United States v. Russell & Williams: The Seventh Circuit Demands Precision in “Third-Party-Risk” Supervised-Release Conditions and Clarifies Competency-to-Stand-Trial Assessments Introduction On...
“Notice, Not Service” and “No Hearing Without a Fact Dispute”: Seventh Circuit Affirms Paper-Record Preliminary Injunction and Reaffirms Whitaker’s Control Over Transgender Student Bathroom Policies...
Petersen v. Pedersen: Circumstantial Probable Cause and the Scope of Qualified Immunity in OWI Arrests 1. Introduction The Seventh Circuit’s decision in Mark Petersen v. Stefanie Pedersen, No....
No Predicate, No Conspiracy: Seventh Circuit Clarifies § 371 Liability and Jury-Instruction Standards in United States v. Clark Introduction The Seventh Circuit’s decision in United States v. Derrick...
United States v. Clark & Mesner: Seventh Circuit Demands a Live Predicate for § 371 Conspiracy and Clarifies Use-of-Document Liability under § 1001(a)(3) Introduction The Seventh Circuit’s opinion in...
Seventh Circuit Tightens “Nexus” Showing for Gang-Recruitment Asylum Claims: De Paz-Peraza v. Bondi (2025) Introduction Carlos Antonio de Paz-Peraza, a 17-year-old Salvadoran targeted by the violent...
Forfeiture, Futility, and Exhaustion: The Seventh Circuit’s Clarification of Litigation Duties in Anderson v. United Airlines (2025) 1. Introduction Case name: Thomas Anderson, et al. v. United...
“Full-Record Review” Standard Solidified: Minimal Oral Explanation Can Sustain Above-Guideline Sentences on Revocation of Supervised Release 1. Introduction In United States v. Roger Snake,...
Discretion and Limits in Recruiting Pro Bono Counsel Under §1915(e) in Civil Rights Litigation 1. Introduction Lazerek Austin v. Cheryl Hansen is a Seventh Circuit decision addressing for the first...
Categorical Exclusion of Attempted Hobbs Act Robbery from “Crime of Violence” Under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) Introduction This commentary examines the Seventh Circuit’s decision in United States v. Deaunta...
Permissible Inferences from Silence and Nationality Neutrality in Sentencing: United States v. Paul Williams Anti Introduction United States v. Paul Williams Anti is a Seventh Circuit decision issued...
Limitation on District Court’s Authority to Reduce Federal Mandatory Minimum for Discharged State Sentences Introduction United States v. Dion Bell, decided on June 3, 2025, by the Seventh Circuit,...
Strict Adherence to 21 U.S.C. § 851: Predicate-Conviction Notice Rule and Its Mandatory Enforcement 1. Introduction United States v. Thomas Wilkinson, IV is a Seventh Circuit decision clarifying the...
Presumption of Verity in Plea Colloquies and Deference to District Courts in §2255 Ineffective‐Assistance Claims Introduction This commentary examines the Seventh Circuit’s decision in Helen Caldwell...
Clarifying Section 1292(a)(1): Limits on Interlocutory Appeals of Injunction Denials Introduction This commentary examines the Seventh Circuit’s decision in Union Pacific Railroad Company v. Illinois...
Preservation of Potentially Exculpatory Evidence: Bad-Faith Requirement and Procedural Exhaustion in Federal Habeas Review Introduction This case arises from Mark Johnson’s federal habeas corpus...
Eighth Amendment Protections Against Medical Hazards and Environmental Deprivation: From Pepper Spray to Frigid Cells Introduction In Antonio Smith v. John Kind, the Seventh Circuit addressed the...
Propensity-Free Chain Reasoning for Intent Under Fed. R. Evid. 404(b) Affirmed in United States v. Johnson Introduction The Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit’s decision in United States v....
Inordinate Delay as a Trigger for § 2254 Exhaustion Exception: Lindsey v. Neal Introduction In Steven Lindsey v. Ron Neal, 7th Cir. No. 23-2789 (May 30, 2025), the United States Court of Appeals for...
Enforcing Diligence in Civil Litigation: Upholding Dismissal for Want of Prosecution and Rigorous Standards for Excusable Neglect 1. Introduction Terri Griffiths v. Lorin Eggemeyer (7th Cir. May 29,...