Unpublished decisions per curiam (Smith, Haynes, Oldham) (no oral argument), insurance, service of process Dismissing as frivolous appeal from dismissal of claim for insufficient service of process. per curiam (Jones, Duncan, Douglas) (no oral argument), criminal, sentencing Affirming 155-month sentence on conviction of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. per curiam (Smith, Haynes, … More January 19, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication en banc (orally argued to merits panel), Quorum Clause, en banc Ordering en banc rehearing of August 15, 2025, panel opinion (Graves, Higginson, Wilson [dissenting]) reversing district court’s judgment that the Quorum Clause of the Constitution requires physical presence by members of Congress to conduct votes, and vacating permanent injunction of portions … More January 14-15, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication per curiam (Richman, Ho; Dennis on panel but not participating in this order) (oral argument at the merits stage), Ho, J., dissenting from denial of panel rehearing; municipal liability, qualified immunity, First Amendment Denying petition for panel rehearing of October 7, 2025, opinion that had affirmed qualified immunity dismissal of police officers … More January 13, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication per curiam (en banc) (oral argument at panel stage) (voting for en banc rehearing: Jones, Smith, Willett, Ho, Duncan, Engelhardt, Wilson, JJ.; voting against en banc rehearing: Elrod, Stewart, Richman, Southwick, Haynes, Graves, Higginson, Douglas, Ramirez, JJ.), Ho, J., dissenting from denial of en banc rehearing (joined by Jones, Smith, Engelhardt, JJ.); … More January 12, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication Clement, J. (Clement, Graves, Ho) (oral argument withdrawn), Ho, J., concurring; criminal, sentencing Vacating sentence on conviction of failing to register as a sex offender, and remanding for resentencing. The Fifth Circuit held that the district court erred in sentencing Sergio Yovani Quintanilla-Matamoros based on an incorrect sex-offender tier under the Sex … More January 9, 2026, opinions
Unpublished decisions per curiam (Southwick, Higginson, Douglas) (oral argument), removal jurisdiction, lender liability Affirming summary judgment for lender defendant on plaintiff’s claims that lender caused plaintiff to be terminated by one of its clients. Also, held that district court did not err in denying plaintiff’s motion to remand because there was not a clear and … More January 8, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication Clement, J. (Elrod, Clement, Haynes) (oral argument), Haynes, J., dissenting; criminal, search and seizure Reversing denial of motion to suppress, and vacating conviction and sentence for possession of a firearm by a felon. Tony Lee Johnson, a convicted felon on supervised release, was arrested at his home in the Northern District of … More January 7, 2026, opinions
Designated for publication Douglas, J. (Smith, Higginson, Douglas) (oral argument), sec. 1988, standing, attorneys’ fees Affirming vacatur of attorneys’ fee award after vacatur of declaratory judgment relief for lack of standing in plaintiff’s constitutional challenge to city’s home rule charter. Plaintiffs-Appellants challenged provisions of the City of Houston home-rule charter requiring initiative petition circulators to … More January 2-6, 2026, opinions
Unpublished decisions per curiam (Smith, Higginson, Wilson) (no oral argument), criminal, sentencing Affirming life sentence on conviction of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. per curiam (Richman, Southwick, Willett) (no oral argument), criminal, sentencing Vacating in part sentence on conviction of illegal reentry, to strike Standard Conditions 2 through 13 from the … More December 26-29, 2025, opinions
Willett, J. (Elrod, Richman, Willett) (no oral argument), qualified immunity Vacating denial of qualified immunity summary judgment motion by defendant assistant medical examiner, and remanding for reconsideration under correct standard for deliberate indifference. Noel Dean sued Dr. Darshan Phatak under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging that Phatak deliberately fabricated an autopsy report that helped lead … More December 23, 2025, opinions
