5th Circuit Case Commentaries

Qualified Immunity for Late-Arriving Bystander Officers During a Short Canine Bite: No Clearly Established Duty to Intervene Absent an Analogous Precedent

Date: Sep 3, 2026

Qualified Immunity for Late-Arriving Bystander Officers During a Short Canine Bite: No Clearly Established Duty to Intervene Absent an Analogous Precedent Case: Thomas v. Bruss (5th Cir. Sept. 2,...

Tazo v. Blanche: Generalized Country Conditions and Uncorroborated Harm Do Not Salvage CAT Claims After an Adverse Credibility Finding

Date: Sep 3, 2026

Tazo v. Blanche: Generalized Country Conditions and Uncorroborated Harm Do Not Salvage CAT Claims After an Adverse Credibility Finding 1. Introduction In Tazo v. Blanche (5th Cir. Sept. 2, 2026)...

APA Review of ESA Fishery Rules: Substantial Evidence and Notice-and-Comment Limits on Post‑Hoc Data

Date: Sep 2, 2026

APA Review of ESA Fishery Rules: Substantial Evidence and Notice-and-Comment Limits on Post‑Hoc Data Case: LA Shrimp Association v. Lutnick (5th Cir. Aug. 28, 2026) (unpublished) Court: United States...

IDEA Initial Evaluations Require All-or-Nothing Parental Consent; No FAPE Duty (and Duplicative ADA Relief) Without Consent

Date: Sep 2, 2026

IDEA Initial Evaluations Require All-or-Nothing Parental Consent; No FAPE Duty (and Duplicative ADA Relief) Without Consent I. Introduction In M. v. Aledo Independent School District (5th Cir. Aug....

Ambiguous Intoxication and Self-Inflicted Head Strikes: Qualified Immunity Absent Clearly Established Duty to Obtain Medical Care

Date: Sep 2, 2026

Ambiguous Intoxication and Self-Inflicted Head Strikes: Qualified Immunity Absent Clearly Established Duty to Obtain Medical Care Introduction Pena v. Starr County, Texas (5th Cir. Aug. 28, 2026)...

Warranty-Only Roof Inspections Do Not Create an Assumed Duty to Protect Property Owners from Contractor Installation Defects (5th Cir.)

Date: Sep 2, 2026

Warranty-Only Roof Inspections Do Not Create an Assumed Duty to Protect Property Owners from Contractor Installation Defects (5th Cir.) Case: St. Charles-Guillot v. One Source, No. 25-30326 (5th Cir....

Fifth Circuit: MVRA Misapplication on Plain-Error Review Won’t Be Corrected Absent Fourth-Prong Harm; Restitution May Include Future Psychological Care

Date: Sep 2, 2026

Fifth Circuit: MVRA Misapplication on Plain-Error Review Won’t Be Corrected Absent Fourth-Prong Harm; Restitution May Include Future Psychological Care I. Introduction In United States v. Padilla...

Adams v. Guerrero: AEDPA Applies to Jackson Claims—Habeas Relief Requires “Rational Jurist × Rational Juror” Unreasonableness

Date: Sep 2, 2026

Adams v. Guerrero: AEDPA Applies to Jackson Claims—Habeas Relief Requires “Rational Jurist × Rational Juror” Unreasonableness Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Date:...

Harmless-Error Safe Harbor for FDA Drug-Shortage Delistings Absent Prejudice Despite Skipping APA Notice-and-Comment

Date: Sep 2, 2026

Harmless-Error Safe Harbor for FDA Drug-Shortage Delistings Absent Prejudice Despite Skipping APA Notice-and-Comment 1. Introduction Case: Outsourcing Facilities Association v. FDA (5th Cir. Sept. 1,...

Home Detention May Be Added by Supervised-Release Modification Even After a Statutory-Maximum Prison Sentence

Date: Sep 2, 2026

Home Detention May Be Added by Supervised-Release Modification Even After a Statutory-Maximum Prison Sentence I. Introduction United States v. Tampico (5th Cir. Sept. 1, 2026) addresses two recurring...

