10th Circuit Case Commentaries

Tenth Circuit Affirms Broad BIA Discretion to Summarily Dismiss Appeals for Vague NOAs and Late Briefs – Commentary on Pena-Sanchez v. Bondi

Date: Jul 25, 2025

Tenth Circuit Affirms Broad BIA Discretion to Summarily Dismiss Appeals for Vague NOAs and Late Briefs Pena-Sanchez v. Bondi, 24-9550 (10th Cir. July 24, 2025) I. Introduction In Pena-Sanchez...

United States v. Jumper: Tenth Circuit Affirms Statutory-Maximum Revocation Sentence & Refines Standards for Major Upward Variances

Date: Jul 25, 2025

United States v. Jumper: Tenth Circuit Affirms Statutory-Maximum Revocation Sentence & Refines Standards for Major Upward Variances in Supervised-Release Cases 1. Introduction On 24 July 2025 the...

Tenth Circuit Endorses Independent Tort Duty Despite Merger Clauses: City of Fort Collins v. Open International

Date: Jul 24, 2025

“Promises that Induce are Different from Promises to Perform” – The Tenth Circuit Clarifies Colorado’s Independent-Duty Exception to the Economic-Loss Rule in City of Fort Collins v. Open...

Bellinsky v. Galan: Tenth Circuit Reaffirms “Sprint Gatekeeping” for Younger Abstention and Tightens Rooker-Feldman in Domestic-Relations Civil-Rights Suits

Date: Jul 24, 2025

Bellinsky v. Galan: Tenth Circuit Reaffirms “Sprint Gatekeeping” for Younger Abstention and Tightens Rooker-Feldman in Domestic-Relations Civil-Rights Suits 1. Introduction Bellinsky v. Galan, United...

Sprint-Gatekeeping Reinforced: Domestic-Relations Suits Alone Do Not Trigger Younger Abstention – A Commentary on Bellinsky v. Galan (10th Cir. 2025)

Date: Jul 24, 2025

Sprint-Gatekeeping Reinforced: Domestic-Relations Suits Alone Do Not Trigger Younger Abstention – A Commentary on Bellinsky v. Galan (10th Cir. 2025) 1. Introduction In Bellinsky v. Galan, the United...

Bellinsky v. Galan: The Tenth Circuit Re-Sets the Boundaries of Younger Abstention in Domestic-Relations-Related §1983 Actions

Date: Jul 23, 2025

Bellinsky v. Galan: The Tenth Circuit Re-Sets the Boundaries of Younger Abstention in Domestic-Relations-Related §1983 Actions Introduction Bellinsky v. Galan concerns two federal civil-rights suits...

Nonsignatory Agents Barred from Enforcing “Parties-Only” Arbitration Clauses – A Commentary on Fucci v. First American Title Insurance Co.

Date: Jul 23, 2025

Nonsignatory Agents Barred from Enforcing “Parties-Only” Arbitration Clauses Commentary on Fucci v. First American Title Insurance Company (10th Cir. 2025) 1. Introduction Fucci v. First American...

The “Semper Exhaustion Rule” – A Tenth-Circuit Clarification on Enforcing Favorable Agency Decisions and the Non-delegability of Criminal Prosecution

Date: Jul 23, 2025

The “Semper Exhaustion Rule” – A Tenth-Circuit Clarification on Enforcing Favorable Agency Decisions and the Non-delegability of Criminal Prosecution Introduction Case: Semper v. Bessent, No. 25-4022...

Singh v. Bondi: Self-Inflicted Incapacity, Presumption of Competence, and “Good-Cause” Continuances in Immigration Court

Date: Jul 23, 2025

Singh v. Bondi: Self-Inflicted Incapacity, Presumption of Competence, and “Good-Cause” Continuances in Immigration Court Introduction In Singh v. Bondi, the United States Court of Appeals for the...

United States v. Garcia-Limon: Tenth Circuit Validates “Scheme” Indictments for Repetitive Child-Sex-Abuse Under §§ 2241(c) & 2244(a)(5)

Date: Jul 23, 2025

United States v. Garcia-Limon: Tenth Circuit Validates “Scheme” Indictments for Repetitive Child-Sex-Abuse Under §§ 2241(c) & 2244(a)(5) Introduction In United States v. Garcia-Limon, the U.S. Court...

