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Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals

6th Circuit Upholds Bitcoin Seizure in Federal Forfeiture Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled on a federal forfeiture case involving 0.40401694 Bitcoin seized from a Binance cryptocurrency exchange account, with three Nigerian nationals challenging the government's seizure after missing filing deadlines.

•Three Nigerian nationals missed filing deadlines to claim over $100,000 in seized Bitcoin

•FBI seized 0.40401694 Bitcoin from Binance account during fraud investigation

Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals

7th Circuit Upholds Gun Serial Number Law Under Bruen Test

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the constitutionality of federal law prohibiting possession of firearms with obliterated serial numbers, rejecting a Second Amendment challenge based on the Supreme Court's 2022 Bruen decision. The court ruled in United States v. Jose Reyna that the law does not violate constitutional protections.

•Seventh Circuit affirmed federal law prohibiting firearms with obliterated serial numbers

•Court rejected Second Amendment challenge based on Supreme Court's Bruen decision

Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals

7th Circuit Upholds Wire Fraud, Reverses Bank Fraud in Housing Scheme

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld wire fraud convictions but reversed bank fraud convictions against two Housing Authority of South Bend officials who orchestrated a kickback scheme involving fictional maintenance contracts. Tonya Robinson and Albert Smith used their leadership positions to enrich themselves by hiring contractors for non-existent work and taking cuts of the payments.

•Seventh Circuit affirmed wire fraud convictions for kickback scheme involving fictional maintenance contracts at Housing Authority of South Bend

•Court reversed bank fraud convictions due to government's failure to prove false statements were made to a bank

Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals

8th Circuit Upholds Career Offender Status in Cannabis Conviction Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed a district court's decision to classify Jesus Alfonso Ruiz as a career offender, rejecting his argument that his 2015 Illinois cannabis conviction should not count as a predicate offense. Ruiz received a 210-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute controlled substances.

•Eighth Circuit affirmed career offender status despite defendant's hemp/cannabis legal distinction argument

•Court held state drug convictions can qualify as predicates even when substances differ from federal controlled substances

Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals

8th Circuit Upholds Consecutive Federal Sentence for Release Violation

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a federal district court's decision to impose an 18-month consecutive prison sentence on William Snoddy after he was convicted of manslaughter and weapons possession in Nebraska state court while on federal supervised release. Snoddy argued the consecutive sentencing would prevent his participation in state prison programs, but the appeals court disagreed.

•Eighth Circuit affirmed consecutive 18-month federal sentence for supervised release violation

•Defendant convicted of manslaughter and weapons possession while on federal supervision

Federal Circuit Court of Appeals

Federal Circuit Affirms Summary Judgment in APT v. MarketDial Trade Secret Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court's summary judgment in favor of MarketDial, Inc. and individual defendants in a trade secret misappropriation and breach of contract dispute with Applied Predictive Technologies, Inc. The nonprecedential decision was issued January 28, 2026.

•Federal Circuit affirmed summary judgment in favor of MarketDial and individual defendants on trade secret claims

•APT's breach of contract claim against John Stoddard was also dismissed by the district court

Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals

10th Circuit Dismisses Inmate's Civil Rights Lawsuit on Limitations

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of civil rights claims filed by pro se inmate Michael Balance against Johnson County, Kansas officials. The appellate court upheld the district court's ruling that the lawsuit was filed beyond the applicable statute of limitations.

•Tenth Circuit affirmed dismissal of inmate Michael Balance's civil rights lawsuit against Johnson County, Kansas officials

•District court dismissed the case on statute of limitations grounds, finding claims were filed too late

Federal Circuit Court of Appeals

3w ago•5 min read

Federal Circuit Remands Vroom Patent Dispute as Parties Near Settlement

The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals has remanded the patent dispute between online car retailer Vroom Inc. and Sidekick Technology LLC back to district court, allowing the parties to potentially vacate prior patent-ineligibility decisions as they work toward settlement negotiations.

•Federal Circuit remanded patent appeals between Vroom Inc. and Sidekick Technology LLC to district court

•District court previously indicated willingness to vacate patent-ineligibility decisions upon remand

Federal Circuit Court of Appeals

Federal Circuit Affirms Veterans Court Dismissal in Calderon Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the dismissal of veteran Joseph L. Calderon's appeal against VA Secretary Douglas A. Collins, ruling that the Veterans Court correctly denied equitable tolling relief for an untimely filed notice of appeal.

•Federal Circuit affirmed Veterans Court dismissal of Calderon's untimely appeal

•Court ruled equitable tolling relief was properly denied for missed filing deadline