11th Circuit Case Commentaries

Reaffirming the Limits of Martinez: Procedural Default Not Excused for Unbriefed IAC Claims on Post-Conviction Appeal

Date: Jul 3, 2025

Reaffirming the Limits of Martinez: Procedural Default Not Excused for Unbriefed Ineffective-Assistance Claims on Post-Conviction Appeal Introduction In Christopher Watts v. Secretary, Florida...

Eleventh Circuit Clarifies the Limits of Non-Signatory Enforcement of Arbitration Clauses under Florida Law – Commentary on Jesus Santiago, Jr. v. Neno Research LLC

Date: Jul 3, 2025

Eleventh Circuit Clarifies the Limits of Non-Signatory Enforcement of Arbitration Clauses under Florida Law Introduction In Jesus Santiago, Jr. v. Neno Research LLC, the United States Court of...

Eleventh Circuit Clarifies Timeliness Standard for Claim-Processing Objections to Defective NTAs

Date: Jul 3, 2025

Eleventh Circuit Clarifies Timeliness Standard for Claim-Processing Objections to Defective NTAs Introduction Case Name: Sara Ordoñez-Vasquez v. U.S. Attorney General Court & Date: United States...

United States v. Pineda: Clarifying the Non-Jurisdictional Nature of MDLEA Vessel Status and the Breadth of Sentence-Appeal Waivers

Date: Jul 3, 2025

United States v. Pineda: Clarifying the Non-Jurisdictional Nature of MDLEA Vessel Status and the Breadth of Sentence-Appeal Waivers Introduction In United States v. Braudimil Pineda, No. 22-13661...

Reaffirming the Extraterritorial Reach of the MDLEA: United States v. Wilmer Payan (11th Cir. 2025)

Date: Jul 3, 2025

Reaffirming the Extraterritorial Reach of the MDLEA: United States v. Wilmer Payan (11th Cir. 2025) 1. Introduction In United States v. Wilmer Payan, the Eleventh Circuit revisited the...

United States v. McFarlane: Post-Esteras Deference to District-Court Discretion in Upward Variances on Supervised-Release Revocations

Date: Jul 3, 2025

United States v. McFarlane: Post-Esteras Deference to District-Court Discretion in Upward Variances on Supervised-Release Revocations Introduction In United States v. Yackeem McFarlane, No. 24-11512...

Public-School Teachers’ In-Class Use of Preferred Titles/Pronouns Is Employee Speech “Pursuant to Official Duties” Under Garcetti

Date: Jul 3, 2025

Public-School Teachers’ In-Class Use of Preferred Titles/Pronouns Is Employee Speech “Pursuant to Official Duties” Under Garcetti I. Introduction Katie Wood v. Florida Department of Education (11th...

Preponderance Burden and Non-Arbitrary § 982 Forfeiture: Computational Errors Require Vacatur and Honeycutt “Mastermind” Theories Require Record Findings

Date: Jul 3, 2025

Preponderance Burden and Non-Arbitrary § 982 Forfeiture: Computational Errors Require Vacatur and Honeycutt “Mastermind” Theories Require Record Findings I. Introduction United States v. Joff Stenn...

United States v. Hardaway – Circumstantial Sensory Identification of Controlled Substances Suffices for Revocation of Supervised Release

Date: Jul 1, 2025

United States v. Hardaway – The Eleventh Circuit Confirms that Sensory-Based Circumstantial Evidence Alone Can Establish Controlled-Substance Possession in Supervised-Release Revocation Proceedings...

Eleventh Circuit Affirms that Voluntary Dismissal Forecloses Rule 60(b)(6) Relief in TRIA/ATA Asset-Turnover Cases

Date: Jul 1, 2025

Eleventh Circuit Affirms that Voluntary Dismissal Forecloses Rule 60(b)(6) Relief in TRIA/ATA Asset-Turnover Cases Introduction In Antonio Caballero v. Leonardo González Dellan, the United States...

