October 16-17, 2023, opinions

Designated for publication deGravelles, J. (Haynes, Engelhardt, deGravelles, by designation), maritime law, punitive damages Affirming the judgment after a bench trial that defendant had wrongfully arrested and detained the plaintiff’s vessel after ramming it and preventing its departure from the defendant’s shipyard for five days, that punitive damages were justified, and that prejudgment interest was … More October 16-17, 2023, opinions

October 2-3, 2023, opinions

Designated for publication Richman, C.J. (Richman, Wiener, Willett), criminal, Anti-Kickback Statute, sufficiency of evidence, Travel Act, Speedy Trial Act, Bruton violation, Court Reporter’s Act, jury instructions, prosecutorial conduct, sentencing, restitution The Court upheld the sufficiency of evidence to support the Anti-Kickback Statute convictions of six co-defendants, holding that the government need not prove defendants had … More October 2-3, 2023, opinions

September 19, 2023, opinions

Designated for publication per curiam (9 judges against rehearing: Stewart, Elrod, Southwick, Haynes, Graves, Higginson, Willett, Engelhardt, Douglas; 7 judges for rehearing: Richman, Jones, Smith, Ho, Duncan, Oldham, Wilson), Smith, J., dissenting from denial of rehearing; criminal, search and seizure Denying en banc rehearing of May 10, 2023, panel opinion that vacated defendant’s conviction for … More September 19, 2023, opinions

August 2, 2023, opinions

Designated for publication Jones, J. (Jones, Southwick, Ho), Southwick, J., dissenting; Federal Power Act, administrative law Reversing FERC orders implementing cost allocation scheme for electrical grid improvements in much of the American West, in the WestConnect region, holding that the orders violate the Federal Power Act as a matter of law and that FERC inadequately … More August 2, 2023, opinions

July 14-18, 2023, opinions

Designated for publication Willett, J. (Richman, Wiener, Willett), Wiener, J., concurring; Title IX, sec. 1983 Denying rehearing en banc, and withdrawing prior panel opinion and substituting new opinion, reversing denial of qualified immunity dismissal of sec. 1983 claim on state-created danger grounds, and remanding for proceedings of Title IX claims arising from sexual assault of … More July 14-18, 2023, opinions

August 15, 2022, opinions

(While I was on vacation/college-touring around the Northeast, then dealing with the Covid gathered from somewhere in the Northeast, I tracked 5th Circuit opinions for purposes of the gathering of opinion statistics from July 20 through August 12, but those opinions are not summarized here. So, picking back up with August 15 …) Designated for … More August 15, 2022, opinions

May 11, 2022, 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 Badgerow v. Walters, 19-30766, appeal from E.D. La. per curiam (Jolly, Graves, Duncan), arbitration On remand from U.S. Supreme Court, reversing district court’s … More May 11, 2022, opinions

April 20, 2022, opinions

Designated for publication Vista Health Plan, Inc. v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 20-50963, appeal from W.D. Tex. Wilson, J. (Higginbotham, Stewart, Wilson), Affordable Care Act, finality of judgment Withdrawing panel opinion from March 17, 2022, which affirmed district court’s summary judgment in favor of HHS defendants on plaintiff insurer’s challenge to HHS … More April 20, 2022, opinions

April 12, 2022, opinions

Designated for publication Bitco General Insurance Corp. v. Monroe Guaranty Insurance Co., 19-51012, appeal from W.D. Tex. Higginbotham, J. (Higginbotham, Jones, Higginson), insurance Affirming summary judgment that defendant insurer owed a duty to defend a commercial driller that it insured along with the plaintiff insurer under the commercial general liability policies, upon receipt of Texas … More April 12, 2022, opinions

March 19-31, 2022, opinions

(Note: While normally Take the Fifth provides more detailed summaries for opinions designated for publication and only basic disposition notes and links for unpublished opinions, because this is a catch-up post after two weeks of being away from the blog, we are just providing the links and basic disposition notes for both published and unpublished … More March 19-31, 2022, opinions