de-novo-review

114 cases — ← All topics

Case Title Lower Court Docketed Status Flags Tags Question Presented
25-6726 William Lewis Reece v. Oklahoma Oklahoma 2026-02-05 Pending IFP abuse-of-discretion appellate-review coerced-confession constitutional-claims de-novo-review harmless-error 1. Whether Oklahoma's application of the abuse of discretion standard violates Payne v. Arkansas, Chapman v. California, and Arizona v. Fulminante req…
25-867 Joseph Walters, Director, Virginia Department of Corrections v. Christopher Coleman Fourth Circuit 2026-01-21 Pending aedpa de-novo-review fourth-circuit habeas-corpus party-presentation state-court-judgment 1. Whether the Fourth Circuit violated the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) and the party-presentation principle by granting habe…
25-6344 Ralph Kevin Tovar v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2025-12-11 Pending Response RequestedResponse WaivedIFP commerce-clause de-novo-review internet-crime jurisdictional-element rule-29 sufficiency-of-evidence I. Whether a general challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence, pursuant to Rule 29(a), preserves for de novo review the full range of sufficiency …
25-666 Samantha Estefenia Francisco Castro v. Jose Leonardo Brito Guevara Fifth Circuit 2025-12-08 Pending Response RequestedResponse Waived child-abduction clear-error de-novo-review habitual-residence hague-convention well-settled-defense Is a trial court's determination that a child is "well settled" subject to de novo review, or is it reviewed for clear error?
25-604 Drew Craig, et al. v. John Krueger, Individually and as Co-Administrator of the Estate of Jeffery Krueger, et al. Tenth Circuit 2025-11-24 Pending Response RequestedResponse Waived civil-rights de-novo-review excessive-force fourth-amendment law-enforcement qualified-immunity This case involves an attempt by several law enforcement officers to detain and arrest Respondents' decedent Jeffery Krueger on July 1, 2019. On that …
25A523 Ryan Thornell, Director, Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry, et al. v. Bradley Bieganski Ninth Circuit 2025-11-06 Application aedpa de-novo-review deferential-standard habeas-corpus ninth-circuit state-court-review Question not identified.
25-5934 David C. Kwok v. Zhong Qiu Li, et al. Ninth Circuit 2025-10-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review bankruptcy-law circuit-court de-novo-review judicial-discretion legal-procedure 1. Whether the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit fails to distinguish between issues raised in the trial court and arguments there made, as this…
25-5742 Zachary C. Crouch v. University of Tennessee Sixth Circuit 2025-09-26 Denied IFP civil-procedure constitutional-law de-novo-review freedom-of-speech sovereign-immunity state-law The questions presented for review include whether state sovereign immunity can be and should be applied to unofficial acts and the Constitutional ri…
25-5386 Aurelias Marshall v. Adam Douglas, Warden Sixth Circuit 2025-08-18 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP constitutional-violation de-novo-review habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance jury-instruction procedural-default (1) Petitioner properly presented thirteen claims of constitutional violations and sub-issues to each state court including the Michigan Supreme Cou…
25A176 James Dondero, et al. v. Stacey G. Jernigan, et al. Fifth Circuit 2025-08-12 Presumed Complete abuse-of-discretion de-novo-review judicial-bias judicial-recusal mandamus-petition standard-of-review Question not identified.
25-5311 Winston Sylvester Oliver, II v. United States Fourth Circuit 2025-08-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion constitutional-rights de-novo-review fifth-amendment sixth-amendment witness-testimony 1. Whether a District Court's decision allowing a witness called by a criminal defendant to refuse to testify based on his claimed Fifth Amendment pri…
25A162 Paul W. Parker, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Curtis John Rookaird v. BNSF Railway Company, a Delaware Corporation Ninth Circuit 2025-08-06 Presumed Complete affirmative-defense burden-shifting clear-and-convincing-evidence de-novo-review federal-railroad-safety-act protected-activity Whether a district court's determination that an employer met its burden to prove, by "clear and convincing evidence," that it would have taken the sa…
25-5161 Zachary C. Crouch v. Internal Revenue Service Sixth Circuit 2025-07-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-proceedings constitutional-law de-novo-review federal-theft-laws sovereign-immunity supreme-law-of-land The questions presented for review include whether sovereign immunity is constitutional. This is a question of law, de novo, because when sovereign i…
24-7083 Raul Otero Cazares v. Jason Johnson, Director, Division of Adult Parole Operations, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Ninth Circuit 2025-04-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP certificate-of-appealability constitutional-precedent criminal-procedure de-novo-review habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance Petitioner Raul Otero Cazares was convicted of the rape of his long-time domestic partner ("Doe") in a trial where they told very different stories re…
24-7011 Donald Turner v. United States First Circuit 2025-04-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review de-novo-review plain-error rule-12 second-amendment sentencing-proceeding Whether the standard for appellate review of a Second Amendment claim raised before a sentencing proceeding and decided on the merits by the district …
24-6492 Rufus Young v. Florida Eleventh Circuit 2025-02-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP de-novo-review evidentiary-hearing habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance mandamus-petition probable-cause Does a district court abuse its discretion when it denies a habeas petitioner an evidentiary hearing where the state record remains undeveloped, where…
24-6064 Johnny Nunez Garcia v. United States Second Circuit 2024-12-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-rights criminal-procedure de-novo-review firearm-possession second-amendment supervised-release Whether the term of supervised release prohibiting possession of firearms violates the Second Amendment?
