Tag: personal jurisdiction

October 14, 2026, opinions

October 15, 2026

Unpublished decisions per curiam (Clement, Engelhardt, Wilson) (no oral argument), criminal Granting Anders motion to withdraw, and dismissing appeal. per curiam (Jones, Ho, Wilson) (no oral argument), employment discrimination, appellate jurisdiction Dismissing for lack of timely notice of appeal, appeal from dismissal of employment discrimination claims and denial of motions for reconsideration. Pro se plaintiff … More October 14, 2026, opinions

August 25, 2026, opinions

August 26, 2026

Designated for publication Engelhardt, J. (Willett, Engelhardt, Douglas) (oral argument), Willett, J., concurring; criminal, Second Amendment, forfeiting argument Originally released a day before as an unpublished per curiam (though still with Judge Willett’s separate concurrence, re-released as a published disposition with the majority opinion attributed to Judge Engelhardt. Affirming dismissal of indictment of felon-in-possession on … More August 25, 2026, opinions

July 8-9, 2026, opinions

July 12, 2026

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

March 9, 2026, opinions

March 12, 2026

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

December 15, 2025, opinions

December 16, 2025

Designated for publication per curiam (King, Jones, Wilson) (oral argument), insurance, certification Affirming dismissal of claims against Uber’s insurer by Uber passenger for hit-and-run accident, on basis of Louisiana law allowing transportation network companies to reject uninsured motorist coverage; and denying motion to certify question to the Louisiana Supreme Court. The plaintiff, Santo Guerrera, sued … More December 15, 2025, opinions

December 8, 2025, opinions

December 10, 2025

Designated for publication Willett, J. (Higginson, Willett, Engelhardt) (oral argument), criminal, sentencing Affirming 240-month sentence on convictions of wire fraud and money laundering. The defendant — Christopher Kirchner — was the co-founder and CEO of a logistics software startup. He diverted millions in investor funds to finance a lavish personal lifestyle rather than developing the … More December 8, 2025, opinions

September 18, 2025, opinions

September 19, 2025

Designated for publication Higginbotham, J. (Elrod, Higginbotham, Smith), qualified immunity On remand from the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal and disabling of the Fifth Circuit’s “moment-of-threat” rule for analyzing a deadly force case, again affirming–this time under a reasonableness framework–the district court’s qualified immunity dismissal of a suit against a police officer who used deadly force … More September 18, 2025, opinions

August 5, 2025, opinions

August 7, 2025

Designated for publication Elrod, C.J. (Elrod, Duncan, Engelhardt), employment discrimination, COVID-19 Reversing summary judgment in favor of the employer on the plaintiff former employee’s Title VII religious discrimination claim arising from his termination after refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccination and the employer failing to grant him a religious exemption, and remanding for further proceedings. … More August 5, 2025, opinions

July 24, 2025, opinions

July 25, 2025

Designated for publication Hendrix, J. (Jones, Oldham, Hendrix, by designation), takings, trespass Affirming district court’s judgment that property owner was not entitled as part of just compensation for land taken by government for border wall the value of the portion of the wall built outside the easement previously obtained by the government. Mary Bennett owns … More July 24, 2025, opinions

June 4, 2025, opinions

June 6, 2025

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