2d Circuit Case Commentaries

Due-Diligence Boundaries and Materiality under Rule 33: Commentary on United States v. Hild (2d Cir. 2025)

Date: Aug 1, 2025

Due-Diligence Boundaries and Materiality under Rule 33: Lessons from United States v. Hild (2d Cir. 2025) Introduction United States v. Hild is an appeal decided by the United States Court of Appeals...

Whitney v. Montefiore: Second Circuit Re-Affirms Limits of ADA Protection When Patient Safety and Professional Integrity Are Compromised

Date: Aug 1, 2025

Whitney v. Montefiore: Second Circuit Re-Affirms Limits of ADA Protection When Patient Safety and Professional Integrity Are Compromised Introduction Whitney v. Montefiore Medical Center, No....

Minott v. The Washington Law Firm PLLC: Re-affirming Broad District Court Discretion over Attorney Charging Liens and Lodestar Calculations

Date: Aug 1, 2025

Minott v. The Washington Law Firm PLLC: Re-affirming Broad District Court Discretion over Attorney Charging Liens and Lodestar Calculations Introduction In Minott v. The Washington Law Firm PLLC, the...

Haque v. Bondi: Re-affirming that Future-Persecution Claims Fail When Tethered to Discredited Testimony

Date: Jul 31, 2025

Haque v. Bondi: Re-affirming that Future-Persecution Claims Fail When Tethered to Discredited Testimony 1. Introduction Enamul Haque, a Bangladeshi national and self-proclaimed supporter of the...

Second Circuit Fortifies Authors’ Termination Power: Exclusive Rights in Underlying Works Do Not Survive under § 304(c)(6)(A)

Date: Jul 31, 2025

Second Circuit Fortifies Authors’ Termination Power: Exclusive Rights in Underlying Works Do Not Survive under § 304(c)(6)(A) Introduction In Atticus Ltd. Liability Co. v. The Dramatic Publishing Co....

Individualized Review Required: Second Circuit Affirms First-Amendment Right of Public Access to Sentencing Memoranda and Exhibits

Date: Jul 30, 2025

Individualized Review Required: Second Circuit Affirms First-Amendment Right of Public Access to Sentencing Memoranda and Exhibits Introduction Lee v. Greenwood, No. 23-7432-cr (2d Cir. July 28,...

Clarifying Constructive Flight: The Second Circuit’s Totality-of-the-Circumstances Test for Fugitive Disentitlement – A Commentary on United States v. Bardakova (2025)

Date: Jul 30, 2025

Clarifying Constructive Flight: The Second Circuit’s Totality-of-the-Circumstances Test for Fugitive Disentitlement Comprehensive Commentary on United States v. Bardakova, 24-2038-cr (2d Cir. 2025)...

“Beyond Mere Opposition to Gangs” – The Second Circuit’s Re-affirmation of the Nexus and Credibility Thresholds for Gang-Related Asylum Claims after Matter of A-B-III

Date: Jul 30, 2025

“Beyond Mere Opposition to Gangs” – The Second Circuit’s Re-affirmation of the Nexus and Credibility Thresholds for Gang-Related Asylum Claims after Matter of A-B-III Introduction In Acero-Zaruma v....

Balderas Galvan v. Bondi: Second Circuit Reaffirms Asylum Applicant’s Burden to Prove Unreasonableness of Internal Relocation in Private-Actor Persecution Claims

Date: Jul 30, 2025

Balderas Galvan v. Bondi: Second Circuit Reaffirms Asylum Applicant’s Burden to Prove Unreasonableness of Internal Relocation When Persecution Is Attributed to Private Actors Court of Appeals for the...

Kabir v. Bondi: Re-affirming the “Pretextual Prosecution” Test for Anti-Corruption Asylum Claims

Date: Jul 30, 2025

Kabir v. Bondi: Re-affirming the “Pretextual Prosecution” Test for Anti-Corruption Asylum Claims Introduction In Kabir v. Bondi, No. 23-6179 (2d Cir. July 25, 2025), the United States Court of...

