No. 25-1153

Irving F. Rounds, Jr. v. Department of Justice, et al.

Lower Court: First Circuit
Docketed: 2026-04-07
Status: Pending
Type: Paid
Tags: appearance-of-bias due-process fifth-amendment governmental-retaliation judicial-recusal summary-order
Latest Conference: N/A
Question Presented (from Petition)

Whether Petitioner was denied due process under the
Fifth Amendment where the lower federal courts:
I. Dismissed Petitioner's sworn claims of
governmental retaliation and threats without
affording any evidentiary hearing or opportunity to
present witnesses, despite factual allegations that
could not lawfully be resolved on the written record
alone;
II. Denied motions for recusal and reassignment
without stating any basis, despite documented
institutional connections between the presiding judges
and the named federal defendants, creating an
appearance of bias too high to be constitutionally
tolerable under Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co., 556
U.S. 868 (2009); and
III. Affirmed dismissal by summary order and denied
rehearing without providing any legal reasoning,
leaving Petitioner unable to determine whether his
constitutional claims were rejected on jurisdictional,
procedural, or merits grounds, in violation of the due
process principles reaffirmed in Noem v. Abrego
Garcia, No. 24A949 (2025).

Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether petitioner was denied due process under the Fifth Amendment where lower federal courts dismissed sworn claims of governmental retaliation without an evidentiary hearing, denied motions for recusal despite documented institutional connections between judges and defendants creating an appearance of bias, and affirmed dismissal by summary order without legal reasoning

Docket Entries

2026-03-12
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due May 7, 2026)

Attorneys

Federal Respondents
D. John SauerSolicitor General, Respondent
Irving F. Rounds
Irving F. Rounds Jr. — Petitioner