Designated for publication Stewart, J. (Jones, Stewart, Ramirez) (oral argument), criminal, sufficiency of evidence, testimony, jury instruction Affirming conviction of bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and making false entries in bank records. A federal jury convicted Ashton J. Ryan, Jr.—former President/CEO of First NBC Bank and Chair of its Board—of conspiracy to commit … More October 17, 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 Southwick, J. (Southwick, Oldham, Ramirez), Ramirez, J., dissenting in part; Oldham, J., dissenting; immigration, due process, Alien Enemies Act, habeas corpus On remand from U.S. Supreme Court’s grant of temporary restraining order halting deportation of petitioners under the Alien Enemies Act, granting preliminary injunction blocking removal of petitioners, leaving in place government’s … More September 1-3, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Willett, J. (Wiener, Willett, Ho), Ho, J., dissenting; criminal, search and seizure Affirming grant of motion to suppress evidence, begrudgingly. The exclusionary rule has long provoked controversy, with critics deriding it as a blunt judicial tool that frees the guilty when police make mistakes. The oft-quoted Cardozo line—“the criminal is to go … More August 29, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Wiener, J. (Wiener, Douglas, Ramirez), FDIC, jurisdiction Remanding appeal from injunction against FDIC proceedings on constitutional basis, with instructions to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction. The FDIC initiated an enforcement action against Cornelius Burgess, former CEO of Herring Bank, after investigations dating back to 2010 revealed misconduct. The case first proceeded before … More August 20-25, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Stewart, J. (Stewart, Richman, Higginson), Higginson, J., dissenting in part; First Amendment, mootness Affirming district court’s preliminary injunction allowing plaintiffs access to park for religious ceremonies but declining to enjoin planned tree removal and cormorant rookery management measures. This appeal arose after the Texas Supreme Court answered a certified question, holding that … More August 13, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication per curiam (Dennis, Haynes, Engelhardt), Engelhardt, J., dissenting; Title VII Affirming summary judgment dismissal of plaintiff’s Title VII claim of religious discrimination after defendant granted plaintiff employee a religious accommodation for flu vaccination requirement. Tisha Palms, a radiographer at Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH), sued the hospital for failure to accommodate her religious … More August 11, 2025, opinions
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
Designated for publication Ho, J. (Higginbotham, Willett, Ho), election law Reversing district court judgment that Texas election law requiring an ID number on the mail-in ballot application and on the mail-in ballot violated federal law, and rendering judgment for Texas official defendants. The Fifth Circuit upheld Texas’s Election Protection and Integrity Act of 2021, which … More August 4, 2025, opinions
Designated for publication Richman, J. (Richman, Willett, Douglas), Douglas, J., dissenting in part; criminal, due process, immigration Affirming conviction of illegal reentry. Ismael Adan Ortiz-Rodriguez was removed from the United States in 2017 following expedited removal proceedings initiated by DHS. In 2023, he was convicted of illegal reentry under 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a). Before trial, … More July 23, 2025, opinions
