Puerto Rico Case Commentaries

McLellan v. Brown: The Second Amendment Permits Categorical, Temporary Disarmament of Recidivist DUI Offenders Without Individualized Dangerousness Findings

Date: Jun 13, 2026

McLellan v. Brown: The Second Amendment Permits Categorical, Temporary Disarmament of Recidivist DUI Offenders Without Individualized Dangerousness Findings 1. Introduction In McLellan v. Brown...

Tenth Circuit Jurisdictional Bar to Reviewing Discretionary Denials of Guideline Departures When the District Court Recognizes Its Authority

Date: Jun 13, 2026

Tenth Circuit Jurisdictional Bar to Reviewing Discretionary Denials of Guideline Departures When the District Court Recognizes Its Authority Case: United States v. Trejo-Mendoza (10th Cir. June 11,...

Rule 35(a) Does Not Permit Collateral Attacks on Convictions or Statutes; “Illegal Sentence” Means Statutorily Unauthorized Sentence

Date: Jun 13, 2026

Rule 35(a) Does Not Permit Collateral Attacks on Convictions or Statutes; “Illegal Sentence” Means Statutorily Unauthorized Sentence Introduction State v. Travis Smith (2026 VT 22) is a Vermont...

Chapter 21 Repurchase Actions as a Waiver of Texas Sovereign Immunity (and the Limits Urged by the Hawkins Dissent)

Date: Jun 13, 2026

Chapter 21 Repurchase Actions as a Waiver of Texas Sovereign Immunity (and the Limits Urged by the Hawkins Dissent) I. Introduction In The State of Texas and Kyle Madsen in his Official Capacity as...

Texas “No-Contact” Rule and Pro Se Lawyers: Majority Carve-Out, Concurrence Warns, and Reliance on Ethics Guidance as a Bar to Discipline

Date: Jun 13, 2026

Texas “No-Contact” Rule and Pro Se Lawyers: Majority Carve-Out, Concurrence Warns, and Reliance on Ethics Guidance as a Bar to Discipline I. Introduction William W. Ruth v. Commission for Lawyer...

Failure to Submit Local Government Corporation Notes to the Attorney General Eliminates Incontestability—It Does Not Void the Financing Transaction

Date: Jun 13, 2026

Failure to Submit Local Government Corporation Notes to the Attorney General Eliminates Incontestability—It Does Not Void the Financing Transaction Case: RIVER CREEK DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AND CITY...

Chapter 21 Repurchase Claims Proceed Against the State: Placement in Texas’s Eminent-Domain Code as a Clear Waiver of Sovereign Immunity

Date: Jun 13, 2026

Chapter 21 Repurchase Claims Proceed Against the State: Placement in Texas’s Eminent-Domain Code as a Clear Waiver of Sovereign Immunity Case: The State of Texas and Kyle Madsen in his Official...

Texas Rule 4.02 No-Contact Rule Does Not Apply to Lawyers Appearing Pro Se

Date: Jun 13, 2026

Texas Rule 4.02 No-Contact Rule Does Not Apply to Lawyers Appearing Pro Se Introduction In WILLIAM W. RUTH v. COMMISSION FOR LAWYER DISCIPLINE (Tex. June 12, 2026), the Supreme Court of Texas...

Texas Sovereign Immunity Does Not Bar Property Code Chapter 21 Repurchase Suits; Condemnation Filing Triggers “Through Eminent Domain,” Partial Repurchase Permitted, and County Courts at Law Share Jurisdiction

Date: Jun 13, 2026

Texas Sovereign Immunity Does Not Bar Property Code Chapter 21 Repurchase Suits; Condemnation Filing Triggers “Through Eminent Domain,” Partial Repurchase Permitted, and County Courts at Law Share...

ICWA “Active Efforts” Are Satisfied by Thorough, Multi-Channel Location and Engagement Attempts When Parents Disappear; ICWA Harm Finding Requires Proof of Likely (Not Certain) Serious Damage

Date: Jun 13, 2026

ICWA “Active Efforts” Are Satisfied by Thorough, Multi-Channel Location and Engagement Attempts When Parents Disappear; ICWA Harm Finding Requires Proof of Likely (Not Certain) Serious Damage I....

