10th Circuit Case Commentaries

Implied License to Knock and Trespass-Based Terry Stops: Commentary on Gonzalez v. Brunnemer

Date: Dec 2, 2025

Implied License to Knock and Trespass-Based Terry Stops: A Detailed Commentary on Gonzalez v. Brunnemer (10th Cir. 2025) I. Introduction This commentary analyzes the Tenth Circuit’s unpublished but...

United States v. Honors: Tenth Circuit Limits Custodial No‑Contact Orders and Demands Compelling Justification for Familial Restrictions on Supervised Release

Date: Dec 2, 2025

United States v. Honors: Tenth Circuit Limits Custodial No‑Contact Orders and Demands Compelling Justification for Familial Restrictions on Supervised Release I. Introduction In United States v....

Voter Reference Foundation v. Torrez: NVRA Preempts State Limits on Use and Online Publication of Voter Registration Data

Date: Nov 30, 2025

Voter Reference Foundation v. Torrez: NVRA Preempts State Limits on Use and Online Publication of Voter Registration Data I. Introduction In Voter Reference Foundation, LLC v. Torrez, Nos. 24‑2133 &...

When Employment Merely Facilitates, But Does Not Motivate, Persecution: Nexus Clarified in Oliva‑Oliva v. Bondi (10th Cir. 2025)

Date: Nov 30, 2025

When Employment Merely Facilitates, But Does Not Motivate, Persecution: Nexus Clarified in Oliva‑Oliva v. Bondi (10th Cir. 2025) I. Introduction In Oliva‑Oliva v. Bondi, No. 25‑9511 (10th Cir. Nov....

Riley v. Commissioner, SSA: Enforcing a Meaningful “Supportability” Explanation for Medical Opinions in Social Security Disability Cases

Date: Nov 30, 2025

Riley v. Commissioner, SSA: Enforcing a Meaningful “Supportability” Explanation for Medical Opinions in Social Security Disability Cases I. Introduction The Tenth Circuit’s order and judgment in...

De Facto Officer Doctrine, Right to Travel, and Municipal Insurer Immunity in Jones v. City of Comanche

Date: Nov 30, 2025

De Facto Officer Doctrine, Right to Travel, and Municipal Insurer Immunity in Jones v. City of Comanche I. Introduction The Tenth Circuit’s unpublished order and judgment in Jones v. City of...

Clark v. Wyoming DOC and the Demands of Equal Protection and Retaliation Pleading in Pro Se Prisoner Appeals

Date: Nov 23, 2025

Clark v. Wyoming Department of Corrections and the Demands of Equal Protection and Retaliation Pleading in Pro Se Prisoner Appeals I. Introduction The Tenth Circuit’s order and judgment in Clark v....

Plain-Error Limits on Appellate Review of Unexplained Upward Departures Under U.S.S.G. § 5K2.8: Commentary on United States v. Mendibles (10th Cir. 2025)

Date: Nov 23, 2025

Plain-Error Limits on Appellate Review of Unexplained Upward Departures Under U.S.S.G. § 5K2.8: Commentary on United States v. Mendibles (10th Cir. 2025) I. Introduction In United States v....

Crosby v. Warden ADX: Particularity Requirements for § 2241 Habeas Challenges to First Step Act Time Credits

Date: Nov 20, 2025

Crosby v. Warden ADX: Particularity Requirements for § 2241 Habeas Challenges to First Step Act Time Credits I. Introduction The Tenth Circuit’s nonprecedential order and judgment in Crosby v. Warden...

When Silence Speaks Against the Movant: United States v. Cooper and Johnson‑Based Challenges to § 3559(c) Three‑Strikes Sentences

Date: Nov 20, 2025

When Silence Speaks Against the Movant: United States v. Cooper and Johnson‑Based Challenges to § 3559(c) Three‑Strikes Sentences I. Introduction In United States v. Cooper, No. 23‑4052 (10th Cir....

