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Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals

5th Circuit Affirms Denial of Coram Nobis Petition in Wire Fraud Case

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the denial of Eugene J. Lockhart Jr.'s petition for writ of coram nobis, an extraordinary legal remedy seeking to overturn his conviction for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud. The brief ruling represents the latest development in a case that originated in 2009 in the Northern District of Texas.

•Fifth Circuit affirmed denial of coram nobis petition without detailed explanation

•Lockhart originally pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges involving wire fraud and bank fraud

Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals

11th Circuit Grants Qualified Immunity to Deputy in Fatal DUI Case

The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district court ruling and granted qualified immunity to a sheriff's deputy who killed a man while driving drunk and fleeing the scene. The court held that despite the deputy's conduct, existing precedent did not clearly establish the unconstitutionality of his actions.

•Eleventh Circuit granted qualified immunity to deputy who killed man while driving drunk and fleeing scene

•Court ruled existing precedent didn't clearly establish deputy's conduct as unconstitutional

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals

3w ago•2 min read

Fifth Circuit Reviews Sodium Cyanide Supply Dispute Between US, Mexican Firms

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is examining a contract dispute between Cyanco International, a U.S. sodium cyanide producer, and Minerales de Occidente, a Mexican mining company, over breach of an annual chemical supply agreement. The case involves licensing requirements for the international transport and use of sodium cyanide in mining operations.

•Contract dispute involves annual sodium cyanide supply agreement between U.S. manufacturer Cyanco and Mexican mining company Minosa

•Case centers on licensing requirements for international transport and use of sodium cyanide in mining operations

Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals

11th Circuit: Attempted Violent Crimes Count for Enhanced Sentencing

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed that attempted crimes of violence qualify as crimes of violence under federal sentencing guidelines. The court ruled in United States v. Joseph Ott that a 2023 Sentencing Commission amendment definitively resolved the question of whether attempts count for enhanced sentencing purposes.

•The 11th Circuit affirmed that attempted crimes of violence qualify as crimes of violence under federal sentencing guidelines

•A 2023 Sentencing Commission amendment explicitly defined crimes of violence to include attempts, resolving prior legal uncertainty

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals

Fifth Circuit Upholds Warrantless Vehicle Search in Gun Case

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court's denial of a motion to suppress evidence in *United States v. Davalos*, where a convicted felon challenged a warrantless search of his vehicle. The court ruled that exigent circumstances and probable cause justified the search that uncovered marijuana and a firearm.

•Fifth Circuit affirmed denial of suppression motion in felon firearm possession case

•Court found exigent circumstances and probable cause justified warrantless vehicle search

Federal Circuit Court of Appeals

Federal Circuit Affirms Hulu Victory in Sound View Patent Appeal

The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court's summary judgment ruling that Hulu did not infringe Sound View Innovations' streaming technology patent. The court agreed that Hulu's accused products failed to meet key claim requirements regarding step sequencing and specialized buffer technology.

•Federal Circuit affirmed district court's summary judgment that Hulu did not infringe Sound View's streaming patent

•Court ruled Hulu's technology failed to perform patent claim steps in required sequence and lacked specialized buffer

Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals

10th Circuit Rules on Speedy Trial Rights in Wildlife Case

The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling in United States v. Antunez, addressing whether prosecutorial delays in a Migratory Bird Treaty Act misdemeanor case violated the defendant's Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial. The case involved Mayela Gonzalez Antunez's constitutional challenge to federal wildlife protection charges.

•Defendant challenged misdemeanor charges under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act on Sixth Amendment speedy trial grounds

•Speedy Trial Act does not apply to misdemeanors, leaving only constitutional protections available

Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals

10th Circuit Hears Second Amendment Challenge to Gun Law

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit issued an order and judgment in United States v. Salazar, addressing a constitutional challenge to the federal law prohibiting undocumented immigrants from possessing firearms. Defendant Gerson Armando Romero Salazar appealed his conviction after unsuccessfully arguing the statute violates the Second Amendment.

•Gerson Armando Romero Salazar was convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5)(A) for being an undocumented immigrant in possession of a firearm

•The defendant challenged the federal statute as facially unconstitutional under the Second Amendment

Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals

10th Circuit Upholds Prison Term for Repeat Child Pornography Offender

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirmed a district court's decision to revoke supervised release and impose an additional prison sentence on Robert Lynn Harris, who was convicted of child pornography possession in 2024 while serving lifetime supervised release from a 2015 conviction.

•Harris violated lifetime supervised release from 2015 child pornography conviction by possessing child pornography again in 2024

•District court revoked supervised release and imposed two-year prison term in addition to 120-month sentence for new offense