7th Circuit Case Commentaries

Indiana “Unaware Touching” Sexual Battery Is a Guidelines “Forcible Sex Offense” (and Thus a “Crime of Violence”) Under U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(a)(4)(A)

Date: Jul 24, 2026

Indiana “Unaware Touching” Sexual Battery Is a Guidelines “Forcible Sex Offense” (and Thus a “Crime of Violence”) Under U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(a)(4)(A) Introduction In United States v. Larry Doss (7th Cir....

Title VII “Single-Pile” Causation Allows Culture-and-Process Evidence to Defeat Summary Judgment; HR Managers’ Reporting Is Protected Opposition Without a Heightened “HR Exception”

Date: Jul 24, 2026

Title VII “Single-Pile” Causation Allows Culture-and-Process Evidence to Defeat Summary Judgment; HR Managers’ Reporting Is Protected Opposition Without a Heightened “HR Exception” Case: Debra Pratt...

Foreclosure-Era Relocation Fees and Good-Faith Lease Renewals Are Not Per Se Takings When They Function as Landlord–Tenant Regulation

Date: Jul 24, 2026

Foreclosure-Era Relocation Fees and Good-Faith Lease Renewals Are Not Per Se Takings When They Function as Landlord–Tenant Regulation I. Introduction In BBLI Edison, LLC v. City of Chicago (7th Cir....

Qualified Immunity Where Protest Crowd-Control Munitions Strike an Unintended Target; Retaliation Requires Evidence of Intentional Targeting

Date: Jul 24, 2026

Qualified Immunity Where Protest Crowd-Control Munitions Strike an Unintended Target; Retaliation Requires Evidence of Intentional Targeting Introduction Alyssa Schukar v. Kenosha County (7th Cir....

U.S.S.G. § 1B1.2(d) Cannot Apply Without a Beyond-a-Reasonable-Doubt Finding That the Defendant Conspired to Each Object Offense

Date: Jul 24, 2026

U.S.S.G. § 1B1.2(d) Cannot Apply Without a Beyond-a-Reasonable-Doubt Finding That the Defendant Conspired to Each Object Offense Case: United States v. Katrail Bridges (7th Cir. July 21, 2026)...

Victim Allegations—Even If Inconsistent—Can Supply Probable Cause; Conditional Assurances Do Not Vitiate Consent to Home Entry

Date: Jul 23, 2026

Victim Allegations—Even If Inconsistent—Can Supply Probable Cause; Conditional Assurances Do Not Vitiate Consent to Home Entry Introduction Charles Friend v. City of Decatur, Illinois (7th Cir. July...

AEDPA Deference to State Brady/Strickland No-Prejudice Findings When Suppressed Evidence Is Cumulative of Disclosed Materials

Date: Jul 22, 2026

AEDPA Deference to State Brady/Strickland No-Prejudice Findings When Suppressed Evidence Is Cumulative of Disclosed Materials I. Introduction Jeffrey Hineman v. Daisy Chase is a federal habeas case...

Concealed Self-Payment from Investor Funds Is a Material Misrepresentation Supporting Wire-Fraud Liability (Narrowing Weimert)

Date: Jul 22, 2026

Concealed Self-Payment from Investor Funds Is a Material Misrepresentation Supporting Wire-Fraud Liability (Narrowing Weimert) 1. Introduction In United States v. Giulio Palma (7th Cir. July 20,...

Casual Third-Party Expressions of Guilt May Not Require a New Trial When No Outside Facts Are Introduced and the Evidence Is Overwhelming

Date: Jul 22, 2026

Casual Third-Party Expressions of Guilt May Not Require a New Trial When No Outside Facts Are Introduced and the Evidence Is Overwhelming Introduction United States v. Malcolm Whiteside (7th Cir....

Coordination-as-Control: Manager/Supervisor Enhancement for Orchestrating Laundering Tasks, and No Required § 3553(a)(6) Discussion When Imposing a Below-Guidelines Sentence

Date: Jul 21, 2026

Coordination-as-Control: Manager/Supervisor Enhancement for Orchestrating Laundering Tasks, and No Required § 3553(a)(6) Discussion When Imposing a Below-Guidelines Sentence 1. Introduction In United...

