Puerto Rico Case Commentaries

State v. Villalobos: Speedy Trial Presumed-Prejudice Rule for Intellectually Disabled Defendants When Delay Stems from Counsel Neglect and State Inaction

Date: May 20, 2026

State v. Villalobos: Speedy Trial Presumed-Prejudice Rule for Intellectually Disabled Defendants When Delay Stems from Counsel Neglect and State Inaction Introduction In State v. Villalobos (N.M. May...

Velez-Santiago v. State: Post-Guilty-Plea Ineffective Assistance Claims Require Concrete Strickland Prejudice; Alleged Arrest-Warrant Illegality Alone Does Not Undermine a Conviction

Date: May 20, 2026

Velez-Santiago v. State: Post-Guilty-Plea Ineffective Assistance Claims Require Concrete Strickland Prejudice; Alleged Arrest-Warrant Illegality Alone Does Not Undermine a Conviction 1. Introduction...

Powers v. Dist. Ct. (Bueno): NRS 629.620 Is Unconstitutional as Applied to NRCP 35 Discovery Examinations; “Good Cause” Limits Recording and Interpreter Conditions

Date: May 20, 2026

Powers v. Dist. Ct. (Bueno): NRS 629.620 Is Unconstitutional as Applied to NRCP 35 Discovery Examinations; “Good Cause” Limits Recording and Interpreter Conditions Introduction Case: POWERS v. DIST....

Neutral Yamaha Deference and De Novo Review for Coastal Commission Appellate Jurisdiction; “Principal Permitted Use” Includes Multiple Uses

Date: May 20, 2026

Neutral Yamaha Deference and De Novo Review for Coastal Commission Appellate Jurisdiction; “Principal Permitted Use” Includes Multiple Uses I. Introduction In Shear Development Co., LLC v. California...

Equitable Stays and “Irreparable Harm” Based on Unlawful-Use Profits in the Mifepristone REMS Dispute

Date: May 20, 2026

Equitable Stays and “Irreparable Harm” Based on Unlawful-Use Profits in the Mifepristone REMS Dispute 1. Introduction Danco Laboratories, LLC and GenBioPro, Inc.—manufacturers/distributors of...

Procedural Reasonableness: No Reversal When Sentencing Misstatements Are Corrected and the § 3553(a) Rationale Is Adequately Explained

Date: May 20, 2026

Procedural Reasonableness: No Reversal When Sentencing Misstatements Are Corrected and the § 3553(a) Rationale Is Adequately Explained I. Introduction In United States v. Alexander Beattie (6th Cir....

No Substantive-Due-Process Property Interest Arises from a City Clerk’s Unauthorized “Grandfathering” Assurances for Marijuana Licensure

Date: May 20, 2026

No Substantive-Due-Process Property Interest Arises from a City Clerk’s Unauthorized “Grandfathering” Assurances for Marijuana Licensure Introduction In Naturale & Co. v. Bruce Eck, Hamtramck...

United States v. Owen: Bank-Fraud “Property” Includes Loan Proceeds and Debts Legally Due; Concealment Money Laundering May Rest on Proceeds from a Completed Phase of an Ongoing Wire-Fraud Scheme

Date: May 20, 2026

United States v. Owen: Bank-Fraud “Property” Includes Loan Proceeds and Debts Legally Due; Concealment Money Laundering May Rest on Proceeds from a Completed Phase of an Ongoing Wire-Fraud Scheme 1)...

FMLA Retaliation: Requesting FMLA Paperwork Is “Protected Activity” Even Before Entitlement Is Determined

Date: May 20, 2026

FMLA Retaliation: Requesting FMLA Paperwork Is “Protected Activity” Even Before Entitlement Is Determined Case: Daniel Paris v. MacAllister Machinery Co., Inc. Court: Court of Appeals for the Sixth...

Incident-Specific Proof of Malice Required to Defeat Kentucky Qualified Official Immunity in Police Deadly-Force Cases

Date: May 20, 2026

Incident-Specific Proof of Malice Required to Defeat Kentucky Qualified Official Immunity in Police Deadly-Force Cases Introduction In Toni Mitchell v. Steve Conrad (Sixth Cir. May 14, 2026), the...

