March 21, 2023, opinions
Designated for publication Unpublished
Designated for publication Unpublished
Designated for publication Unpublished
Designated for publication Houston v. Texas Department of Agriculture, 20-20591, appeal from S.D. Tex. Higginson, J. (King, Higginson, Wilson), retaliation, Family and Medical Leave Act, Rehabilitation Act Affirming summary judgment dismissal of plaintiff’s claims of retaliation for exercising rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act and for discrimination under the Rehabilitation Act. The Court … More November 5-6, 2021, opinions
Designated for publication U.S. v. Masha, 19-20673, appeal from S.D. Tex. Jones, J. (Jones, Clement, Graves), criminal, sufficiency of evidence, sentencing Affirming conviction and sentence on eight counts of false use of a passport under 18 U.S.C. § 1543, and vacating (with government’s acquiescence) conviction and sentence on eight counts of misuse of a passport … More Take the Fifth: March 8, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication Ovalles v. Rosen, 17-60438, petition for review of BIA order Jones, J. (Jones, Smith, Elrod), immigration, equitable tolling On remand from the Supreme Court, denying petition for review of BIA order denying motion to reopen and failing to apply equitable tolling. The Court had originally dismissed the petition for review for lack … More Take the Fifth: Jan. 1 – 11, 2021 opinions
Designated for publication Taylor v. Stevens, 17-10253, appeal from N.D. Tex. per curiam (Owen, Jones, Smith), qualified immunity, § 1983, Eighth Amendment On remand from the Supreme Court, vacating its earlier decision reversing in part and remanding dismissal of Eighth Amendment conditions-of-confinement claims on qualified immunity grounds, and remanding case in its entirety. Texas v. … More Take the Fifth: Dec. 21-24 opinions
Designated for publication U.S. v. Lipscomb, 18-11168, appeal from N.D. Tex. Clement, J. (Clement, Ho, Duncan), habeas corpus, Armed Career Criminal Act Vacating district court’s grant of § 2255 petition and remanding to reinstate original sentence. Petitioner had been convicted as a felon in possession of a firearm after being apprehended with a sawed-off shotgun … More Take the Fifth: Dec. 7 and 8, 2020 opinions
Unpublished Velazquez v. U.S., 19-10138, appeal from N.D. Tex. per curiam (Barksdale, Elrod, Ho), Federal Tort Claims Act, prisoner suit, jurisdiction Affirming 12(b)(1) dismissal of federal prisoner’s FTCA claim for injuries received responding to a fellow inmate’s calls for assistance, as the Inmate Accident Compensation Act provided the exclusive remedy. Jones v. Lubbock County Hospital … More Take the Fifth: Nov. 18, 2020 opinions
Designated for publication U.S. v. McKinney, 19-50801, appel from W.D. Tex. Southwick, J. (Owen, Davis, Southwick), criminal, search and seizure Vacating conviction and sentence based on conditional guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm, holding that district court erred in denying motion to suppress evidence of discovery of firearm by an … More Take the Fifth: Nov. 16, 2020 opinions
Designated for publication U.S. v. Batiste, 19-30927, appeal from E.D. La. Engelhardt, J., (Graves, Costa, Engelhardt), criminal, sentencing, First Step Act Affirming in part sentence of imprisonment and denial of sentence-reduction under the First Step Act, but remanding in part the portion of the sentence regarding the term of supervised release for the district court … More Take the Fifth: Nov. 13, 2020 opinions