginson, Willett, Engelhardt) (oral argument), Willett, J., concurring in part; class action, employment, Americans with Disabilities Act Affirming district court’s rejection of two proposed classes and certification of one modified subclass of United Airlines employees who sought religious accommodations from COVID-19 vaccine mandate and who were accommodated with unpaid leave. … More March 9, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication Summerhays, J. (Jones, Engelhardt, Summerhays, by designation) (oral argument), maritime law Affirming summary judgment for vessel owner on longshore worker’s claim of vessel negligence. Balvina Renteria, a longshore worker unloading cargo from the M/V Star Juventas, fell about ten feet when she stepped on plastic sheeting covering a gap between stacked rolls … More March 6, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication Willett, J. (Stewart, Willett, Wilson) (no oral argument), preemption, standing, injunction Denying motion for injunction pending appeal of dismissal of nicotine retailers and industry actors’ challenge to Mississippi statute prohibiting sale of electronic nicotine devices that lacked FDA approval. The Fifth Circuit denied the plaintiffs’ motion for an injunction pending appeal of … More February 11, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication Smith, J. (Smith, Stewart, Haynes) (no oral argument), bankruptcy Affirming bankruptcy court’s dismissal of creditor’s claim for contribution. The court affirmed the bankruptcy court (and district court) in rejecting Spin’s claim that it should be paid under a receivables-sale agreement with Jet Oilfield Services (“Jet”). Under the agreement, Spin paid Jet $3,000,000 … More December 4, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Clement, J. (Clement, Graves, Ho) (no oral argument), criminal, sentencing Vacating sentence in part and remanding for conformance of the written judgment of terms of supervised release with oral pronouncement. The Fifth Circuit confronted a recurring post-Diggles question: what should be done when a written judgment includes unpronounced discretionary conditions of supervised … More December 2, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Higginbotham, J. (Higginbotham, Ho, Douglas) (no oral argument), Ho, J., concurring; False Claims Act, qui tam Affirming dismissal of qui tam action under False Claims Act. Inpatient-rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) provide intensive therapy to patients after hospital discharge and are reimbursed by Medicare per discharge, contingent on compliance with procedural rules such as … More November 3, 2025, opinions