Antiwaiver Rule for Nebraska Trust Deed Antideficiency Protection When Power-of-Sale Is Used

Date: May 20, 2026

Antiwaiver Rule for Nebraska Trust Deed Antideficiency Protection When Power-of-Sale Is Used 1. Introduction In American Exch. Bank v. Topp, 321 Neb. 409 (May 15, 2026), the Nebraska Supreme Court...

TCPA Step One Turns on Factual Predication/Reaction to Petitioning—UDJA Anti-Suit Challenges to Rule 202 Petitions Trigger TCPA Review

Date: May 20, 2026

TCPA Step One Turns on Factual Predication/Reaction to Petitioning—UDJA Anti-Suit Challenges to Rule 202 Petitions Trigger TCPA Review 1) Introduction Sadie Weldon v. The Lilith Fund for Reproductive...

Binding-Precedent Conflict as a “Substantial Ground for Difference of Opinion” Under Texas’s Permissive-Appeal Statute

Date: May 20, 2026

Binding-Precedent Conflict as a “Substantial Ground for Difference of Opinion” Under Texas’s Permissive-Appeal Statute Case: HELENA CHEMICAL COMPANY v. PHILLIP BALES, DEREK DIERINGER, WILBERT...

Seventh Amendment Jury Right Triggered When “Public-Nuisance Abatement” Seeks Compensation for Downstream Opioid Harms

Date: May 20, 2026

Seventh Amendment Jury Right Triggered When “Public-Nuisance Abatement” Seeks Compensation for Downstream Opioid Harms Introduction In re: EXPRESS SCRIPTS, INC. is a published Fourth Circuit mandamus...

Specialized Sexual-Abuse “Age-30” Extension Is Not a Coordinate Tolling Rule for Federal Title IX and § 1983 Claims in Pennsylvania

Date: May 20, 2026

Specialized Sexual-Abuse “Age-30” Extension Is Not a Coordinate Tolling Rule for Federal Title IX and § 1983 Claims in Pennsylvania Introduction In Jane Doe v. East Stroudsburg University of...

Kansas Premises-Liability Duty to Protect Guests from Third-Party Gunfire Requires Prior Similar Shootings; Crime-Density Maps and “More Security” Alone Do Not Create Foreseeability

Date: May 20, 2026

Kansas Premises-Liability Duty to Protect Guests from Third-Party Gunfire Requires Prior Similar Shootings; Crime-Density Maps and “More Security” Alone Do Not Create Foreseeability Case: Blalock v....

In re K.S. (W. Va. 2026): A Clarified Three-Tier Appellate Standard of Review for Abuse-and-Neglect Orders

Date: May 20, 2026

In re K.S. (W. Va. 2026): A Clarified Three-Tier Appellate Standard of Review for Abuse-and-Neglect Orders Court: Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia Date: May 15, 2026 Disposition: Vacated and...

No Per Se Reversal for Missing Bench-Conference Transcripts: Specific-Prejudice Requirement Reaffirmed

Date: May 20, 2026

No Per Se Reversal for Missing Bench-Conference Transcripts: Specific-Prejudice Requirement Reaffirmed Case: State of West Virginia v. Carl Ray Summerfield Court: Supreme Court of Appeals of West...

State v. Wilhelm: Harmless-Error Treatment of a Late Voluntariness Determination Under HRS § 621-26

Date: May 20, 2026

State v. Wilhelm: Harmless-Error Treatment of a Late Voluntariness Determination Under HRS § 621-26 Court: Intermediate Court of Appeals of the State of Hawaiʻi (Summary Disposition Order; Not for...

Back Pay Means Fixed “Salary Loss” Only: No Overtime Awards Under RSA 273-D:3, V

Date: May 20, 2026

Back Pay Means Fixed “Salary Loss” Only: No Overtime Awards Under RSA 273-D:3, V Case: Appeal of N.H. Div. of State Police, 2026 N.H. 21 (N.H. May 15, 2026) Tribunal Below: New Hampshire Personnel...