Puerto Rico Case Commentaries

Plenary Pension-Board Authority Under Article XVI, Section 17 Does Not Include Setting County Civil Service Classifications or Salaries Under CERL

Date: Aug 8, 2026

Plenary Pension-Board Authority Under Article XVI, Section 17 Does Not Include Setting County Civil Service Classifications or Salaries Under CERL Introduction In Los Angeles County Employees...

State v. Arrington: Expert Testimony Is Required to Assert New Jersey’s Insanity Defense

Date: Aug 8, 2026

State v. Arrington: Expert Testimony Is Required to Assert New Jersey’s Insanity Defense Court: Supreme Court of New Jersey Date: August 3, 2026 Case: State of New Jersey v. Jeremy Arrington...

People v. Hyatt (2026): Section 1381 Demands Require Delivery to State Prison; Magistrate Felony-Complaint Dismissals Are Appealable “Felony Cases”

Date: Aug 8, 2026

New Rules from People v. Hyatt (Cal. 2026): (1) Section 1381 Demands Are Premature Until Actual Delivery to CDCR Custody; (2) Magistrate Dismissal of a Felony Complaint Is an Appealable “Felony Case”...

Alternative-Choice Section 998 Offers: Validity Requires Clear Structure and at Least One Valuable, Certain Alternative

Date: Aug 8, 2026

Alternative-Choice Section 998 Offers: Validity Requires Clear Structure and at Least One Valuable, Certain Alternative 1. Introduction In Gorobets v. Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Cal. Aug....

No Negligence Duty to Accelerate Development/Commercialization of an Unapproved “Safer” Drug When the Marketed Drug Is Concededly Nondefective

Date: Aug 8, 2026

No Negligence Duty to Accelerate Development/Commercialization of an Unapproved “Safer” Drug When the Marketed Drug Is Concededly Nondefective Case: Gilead Tenofovir Cases (Supreme Court of...

Codifying “Knowing, Intelligent, and Voluntary” Plea Colloquies and Record-Based Review in Pennsylvania Criminal Procedure

Date: Aug 8, 2026

Codifying “Knowing, Intelligent, and Voluntary” Plea Colloquies and Record-Based Review in Pennsylvania Criminal Procedure 1. Introduction Case: In Re: Order Amending Rules 115, 550, 590, and 591 of...

Negligent Loss of Dashcam Footage Does Not Create a Youngblood Due-Process Violation Without Bad Faith; Tennessee § 39-17-417 Cocaine Convictions Qualify as ACCA “Serious Drug Offense[s]”

Date: Aug 8, 2026

Negligent Loss of Dashcam Footage Does Not Create a Youngblood Due-Process Violation Without Bad Faith; Tennessee § 39-17-417 Cocaine Convictions Qualify as ACCA “Serious Drug Offense[s]” I....

Title IX Requires Physical Presence “in the United States” and Ex parte Young Does Not Permit “Instatement” Relief That Creates a New State-Funded Position

Date: Aug 8, 2026

Title IX Requires Physical Presence “in the United States” and Ex parte Young Does Not Permit “Instatement” Relief That Creates a New State-Funded Position I. Introduction In Mark Charlton-Perkins v....

Sixth Circuit Tightens § 1988 Fee-Shifting: Categorical Exclusion of Failed Class-Certification Time and Imposition of Blended Rates Where Billing Records Are Unreliable

Date: Aug 8, 2026

Sixth Circuit Tightens § 1988 Fee-Shifting: Categorical Exclusion of Failed Class-Certification Time and Imposition of Blended Rates Where Billing Records Are Unreliable I. Introduction In Marion...

Interstate Sovereign Immunity Extends to Sister-State Instrumentalities, with Primacy Given to the Creating State’s Classification

Date: Aug 8, 2026

Interstate Sovereign Immunity Extends to Sister-State Instrumentalities, with Primacy Given to the Creating State’s Classification 1. Introduction In Galette, C. v. NJ Transit (Appeal of: NJ...

