The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has denied a petition for review filed by Lazaro Pigueiras, upholding the Board of Immigration Appeals’ (BIA) decision to deny his application for a waiver of inadmissibility. The core of Pigueiras’s appeal centered on the BIA’s refusal to reconsider his case in light of…
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Donald Trump Faces Federalism Firestorm: Court Orders Rehearing on Uninvited National Guard Deployment
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ordered an en banc rehearing in a high-stakes challenge brought by the State of Oregon and the City of Portland against President Donald J. Trump and top officials in his administration, vacating a prior panel decision and spotlighting a…
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Court Says Ex-In-House Counsel Can Proceed with Retaliation Claims
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has denied Fort Myer Construction Company’s bid to dismiss retaliation lawsuits filed by its former associate general counsel, Matthew Adams. Adams claims he was fired after raising concerns about racial discrimination within the company. In a Memorandum Order issued by Judge…
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Justice Restored: Court Orders Refund of Penalties Following Capitol Riot Convictions Being Vacated
A federal judge in Washington D.C. has reversed an earlier decision and ordered the U.S. government to return mandatory assessments and restitution payments made by two individuals whose convictions related to the January 6th Capitol riot were recently vacated due to presidential pardons. The ruling centers on a key legal…
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Felon’s 30-Month Gun Sentence Upheld Despite Guideline Range Below Two Years
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a 30-month prison sentence for Kentravious Montrell Ware, concluding that the sentence, which varied upward from the recommended guidelines, was not “substantively unreasonable.” Ware, who pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, argued that the 30-month term—significantly higher than…
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Felon’s Social Media Posts Admissible in Gun Case, Eighth Circuit Upholds Sentence
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has affirmed the conviction and 42-month sentence of Devon Lamont Holt, who was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Holt appealed the trial court’s decision to allow certain inflammatory Facebook posts as evidence and argued that…
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Eleventh Circuit Upholds Resentencing, Denies Challenge to Gun Law After *Bruen*
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has affirmed the conviction and sentence of Benjamin Smith, concluding that the district court correctly handled issues related to the scope of the remand order and the pronouncement of supervised release conditions. Smith, previously convicted of being a felon in possession…
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Court Reverses Theft and Forgery Conviction Over Defendant’s Competency to Stand Trial
The Tenth District Court of Appeals of Ohio has overturned the conviction of Jessica M. Richardson, finding that the trial court committed a structural error by proceeding to trial despite overwhelming evidence that Richardson was not mentally competent to assist in her own defense. The appellate court ruled that trying…
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Jury Shake-Up Upheld: North Dakota Supreme Court Affirms Decision to Replace Juror After Courtroom Contact
The North Dakota Supreme Court has affirmed two criminal judgments against Joshua Brock Martinez, rejecting his claim that the trial court improperly replaced a seated juror with an alternate juror, an action Martinez argued violated his constitutional rights. The high court ruled that replacing the juror did not constitute double…
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NJ Court Rules on Controversial “Tower Dump” Warrants, Sets New Guidelines
The New Jersey Appellate Division has delivered a significant ruling regarding the use of “tower dump warrants”—a powerful investigative tool that sweeps up cell phone data from cell towers near a crime scene—declaring the specific warrants used in a recent robbery and sexual assault case unconstitutional, but ultimately allowing the…