3d Circuit Case Commentaries

Gentles v. Borough of Pottstown: Third Circuit Re-Affirms the Limits of Terry Stops Predicated on Anonymous Tips and Clarifies the Treatment of “Self-Serving” Affidavits at Summary Judgment

Date: Jul 30, 2025

Gentles v. Borough of Pottstown: Third Circuit Re-Affirms the Limits of Terry Stops Predicated on Anonymous Tips and Clarifies the Treatment of “Self-Serving” Affidavits at Summary Judgment...

Finality over Frustration: The Third Circuit’s Re-affirmation of Res Judicata and the Limits of Civil-Rights Liability for Private Attorneys

Date: Jul 30, 2025

Finality over Frustration: The Third Circuit’s Re-affirmation of Res Judicata and the Limits of Civil-Rights Liability for Private Attorneys Introduction Thomas I. Gage, a pro se litigant and...

Sentence-Reduction Denials Under § 3582(c)(2) Are Not “Upward Variances”: Commentary on United States v. Julio Suarez (3d Cir. 2025)

Date: Jul 30, 2025

Sentence-Reduction Denials Under § 3582(c)(2) Are Not “Upward Variances” A Comprehensive Commentary on United States v. Julio Suarez, 69 F.4th ___ (3d Cir. 2025) 1. Introduction In United States v....

“Personhood Without Piety” – The Third Circuit Affirms RFRA and Free-Exercise Protection for Non-Religious Entities in United States v. Safehouse

Date: Jul 30, 2025

“Personhood Without Piety” – The Third Circuit Affirms RFRA and Free-Exercise Protection for Non-Religious Entities in United States v. Safehouse Introduction United States v. Safehouse, No. 24-2027...

United States v. Gregory: Harmless-Error Treatment of § 3553(a)(6) Omissions and Deference to Major Upward Variances for “Mirror-Image” Recidivism

Date: Jul 25, 2025

United States v. Gregory: Harmless-Error Treatment of § 3553(a)(6) Omissions and Deference to Major Upward Variances for “Mirror-Image” Recidivism Introduction United States v. Antuane Gregory,...

“Specificity Over Abstraction” – The Third Circuit’s Clarification of Clearly-Established Law in Qualified-Immunity Cases (Urda v. Sokso, 2025)

Date: Jul 24, 2025

“Specificity Over Abstraction” – The Third Circuit’s Clarification of Clearly-Established Law in Qualified-Immunity Cases (Adam Urda v. Jeffrey Sokso, 68 F.4th ___, 3d Cir. 2025) 1. Introduction Adam...

“Substance-over-Form” Direct Regulation: The Third Circuit’s New Functional Test for Intergovernmental Immunity in CoreCivic Inc. v. Governor of New Jersey

Date: Jul 24, 2025

“Substance-over-Form” Direct Regulation: The Third Circuit’s New Functional Test for Intergovernmental Immunity in CoreCivic Inc. v. Governor of New Jersey 1. Introduction The United States Court of...

Patel v. Attorney General: Re-affirming the “Severe Harm + Relocation” Threshold in Political-Opinion Asylum Claims

Date: Jul 24, 2025

Patel v. Attorney General: Re-affirming the “Severe Harm + Relocation” Threshold in Political-Opinion Asylum Claims Introduction Diptiben Dipakkumar Patel, her husband, and their minor son petitioned...

Continuous-Diligence Doctrine for Equitable Tolling in Immigration Appeals: A Commentary on Hernandez-Garcia v. Attorney General

Date: Jul 24, 2025

Continuous-Diligence Doctrine for Equitable Tolling in Immigration Appeals Commentary on Rene Hernandez-Garcia v. Attorney General, United States (3d Cir., 22 July 2025) 1. Introduction The Third...

United States v. Cammarata: Defrauded Classes as Singular MVRA Victims and the Boundaries of Appellate Enhancement Without a Government Cross-Appeal

Date: Jul 24, 2025

United States v. Joseph Cammarata (3d Cir. 2025) – Commentary Introduction This Third Circuit decision grows out of a spectacular fraud perpetrated against hundreds of securities-class-action...

