Verdict . News

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

9th Circuit Denies Asylum for Salvadoran Mother and Son

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has denied a petition for review filed by Veronica Aguilar-Aldana and her minor son from El Salvador, affirming lower court decisions that rejected their applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and Convention Against Torture relief.

•Ninth Circuit denied petition for review by Salvadoran mother and minor son seeking asylum and immigration relief

•Court affirmed Board of Immigration Appeals dismissal under Matter of Burbano framework

Third Circuit Court of Appeals

Third Circuit Affirms Firearms Sentence for Philadelphia Felon

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed the 62-month sentence of Shiheem Amos, who pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. The court ruled the sentence was reasonable in a non-precedential decision filed Jan. 21.

•Third Circuit affirmed 62-month sentence for felon-in-possession conviction

•Amos's sentence was enhanced based on prior aggravated assault conviction

Federal Circuit Court of Appeals

Federal Circuit Reverses Patent Board Decision in Apple v. Smart Mobile Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a mixed ruling in Apple Inc.'s patent challenge against Smart Mobile Technologies LLC, reversing in part and vacating in part the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's decision that had rejected Apple's obviousness claims.

•Federal Circuit reversed in part and vacated in part the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's decision against Apple

•Apple challenged Smart Mobile Technologies' patents using issue preclusion and claim construction arguments

Federal Circuit Court of Appeals

Jan 21, 2026•5 min read

Federal Circuit Affirms VA Police Officer's Termination for Firearm Incident

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the Merit Systems Protection Board's decision to uphold the termination of Terry Burl Smith Jr., a VA police officer who was removed after pleading guilty to reckless conduct following a firearms incident at his Chicago home.

•Terry Burl Smith Jr., a seven-year VA police officer, was terminated after firing 17 rounds at his Chicago home during a party

•Smith pleaded guilty to reckless conduct and received probation, but the VA proceeded with removal based on its internal investigation

Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals

6th Circuit Affirms Deputy's Taser Use on Schizophrenic Inmate

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment for a Kentucky jail deputy who used a taser on an inmate with paranoid schizophrenia. The court ruled the force was not excessive under Section 1983.

•Joshua Elswick, who has paranoid schizophrenia and was high on methamphetamines, fought with jail deputies after arrest

•Deputy Ryan Derrough used a low-level shock device on Elswick during the altercation

Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals

6th Circuit Affirms 97-Month Sentence for Michigan Contractor's Fraud Scheme

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed a 97-month prison sentence for Matthew Mencarelli, who operated Matthew's Woodworking LLC in Kent County, Michigan, after he pled guilty to wire fraud. The appeals court rejected Mencarelli's challenge to the district court's refusal to apply an acceptance-of-responsibility reduction to his offense level.

•Matthew Mencarelli received a 97-month federal prison sentence for wire fraud related to his construction business

•The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected his appeal for an acceptance-of-responsibility reduction

Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals

7th Circuit Reverses Summary Judgment in Toro Mower Amputation Case

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district court's summary judgment ruling in favor of The Toro Company, allowing a product liability lawsuit to proceed to trial after Rebekah Hillman lost her left leg below the knee in a riding lawnmower accident. The appeals court found that expert testimony regarding the lack of an independent brake system creates genuine disputes of material fact.

•Seventh Circuit partially reversed summary judgment, allowing product liability case to proceed to trial on independent brake theory

•Rebekah Hillman lost her left leg below the knee in a Toro riding lawnmower accident

Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals

11th Circuit Upholds 20-Month Sentence for Illegal Reentry Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a 20-month upward variance sentence for Gumersindo Gonzalez-Montoya, who was convicted of unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation. The court rejected his argument that the sentence was substantively unreasonable.

•Eleventh Circuit affirmed 20-month upward variance sentence for illegal reentry conviction

•Court rejected defendant's argument that enhanced sentence was substantively unreasonable

Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals

Fourth Circuit Affirms Drug Trafficking Conviction in NC Case

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the criminal conviction of Jonathan Craig Otuel on drug trafficking and firearm charges in an unpublished per curiam opinion issued Jan. 21, 2026. The three-judge panel rejected Otuel's challenge to his conviction from the Western District of North Carolina.

•Fourth Circuit affirmed drug trafficking and firearm conviction in unpublished per curiam opinion

•Otuel was convicted of conspiracy, methamphetamine possession, and firearm charges in 2023