1st Circuit Case Commentaries

Circumstantial Knowledge Suffices: United States v. Rios-Alvarez and the First Circuit’s Clarification of Aiding-and-Abetting Liability in Federal Carjacking Cases

Date: Jul 30, 2025

Circumstantial Knowledge Suffices: United States v. Rios-Alvarez and the First Circuit’s Clarification of Aiding-and-Abetting Liability in Federal Carjacking Cases Introduction United States v....

United States v. Rivera-Rivera: Circumstantial Knowledge as a Sufficient Basis for Aiding-and-Abetting Liability in Federal Carjacking Cases

Date: Jul 30, 2025

United States v. Rivera-Rivera (1st Cir. 2025) Circumstantial Knowledge as a Sufficient Basis for Aiding-and-Abetting Liability in Federal Carjacking Cases 1. Introduction The consolidated appeal in...

“Explain or Err”: The First Circuit’s Strict Duty to Justify Non-Guidelines Sentences after United States v. Rodríguez-Bermúdez

Date: Jul 30, 2025

“Explain or Err”: The First Circuit’s Strict Duty to Justify Non-Guidelines Sentences Commentary on United States v. Rodríguez-Bermúdez, No. 23-1259 (1st Cir. July 25, 2025) Introduction United...

“Speculative Comparators Are Not Enough” – The First Circuit’s Clarification of Title VII Pleading Standards in Waleyko v. Del Toro (2025)

Date: Jul 30, 2025

“Speculative Comparators Are Not Enough” – The First Circuit’s Clarification of Title VII Pleading Standards in Waleyko v. Del Toro (2025) 1. Introduction In Waleyko v. Del Toro, No. 24-1310 (1st...

Greed-Driven Harm and the Nexus Requirement: Commentary on Cano-Gutierrez v. Bondi (1st Cir. 2025)

Date: Jul 25, 2025

Greed-Driven Harm and the Nexus Requirement: Cano-Gutierrez v. Bondi Clarifies Asylum Eligibility when Violence Is Motivated by Ordinary Crime Introduction In Cano-Gutierrez v. Bondi, the United...

“Working an Employee Out” after an Accommodation Request: The First Circuit’s Hard-Line on Rule 50 Preservation and Punitive Exposure in Menninger v. PPD Development, L.P.

Date: Jul 25, 2025

“Working an Employee Out” after an Accommodation Request: The First Circuit’s Hard-Line on Rule 50 Preservation and Punitive Exposure in Menninger v. PPD Development, L.P. Introduction In Menninger...

Deadline Discretion in Creditor Joinder: The First Circuit’s Clarification in PCC Rokita S.A. v. HH Technology Corp.

Date: Jul 25, 2025

Deadline Discretion in Creditor Joinder: The First Circuit’s Clarification in PCC Rokita S.A. v. HH Technology Corp. 1. Introduction The First Circuit’s decision in PCC Rokita, S.A. v. HH Technology...

Bridging the Prevailing-Wage Gap: First Circuit Mandates State-Court Clarification of “Construction and Design of Improvements” in Special-Act Contracts

Date: Jul 23, 2025

Bridging the Prevailing-Wage Gap: First Circuit Mandates State-Court Clarification of “Construction and Design of Improvements” in Special-Act Contracts Introduction In Nicholls v. Veolia Water...

Boniface v. Viliena: First Circuit Holds the TVPA Contains No Cause of Action for Attempted Extrajudicial Killing and Orders a Legislative-Jurisdiction Inquiry

Date: Jul 22, 2025

Boniface v. Viliena (1st Cir. 2025): New Limits on the Torture Victim Protection Act Introduction The First Circuit’s decision in Boniface v. Viliena confronts two fundamental questions about the...

First Circuit Extends Baseball’s Antitrust Exemption Beyond MLB: A Detailed Commentary on Cangrejeros de Santurce Baseball Club, LLC v. Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico, Inc.

Date: Jul 22, 2025

First Circuit Extends Baseball’s Antitrust Exemption Beyond MLB: Cangrejeros de Santurce Baseball Club, LLC v. Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico, Inc. Introduction The United States Court of...

