Designated for publication Haynes, J. (Stewart, Dennis, Haynes), criminal, Second Amendment Affirming conviction for possession of a firearm by a felon. In 2019, Texas authorities arrested Betancourt after he allegedly brandished a firearm during a domestic dispute and was later found with multiple firearms, ammunition, and body armor in his home. A federal grand jury … More June 4, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Higginson, J. (Elrod, Dennis, Higginson), First Amendment, sovereign immunity Affirming in part and vacating in part preliminary injunction against state entities to enjoin Texas law limiting information provided under managed vision plans, as an impingement on commercial speech, and affirming in part and vacating in part motion to dismiss on sovereign immunity … More May 23, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Higginson, J. (Smith, Clement, Higginson), criminal, sentencing, sufficiency of evidence, Affirming convictions of substantive healthcare in scheme to defraud TRICARE by ordering unnecessary toxicology and DNA cancer screening tests, finding sufficient evidence to support convictions, finding no plain error in district court’s exclusion of testimony regarding statements purportedly made to defendant by … More December 9-13, 2024, opinions
Unpublished per curiam (Clement, Oldham, Wilson), prisoner suit Vacating dismissal of pretrial detainee’s failure-to-protect claim, affirming dismissal of other claims arising from assault, and remanding for further proceedings. per curiam (Wiener, Willett, Duncan), Wiener, J., concurring; municipal liability Affirming dismissal of municipal liability claims arising from tear-gassing and arrest of journalist plaintiff during George Floyd … More November 6, 2024, opinions
Designated for publication per curiam (voting against rehearing en banc: Elrod, Stewart, Southwick, Graves, Higginson, Engelhardt, Ramirez, JJ.; voting for rehearing en banc: Jones, Richman, Willett, Duncan, Oldham, Wilson, JJ.) (recused/not voting in en banc poll: Smith, Haynes, Ho, Douglas, JJ.); federal officer jurisdiction, en banc Denying en banc rehearing of May 29, 2024, panel … More November 1-5, 2024, opinions
Designated for publication per curiam (Higginbotham, Southwick, Higginson), taking, federal question jurisdiction On remand from the U.S. Supreme Court, remanding to district court with instructions to remand to state court the plaintiffs’ taking claims against Texas. Willett, J. (Willett, Wilson, Ramirez), Ramirez, J., concurring; First Amendment Reversing summary judgment in favor of the State of … More September 25-27, 2024, opinions
Designated for publication Dennis, J. (Jones, Dennis, Willett); Willett, J., concurring; Jones, J., dissenting; qualified immunity, municipal liability Reversing summary judgment dismissal on qualified immunity grounds of excessive force claims arising from violent arrest of plaintiff, holding that the defendant officer “failed to show the absence of a genuine dispute of material fact as to … More August 29-30, 2024, opinions
Designated for publication Higginson, J. (Higginbotham, Higginson, Duncan), qualified immunity, municipal liability, Fourth Amendment, § 1983 Dismissing appeal in part for want of appellate jurisdiction over appeals of denial of summary judgment on punitive damages claim, the summary judgment to police officer on Fourth Amendment search claim, and the summary judgment to the City and … More July 30-31, 2024, opinions
Take the Fifth’s resident opinion-aggregator was out of the country for the first two and a half weeks of July, so the following are just abbreviated accounts of dispositions without any summary. Designated for publication Southwick, J. (Smith, Southwick, Higginson), bankruptcy, contempt Affirming contempt order entered by bankruptcy court against defendant in adversary proceeding. Stewart, … More July 1-17, 2024, opinions
Designated for publication Smith, J. (Smith, Graves, Wilson); Graves, J., dubitante; § 1983, amendment Affirming denial of untimely motion to amend, where § 1983 plaintiff failed to adequately explain the justification for his untimeliness. Judge Graves filed a dubitante opinion. “I agree that Banks failed to give an adequate excuse for his failure to diligently … More June 26, 2024, opinions