Strict Enforcement of Rule-16(b) Deadlines and Redressability of Declaratory Relief after Settlement: A Commentary on CBV Inc. v. ChanBond LLC

Date: Jul 23, 2025

Strict Enforcement of Rule-16(b) Deadlines and Redressability of Declaratory Relief after Settlement: A Commentary on CBV Inc. v. ChanBond LLC (3d Cir. 2025) Introduction The Third Circuit’s...

Specificity in BIA Notices of Appeal: The Third Circuit’s Clarification in Xitamul-Aguin

Date: Jul 23, 2025

Specificity in BIA Notices of Appeal: The Third Circuit’s Clarification in Maynor Xitamul-Aguin v. Attorney General 1. Introduction In Maynor Estuardo Xitamul-Aguin v. Attorney General of the United...

The McCarthy Causal-Link Doctrine: Third Circuit Clarifies Standing Requirements for Challenging DEA ALJ Removal Protections

Date: Jul 23, 2025

The McCarthy Causal-Link Doctrine: Third Circuit Clarifies Standing Requirements for Challenging DEA ALJ Removal Protections Introduction In Stephen McCarthy v. Drug Enforcement Administration,...

United States v. Clark: The Third Circuit’s Recognition of “Odor-Masking Conduct” as a Stand-Alone Factor Creating Reasonable Suspicion

Date: Jul 22, 2025

United States v. Clark: The Third Circuit’s Recognition of “Odor-Masking Conduct” as a Stand-Alone Factor Creating Reasonable Suspicion Introduction In United States v. Loren Clark, Jr., No. 24-1892...

United States v. Guyton: The Third Circuit Adopts Plain-Error Review for Unpreserved § 851(b) Omissions and Expands the Definition of “Term of Imprisonment” under 21 U.S.C. § 802(58)

Date: Jul 22, 2025

United States v. Guyton: The Third Circuit Adopts Plain-Error Review for Unpreserved § 851(b) Omissions and Expands the Meaning of “Term of Imprisonment” for Serious-Drug-Felony Enhancements...

Consol Mining v. DOL: Third Circuit Affirms COPD-as-Pneumoconiosis Rule under the 15-Year Presumption

Date: Jul 12, 2025

Consol Mining v. United States Department of Labor (3d Cir. 2025): COPD Qualifies as Legal Pneumoconiosis Unless Specifically Rebutted Introduction Stanley D. Silk spent thirty-nine years underground...

“Circumstantial Tax Liability Evidence & Voir-Dire Discretion” – A Commentary on United States v. Jonathan Michael (3d Cir. 2025)

Date: Jul 12, 2025

“Circumstantial Tax Liability Evidence & Voir-Dire Discretion” A Comprehensive Commentary on United States v. Jonathan Michael, 71 F.4th ___ (3d Cir. 2025) Introduction The Third Circuit’s...

Frazier v. Kuhn: Third Circuit Reaffirms that Alternative Religious Accommodations Defeat Likelihood of Success for Prisoner Preliminary Injunctions

Date: Jul 12, 2025

Frazier v. Kuhn: Third Circuit Reaffirms that Alternative Religious Accommodations Defeat Likelihood of Success for Prisoner Preliminary Injunctions 1. Introduction In Jasper Frazier v. Victoria L....

“No Grievance, No Federal Claim” – Third Circuit Clarifies that Temporary Grievance Filing Restrictions Do Not Excuse PLRA Exhaustion (Jackson v. Knapp, 2025)

Date: Jul 12, 2025

“No Grievance, No Federal Claim” – Third Circuit Clarifies that Temporary Grievance Filing Restrictions Do Not Excuse PLRA Exhaustion (Commentary on Rhonshawn Jackson v. Knapp, 24-3183, 3d Cir. July...

“From Molestation-Pornography Nexus to Counsel Performance” – United States v. Galletta and the Expansive Reach of the Good-Faith Exception

Date: Jul 12, 2025

“From Molestation-Pornography Nexus to Counsel Performance” – United States v. Galletta and the Expansive Reach of the Good-Faith Exception 1. Introduction The Third Circuit’s not-precedential...