24-323 Thanquarious R. Calhoun v. Warden, Baldwin State Prison, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2024-09-20 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2) de-novo-review fifth-amendment habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance jury-trial sixth-amendment A federal court must review a habeas petition de novo if the state court's adjudication on the merits was contrary to, or involved an unreasonable app…
24-5230 Victor Vargas v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2024-08-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP clear-error-review constitutional-rights de-novo-review mixed-questions mixed-questions-of-law-and-fact sixth-amendment speedy-trial standard-of-review Whether the Eleventh Circuit's Standard of Review for Sixth Amendment Speedy Trial Rights That Involve "Mixed Questions of Law and Fact" Conflicts Wit…
24-61 Michael Cloud v. The Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle NFL Player Retirement Plan Fifth Circuit 2024-07-19 Denied Amici (3)Response Waived circuit-split civil-rights de-novo-review deference deferential-standard due-process erisa plan-administrator procedural-violation procedural-violations standard-of-review In Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. v. Bruch, the Court set forth the standard of review for denials of benefits provided by employers under the Employment…
24-27 Next Generation Technology, Inc., et al. v. Ur M. Jaddou, Director, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, et al. Second Circuit 2024-07-11 Denied Response Waived civil-procedure de-novo-review district-court federal-magistrates-act federal-procedure judicial-review magistrate-judge subject-matter-jurisdiction waiver waiver-of-objections 1. Can arguments in support of a court's subject-matter jurisdiction be waived? 2. The Federal Magistrates Act provides that a "judge of the [distric…
23A937 Azariah M. Ellington v. Mary Thornton House, Judge, et al. Ninth Circuit 2024-04-18 Presumed Complete de-novo-review en-banc-petition judicial-misconduct ninth-circuit section-1983 trust-litigation Question not identified.
23-6734 C. Holmes v. Anne Milgram, Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration Fourth Circuit 2024-02-13 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (3)IFP appeal appellate-review article-iii certification certification-of-appeal civil-procedure de-novo-review judicial-procedure standing stay substantial-rights 1. Whether the lower appellate court misapprehends appealability and/or overlooks the request and denial in the district court for certification of ap…
23-837 Casey Campbell v. Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General, et al. Fifth Circuit 2024-02-05 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2) de-novo-review federal-employee first-amendment judicial-admissions qualified-immunity religious-discrimination title-vii workplace 1. Are employer statements on religious dis crimination that are included in the complaint and admitted in the answer binding judicial admissions in …
23-6617 Michael J. Harvey v. Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services Eighth Circuit 2024-01-30 Denied Response WaivedIFP amendment-standards civil-procedure civil-rights constitutional-claims constitutional-rights de-novo-review due-process free-speech judicial-review medical-assistance standing 1. Did the DC apply de novo review to A.'s Complaint? Does its opinion take all A.'s factual allegations as true? Viewed all reasonable inferences in …
23-757 Relish Labs LLC, et al. v. Grubhub Inc., et al. Seventh Circuit 2024-01-12 Denied Amici (1)Response RequestedRelisted (2) appellate-review clear-error de-novo de-novo-review likelihood-of-confusion multifactor-test standard-of-review trademark-infringement 1) Whether the determination of a likelihood of confusion for trademark infringement is a factual finding, reviewable for clear error, or a legal conc…
23-699 Anthony Emposimato v. Stephen N. North New Jersey 2023-12-29 Denied civil-procedure consideration consideration-in-contract-law constitutional-rights contract-law de-novo-review due-process Friedman-v-Tappan-Dev-Corp legal-precedent mutual-assent uniform-application-of-contract-law-across-jurisdi Did the Superior Court and the Appellate Division of New Jersey violate the Defendant's constitutional rights by disregarding established precedent (c…
23A512 Kimra Bowers v. Payson City Utah 2023-12-06 Presumed Complete appellate-review de-novo-review disorderly-conduct final-judgment jurisdiction justice-court Question not identified.
23-5983 Eric Spencer v. United States Second Circuit 2023-11-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion appellate-review court-procedure de-novo-review district-court evidence evidence-rules hearsay hearsay-evidence judicial-discretion standard-of-review When reviewing a district court's ruling to admit hearsay into evidence, should the Court of Appeals apply an abuse of discretion standard or engage i…
23A339 Norman F. Thornton v. Denis R. McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Federal Circuit 2023-10-16 Presumed Complete 38-USC-7261 benefit-of-the-doubt-rule de-novo-review PTSD-disability-rating standard-of-review veterans-benefits Question not identified.
23-5784 Aaron Lee Porter v. United States Tenth Circuit 2023-10-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP abandonment-doctrine clear-error de-novo-review fourth-amendment question-of-fact question-of-law search-and-seizure standard-of-review Is a finding that an object has been abandoned within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment a question of law subject to de novo review, or a purely fac…
23-5633 Demetrius Verardi Ramos v. United States Ninth Circuit 2023-09-21 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP civil-procedure de-novo-review due-process factual-error judicial-procedure magistrate-judge objection-standard report-and-recommendation waiver In United States v. Raddatz , 447 U.S. 667 (1980), this Court made clear that the designation of authority to a magistrate judge to conduct evidentiar…
23-5569 Francisco Gutierrez v. United States Ninth Circuit 2023-09-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP appeal appellate-procedure criminal-procedure de-novo-resentencing de-novo-review judicial-discretion law-of-case law-of-the-case open-record resentencing sentencing Does law of the case apply to an appeal from a de novo resentencing on an open record?
