10th Circuit Case Commentaries

Strack “Guidelines,” Not Caps: Oklahoma Class-Action Fee Awards May Exceed 30% / 1.5 When Statutory-Factor Supported

Date: Jan 29, 2026

Strack “Guidelines,” Not Caps: Oklahoma Class-Action Fee Awards May Exceed 30% / 1.5 When Statutory-Factor Supported 1. Introduction Case: Chieftain Royalty Company v. Enervest Energy Institutional...

Illustrative Hypotheticals Do Not Show Legal-Standard Error in USSG § 3B1.2 Denials When the Record Reflects Comparative Culpability Analysis (United States v. Valdez)

Date: Jan 29, 2026

Illustrative Hypotheticals Do Not Show Legal-Standard Error in USSG § 3B1.2 Denials When the Record Reflects Comparative Culpability Analysis Case: United States v. Valdez (No. 25-7045) | Court:...

In re Wesley: Newly Discovered Evidence Under § 2255(h)(1) Authorizes Successive Motions Only to Attack Convictions (Not Sentences) and “Fraud on the Habeas Court” Remains a True Rule 60(b) Claim

Date: Jan 29, 2026

In re Wesley: Newly Discovered Evidence Under § 2255(h)(1) Authorizes Successive Motions Only to Attack Convictions (Not Sentences) and “Fraud on the Habeas Court” Remains a True Rule 60(b) Claim...

Okla. Stat. tit. 21, § 645 Is Not Categorically a “Crime of Violence” Under the Guidelines Because It Reaches Assaults on Unborn Victims

Date: Jan 29, 2026

Okla. Stat. tit. 21, § 645 Is Not Categorically a “Crime of Violence” Under the Guidelines Because It Reaches Assaults on Unborn Victims Case: United States v. Hill (10th Cir. Jan. 23, 2026) (Order...

Okla. Stat. tit. 21, § 645 Is Not a Categorical “Crime of Violence” or ACCA “Violent Felony” Because It Reaches Unborn Victims

Date: Jan 29, 2026

Okla. Stat. tit. 21, § 645 Is Not a Categorical “Crime of Violence” or ACCA “Violent Felony” Because It Reaches Unborn Victims I. Introduction In United States v. Singer (10th Cir. Jan. 23, 2026),...

Bankruptcy Court Preliminary Injunctions Are Not Appealable as of Right to the Tenth Circuit BAP Under § 1292(a)(1); Leave Required Under § 158

Date: Jan 23, 2026

Bankruptcy Court Preliminary Injunctions Are Not Appealable as of Right to the Tenth Circuit BAP Under § 1292(a)(1); Leave Required Under § 158 Case: BOTW Holdings, LLC v. John McCall, Jr. Court:...

Majersky v. City and County of Denver: No Tenth Amendment “Workaround” to Heck, Judicial Immunity, or Prosecutorial Immunity in § 1983 Attacks on an Unvacated Conviction

Date: Jan 23, 2026

Majersky v. City and County of Denver: No Tenth Amendment “Workaround” to Heck, Judicial Immunity, or Prosecutorial Immunity in § 1983 Attacks on an Unvacated Conviction Introduction In Majersky v....

Tenth Circuit Clarifies CFAA “Loss” and Trade-Secret Remedies: Investigative Costs Need Not Be “Technological Harm,” and DTSA/UTSA Causation Is Remedy-Specific

Date: Jan 23, 2026

Tenth Circuit Clarifies CFAA “Loss” and Trade-Secret Remedies: Investigative Costs Need Not Be “Technological Harm,” and DTSA/UTSA Causation Is Remedy-Specific Introduction In Moxie Pest Control...

Coones v. Board of County Commissioners: Uncorroborated “Dying Declarations” from an Unreliable Declarant Cannot Establish Probable Cause; Police Brady Liability Extends to Reckless Suppression and Trombetta Preservation Without Bad-Faith

Date: Jan 23, 2026

Coones v. Board of County Commissioners: Uncorroborated “Dying Declarations” from an Unreliable Declarant Cannot Establish Probable Cause; Police Brady Liability Extends to Reckless Suppression and...

Affirmance of a Life Upward Variance for Extreme Violence and Lack of Remorse, and Waiver of Unbriefed Plain-Error Challenges

Date: Jan 23, 2026

Affirmance of a Life Upward Variance for Extreme Violence and Lack of Remorse, and Waiver of Unbriefed Plain-Error Challenges Introduction In United States v. Murphy (10th Cir. Jan. 21, 2026)...

