Lavigne v. Hooper: Fifth Circuit Clarifies the “Due-Diligence” Threshold and Mandatory Evidentiary Hearings for Pro Se §2254 Petitioners Alleging Plea-Stage Ineffective Assistance Introduction The...
Beyond Industry Custom: Fifth Circuit Clarifies Employer Duties Under OSHA Machine-Guarding Standard 1. Introduction In Mar-Jac Poultry MS, L.L.C. v. Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor, No. 24-60026...
“Contemplated” Is Not “Conveyed”: The Fifth Circuit Clarifies Conditional Assignments of Post-Loss Insurance Rights in Navarre v. AIG Property Casualty (2025) 1. Introduction The United States Court...
“Deceptive” ≠ “Unfair”: The Fifth-Circuit’s Definitive Statement on §45(n) and the Scope of FTC Authority – Commentary on Traffic Jam Events v. FTC, No. 21-60947 (5th Cir. 2025) 1. Introduction...
United States v. Cortez-Zepeda: Fifth Circuit Reaffirms the Defendant’s Burden to Invalidate Signed Waivers in § 1326(d) Collateral Attacks Introduction In United States v. Cortez-Zepeda,...
United States v. Silva: Endorsing Proportional Drug-Quantity Attribution for Minor Co-Conspirators under U.S.S.G. §1B1.3 Introduction The Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in United States v....
Clarifying Immunity and Rooker-Feldman in Post-Eviction § 1983 Litigation: A Commentary on Kemp v. Powers (5th Cir. 2025) Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Docket No.: 25-30024 | ...
United States v. Barrow: Fifth Circuit Affirms Officer’s Authority to Extend a Traffic Stop When Investigating a Plate-VIN Discrepancy — Even If the Discrepancy Originates from the Officer’s Own...
Evenhanded Housekeeping & Casual Dialogue: The Fifth Circuit Narrows “Coercive Interrogation” and Endorses Neutral Policy Enforcement in Apple v. NLRB (2025) 1. Introduction This commentary examines...
Series-Qualifier Ambiguity & the Insured-Friendly Rule: Paloma Resources, L.L.C. v. Axis Insurance Co. (5th Cir. July 7 2025) 1. Introduction Paloma Resources, L.L.C. (“Paloma”) purchased a Directors...
“Checking the Right Box”: Whittington v. Harris County and the Fifth Circuit’s Clarification of Color-versus-Race Exhaustion under Title VII Introduction In Whittington v. Harris County, Texas,...
Frias v. Hernandez: The Fifth Circuit’s Clarion Call on “Objective” Scope-of-Employment Immunity under § 101.106(f) Introduction In Frias v. Hernandez, the United States Court of Appeals for the...
“One Sovereign, One Voice” The Fifth Circuit Confirms Federal Supremacy over State Immigration Enforcement and Revives Havens-Style Organizational Standing I. Introduction United States v. State of...
No Express Pre-emption: Fifth Circuit Clarifies the Reach of 7 U.S.C. § 1926(b) vis-à-vis Texas Water Code § 13.2541 I. Introduction Crystal Clear Special Utility District (Crystal Clear) sought to...
Reed v. Marshall: Fifth Circuit Forecloses Lanham Act Suits Between Co-Owners of a Trademark 1. Introduction Reed v. Marshall, No. 24-20198 (5th Cir. July 2 2025) resolves a modern twist on an old...
Actual-Notice Requirement for Attorney Sanctions under Rule 83(b): Somes v. Rural Media Group, Inc. Introduction In Somes v. Rural Media Group, Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth...
No-Virtual-Prohibition Test: TitleMax of Texas v. City of Dallas Clarifies Pre-emption and Due-Course Limits on Challenges to Municipal Lending Ordinances Introduction TitleMax of Texas v. City of...
United States v. Kimble: Categorical Disarmament of Drug-Trafficking Felons Survives Second-Amendment Scrutiny 1. Introduction In United States v. Kimble, No. 23-50874 (5th Cir. June 30 2025), the...
Homeschooling Does NOT Erode the Castle: McMurry v. Weaver and the Re-affirmation of Robust Fourth-Amendment Protection in Child-Welfare Checks 1. Introduction The United States Court of Appeals for...
“Applicable Law” Is Not Enough: Fifth Circuit Re-Affirms the Strict Federal-Enclave Rule in Vinales v. AETC II 1. Introduction In Vinales v. AETC II Privatized Housing, L.L.C., No. 24-50113 (5th Cir....