23-5268 Marc Amouri Bakambia v. Paul Schnell, et al. Eighth Circuit 2023-08-02 Denied Relisted (2)IFP civil-procedure constitutional-rights de-novo-review district-court due-process judicial-procedure magistrate-judge report-and-recommendation summary-judgment I. Whether the provision of the 28 U.S.C. 636 requires the district court judge to prevent the assigned magistrate judge from issuing a report and re…
22-7701 Jose Pena v. United States Second Circuit 2023-06-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP appeals appellate-review criminal-procedure de-novo-review double-jeopardy due-process habeas-corpus section-2255 sentencing vacatur Whether, following the vacatur of a count of conviction (either on direct appeal or via a § 2255 motion), the district court must resentence the defen…
22-1131 Brenda R. Blalock v. Union Pacific Railroad Company Fifth Circuit 2023-05-19 Denied civil-procedure de-novo-review iccta-preemption jurisdiction jurisdictional-review legal-standing procedural-forfeiture rollins-v-home-depot standing summary-judgment Whether the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act's granting of exclusive jurisdiction to the Surface Transportation Board is a jurisdictiona…
22-7370 Donte Lamont Dingle v. United States Fourth Circuit 2023-04-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure de-novo-review discovery-rule-16 fourth-amendment franks-v-delaware franks-violation jencks-material probable-cause search-warrant standard-of-review Whether the Fourth Circuit's decision conflicts with prior decisions of this Court and another United States Court of Appeals, including its own, on t…
22-7293 Baboucar B. Taal v. John Cronin, Commissioner, et al. First Circuit 2023-04-14 Dismissed Response WaivedIFP appeal-as-a-right automatic-stay bankruptcy bankruptcy-procedure constitutional-rights de-novo-review due-process impartial-adjudication judicial-bias recusal I. Whether the First Circuit's refusal to undertake a de novo review with claims that pro se appellant did not develop his case for them to "review" w…
22-970 James H. Griffith, Jr., dba CJ's Sports Bar, et al. v. Joe Hand Promotions, Inc. Sixth Circuit 2023-04-07 Denied copyright-act copyright-infringement de-novo-review exclusive-licensing idea-of-work licensing-rights right-to-sue sua-sponte summary-judgment tangible-medium I. Whether the plain language of the U.S. Copyright Act ("Act") authorizes the exclusive licensing of rights under the Act in an idea of a work of aut…
22-7121 Christopher Barret v. United States Second Circuit 2023-03-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP 28-usc-2255 criminal-procedure de-novo-resentencing de-novo-review direct-appeal resentencing sentencing sentencing-discretion vacatur 1. Whether, following the vacatur of one or more counts, either pursuant to a direct appeal or a 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion, a district court must conduc…
22-7111 Tony Khong v. Scott Frauenheim, Warden Ninth Circuit 2023-03-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP brady-claim brady-vs-maryland de-novo-review evidence-suppression giglio-vs-united-states habeas-corpus kyles-vs-whitley materiality ninth-circuit united-states-vs-bagley Did the Ninth Circuit's de novo disposition of Petitioner's Brady claim in the habeas corpus context, which focused exclusively on Bagley's earlier ru…
22-929 BYD Motors Inc. v. Soderholm Sales and Leasing, Inc. Ninth Circuit 2023-03-24 Denied appellate-panel appellate-review de-novo-review district-court hawaii-statute judicial-review memorandum-disposition salve-regina-college-v-russell standard-of-review statutory-interpretation Whether the Memorandum disposition, where the majority of the split appellate panel affirmed the district court's appealed decision without having con…
22-6779 Jong Sung Kim v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-02-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP brady-rule brady-violation de-novo-review due-process fifth-amendment giglio-rule giglio-violation sixth-amendment standard-of-review I) Whether due process and the Fi fth and Sixth Amendments require circuit courts to review Brady and Giglio violation claims de novo , rather than fo…
22-6059 Maurice Oparaji v. Municipal Credit Union Second Circuit 2022-11-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split civil-procedure de-novo-review due-process electronic-fund-transfer-act rule-12(b)(6) rule-12b6 standing summary-judgment supplemental-jurisdiction 1. Whether the district court erred in dismissing Oparaji's complaint under Fed. R. Civil P. 12(b) (6), alleging that .Oparaj i sets no factual allega…
22-322 Zia Shaikh v. Madeline F. Einbinder, et al. Third Circuit 2022-10-06 Denied access-to-courts civil-rights de-novo-review due-process first-amendment judicial-immunity section-1915 standing vexatious-litigant 1. Did the Third Circuit err in not doing a De Nova Review of the Federal District Court Dismissal Order when the dismissal was pertaining to 28 USC 2…
22-194 Jehan Zeb Mir v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, et al. Ninth Circuit 2022-09-01 Denied arbitration civil-procedure de-novo-review discovery estoppel insurance-code notice notice-requirement statute-of-limitations summary-judgment waiver 1. Did Ninth Circuit Court err in de-novo review of summary judgment in deciding disputed issues of fact as the district court had done, that 5-years …
21-8016 John Edward Burr v. Denise Jackson, Warden Fourth Circuit 2022-06-01 Denied IFP brady-v-maryland brady-violation constitutional-due-process de-novo-review due-process federal-habeas federal-review habeas-corpus postconviction state-court witness-statement Where the State withholds the statement of a critical witness from the state court during the postconviction adjudication of a claim under Brady v. Ma…