First Circuit Rejects the “Incidental-Kidnapping” Limitation: A Commentary on United States v. Coleman

Date: Jul 22, 2025

First Circuit Rejects the “Incidental-Kidnapping” Limitation: A Commentary on United States v. Coleman 1. Introduction On 21 July 2025 the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit...

United States v. Coleman: First Circuit Abandons the “Incidental-Kidnapping” Limitation and Re-sets the Bar for “Appreciable Holding” under 18 U.S.C. § 1201

Date: Jul 22, 2025

United States v. Coleman: First Circuit Abandons the “Incidental-Kidnapping” Limitation and Re-sets the Bar for “Appreciable Holding” under 18 U.S.C. § 1201 1. Introduction The First Circuit’s 2025...

United States v. Coleman: First Circuit Rejects an “Incidental-Kidnapping” Exception and Re-defines the “Holding” Element Under 18 U.S.C. § 1201

Date: Jul 22, 2025

United States v. Coleman: First Circuit Rejects an “Incidental-Kidnapping” Exception and Re-defines the “Holding” Element Under 18 U.S.C. § 1201 Introduction On 21 July 2025 the United States Court...

Reconciling Bowen, Great-West, and California: American Public Health Association v. NIH Establishes District-Court Jurisdiction to Vacate Federal Grant Terminations Under the APA

Date: Jul 22, 2025

Reconciling Bowen, Great-West, and California: American Public Health Association v. NIH Establishes District-Court Jurisdiction to Vacate Federal Grant Terminations Under the APA 1. Introduction In...

The “Kennedy Jurisdiction Doctrine”: First Circuit Confirms APA Authority to Vacate NIH Grant Terminations Despite Tucker Act Concerns

Date: Jul 22, 2025

The “Kennedy Jurisdiction Doctrine”: First Circuit Confirms APA Authority to Vacate NIH Grant Terminations Despite Tucker Act Concerns Introduction In Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Kennedy, Nos....

“Unequivocal Certainty” in Removal Proceedings: The First Circuit Elevates the Government’s Burden for Proving Alienage in Inadmissibility Cases

Date: Jul 22, 2025

“Unequivocal Certainty” in Removal Proceedings: The First Circuit Elevates the Government’s Burden for Proving Alienage in Inadmissibility Cases 1. Introduction Da Silva Borges v. Bondi, No. 24-1695...

Expansive Reach of PPIA Preemption over On-Site Distribution Operations: Northwestern Selecta, Inc. v. González-Beiró

Date: Jul 22, 2025

Expansive Reach of PPIA Preemption over On-Site Distribution Operations: Northwestern Selecta, Inc. v. González-Beiró Introduction In Northwestern Selecta, Inc. v. González-Beiró, the United States...

United States v. Muñoz-Gonzalez: Stipulated-Facts Advocacy & Plain-Error Waiver in Breach-of-Plea Claims

Date: Jul 22, 2025

United States v. Muñoz-Gonzalez: Stipulated-Facts Advocacy & Plain-Error Waiver in Breach-of-Plea Claims Introduction United States v. Muñoz-Gonzalez, No. 22-1423 (1st Cir. July 17 2025), addresses...

Alay v. Bondi: Clarifying “Individualized Assessment” and Evidence Review under the Exceptional-and-Extremely-Unusual-Hardship Standard

Date: Jul 22, 2025

Alay v. Bondi: Clarifying “Individualized Assessment” and Evidence Review under the Exceptional-and-Extremely-Unusual-Hardship Standard 1. Introduction On 16 July 2025 the United States Court of...

United States v. Garcia-Oquendo: The First Circuit Extends Rule 32.1(b)(2)(C)’s Limited Confrontation Right to the Sentencing Stage of Supervised-Release Revocations

Date: Jul 15, 2025

United States v. Garcia-Oquendo: The First Circuit Extends Rule 32.1(b)(2)(C)’s Limited Confrontation Right to the Sentencing Stage of Supervised-Release Revocations Introduction In United States v....