Satymbaev v. Bondi: The Second Circuit’s Re-emphasis on Exhaustion and Corroboration in Asylum Proceedings

Date: Jul 30, 2025

Satymbaev v. Bondi: The Second Circuit’s Re-emphasis on Exhaustion and Corroboration in Asylum Proceedings Introduction In Satymbaev v. Bondi, No. 22-6504 (2d Cir. July 25 2025) (summary order), the...

Re-affirming Credibility and Corroboration Duties in Asylum Law: A Commentary on Trejo Gomez v. Bondi (2d Cir. 2025)

Date: Jul 30, 2025

Re-affirming Credibility and Corroboration Duties in Asylum Law: A Commentary on Trejo Gomez v. Bondi (2d Cir. 2025) 1. Introduction Trejo Gomez v. Bondi, No. 23-6468, is a 2025 summary order from...

“Meaningful Review” Re-Examined: Walker v. Bellnier and the Constitutional Limits on Rote Solitary-Confinement Assessments

Date: Jul 30, 2025

“Meaningful Review” Re-Examined: Walker v. Bellnier and the Constitutional Limits on Rote Solitary-Confinement Assessments 1. Introduction In Walker v. Bellnier, the United States Court of Appeals...

Mandatory Issue Exhaustion and the Serious-Nonpolitical-Crime Bar Extending to CAT Relief – Commentary on Anaya v. Bondi (2d Cir. 2025)

Date: Jul 26, 2025

Mandatory Issue Exhaustion and the Serious-Nonpolitical-Crime Bar Extending to CAT Relief – Commentary on Anaya v. Bondi (2d Cir. 2025) Introduction Anaya v. Bondi is a July 24, 2025 summary order of...

Aucacama-Azogue v. Bondi: Reaffirming the Nexus Parity and Government-Protection Thresholds in Asylum, Withholding, and CAT Claims

Date: Jul 26, 2025

Aucacama-Azogue v. Bondi: Reaffirming the Nexus Parity and Government-Protection Thresholds in Asylum, Withholding, and CAT Claims 1. Introduction Aucacama-Azogue v. Bondi is a 2025 summary order of...

“Rough Justice, Not Auditing Perfection” – The Second Circuit’s Robust Deference to District-Court Fee Awards under the IDEA

Date: Jul 26, 2025

“Rough Justice, Not Auditing Perfection” – The Second Circuit’s Robust Deference to District-Court Fee Awards under the IDEA Introduction In Y.G. v. New York City Department of Education and eighteen...

Blecher v. Holy See — The “Mandatory-Compliance Shield”: When Following a Foreign Sovereign’s Policy Restores Immunity under the FSIA

Date: Jul 26, 2025

The “Mandatory-Compliance Shield”: Second Circuit Holds that Obedience to a Foreign Sovereign’s Policy Triggers the FSIA Discretionary Function Exclusion Introduction In Blecher v. Holy See, the...

“Good-Faith Reasonableness” Becomes the Test for Substantial-Justification under the IDEA Fee-Cap: A Commentary on N.G.B. v. New York City Department of Education (2d Cir. 2025)

Date: Jul 26, 2025

“Good-Faith Reasonableness” Becomes the Test for Substantial-Justification Under the IDEA’s Attorneys’-Fees Cap A Detailed Commentary on N.G.B. v. New York City Department of Education, 2d Cir., 2025...

“From Use-Based to Evidence-Based Nexus”: Second Circuit Re-calibrates Probable-Cause Requirements for Digital-Device Warrants

Date: Jul 26, 2025

“From Use-Based to Evidence-Based Nexus”: United States v. Silva (2d Cir. 2025) and the New Standard for Cell-Phone Search Warrants 1. Introduction United States v. Silva marks the Second Circuit’s...

“Written-Terms Trump Hand-to-Hand Cash” – The Second Circuit’s Clarification of U.C.C. §2-201/2-209, Apparent Authority and Foreseeability in Vista Food Exchange, Inc. v. Comercial De Alimentos Sanchez (2025)

Date: Jul 26, 2025

“Written-Terms Trump Hand-to-Hand Cash” – The Second Circuit’s Clarification of U.C.C. §§ 2-201 & 2-209, Apparent Authority and Foreseeability in Vista Food Exchange, Inc. v. Comercial De Alimentos...