21-1433 Faye Boatright v. U.S. Bancorp, et al. Second Circuit 2022-05-11 Denied Response Waived civil-procedure civil-rights de-novo-review deemed-admitted discrimination due-process retaliation seventh-amendment summary-judgment 1. Whether Diebold and the Seventh Amendment prohibit a circuit court reviewing a grant of summary judgment from sanctioning a non-movant under a loca…
21-7649 In Re Jamaal A. McNeil 2022-04-19 Denied IFP brady-law civil-procedure civil-rights constitutional-rights de-novo-review due-process ecclesiastical-court giglio-law letter-of-rogatory standing tort-claims /defendant, would like to ask and request to the Court of Appeals may the ground (s) and;grounds presented be denovo reveiw, ack-nowledged, and determ…
21-7629 C. Holmes v. Granuaile, LLC, et al. Fourth Circuit 2022-04-15 Denied Relisted (3)IFP article-iii-judicial-officer civil-procedure de-novo-review diversity-jurisdiction due-process full-and-fair-review magistrate-referral report-and-recommendation standing substantial-rights summary-dismissal writ-of-certiorari I. Whether this Court should grant writ of certiorari on appealability. II. Whether the district court should provide complete record on appeal (ROA)…
21-1347 Kevas L. Ballance v. United States Tenth Circuit 2022-04-13 Denied Response Waived appellate-review circuit-split clear-error criminal-procedure de-novo-review district-court standard-of-review suppression-hearing suppression-ruling When reviewing a suppression ruling on appeal, should the appellate court review factual findings for clear error and the ultimate legal determination…
21-7594 Orin Kristich v. United States Tenth Circuit 2022-04-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP appeal-counsel attorney-misconduct court-discretion de-novo-review due-process judicial-misconduct judicial-procedure plea-bargaining plea-waiver sentencing-guidelines supervised-release 1. Whether the Appellant's Appeal Counsel, Mr. Acton, can tell the court that the Appellant agrees to dismiss the Appeal without ever talking to the A…
21-1244 Beijing Shougang Mining Investment Company, Ltd., et al. v. Mongolia Second Circuit 2022-03-15 Denied Amici (4)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) arbitrability arbitration-agreement bilateral-investment-treaty civil-procedure de-novo-review first-options-doctrine first-options-v-kaplan judicial-review jurisdiction jurisdictional-objections Whether, as the Second Circuit held, participating in arbitration—including agreeing to a scheduling order as to the timing of jurisdictional objectio…
21-7142 C. Holmes v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, Inc., et al. Fourth Circuit 2022-02-17 Denied Relisted (3)IFP appeal appellate-jurisdiction article-iii-court civil-procedure de-novo-review dispositive-motions due-process judicial-review magistrate magistrate-referral standard-of-review 1. Whether this Court should grant writ of certiorari regarding denial of the timely request for the substantial right of de novo determination by Art…
21-6906 Samantha J. Jackson v. AT&T Retirement Savings Plan, et al. Fifth Circuit 2022-01-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-procedure de-novo-review employer-capacity erisa erisa-fiduciary-duty fiduciary-duty motion-to-dismiss plan-amendment plan-sponsor settlors-function two-hats-doctrine Question 1: Did the district court requiree the Defendants to adhere to the rules regarding a Motion12(b)(6) which prohibits claims asserted in a prio…
21-6752 Franklin McPherson v. William Keyser, Jr., Superintendent, Sullivan Correctional Facility Second Circuit 2022-01-04 Denied IFP AEDPA-deference cause-and-prejudice circuit-split de-novo-review habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel procedural-default 1. Does de novo review or AEDPA deference apply when a habeas petitioner advances a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel as cause to excuse a pr…
21-879 Gregory Mayer v. Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company Second Circuit 2021-12-14 Denied Response Waived benefit-determination benefit-determinations choice-of-law commerce-clause de-novo-review erisa erisa-preemption judicial-review preemption 1) Is a state law prescribing de novo judicial review for challenged benefit determinations, regardless of any discretion the Plan grants to the admin…
21-5852 Jay Warren Arnold v. Bobby Lumpkin, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2021-10-01 Denied IFP certificate-of-appealability constitutional-claims constitutional-rights de-novo-review due-process equitable-tolling extraordinary-circumstances federal-habeas pro-se-litigation procedural-inquiry state-collateral-review The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has denied a COA in this Cause by applying Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484 (2000) in a vague and conclusory ma…
21-5666 William Marcellus Campbell v. United States Eighth Circuit 2021-09-15 Denied IFP 6th-amendment abuse-of-discretion appellate-review confrontation-clause cooperating-witness criminal-procedure de-novo-review sentencing 1. There is a split in the federal courts of appeals and several state courts regarding the following question: Whether a Defendant's 6th Amendment Co…
21-137 Amanda P., et vir, as Parents and Next Friends of T. P., a Minor Individual with a Disability v. Copperas Cove Independent School District Fifth Circuit 2021-08-02 Denied Response Waived clear-error de-novo-review endrew-f-standard endrew-f-v-douglas-county free-appropriate-public-education individuals-with-disabilities-education-act judicial-deference retrospective-assessment standard-of-review 1. Whether de novo review or clear error is the standard of review applicable to the question of whether a school district has provided a free appropr…