No Automatic Voidness for Unsubmitted Chapter 431 Debt; PID Assessments May Indirectly Reimburse Out-of-State Bond-Issuance Costs

Date: Jun 13, 2026

No Automatic Voidness for Unsubmitted Chapter 431 Debt; PID Assessments May Indirectly Reimburse Out-of-State Bond-Issuance Costs Introduction In RIVER CREEK DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AND CITY OF...

LCAR Certified Objection Shifts the Full § 842(c)(2) Burden to the Agency (Without Raising the Standard of Proof)

Date: Jun 13, 2026

LCAR Certified Objection Shifts the Full § 842(c)(2) Burden to the Agency (Without Raising the Standard of Proof) Case: Protect Our Wildlife, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization v. Fish and Wildlife...

State v. Hirzel (2026 VT 24): No Binding Plea Agreement Without Rule 11(e)(3) Advisement; Extra-Record Victim-Impact Allegations Disclaimed Are Not “Considered”; Curfew Cannot Reduce Jail Time Under § 7031(b)

Date: Jun 13, 2026

State v. Hirzel (2026 VT 24): No Binding Plea Agreement Without Rule 11(e)(3) Advisement; Extra-Record Victim-Impact Allegations Disclaimed Are Not “Considered”; Curfew Cannot Reduce Jail Time Under...

Commonwealth v. Mahoney: Appellate Courts May Not Invent Hypotheses of Innocence or Reweigh Circumstantial Evidence in Principal-in-the-Second-Degree Cases

Date: Jun 12, 2026

Commonwealth v. Mahoney: Appellate Courts May Not Invent Hypotheses of Innocence or Reweigh Circumstantial Evidence in Principal-in-the-Second-Degree Cases 1. Introduction In Commonwealth v. Mahoney...

ICA §47(b) Does Not Imply a Private Right to Sue for Rescission

Date: Jun 12, 2026

FS Credit Opportunities Corp. v. Saba Capital Master Fund, Ltd.: ICA §47(b) Does Not Imply a Private Right to Sue for Rescission 1. Introduction Case: FS Credit Opportunities Corp. et al. v. Saba...

Westfall Act Immunity Is Claim-by-Claim (Not Suit-Wide) and Civil Fifth-Amendment Silence May Support Adverse Inferences in Scope-of-Employment Hearings

Date: Jun 12, 2026

Westfall Act Immunity Is Claim-by-Claim (Not Suit-Wide) and Civil Fifth-Amendment Silence May Support Adverse Inferences in Scope-of-Employment Hearings I. Introduction Trey Cholewa v. United States...

Pre-Chiaverini Qualified Immunity in the Sixth Circuit: If Any One Charge Had Probable Cause, a § 1983 Malicious-Prosecution Claim Fails

Date: Jun 12, 2026

Pre-Chiaverini Qualified Immunity in the Sixth Circuit: If Any One Charge Had Probable Cause, a § 1983 Malicious-Prosecution Claim Fails 1. Introduction In Phillip Atsas v. Matthew Bowen (6th Cir....

Attorney Discipline Bias Claims: Henderson Not Extended; Disbarment for Submitting False Evidence to ODC (In re Disciplinary Proc. Against Feyissa)

Date: Jun 12, 2026

Attorney Discipline Bias Claims: Henderson Not Extended; Disbarment for Submitting False Evidence to ODC Case: In re Disciplinary Proc. Against Feyissa (Wash. June 11, 2026) Court: Supreme Court of...

Verduzco v. King County: Ambiguous WLAD “Adverse Employment Action” Instruction Is Misleading but Not Reversible Absent Proven Prejudice

Date: Jun 12, 2026

Verduzco v. King County: Ambiguous WLAD “Adverse Employment Action” Instruction Is Misleading but Not Reversible Absent Proven Prejudice 1. Introduction In Verduzco v. King County (Wash. June 11,...

State v. Montgomery (2026 N.H. 24): Severance Required Where Joinder Creates Propensity-Risk, and “Intrinsic” Evidence Has Narrow Limits

Date: Jun 12, 2026

State v. Montgomery (2026 N.H. 24): Severance Required Where Joinder Creates Propensity-Risk, and “Intrinsic” Evidence Has Narrow Limits Introduction In State v. Montgomery, 2026 N.H. 24 (N.H. June...