Pennsylvania’s Bright-Line Timing Rule for Collateral-Order Appeals: 30 Days from Entry; Reconsideration Denials Do Not Extend the Deadline

Date: Aug 8, 2026

Pennsylvania’s Bright-Line Timing Rule for Collateral-Order Appeals: 30 Days from Entry; Reconsideration Denials Do Not Extend the Deadline Case: Khalil, S., Aplt. v. Mary Jane Home Enrich Center...

Arm-Bar Takedown on a Non-Threatening, Seated Domestic-Violence Arrestee Holding a Child Can Violate Clearly Established Fourth Amendment Limits

Date: Aug 8, 2026

Arm-Bar Takedown on a Non-Threatening, Seated Domestic-Violence Arrestee Holding a Child Can Violate Clearly Established Fourth Amendment Limits 1. Introduction In Travis Kotke v. Andrew Ager (Sixth...

Good-Faith “Minimal Nexus” Sustains Broad Cell-Phone Searches in Drug Warrants, and Warrants May Cover All Phones at a Trafficking Location

Date: Aug 8, 2026

Good-Faith “Minimal Nexus” Sustains Broad Cell-Phone Searches in Drug Warrants, and Warrants May Cover All Phones at a Trafficking Location Introduction In United States v. Jared Metzger (6th Cir....

Irreparable Harm as an Indispensable Prerequisite: Loss of Employment and Benefits Generally Remediable by Money Damages

Date: Aug 8, 2026

Irreparable Harm as an Indispensable Prerequisite: Loss of Employment and Benefits Generally Remediable by Money Damages Introduction In Daniel Tascarella v. Aptiv US General Services Partnership,...

Youngblood Bad-Faith Required for Missing Dashcam Evidence; Tennessee § 39-17-417(c)(1) Cocaine Convictions Count as ACCA “Serious Drug Offenses”

Date: Aug 8, 2026

Youngblood Bad-Faith Required for Missing Dashcam Evidence; Tennessee § 39-17-417(c)(1) Cocaine Convictions Count as ACCA “Serious Drug Offenses” Case: United States v. Jamal Gardner (6th Cir. Aug....

Marijuana Possession Still Counts for Federal Criminal History Points Despite State Legalization; Courier Claims Do Not Compel Mitigating-Role Reductions

Date: Aug 8, 2026

Marijuana Possession Still Counts for Federal Criminal History Points Despite State Legalization; Courier Claims Do Not Compel Mitigating-Role Reductions 1. Introduction In United States v. Jeffrey...

§ 1446(b)(1)’s 30-Day Removal Deadline Is Not Equitably Tollable; Post-Remand Class-Certification Activity Does Not Restart CAFA Removal Timing

Date: Aug 8, 2026

§ 1446(b)(1)’s 30-Day Removal Deadline Is Not Equitably Tollable; Post-Remand Class-Certification Activity Does Not Restart CAFA Removal Timing 1. Introduction John Ewalt, Steve Wylie, and Bonnie...

Lovell v. Clermont County Sheriff’s Office: Interlocutory Qualified-Immunity Appeals Require a Genuine Concession of Plaintiff-Favorable Facts (Absent Video “Blatant Contradiction”)

Date: Aug 8, 2026

Lovell v. Clermont County Sheriff’s Office: Interlocutory Qualified-Immunity Appeals Require a Genuine Conession of Plaintiff-Favorable Facts (Absent Video “Blatant Contradiction”) 1. Introduction...

United States v. Benavides: Defendant Bears the Burden to Prove Eligibility for the § 4C1.1 “Zero-Point Offender” Reduction (Including No Firearm Connection)

Date: Aug 8, 2026

United States v. Benavides: Defendant Bears the Burden to Prove Eligibility for the § 4C1.1 “Zero-Point Offender” Reduction (Including No Firearm Connection) 1. Introduction In United States v. Hugo...

Sixth Circuit: No ADA Accommodation Duty Without Timely Medical Verification; “Honest Belief” Defeats Pretext; Rule 60(b)(3) Trial-Fraud Claims Waived Without Mistrial

Date: Aug 8, 2026

Sixth Circuit: No ADA Accommodation Duty Without Timely Medical Verification; “Honest Belief” Defeats Pretext; Rule 60(b)(3) Trial-Fraud Claims Waived Without Mistrial Introduction In Yarlen Henry v....