20-8476 Scott Charles Bauer v. Mark Brnovich, Attorney General of Arizona, et al. Ninth Circuit 2021-07-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP certificate-of-appealability constitutional-claim constitutional-review de-novo-review district-court habeas habeas-corpus judicial-procedure klamath-siskiyou-wildlands-center-v-bureau-of-land miller-el-v-cockrell report-and-recommendations Whether a state of appellants' responsibility should issue where the district court failed to adequately review of the portions of the Report and Reco…
20-1802 Joyce Rowley v. City of New Bedford, Massachusetts First Circuit 2021-06-25 Denied animal-welfare-act breeding captivity circuit-court-interpretation de-novo-review endangered-species harassment-exception preliminary-injunction usda-aza-substitution 1.A. Does the harassment exception only apply to members of endangered species in captivity for breeding to promulgate the selected species to meet th…
20-1695 Todd Phillippi v. Humble Design, L.L.C., et al. Fifth Circuit 2021-06-08 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2) attorney-fees callon-petroleum-v-frontier civil-procedure de-novo de-novo-review frcp-60(b) frcp-60b4 jurisdiction jurisdictional-requirements rule-41-dismissal rule-54 standard-of-review I.) Whether the Fifth Circuit can refuse to review the denial of a FRCP 60(b)(4) (lack of jurisdiction) motion under the "de novo " standard of review…
20-8133 In Re Silas Wilson, Jr. 2021-05-25 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-procedure de-novo-review due-process inadequate-hearing judicial-discretion mandamus misreading-of-motion pro-se rule-60 rule-60(b)(4) standard-of-review 1. Whether this Court has jurisdiction to issue a Writ of Mandamus, directed to the court of appeals, on the basis that it has abused its discretion i…
20-1616 ComicMix, LLC, et al. v. Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. Ninth Circuit 2021-05-19 Denied Response Waived burden-of-proof circuit-split copyright-act copyright-law de-novo-review exclusive-rights fair-use market-effect (1) Whether fair use is a right of authors, thus placing the burden on plaintiffs to prove that fair use does not apply on defendants who assert that …
20-1488 Sherwin A. Brook v. J. Lawrence McCormley, et al. Ninth Circuit 2021-04-23 Denied Response Waived circuit-split civil-procedure de-novo-review federal-magistrates-act judicial-procedure motion-consideration standing state-law-certification Does 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(C) allow a district judge, on de novo review of objections to a magistrate's report, to refuse to consider a motion to cert…
20-7724 John K. Wilson v. Rosemary Ndoh, Warden Ninth Circuit 2021-04-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-standard de-novo-review due-process evidentiary-hearing federal-constitutional-rights fourteenth-amendment guilty-plea no-contest-plea plea-bargaining standard-of-review state-court-proceedings Is a state court's ruling that a criminal defendant's guilty plea was "voluntary" a constitutional question under the Fourteenth Amendment, subject to…
20-7320 Zbigniew Laskowski v. Washington State Department of Labor and Industries Washington 2021-03-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP administrative-law appellate-procedure appellate-review civil-rights de-novo-review due-process evidence judicial-findings prosecutorial-discretion standing statutory-interpretation Whether in reviewing a claim, appellate court must 1) apply de novo review where a superior court trial judge failed to make specific findings on the …
20-1181 Kyle Stephen Thompson v. Maryland Maryland 2021-02-25 Denied Response Waived de-novo-review evidentiary-hearing fourth-amendment franks-hearing franks-v-delaware materiality-prong probable-cause search-warrant standard-of-review When a court considers a request for a Franks hearing by excising the challenged statements in the warrant application, does the court review the rema…
20-1106 Jane Doe v. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc., et al. First Circuit 2021-02-11 Denied administrative-record circuit-split de-novo-review erisa-benefits evidence material-dispute standard-of-review summary-judgment 1. Whether, on de novo consideration of an ERISA benefits claim, summary judgment must be denied if there is a genuine dispute of material fact. 2. W…
20-1032 Petrobras America Incorporated, et al. v. Vantage Deepwater Company, et al. Fifth Circuit 2021-01-28 Denied Response Waived arbitral-award arbitration circuit-split de-novo-review enforcement international-conventions new-york-convention panama-convention public-policy standard-of-review The Panama Convention and the New York Convention authorize the courts of Contracti ng States to refuse enforcement of an arbitral award where enforce…
20-769 GS Cleantech Corporation, et al. v. Adkins Energy LLC, et al. Federal Circuit 2020-12-04 Denied Amici (1)Response Waived appellate-review civil-procedure de-novo-review federal-circuit patent patent-act patent-law standard-of-review summary-judgment Until the Federal Circuit's decision in this patent case, every Circuit had held that an issue resolved on partial summary judgment, and not reopened …
20-6021 William Allen v. Candice Batts, et al. Sixth Circuit 2020-10-15 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP alexander-v-louisiana constitutional-violation de-novo-review due-process fourteenth-amendment grand-jury-discrimination habeas-corpus jefferson-v-morgan systematic-exclusion 1. Whether Petitioner is entitled to habeas corpus relief where he was indicted by a grand jury from which African-Americans were systematically exclu…