“Reasonably-Equivalent Value” Re-Defined: White v. Wardley and the Tenth Circuit’s Blueprint for Evaluating Guaranties and Debt Satisfaction under the Utah UFTA

Date: Jul 23, 2025

“Reasonably-Equivalent Value” Re-Defined: White v. Wardley and the Tenth Circuit’s Blueprint for Evaluating Guaranties and Debt Satisfaction under the Utah UFTA Introduction White v. Wardley (In re...

Reaffirming the Narrow Scope of the Reeves Exception: Pretext Alone Sends ADA & Rehabilitation Act Claims to a Jury

Date: Jul 22, 2025

Reaffirming the Narrow Scope of the Reeves Exception: Pretext Alone Sends ADA & Rehabilitation Act Claims to a Jury Introduction In Jenny v. L3Harris Technologies, Inc., the United States Court of...

From “Significant Change” to “Some Harm”: The Tenth Circuit’s Adoption of the Muldrow Standard in Scheer v. Sisters of Charity

Date: Jul 22, 2025

From “Significant Change” to “Some Harm”: The Tenth Circuit’s Adoption of the Muldrow Standard in Scheer v. Sisters of Charity 1. Introduction Case: Bethany Scheer v. Sisters of Charity of...

United States v. Halbert: Clarifying the Evidentiary Burden for Sentencing-Disparity Challenges on Appeal

Date: Jul 22, 2025

United States v. Halbert: Clarifying the Evidentiary Burden for Sentencing-Disparity Challenges on Appeal 1. Introduction United States v. Halbert, No. 24-6181 (10th Cir. July 21, 2025) concerns the...

United States v. Kay: Defining “Likely to Thwart” Under U.S.S.G. § 3C1.1 Note 1

Date: Jul 22, 2025

United States v. Kay: Defining “Likely to Thwart” Under U.S.S.G. § 3C1.1 Note 1 Introduction The Tenth Circuit’s published decision in United States v. Kay, No. 24-4018 (10th Cir. July 21, 2025),...

The “Endless-Cycle” Doctrine Reaffirmed: United States v. Frederick and the Scope of § 3583 Revocation Authority

Date: Jul 22, 2025

The “Endless-Cycle” Doctrine Reaffirmed: United States v. Frederick and the Scope of § 3583 Revocation Authority Introduction In United States v. Frederick, No. 24-5099 (10th Cir. July 18, 2025), the...

Sullivan v. Graham: Tenth Circuit Clarifies District Courts’ Discretion over Page-Limits, Rule 8 Compliance, and Counsel Appointment for Pro Se Litigants

Date: Jul 22, 2025

Sullivan v. Graham: Tenth Circuit Clarifies District Courts’ Discretion over Page-Limits, Rule 8 Compliance, and Counsel Appointment for Pro Se Litigants Introduction The consolidated appeals in...

“Reasonable Brevity”: Sullivan v. Hartford Financial Services Group and the Tenth Circuit’s Re-affirmation of District Courts’ Discretion to Impose Page Limits and Dismiss Prolix Pro Se Pleadings

Date: Jul 22, 2025

“Reasonable Brevity”: Sullivan v. Hartford Financial Services Group and the Tenth Circuit’s Re-affirmation of District Courts’ Discretion to Impose Page Limits and Dismiss Prolix Pro Se Pleadings 1....

Probable Cause Through Layered Suspicion: The “Vallejos Framework” for Warrantless Automobile Searches & Non-Custodial Traffic-Stop Questioning

Date: Jul 22, 2025

Probable Cause Through Layered Suspicion: The “Vallejos Framework” for Warrantless Automobile Searches & Non-Custodial Traffic-Stop Questioning Introduction United States v. Vallejos, No. 24-2065...

Reasonable Page Limits and Rule 41 Dismissal for Rule 8 Noncompliance: The Tenth Circuit’s Affirmance in Sullivan v. Graham

Date: Jul 18, 2025

Reasonable Page Limits and Rule 41 Dismissal for Rule 8 Noncompliance: The Tenth Circuit’s Affirmance in Sullivan v. Graham Introduction In Sullivan v. Graham, consolidated appeals Nos. 23-3153 and...