4th Circuit Case Commentaries

Piecemeal Action ≠ Reasonable Action: The Fourth Circuit’s Expansion of “Deliberate Indifference” under Title IX in Sage Blair v. Appomattox County School Board

Date: Aug 13, 2025

Piecemeal Action ≠ Reasonable Action: The Fourth Circuit’s Expansion of “Deliberate Indifference” under Title IX in Sage Blair v. Appomattox County School Board Introduction The United States Court...

United States v. Terry: Post-Bruen Reaffirmation of § 922(g)(1) Constitutionality and Clarification of Sentencing-Explanation Duties

Date: Aug 13, 2025

United States v. Terry: Post-Bruen Reaffirmation of § 922(g)(1) Constitutionality and Clarification of Sentencing-Explanation Duties 1. Introduction United States v. Charod Terron Terry, an...

“Interstate Domestic Violence Ends at Death” – A Fourth-Circuit Limitation on § 2261 and on the Use-of-Fire Enhancement

Date: Aug 13, 2025

“Interstate Domestic Violence Ends at Death” – A Fourth-Circuit Limitation on 18 U.S.C. § 2261 and Confining the § 844(h)(1) Use-of-Fire Enhancement 1. Introduction In United States v. Lawrence...

The “Collective-Injury” Doctrine: A New Limitation on Smith Allocation in South Carolina Set-Off Law – Commentary on W.S. v. Cassandra Daniels, 4th Cir. (2025)

Date: Aug 13, 2025

The “Collective-Injury” Doctrine: A New Limitation on Smith Allocation in South Carolina Set-Off Law Commentary on W.S. v. Cassandra Daniels, et al. United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth...

“Collective Injury” Supplants Smith Allocation: The Fourth Circuit’s Affirmance of a Full Set-Off in W.S. v. Cassandra Daniels

Date: Aug 13, 2025

“Collective Injury” Supplants Smith Allocation: The Fourth Circuit’s Affirmance of a Full Set-Off in W.S. v. Cassandra Daniels Introduction The Fourth Circuit’s unpublished opinion in W.S. v....

Clarifying the Nexus Requirement: Aquino-Menendez v. Bondi and the Limits of Particular-Social-Group Claims in Gang-Based Persecution

Date: Aug 13, 2025

Clarifying the Nexus Requirement: Aquino-Menendez v. Bondi and the Limits of Particular-Social-Group Claims in Gang-Based Persecution Introduction In Blanca Aquino-Menendez v. Pamela Bondi, the...

No Duty Beyond Article 4A: Fourth Circuit Clarifies Banks’ Liability for Elder Wire-Fraud – Commentary on Satterfield v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (4th Cir. 2025)

Date: Aug 13, 2025

No Duty Beyond Article 4A: Fourth Circuit Clarifies Banks’ Liability for Elder Wire-Fraud (Commentary on Janine Satterfield v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 4th Cir. 2025) 1. Introduction The Fourth...

Bell v. Streeval: Fourth Circuit Retires the Jones–Wheeler–Young Saving-Clause Doctrine After Jones v. Hendrix

Date: Aug 13, 2025

Bell v. Streeval: Fourth Circuit Retires the Jones / Wheeler / Young Saving-Clause Doctrine After Jones v. Hendrix I. Introduction Jason Tyann Bell, a federal inmate sentenced in 2003 under the...

“CT-Scan Supremacy”: Potomac Coal Co. v. DOWCP and the Fourth Circuit’s Clarification on Establishing Complicated Pneumoconiosis Under 20 C.F.R. § 718.304

Date: Aug 12, 2025

“CT-Scan Supremacy”: Potomac Coal Co. v. DOWCP and the Fourth Circuit’s Clarification on Establishing Complicated Pneumoconiosis Under 20 C.F.R. § 718.304 1. Introduction Potomac Coal Company v....

Guardado v. Bondi: The Fourth Circuit’s New Mandate for Substantive Anti-Circularity Analysis of Particular Social Groups

Date: Aug 12, 2025

Guardado v. Bondi: The Fourth Circuit’s New Mandate for Substantive Anti-Circularity Analysis of Particular Social Groups 1. Introduction Ana Cecilia Hernandez Guardado – a Salvadoran national who...