Juror Misconduct: No Categorical New-Trial Rule for Outside “Guilt” Remarks; Remmer Presumption Rebutted by Contact’s Nature, Timing, and Overwhelming Evidence

Date: Jul 21, 2026

Juror Misconduct: No Categorical New-Trial Rule for Outside “Guilt” Remarks; Remmer Presumption Rebutted by Contact’s Nature, Timing, and Overwhelming Evidence 1. Introduction Case: United States v....

Express Power-of-Attorney Authority Required to Waive ERISA Spousal Survivor Annuity Rights Under Wis. Stat. § 244.41(1)(f)

Date: Jul 21, 2026

Express Power-of-Attorney Authority Required to Waive ERISA Spousal Survivor Annuity Rights Under Wis. Stat. § 244.41(1)(f) Case: Nancy Lyon Havlik v. University of Chicago, No. 25-2821 (7th Cir....

Rule 412 Excludes Minor Victim’s Sexting with Others; Similar Grooming Admissible Under Rule 404(b) to Prove Identity in § 2251(a) Cases

Date: Jul 21, 2026

Rule 412 Excludes Minor Victim’s Sexting with Others; Similar Grooming Admissible Under Rule 404(b) to Prove Identity in § 2251(a) Cases I. Introduction In United States v. Andrew Boltz (7th Cir....

Title IX Deliberate-Indifference Safe Harbor: Readmission After Acquittal with an Effective No‑Contact Order Is Not “Clearly Unreasonable”

Date: Jul 21, 2026

Title IX Deliberate-Indifference Safe Harbor: Readmission After Acquittal with an Effective No‑Contact Order Is Not “Clearly Unreasonable” 1. Introduction Case: Isabelle Arana v. Board of Regents of...

Objective Medical Evidence and De Minimis Force: Limits on Eighth Amendment Excessive-Force and Deliberate-Indifference Claims at Summary Judgment

Date: Jul 21, 2026

Objective Medical Evidence and De Minimis Force: Limits on Eighth Amendment Excessive-Force and Deliberate-Indifference Claims at Summary Judgment 1. Introduction In Dante Small v. Lynn Pittman, et...

Unequal Subclass Allocations Require Separate Representation: Structural Adequacy as a Prerequisite to Class-Settlement Approval

Date: Jul 20, 2026

Unequal Subclass Allocations Require Separate Representation: Structural Adequacy as a Prerequisite to Class-Settlement Approval I. Introduction In In re: Clearview AI, Inc. Consumer Privacy...

Homeowner’s Contents Become “Business Property” When Used to Operate a Rental/Event Venue, Triggering the $25,000 Sublimit

Date: Jul 20, 2026

Homeowner’s Contents Become “Business Property” When Used to Operate a Rental/Event Venue, Triggering the $25,000 Sublimit Introduction In Wesley Gibson v. Chubb National Insurance Company (7th Cir....

Rule 4(b)(4) Without a Motion: Seventh Circuit Requires District-Court Good-Cause/Excusable-Neglect Finding Before Dismissing a Criminal Appeal Filed Within the 30-Day Extension Window

Date: Jul 20, 2026

Rule 4(b)(4) Without a Motion: Seventh Circuit Requires District-Court Good-Cause/Excusable-Neglect Finding Before Dismissing a Criminal Appeal Filed Within the 30-Day Extension Window 1....

Upward Variances Affirmed When District Courts Tie the Degree of Deviation to § 3553(a) and Reliably Supported Uncharged Conduct (Seventh Circuit)

Date: Jul 20, 2026

Upward Variances Affirmed When District Courts Tie the Degree of Deviation to § 3553(a) and Reliably Supported Uncharged Conduct (Seventh Circuit) 1. Introduction United States v. Travis L. Withers...

Participation Without Reservation Waives Non‑Signatory Arbitrability Objections in Labor Arbitration

Date: Jul 20, 2026

Participation Without Reservation Waives Non‑Signatory Arbitrability Objections in Labor Arbitration Introduction Elmar Hotel Management, LLC v. Unite Here Local 1 (7th Cir. July 17, 2026) concerns...