United States v. Hebert: Proving Non‑Indian Status Beyond a Reasonable Doubt in General Crimes Act Prosecutions

Date: Nov 20, 2025

United States v. Hebert: Proving Non‑Indian Status Beyond a Reasonable Doubt in General Crimes Act Prosecutions I. Introduction In United States v. Hebert, No. 24‑7030 (10th Cir. Nov. 18, 2025), the...

United States v. Roper: Supervised Release Revocation Arrests Do Not Trigger the Speedy Trial Act’s 30‑Day Indictment Clock

Date: Nov 20, 2025

United States v. Roper: Supervised Release Revocation Arrests Do Not Trigger the Speedy Trial Act’s 30‑Day Indictment Clock I. Introduction In United States v. Roper, No. 25‑2037 (10th Cir. Nov. 18,...

Reaffirming the “Some Evidence” Standard for Rebutting the Bail Reform Act Presumption: Commentary on United States v. Stimka (10th Cir. 2025)

Date: Nov 20, 2025

Reaffirming the “Some Evidence” Standard for Rebutting the Bail Reform Act Presumption: Commentary on United States v. Stimka (10th Cir. 2025) I. Introduction This commentary analyzes the Tenth...

Johnson v. Harpe: Jurisdictional Limits on Second-or-Successive § 2254 Petitions and the Demanding Actual Innocence Gateway

Date: Nov 20, 2025

Johnson v. Harpe: Jurisdictional Limits on Second-or-Successive § 2254 Petitions and the Demanding Actual Innocence Gateway I. Introduction In Johnson v. Harpe, No. 25-6123 (10th Cir. Nov. 17, 2025)...

Recidivist Conduct Outside the Ten-Year Period as an Aggravator of an In-Period DUI: Commentary on Luna-Corona v. Bondi (10th Cir. 2025)

Date: Nov 20, 2025

Recidivist Conduct Outside the Ten-Year Period as an Aggravator of an In-Period DUI: Commentary on Luna-Corona v. Bondi (10th Cir. 2025) I. Introduction In Luna-Corona v. Bondi, No. 24-9522 (10th...

Tenth Circuit adopts objective, non–administrative-feasibility ascertainability; clarifies PRSA compound-interest accrual “until the day paid”; and limits punitive damages in Oklahoma royalty class actions absent an independent tort

Date: Nov 19, 2025

Tenth Circuit adopts objective, non–administrative-feasibility ascertainability; clarifies PRSA compound-interest accrual “until the day paid”; and limits punitive damages in Oklahoma royalty class...

Blaine v. Mystere Living & Healthcare: Appellate Review Is Limited to Preserved Theories of Harm in Title VII Cases

Date: Nov 16, 2025

Appellate Review Is Limited to Preserved Theories of Harm in Title VII Cases Introduction In Blaine v. Mystere Living & Healthcare, Inc., No. 24-3121 (10th Cir. Nov. 14, 2025), a Tenth Circuit panel...

Tenth Circuit Narrows § 1446(b)(3): “Other Paper” Must Originate in the Removed Case; Prior Jurisdictional Dismissals Preclude Re‑Litigation of Administrative Exhaustion

Date: Nov 16, 2025

Tenth Circuit Narrows § 1446(b)(3): “Other Paper” Must Originate in the Removed Case; Prior Jurisdictional Dismissals Preclude Re‑Litigation of Administrative Exhaustion Introduction This published...

Abstention Can Stay FAA § 4 Petitions When Unsettled State-Law Public-Policy Issues Predominate: The Tenth Circuit’s Guidance in Nu Skin Enterprises v. Raab

Date: Nov 16, 2025

Abstention Can Stay FAA § 4 Petitions When Unsettled State-Law Public-Policy Issues Predominate: The Tenth Circuit’s Guidance in Nu Skin Enterprises v. Raab Introduction Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc.,...

Final Means Final: Tenth Circuit Bars Collateral Attacks on Subject‑Matter Jurisdiction and Affirms Vexatious‑Litigant Remedies in Massey v. Computershare

Date: Nov 16, 2025

Final Means Final: Tenth Circuit Bars Collateral Attacks on Subject‑Matter Jurisdiction and Affirms Vexatious‑Litigant Remedies in Massey v. Computershare Introduction In Massey v. Computershare...