United States v. Johnson: Fourth Circuit Holds Warrantless Dog Sniff in Common Apartment Hallway Is Not a Fourth-Amendment “Search”

Date: Aug 12, 2025

United States v. Johnson: Fourth Circuit Holds Warrantless Dog Sniff in a Common Apartment Hallway Is Not a Fourth-Amendment “Search” Introduction The published Fourth-Circuit decision in United...

“Use” v. “Brandishing” Re-Defined: The Fourth Circuit Adopts the “Imminent-Threat” Test for § 2A4.1(b)(3) Dangerous-Weapon Enhancements

Date: Aug 12, 2025

“Use” v. “Brandishing” Re-Defined: The Fourth Circuit Adopts the “Imminent-Threat” Test for § 2A4.1(b)(3) Dangerous-Weapon Enhancements Introduction United States v. Thomas Faulls, Sr., No. 23-4532...

Gardner v. Momon: Fourth Circuit Reaffirms Grand-Jury Indictment as Conclusive Proof of Probable Cause in First-Amendment Retaliation & Excessive-Force Suits

Date: Aug 6, 2025

Gardner v. Momon: Fourth Circuit Reaffirms Grand-Jury Indictment as Conclusive Proof of Probable Cause in First-Amendment Retaliation & Excessive-Force Suits Introduction The decision in Anthony...

Seabrook v. Driscoll: Heightened Pleading Standards for Temporal Proximity and Comparator Specificity under Title VII

Date: Aug 6, 2025

Seabrook v. Driscoll: Heightened Pleading Standards for Temporal Proximity and Comparator Specificity under Title VII 1. Introduction In Dorothy Seabrook v. Daniel P. Driscoll, No. 20-1961 (4th Cir....

“Regular Servicing Status” Clarified: PACEM Solutions International, LLC v. U.S. Small Business Administration (4th Cir. 2025)

Date: Aug 6, 2025

“Regular Servicing Status” Clarified: PACEM Solutions International, LLC v. U.S. Small Business Administration 1. Introduction The Fourth Circuit’s published decision in PACEM Solutions...

“Arising-Under Jurisdiction” Extends to Solvent Debtors: The Bestwall Rule on Bankruptcy Court Authority

Date: Aug 5, 2025

“Arising-Under Jurisdiction” Extends to Solvent Debtors: Bestwall LLC v. Official Committee of Asbestos Claimants and the Constitutional Scope of Bankruptcy Court Authority Introduction In Bestwall...

“Sign-In-Wrap” Arbitration Clauses Receive Fourth-Circuit Blessing: Austin v. Experian Information Solutions, Inc.

Date: Aug 5, 2025

“Sign-In-Wrap” Arbitration Clauses Receive Fourth-Circuit Blessing: Darrell Austin, Jr. v. Experian Information Solutions, Inc. 1. Introduction The Fourth Circuit’s published decision in Austin v....

Goldberg v. Skyline Tower Painting, Inc.—Fourth Circuit Affirms Dual Appellate Pathways for CAFA Remand Orders and Clarifies the “Local-Controversy” Exception

Date: Aug 5, 2025

Fourth Circuit Affirms Dual Appellate Pathways for CAFA Remand Orders and Clarifies the “Local-Controversy” Exception Introduction The consolidated appeals in Elizabeth Goldberg v. Skyline Tower...

Dual-Track Appellate Review of CAFA Remand Orders and the Rebuttable-Presumption Test for Local-Controversy Citizenship: A Commentary on Elizabeth Goldberg v. Television Tower, Inc.

Date: Aug 5, 2025

Dual-Track Appellate Review of CAFA Remand Orders and the Rebuttable-Presumption Test for Local-Controversy Citizenship A Comprehensive Commentary on Elizabeth Goldberg v. Television Tower, Inc. (4th...

Fourth Circuit Confirms Dual Appellate Paths Under CAFA: Remand Orders Appealable as-of-Right under 28 U.S.C. § 1291

Date: Aug 5, 2025

Fourth Circuit Confirms Dual Appellate Paths Under CAFA: Remand Orders Appealable as-of-Right under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 Introduction In Skyline Tower Painting, Inc. v. Goldberg, Nos. 24-141 et al. (4th...