Monell Liability Requires an Underlying Fourth Amendment Violation: Hearsay (Including Double Hearsay) Can Support Probable Cause Under Jones

Date: Jan 18, 2026

Monell Liability Requires an Underlying Fourth Amendment Violation: Hearsay (Including Double Hearsay) Can Support Probable Cause Under Jones 1. Introduction In Mendenhall v. City and County of...

Majersky v. Denver Public Schools: Specific Objections Required to Preserve Appellate Review; Title VII Sex-Discrimination Pleading Requires an Inference of Discrimination Beyond Admitted Policy Violations

Date: Jan 17, 2026

Majersky v. Denver Public Schools: Specific Objections Required to Preserve Appellate Review; Title VII Sex-Discrimination Pleading Requires an Inference of Discrimination Beyond Admitted Policy...

Ardon-Leon v. Bondi: “Unable or Unwilling” Is a Dispositive, Fact-Bound Inquiry; Unbriefed CAT Issues Are Unexhausted and Forfeited

Date: Jan 17, 2026

Ardon-Leon v. Bondi: “Unable or Unwilling” Is a Dispositive, Fact-Bound Inquiry; Unbriefed CAT Issues Are Unexhausted and Forfeited 1. Introduction In Ardon-Leon v. Bondi (10th Cir. Jan. 16, 2026)...

United States v. Mullins: Strict § 1867 Compliance and a Narrow Rule 410 Shield for Plea-Related Statements to Police

Date: Jan 17, 2026

United States v. Mullins: Strict § 1867 Compliance and a Narrow Rule 410 Shield for Plea-Related Statements to Police Introduction United States v. Mullins (10th Cir. Jan. 16, 2026) arises from a...

Pleading-Specificity and Clearly-Established-Law Limits for Taser Use on Uneven Terrain; Monell “Custom” Requires Plausible Allegations of Prior Constitutional Violations

Date: Jan 16, 2026

Pleading-Specificity and Clearly-Established-Law Limits for Taser Use on Uneven Terrain; Monell “Custom” Requires Plausible Allegations of Prior Constitutional Violations I. Introduction In Root v....

Rajabi v. Sedgwick: Conflicting Medical Opinions Are Not “Material” Without Evidence of Unreasonable Claims-Handling Under Colorado Bad-Faith Standards

Date: Jan 15, 2026

Conflicting Medical Opinions Are Not “Material” Without Evidence of Unreasonable Claims-Handling Under Colorado Bad-Faith Standards Introduction In Rajabi v. Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc....

United States v. Chafin: “Authoritative” Questioning and Partial Path Obstruction Do Not Convert a Consensual Encounter into a Seizure; Reasonable Suspicion Ripens Upon Observing a Gun-Like Object After Shots Fired

Date: Jan 14, 2026

United States v. Chafin: “Authoritative” Questioning and Partial Path Obstruction Do Not Convert a Consensual Encounter into a Seizure; Reasonable Suspicion Ripens Upon Observing a Gun-Like Object...

Prison Labor Wage Claims Under the Thirteenth Amendment Are Foreclosed—and May Be Dismissed as Frivolous

Date: Jan 14, 2026

Prison Labor Wage Claims Under the Thirteenth Amendment Are Foreclosed—and May Be Dismissed as Frivolous 1. Introduction In Adams v. Wyoming Department of Corrections (10th Cir. Jan. 13, 2026), a...

AEDPA Deference and Fundamental Fairness: Sex-Stereotyping Evidence Warrants Habeas Relief Only When Undue Prejudice Renders Trial Fundamentally Unfair

Date: Jan 14, 2026

AEDPA Deference and Fundamental Fairness: Sex-Stereotyping Evidence Warrants Habeas Relief Only When Undue Prejudice Renders Trial Fundamentally Unfair 1. Introduction Andrew v. White (10th Cir. Jan....

California Penal Code § 311.11 Is Not a § 2252A(b)(2) Predicate: “Relating to” Still Requires a Close Resemblance to Federal Child Pornography

Date: Jan 14, 2026

California Penal Code § 311.11 Is Not a § 2252A(b)(2) Predicate: “Relating to” Still Requires a Close Resemblance to Federal Child Pornography Introduction In United States v. Griffin (10th Cir. Jan....