20-484 Patricia L. Woods v. Robert Storms, et al. Ninth Circuit 2020-10-14 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2) administrative-exhaustion administrative-remedies civil-rights de-novo-review due-process equitable-estoppel equitable-tolling fraudulent-concealment ninth-circuit-review pro-se-complaint statutes-of-limitation Whether the Ninth Circuit decision should be reversed and remanded because the panel erred by failing to conduct de novo review affirming the final ju…
20-433 Mark Anthony Jenkins v. Timothy O'Rourke, et al. Fifth Circuit 2020-10-05 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2) child-custody-dispute civil-rights conspiracy de-novo-review due-process judicial-conspiracy res-judicata rooker-feldman-doctrine section-1983-lawsuit subject-matter-jurisdiction void-ab-initio The federal district and circuit courts failed to conduct a de novo review and incorrectly denied jurisdiction to this 42 U.S.C.* sec. 1983 lawsuit. I…
20-145 Carl Skidmore v. Joe A. Lizarraga, Warden Ninth Circuit 2020-08-12 Denied Response Waived certificate-of-appealability cumulative-error de-novo-review district-court evidentiary-hearing fact-finding habeas-corpus post-conviction speculative I. Whether a certificate of appealability should have issued to address the question whether a district court may deny a habeas corpus petition as "sp…
20-29 Sara Discepolo v. Department of Justice District of Columbia 2020-07-16 Denied Response Waived administrative-law agency-deference civil-procedure de-novo-review discovery-rights foia-review freedom-of-information-act judicial-presumption national-security presumption-of-good-faith summary-judgment In all Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA ") cases, the federal courts apply a deferential "presumption of good faith " to agency declarations and fo…
20-9 Bibiji Inderjit Kaur Puri, et al. v. Sopurkh Kaur Khalsa, et al. Ninth Circuit 2020-07-09 Denied Response Waived civil-rights corporate-law de-novo-review due-process ecclesiastical-abstention first-amendment ministerial-exception standing statute-of-limitations summary-judgment 1. May a Court of Appeals on de novo review of summary judgment refuse to decide a claim predicated on a failure of two non-religious corporations, wi…
19-1320 Veronica M. Johnson v. Rock Solid Janitorial, Inc., et al. Virginia 2020-05-29 Denied appeal civil-case civil-procedure civil-rights constitutional-violation de-novo-review due-process judicial-procedure jury-trial motion-to-dismiss remand standing Whether the second Judge who presided in Plaintiffs civil case violated the Constitution by denying Plaintiffs demand for a jury trial, again, after t…
19-1302 David Shinn, Director, Arizona Department of Corrections v. George Russell Kayer Ninth Circuit 2020-05-20 GVR Amici (1)Relisted (9) aedpa aedpa-standard comity de-novo-review federalism habeas-corpus habeas-relief ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel ninth-circuit rule-of-law sixth-amendment standard-of-review Did the Ninth Circuit violate 28 U.S.C. § 2254's deferential standard, and employ a flawed methodology this Court has repeatedly condemned, when it gr…
19-7943 J. H. v. E. R. S. Colorado 2020-03-11 Denied IFP appellate-review child-custody constitutional-facts constitutional-liberty de-novo-review due-process equal-protection parental-rights plain-error structural-error termination termination-of-parental-rights 1. Whether, in order to ensure that basic constitutional guarantees define the framework of proceedings to terminate the fundamental constitutional li…
19-7818 Kristopher Eric Benjamin v. Tom McGinley, Superintendent, State Correctional Institution at Coal Township, et al. Third Circuit 2020-02-28 Denied IFP aedpa certificate-of-appealability constitutional-claims de-novo-review due-process habeas-corpus procedural-default state-court-deference strickland-v-washington I. WHETHER UNDER §2254(e)(l) DISTRICT COURT REQUIRED TO GIVE DEFERENCE TO STATE APPELLATE COURT'S FINDING OF HISTORICAL FACTS AND UPON FINDING THAT P…
19-7800 Donald Sheman Bush v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-02-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion circuit-split de-novo de-novo-review evidence-admissibility evidence-rule-404b evidentiary-rules federal-rules-of-evidence-404(b) legal-interpretation other-acts rule-404b standard-of-review Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b) provides that "evidence of a crime, wrong, or other act is not admissible to prove a person's character in order to sh…
19-7085 Ratha Oeur v. County of Los Angeles, California California 2019-12-30 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP abuse-of-discretion child-support continuance de-novo de-novo-review due-process family-law income-expense-declaration standard-of-review unexpected-event Does this Court of Appeal's Opinion, to affirm the Trial Court's decision to make or modify a child support order without a current Income and Expense…
19-789 Maghreb Petroleum Exploration, S.A., et al. v. John Paul DeJoria Fifth Circuit 2019-12-20 Denied Amici (1)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) anti-retroactivity-provisions civil-rights constitutional-law de-novo-review due-process erie-doctrine federal-constitution foreign-judgment foreign-money-judgment judicial-review retroactive-application retroactive-legislation retroactivity texas-constitution texas-law texas-legislature uniform-foreign-country-money-judgments-recognitio 1. Respondent John Paul DeJoria is a billionaire who co-founded a Moroccan company, was found liable in Moroccan court for defrauding Petitioners and …
19-6983 Kwasi Andrade McKinney v. Arkansas Arkansas 2019-12-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP court-procedure de-novo-review discretionary-standard due-process hearing-requirement judicial-conduct judicial-disqualification judicial-ethics mandatory-recusal objective-standard standard-of-review Question not identified.
