Designated for publication per curiam (Wiener, Willett, Douglas) (oral argument on original setting, prior to Supreme Court remand); Federal Tort Claims Act On remand from U.S. Supreme Court, affirming dismissal of plaintiff’s tort claims arising from refusal to deliver mail, modified to be dismissal without prejudice. Lebene Konan alleged that USPS mail carrier Raymond Rojas … More September 3, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication per curiam (Smith, Haynes, Oldham) (no oral argument), criminal, sentencing, guilty plea On remand from U.S. Supreme Court, dismissing appeal of conviction and sentence in light of appeal waiver in plea agreement. Davantae London robbed multiple Wal-Mart stores at gunpoint in the Houston area. As part of his plea agreement, he waived … More August 19-21, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication Higginson, J. (Richman, Higginson, Douglas) (oral argument), criminal, sufficiency of evidence, witness testimony, evidence, sentencing, Second Amendment, Commerce Clause Affirming conviction and sentence on drug and firearms charges. Travis Enclade and Terence Wilson, relatives suspected of narcotics trafficking in New Orleans, were the subjects of a two-month DEA surveillance operation using pole … More August 17-18, 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
Designation for publication Jones, J. (Jones, Oldham, Hendrix, by designation), Oldham, J., concurring; governmental immunity, collateral order doctrine Reversing denial of governmental immunity against police detective for investigation against and prosecution of personnel with a business neighboring the business of the detective’s employer in his moonlighting gig. This case concerns Detective Genaro Hernandez of the … More July 3-5, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Jolly, J. (Jolly, Southwick, Oldham), Oil Pollution Act, CERCLA Affirming summary judgment dismissal of OPA claims arising from spill of mixture of oil and hazardous substances into the Houston shipping channel, holding that the mixed spill is not a spill of “oil” under OPA, but instead falls within the carve-out for CERCLA … More October 25-27, 2023, opinions
Designated for publication Clement, J. (Clement, Elrod, Willett), criminal, Confrontation Clause, hearsay Affirming conviction for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, but vacating conviction for transporting illegal aliens, and remanding for resentencing. The Court held that the form admitted into evidence to show the nationality of the people being transported was hearsay and admitted in violation … More October 18, 2023, opinions
Designated for publication Higginbotham, J. (Higginbotham, Smith, Engelhardt), Higginbotham, J., dissenting in part; criminal, sufficiency of evidence, jury instructions, Sixth Amendment, hearsay Affirming convictions of doctor and pharmacists in “pill mill” operation of controlled substance distribution and conspiracy counts, rejecting argument that there was not sufficient evidence to overcome the Controlled Substances Act’s exemption for … More July 25, 2023, opinions
Catching up on the blog after some non-stop over-drive briefing weeks, so both published and unpublished opinions will only contain summary disposition information and not the usual fuller descriptions. Designated for publication U.S. v. Perry, 17-30610, c/w U.S. v. Price, 17-30611, appeal from E.D. La. Higginson, J. (Jones, Higginson, Duncan), criminal, sufficiency of evidence, Batson … More May 12, 2022, opinions
Designated for publication Williams v. Boeing Co., 18-31158, appeal from E.D. La. Southwick, J. (Southwick, Graves, Engelhardt), personal tort, multi-district litigation Reversing in part final judgment entered in mesothelioma case by district court in Louisiana after summary judgment by MDL court in Pennsylvania, and remanded for further proceedings. The Court held that the MDL district … More January 11-14, 2022, opinions
