Designated for publication Jones, J. (King, Jones, Oldham) (oral argument), King, J., dissenting; personal torts, First Amendment Reversing summary judgment dismissal of negligence claims against protest organizer by police officer who was injured while responding to the protest, and remanding for trial of claims. Officer John Ford was struck in the head with a piece … More March 19, 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 Davis, J. (Davis, Jones, Stewart) (no oral argument), criminal Affirming conviction of possession of a firearm by a felon. Lester Landrum pleaded guilty but preserved constitutional challenges to the statute, arguing that it violates the Second Amendment (both facially and as applied), the Equal Protection Clause, the Commerce Clause, and that it … More March 4-5, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication Elrod, C.J. (Elrod, Clement, Haynes) (oral argument), Telephone Consumer Protection Act Affirming summary judgment dismissal of TCPA claim. Bradford sued, claiming that prerecorded calls the company made to his cell phone violated the TCPA because they lacked “prior express written consent” and constituted telemarketing. The panel held that (1) the TCPA itself … More February 25-26, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication per curiam (en banc; Elrod, Stewart, Southwick, Haynes, Graves, Higginson, Willett, Douglas, Ramirez, voting against en banc rehearing; Jones, Smith, Richman, Ho, Duncan, Engelhardt, Oldham, Wilson, voting for en banc rehearing) (oral argument at panel stage), Ho, J., dissenting from denial of en banc rehearing (joined by Jones, Smith); en banc, qualified … More February 20, 2026, opinions
Unpublished decisions per curiam (Richman, Southwick, Willett) (no oral argument), Federal Tort Claims Act, service of process Affirming dismissal of FTCA claim for lack of sufficient service of process. per curiam (Stewart, Graves, Oldham) (no oral argument), criminal, sentencing Affirming conviction and sentence for illegal reentry. per curiam (Smith, Haynes, Oldham) (no oral argument), § … More February 16, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication per curiam (Southwick, Higginson, Douglas) (no oral argument), sec. 1983, personal torts, municipal liability, prosecutorial immunity Affirming dismissal of claims for negligence and arising under sec. 1983 against various defendants, arising from serious car accident. The appellants, Madelyn Marina Quiroz and her mother, sued a host of defendants after Madelyn was catastrophically … More December 30-31, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Elrod, C.J. (Elrod, Clement, Haynes) (oral argument), Haynes, dissenting in part; timeliness, personal torts Affirming dismissal as untimely of claims brought under Texas law, originally in Texas state courts but then removed, for monetary damages arising from chemical explosions at defendant’s facility, where original action was certified as to injunctive relief class … More October 30-31, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Elrod, C.J. (Elrod, Clement, Haynes) (no oral argument), Rooker-Feldman doctrine, personal tort, defamation Vacating Rooker-Feldman-based dismissal of plaintiff attorney’s defamation claims against defendant attorneys who had represented the plaintiff’s client’s employer in underlying Title IX claims brought by plaintiff’s client arising from alleged sexual assault and harassment of university students by university’s … More October 8, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication en banc (vote to grant en banc reh’g); Ho, J., concurring in grant of rehearing en banc; Higginson, J., dissenting from grant of rehearing en banc; en banc, immigration, due process, Alien Enemies Act, habeas corpus On September 2, the three-judge panel (Southwick, J., writing for the court; Ramirez, J., dissenting in … More September 30, 2025, opinions