“From Boulders to Pebbles”: Eleventh Circuit Re-Affirms the “Any-Part” Causation Standard and Retires McDonnell-Douglas for Federal-Sector Discrimination and Retaliation Claims

Date: Jul 1, 2025

“From Boulders to Pebbles”: Eleventh Circuit Re-Affirms the “Any-Part” Causation Standard and Retires McDonnell-Douglas for Federal-Sector Discrimination and Retaliation Claims Introduction The...

Extending “Relation-Back” Tolling to Florida Rule 3.851: Thomas Overton v. Secretary, FL DOC

Date: Jul 1, 2025

Extending “Relation-Back” Tolling to Florida Rule 3.851: A Commentary on Thomas Overton v. Secretary, FL DOC (11th Cir. 2025) Introduction On 26 June 2025 the United States Court of Appeals for the...

Extending Bates: Eleventh Circuit Confirms Relation-Back Tolling for Facially-Deficient Rule 3.851 Motions in Capital Habeas Cases

Date: Jul 1, 2025

Extending Bates: Eleventh Circuit Confirms Relation-Back Tolling for Facially-Deficient Rule 3.851 Motions in Capital Habeas Cases 1. Introduction Thomas Mitchell Overton, a Florida death-row...

Overcoming AEDPA Deference for Batson Step-Three Errors Where the Record Shows Explicit Race-Based Reasoning and Strong Evidence of Discrimination; Batson Violations Not Subject to Harmless-Error Review After Brown v. Davenport

Date: Jul 1, 2025

Overcoming AEDPA Deference for Batson Step-Three Errors Where the Record Shows Explicit Race-Based Reasoning and Strong Evidence of Discrimination; Batson Violations Not Subject to Harmless-Error...

“Uncontested Vocational-Expert Testimony as Substantial Evidence” — A Commentary on Kerrie Klarner v. Commissioner of Social Security (11th Cir. 2025)

Date: Jun 30, 2025

“Uncontested Vocational-Expert Testimony as Substantial Evidence” Commentary on Kerrie Klarner v. Commissioner of Social Security (United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, No....

Eleventh Circuit Clarifies that “Knee-on-Neck” Force on Restrained, Non-Resisting Suspects Is Clearly Established Excessive Force

Date: Jun 30, 2025

Eleventh Circuit Clarifies that “Knee-on-Neck” Force on Restrained, Non-Resisting Suspects Is Clearly Established Excessive Force Introduction Ray Shepard v. Anthony Paul (No. 23-13611, 11th Cir. 25...

The “Invited-Error Bar” and Intrinsic-Evidence Doctrine Reinforced: A Commentary on United States v. Hasan Muhammed (11th Cir. 2025)

Date: Jun 30, 2025

The “Invited-Error Bar” and Intrinsic-Evidence Doctrine Reinforced: A Comprehensive Commentary on United States v. Hasan Muhammed (11th Cir. 2025) 1. Introduction In United States v. Hasan Muhammed,...

“Cover-Up” Is Not a “New Injury”: The Eleventh Circuit Clarifies Statute-of-Limitations, Standing, and Tax-Injunction Principles in Brian K. Rice v. Chief Examiner of the Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts

Date: Jun 30, 2025

“Cover-Up” Is Not a “New Injury”: The Eleventh Circuit Clarifies Statute-of-Limitations, Standing, and Tax-Injunction Principles Introduction Brian Rice, a Birmingham property owner, became convinced...

“Below the Lowest Point”: The Eleventh Circuit’s Robust Re-affirmation of the Justice Oaks Settlement Standard and the Forfeiture Doctrine in Don Smith v. Sonya Salkin Slott

Date: Jun 30, 2025

“Below the Lowest Point”: The Eleventh Circuit’s Robust Re-affirmation of the Justice Oaks Settlement Standard and the Forfeiture Doctrine in Don Smith v. Sonya Salkin Slott Introduction The decision...

Eleventh Circuit Re-Affirms a “Rigorous Identity” Comparator Standard for Class-of-One Equal Protection Claims in Complex Regulatory Contexts

Date: Jun 30, 2025

Eleventh Circuit Re-Affirms a “Rigorous Identity” Comparator Standard for Class-of-One Equal Protection Claims in Complex Regulatory Contexts Introduction In Hybrid Pharma LLC v. Matthew Knispel,...