19-662 Thomas Sander v. City of Dickinson, North Dakota, et al. Eighth Circuit 2019-11-22 Denied Response Waived civil-procedure civil-rights de-novo-review district-court due-process evidence seventh-amendment summary-judgment trial-by-jury 1. Whether a civil litigant's right to trial by jury under the Seventh Amendment to the Constitution of the United States is violated when a United St…
19-6608 Steve Romero v. Mike McDonald, Warden Ninth Circuit 2019-11-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP de-novo-review fair-trial habeas habeas-corpus impartial-jury ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel jury-bias procedural-history sixth-amendment strickland-standard strickland-v-washington This non-capital habeas case arises out of Steve Romero's 2006 conviction in the state court of California for attempted murder and the Ninth Circuit'…
19-5429 Cantrell Lamont Burwell v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-08-01 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP 4th-amendment appellate-procedure clear-error consent-search consent-to-search de-novo de-novo-review eleventh-circuit fourth-amendment standard-of-review totality-of-circumstances In the context of the Fourth Amendment, this Court has characterized the voluntariness of consent to a search as "a question of fact to be determined …
19-5122 David Alan Westerfield v. California California 2019-07-09 Denied IFP capital-trial de-novo-review due-process due-process-review fourth-amendment independent-review jury-sequestration polygraph-evidence pretrial-publicity probable-cause sheppard-v-maxwell standard-of-review A. Does the mandate announced in Sheppard v. Maxwell (1964) 384 U.S. 333 at page 362, that appellate courts, reviewing the measures taken by the trial…
18-9675 Tommy Dean Bullcoming v. United States Tenth Circuit 2019-06-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-procedure civil-rights credibility-determination de-novo-review due-process evidence law-enforcement-testimony qualified-immunity scott-v-harris standard-of-review summary-judgment video-evidence As recognized in Scott v. Harris, 550 U.S. 372 (2007), should a video recording of the actual events that clearly contradicts the sworn testimony of a…
18-9611 Nicholas D. Weir v. United States, et al. Second Circuit 2019-06-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion appellate-review civil-procedure de-novo-analysis de-novo-review factual-allegation frivolous frivolous-claim frivolous-claims judicial-discretion legal-standard standing sua-sponte sua-sponte-dismissal How does the lower courts rigorously determine if a factual allegation is baseless or frivolous when there is no argument in fact or law to dispute th…
18-1508 Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation v. Apple Inc. Federal Circuit 2019-06-07 Denied claim-construction de-novo-review due-process JMOL jury-fact-finding jury-fact-findings jury-findings jury-trial patent-infringement procedural-due-process remand seventh-amendment standard-of-review teva-v-sandoz 1. Where the district court properly instructed the jury to give a claim limitation its "plain and ordinary meaning as viewed from the perspective of …
18-9201 Galen Lemar Amerson, et al. v. United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado Tenth Circuit 2019-05-08 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP bankruptcy bankruptcy-rule civil-procedure conceivable-effect de-novo-review due-process jurisdiction standing subject-matter-jurisdiction testate-estate wills-and-trusts withdrawal-of-reference This is the second time the court has seen this case. The issue to be considered is subject matter jurisdiction, and did it ever exist in this long ru…
18-9002 David Curtis Smith v. Mark S. Inch, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2019-04-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP aedpa de-novo-review ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel jury-instruction jury-instructions prejudice prejudice-prong sixth-amendment strickland-standard strickland-v-washington Whether the Petitioner was prejudiced under the Sixth Amendment due to trial counsel's failure to object to a concededly erroneous jury instruction an…
18-8788 Robert L. Moore v. Noah Nagy, Warden Sixth Circuit 2019-04-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP 28-usc-2254 28-usc-2254-d-2 28-usc-2254-e-1 adjudication-on-merits adjudication-on-the-merits constitutional-claim de-novo-review federal-habeas federal-review habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel state-court-review WHERE A STATE COURT DENIES A PERSON THE OPPORTUNITY TO ESTABLISH THE NECESSARY FACTUAL RECORD TO SUPPORT A CLAIM OF INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL,…
18-8348 Blair Garner v. William Lee, Superintendent, Green Haven Correctional Facility Second Circuit 2019-03-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP 911-recordings ancillary-finding appellate-review civil-procedure de-novo-review due-process due-process-clause factual-determination factual-findings federal-rules-of-civil-procedure judicial-procedure notice notice-and-opportunity-to-be-heard standard-of-review 1. The prejudice component of Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984), presents a mixed question of law and fact. Id. at 698. When a district co…
18-8320 Darius Andre Holmes v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-03-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP buford-v-united-states career-offender categorical-approach circuit-court-review criminal-history de-novo-review eleventh-circuit federal-enhancement predicate-offense serious-drug-offense taylor-v-united-states This Court should grant the writ because the circuit court departed from the established rule of Taylor v. United States, 495 US 575(1990), requiring …
18-1046 Virginia Callahan, et al. v. Pacific Cycle, Inc. Fourth Circuit 2019-02-11 Denied Response Waived abuse-of-discretion appellate-review circuit-court-split circuit-split civil-procedure de-novo-review evidence evidence-admissibility evidentiary-ruling hearsay hearsay-evidence judicial-discretion standard-of-review When reviewing a district court's ruling to admit hearsay into evidence, should the Court of Appeals apply an abuse of discretion standard or engage i…
18-7703 Nathan Smith III v. Sherry Pennywell, et al. Ninth Circuit 2019-02-01 Denied IFP 2254(d)(2) cumulative-error de-novo-review deference due-process fact-finding fourteenth-amendment habeas-corpus habeas-corpus-review ineffective-assistance sixth-amendment standard-of-review unreasonable-determination 1) DID THE CCA SO STRETCH THE FACTS IN THIS CASE SO UNREASONABLY THAT NO DEFERENCE COULD BE POSSIBLE TO ITS INTERPETATION OF WHAT OCCURRED IN THE TACO…