Defined “Applicable Year” Tax Rate Governs Both Base and Actual Net Operating Profit in Tobacco Settlement Profit-Adjustment Calculations

Date: Sep 2, 2026

Defined “Applicable Year” Tax Rate Governs Both Base and Actual Net Operating Profit in Tobacco Settlement Profit-Adjustment Calculations Commentary on State of Texas v. R. J. Reynolds Tobacco...

Fifth Circuit Adopts a “Transmit Requirement” for Public Display Claims and Holds URLs May Qualify as DMCA CMI Only When They Clearly Convey Statutory Identifiers

Date: Aug 31, 2026

Fifth Circuit Adopts a “Transmit Requirement” for Public Display Claims and Holds URLs May Qualify as DMCA CMI Only When They Clearly Convey Statutory Identifiers Introduction In Emmerich Newspapers,...

APA Notice-and-Comment Defects in FDA Drug-Shortage Delistings Require a Showing of Prejudice

Date: Aug 31, 2026

APA Notice-and-Comment Defects in FDA Drug-Shortage Delistings Require a Showing of Prejudice (and Tirzepatide’s Delisting Survives Arbitrary-and-Capricious Review) 1. Introduction Outsourcing...

Harmless-Error Validation of FDA Drug-Shortage Delisting Without Notice-and-Comment When Stakeholders Had Actual Notice and a Meaningful Opportunity to Submit Evidence

Date: Aug 31, 2026

Harmless-Error Validation of FDA Drug-Shortage Delisting Without Notice-and-Comment When Stakeholders Had Actual Notice and a Meaningful Opportunity to Submit Evidence 1. Introduction Outsourcing...

Attempted Disarming of a Peace Officer as a Robbery-Analogue Felony Supports § 922(g)(1) Disarmament Under Bruen

Date: Aug 29, 2026

Attempted Disarming of a Peace Officer as a Robbery-Analogue Felony Supports § 922(g)(1) Disarmament Under Bruen Case: United States v. Mitchell (5th Cir. Aug. 26, 2026) Court: United States Court of...

Affirmance Without Resolving Discretionary-Clause Choice-of-Law: ERISA LTD Denial Upheld Under Assumed De Novo Review

Date: Aug 29, 2026

Affirmance Without Resolving Discretionary-Clause Choice-of-Law: ERISA LTD Denial Upheld Under Assumed De Novo Review 1. Introduction In Grice v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (5th Cir. Aug....

Mandamus Requires Expedited Younger Abstention Review of State-Court Bail Oversight Consent Decrees Before Imminent Judicial Elections

Date: Aug 29, 2026

Mandamus Requires Expedited Younger Abstention Review of State-Court Bail Oversight Consent Decrees Before Imminent Judicial Elections Case: In re Honorable Paula Goodhart; Honorable Jessica Padilla;...

No Plain Error from “Retreat” Language When the Revocation Court Is Finding Disproportionate Self-Defense Force Under Texas Penal Code § 9.31

Date: Aug 29, 2026

No Plain Error from “Retreat” Language When the Revocation Court Is Finding Disproportionate Self-Defense Force Under Texas Penal Code § 9.31 I. Introduction In United States v. Moses (5th Cir. Aug....

National Infusion Center v. Kennedy (5th Cir. Aug. 26, 2026) — Commentary

Date: Aug 29, 2026

Anti-Injunction Act “Regan” Exception Where a Refund Suit Is Economically Unrealistic; IRA Medicare Drug-Price Negotiation Survives Nondelegation and Due Process Challenges 1. Introduction In Natl...

Rummans v. HSBC Bank USA (5th Cir. 2026) — Mailbox Presumption Established by Servicer Barcodes and Successor-Custodian Testimony

Date: Aug 29, 2026

Mailbox-Rule Presumption in VA-Guideline Foreclosures: Barcoded Servicer Letters and Successor-Custodian Testimony Suffice; Bare Non-Receipt Does Not Case: Rummans v. HSBC Bank, No. 25-10897 (5th...