Eleventh Circuit: Murray Energy Corporation, et al. v. Secretary of Labor, et al.

Employment, safety

Agency rulemaking on mine dust upheld.

Earlier action in concert with another agency did not mandate a joint revision of the standard, as the joint action was an interim step based on another statutory provision.  Stare decisis based on prior Article III review as well.

Substantively, the regulation is not an abuse of discretion.

http://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201411942.pdf


Eighth Circuit: James Clifford Slick Basham v. United States

Habeas, Fourth Amendment, (Plea process)

Allegedly favorable plea deal is not a bar to finding prejudice under Strickland in later collateral challenge.

No ineffective assistance Habeas for not challenging the cell phone search two years before Riley.

http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/16/01/151980P.pdf


Seventh Circuit: Cesar Flores-Ramirez v. Brian Foster

Habeas

Habeas based on a de-certified court translator barred, as the claim was available at the time of first Habeas petition.

Habeas claim alleging insufficient process during initial collateral proceedings barred, as it does not allege a freestanding redressible constitutional harm in the first proceedings.

http://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/rssExec.pl?Submit=Display&Path=Y2016/D01-22/C:15-1594:J:PerCuriam:aut:T:fnOp:N:1691484:S:0

Sixth Circuit: USA v. Arnaldo Cabrera

Sentencing.

Twofold plain error in judges' imposition of maximum guidelines sentence due to deft's (1) not taking the stand to support his (2) theory of evidence manipulation.

http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/16a0017p-06.pdf

Sixth Circuit: Jason Blesedell v. Chillicothe Telephone Company

Labor, defamation

No arbitrary breach of the duty of fair representation by the union, as the lack of advocacy stemmed from union's considered adverse decisions on credibility.

No actual malice in statements about plaintiff, as conclusions were reasonable from facts.

http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/16a0016p-06.pdf

Fifth Circuit: Sanderson Farms, Incorporated v. OSHC

Administrative / OSHA

Presumption of hazard properly attaches in initial safety proceedings, as de minimis risk is an affirmative defense later on.

Substantial evidence for agency's abattoir citations.

Agency considered violation of a key projecting at the end of a shaft as being that of a projected shaft.  The correct regulation is that regulating keys.

http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/15/15-60215-CV0.pdf

Second Circuit: Glatt et al. v. Fox Searchlight Pictures, Inc. et al.

Employment / Unpaid interns

No Skidmore deference to DOL definition of an employee.

Internships distinguished from employment by identifying the primary beneficiary of the relationship.

This standard bars the formation of the class due to predominance concerns.

Bonus: cameo by prominent Hollywood pillow.

http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/2b78c6ab-9a30-46d4-b200-629fd5966190/1/doc/13-4478a_opn.pdf#xml=http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/2b78c6ab-9a30-46d4-b200-629fd5966190/1/hilite/





First Circuit: Carrasquillo-Ortiz v. American Airlines, Inc.

Employment

Question certified to Puerto Rico Supreme Court as to whether the frequent transfer of employees within a single corporate entity counts for severance classification as transfers within P.R. or as international transfers.

(Translated version of relevant PR Court decision attached.)

http://media.ca1.uscourts.gov/pdf.opinions/15-1424P-01A.pdf

First Circuit: US v. Collins

Fourth Amendment, Sentencing

As deft did not concede possession of the bag at suppression hearing, he has no standing to challenge the search of the bag found in a third party bailee's car.

Threatening with a weapon is a crime of violence for purposes of the career offender sentencing predicate.

http://media.ca1.uscourts.gov/pdf.opinions/15-1292P-01A.pdf


First Circuit: Scott v. Gelb

Erratum.
http://media.ca1.uscourts.gov/pdf.opinions/14-1953E-01A.pdf

First Circuit: Thompson v. Lynch

Corrigendum, viz:

http://media.ca1.uscourts.gov/pdf.opinions/14-1858E-01A.pdf

First Circuit: US v. Soto-Rivera

Sentencing - Guidelines / Johnson / (ACCA)

Given govt stipulation that Guidelines residual clause is unconstitutionally vague Post-Johnson, an on-point note to the Guidelines doesn't save the predicate, as the note referred to an offense type that appears nowhere outside of the residual clause.

http://media.ca1.uscourts.gov/pdf.opinions/14-1216P-01A.pdf


Federal Circuit: Pfizer v. Lee

Patent, Procedure

Claim not waived, as it was referenced in briefs and at argument below.

The time that should have been added to the end of the patent was appropriately tolled during the interval between the notice of insufficiency and the revised notice of insufficiency, as the initial notice put the petitioner on notice of the shortcomings in the claim.

Dissent: A response to an incomplete notice might have itself been incomplete.

http://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/opinions-orders/15-1265.Opinion.1-20-2016.1.PDF

Federal Circuit: Lumen View Technollgy v. FindTheBest.com

Patent, Fees

No abuse of discretion in award of fees, given ill-supported allegations of infringement.

While deterrence is to be considered in whether to award fees, it is not a permissible basis for adjusting the lodestar award.

http://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/opinions-orders/15-1275.Opinion.1-20-2016.1.PDF

DC Circuit: Christopher Van Hollen, Jr. v. FEC

Administrative

Agency rulemaking that election contributions must be for the purpose of furthering electioneering electoral communications was a permissible and persuasive exercise of authority.

Not A&C.

Bonus: odd Yeats quote in peroration.

https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/E90D7BF9ECC39D1085257F41006AF4EC/$file/15-5016-1594896.pdf

DC Circuit: Jefferson Morley v. CIA

FOIA, Fees

Fees should be partially denied for FOIA proceedings that partially result in records already in the public domain only where the fees that resulted in public documents are segregable and whether the difficulties encountered militate against denial of fees.

https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/3D5B77098A5F717385257F41006AF4C8/$file/14-5230-1594919.pdf

DC Circuit: USA v. Eddie Burroughs

Fourth Amendment, FRCrimP

No plain error in a court's declining to give preclusive effect in the same proceeding to a pretrial determination of another court's finding of lack of probable cause for a search.

https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/14051A07C66684D585257F41006AF4AC/$file/13-3031-1594913.pdf


DC Circuit: DHL Express, Inc. v. NLRB

Labor

Mixed use space ruling contested at ALJ stage, but not before Board - issue (apparently somewhat) preserved for appeal.

Substantial evidence for Board finding that hallway is a mixed-use area.

https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/A5D074B128A1960A85257F41006AF48E/$file/12-1072-1594886.pdf

Eleventh Circuit: USA v. Demetrius Renaldo Bowers

FRCrimP

No error in denial of severance of joined counts, as motion was untimely, and no compelling prejudice resulted.

Sufficient evidence.

ACCA upheld against SOP, other constitutional challenges.

Mandatory 187 year sentence for brandishing firearm during robberies not grossly disproportionate.

http://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201411585.pdf


Eleventh Circuit:Ernest Edgar Black, et al. Jeff Wigington, et al

S1983

Qualified immunity on trespass, as no actual malice established.

Exclusionary rule does not bar use of illegally obtained evidence to establish probable cause in a civil suit. (!)

No sovereign immunity for Sheriff in ADA claim.

http://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201510848.pdf