18-935 Michelle Monasky v. Domenico Taglieri Sixth Circuit 2019-01-18 Judgment Issued Amici (8)Relisted (3) child-abduction circuit-split clear-error-review de-novo-review domestic-violence habitual-residence hague-convention international-child-abduction parental-agreement standard-of-review The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction requires that any child wrongfully removed from her country of "habitual re…
18-7265 Rodney Scot Armstrong, Jr. v. Michigan Michigan 2019-01-07 Denied IFP civil-procedure closing-argument de-novo-review directed-verdict legal-preservation motion objection preservation-of-error preservation-of-issues prosecutorial-misconduct standard-of-review trial-procedure I. Is a motion for a directed verdict an objection that preserves an issue for and mandates de novo review? Petitioner answers, "Yes." Respondent has …
18-795 William J. Bush v. Department of Agriculture, Risk Management Agency, et al. Eighth Circuit 2018-12-20 Denied Response Waived administrative-law administrative-procedure-act agency-records chevron-deference circuit-split de-novo-review due-process foia-request freedom-of-information freedom-of-information-act freedom-of-information-act-foia Whether the Eighth Circuit's standard for agency records pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. §552 et seq., that an agency must…
18-769 Minnesota Living Assistance, Inc., dba Baywood Home Care v. Ken B. Peterson, et al. Eighth Circuit 2018-12-18 Denied Response Waived abstention abuse-of-discretion administrative-proceeding civil-administrative-proceeding civil-rights-preemption de-novo-review federal-preemption federal-question standard-of-review state-law younger-abstention younger-v-harris I. The question presented is whether the principles enunciated in Younger v. Harris and its progeny require a federal court, having properly before it…
18-6939 Jonathan S. Nelson v. Joe Norwood, Secretary, Kansas Department of Corrections, et al. Tenth Circuit 2018-12-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography conviction-reversal de-novo-review due-process first-amendment obscenity scienter Concerning a violation of KSA 21-3516a(2), given that the images' nature was reasonably disputed, does the right to a de novo review demand the revers…
18-6744 Wesley Wayne Schaefer v. Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Criminal Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2018-11-20 Denied IFP consequences criminal-procedure de-novo-review double-jeopardy double-jeopardy,lesser-included-offense,state-law, due-process due-process,criminal-procedure,plea-bargaining,eff due-process,equal-protection,fourteenth-amendment, due-process,grand-jury,fifth-amendment,fourteenth- effective-assistance-of-counsel,plea-bargaining,du federal-courts,state-courts,de-novo-review,mixed-q grand-jury guilty-plea ineffective-assistance jury-unanimity plea-bargaining silent-record sixth-amendment,jury-trial,unanimous-verdict,due-p Whether a Court may assume, from a silent record, the defendant was sufficiently made aware of the consequences of his guilty plea? Whether the Unite…
18-6738 Jonathone J. Johnson v. United States Sixth Circuit 2018-11-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-court circuit-court-split circuit-split criminal-law-and-procedure criminal-law-procedure de-novo-review due-process ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mandatory-victims-restitution-act presumption remand restitution sentencing This case raises two question of criminal law and procedure which have yet to be addressed by this Court. The first of which is whether a defendant is…
18-616 Roger Nepal v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-11-13 Denied Response Waived criminal-law criminal-procedure de-novo-review direct-appeal Griffith-v-Kentucky plain-error retroactivity standard-of-review substantive-law Where the Supreme Court has changed the substantive law governing a criminal case that is on direct appeal, must Griffith v. Kentucky be applied to th…
18-452 Jesse L. Wesley, III v. Town Square Media West Central Radio Broadcasting, et al. Ninth Circuit 2018-10-11 Denied Response Waived abuse-of-discretion appellate-procedure civil-procedure de-novo de-novo-review motion-to-amend standard-of-review summary-judgment Whether a district court's decision on a motion to amend a summary judgment should be reviewed with the standard of abuse of discretion or de novo.
18-6109 Keerut Singh v. United States Postal Service Ninth Circuit 2018-09-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP administrative-procedure civil-procedure de-novo-review due-process foia foia-request judicial-procedure privacy-act pro-se-litigant standard-of-review summary-judgment Whether the Ninth Circuit failed to comply with its own precedents under 5 U.S.C. §§ 552 and 552a thus resulting in a severe departure from the typica…
18-6066 Melvin Noel Vasquez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2018-09-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure de-novo-review downward-adjustment due-process federal-sentencing fifth-circuit minimal-role mitigating-role sentencing-guidelines sentencing-guidelines-3b1.2 standard-of-review I Whether the Fifth Circuits cursory, review rather than the proper de novo review resulted in a misapplication of the provision of U.S.S.G. s 3Bl.2 d…
18-5622 Susan Elizabeth Walker v. United States Eighth Circuit 2018-08-16 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP 28-usc-1291 28-usc-2253 breach-of-fiduciary-duty,sec-securities-exchange-c certificate-of-appealability certificate-of-appealability,circuit-split,jurisdi circuit-split de-novo-review denovo,circuit-split,uniformity,lawrence-v-dept-of fiduciary-duty hohn-v-united-states ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel,circuit-split,un jurisdiction Should a Certificate of Appealability be granted to resolve a circuit split regarding Jurisdiction established by 28 U.S.C. 1291 and 28 U.S.C. § 2253?…
18-5605 Robert S. Beyer, II v. United States Eighth Circuit 2018-08-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP admissibility appellate-procedure bad-character-evidence character-evidence criminal-procedure de-novo-review due-process evidence-rules federal-rules-of-evidence presumption-of-admissibility rule-403 rule-404 sentencing-guidelines victim-vulnerability 1. Do Fed R. Evid. Rules 403 and 404 create a presumption favoring admissibility of bad character evidence? 2. May the United States Courts of Appeal…
18-5255 Jerome Gibson v. John E. Wetzel, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, et al. Third Circuit 2018-07-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP brady-claim brady-v-maryland credibility de-novo-review due-process evidence-suppression investigation kyles-standard kyles-v-whitley materiality materiality-test police-investigation reliability suppressed-evidence witness-credibility In de novo review of a Brady claim, where the Commonwealth suppressed evidence of inducements provided to its witnesses, may a court find the suppress…