DC Circuit: Central United Life Insurance v. Sylvia Burwell


ACA, Administrative

Agency rulemaking was an illicit amendment of the terms of the Act itself.

Central United Life Insurance v. Sylvia Burwell

DC Circuit: State of West Virginia v. HHS



Standing, ACA

State doesn't suffer cognizable injury-in-fact when federal government declines to exercise a statutorily-compelled primary function, leaving the state to decide whether it should exercise its secondary function.

State of West Virginia v. HHS


DC Circuit: Mohamed Al-Saffy v. Thomas Vilsack

Title VII, Employment, Administrative

ALJ dismissal of hearing request was not final agency action that started the Title VII clock.

Subsequent similar letter did not start the clock as it omitted the statutorily required notice of the right to appeal.

Genuine issue of material fact as to agency employment given responsibilities and reporting relationships.



Mohamed Al-Saffy v. Thomas Vilsack

DC Circuit: Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. v. FERC

Administrative

Presumption of rationality in judicial review of contracts does not apply to rights of first refusal, given their anticompetitive nature.

Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. v. FERC

DC Circuit: Akiachak Native Community v. DOI


FRCP, Mootness

Case is moot, as the regulation has been rescinded.

Dissent -- Parties are still in conflict.

Akiachak Native Community v. DOI

DC Circuit: United Airlines, Inc. v. FERC


Administrative

FERC ratemaking that substituted a second time period was arbitrary and capricious in that insufficient explanation was offered for the selection of the second period.

No error in agency's declining to index the rates across a period of time, as it would have resulted in an unreasonable benefit, and the purpose of the indexing regulation is equitable.

Corporations and partnerships must be evenly treated in deciding tax offsets.

United Airlines, Inc. v. FERC

Ninth Circuit: MICHAEL CUERO V. MATTHEW CATE


Habeas

Given contract law, state violates Due Process by adding a predicate prior after the plea had been accepted by the court and a misdemeanor had been dropped pursuant to the terms of the deal.

Dissent:  Inability to enforce plea deal is not constitutional error.

MICHAEL CUERO V. MATTHEW CATE

Ninth Circuit: EMILY ATTMORE V. CAROLYN COLVIN


SSA

ALJ must compare medical evidence of improvement with the medical evidence indicating disability.

Temporary improvements in psychiatric condition must be sustained and broad in scope to warrant adjustment of the finding.


EMILY ATTMORE V. CAROLYN COLVIN

Eighth Circuit: Larry Schaefer v. Dale Putnam

FRCP

Claim preclusion bars an action where the parties had notice of the additional claim, might have amended the first claim to incorporate it, and there was nothing preventing a full and fair adjudication of the claims arising out of the transaction.


Larry Schaefer  v.  Dale Putnam

Eighth Circuit: United States v. Alphonso Wynn


Statutory Interpretation

A housekeeping supervisor at a VA hospital is a federal official for purposes of the threats statute, as "official" is not being used as a term of limitation.

Telephone hotline is not entrapment, doesn't trigger privilege.


United States  v.  Alphonso Wynn

Eighth Circuit: United States v. Danny Lewis


Sentencing

Court did not need to specifically calculate the amended guidelines range before holding that a deft with an upward variance would not qualify for a certain relief.


United States  v.  Danny Lewis

Eighth Circuit: United States v. Quentin Tidwell

Habeas, Sentencing

In de novo resentencing subsequent to a successful collateral challenge to the conviction, the court may consider convictions after the initial sentencing when compiling the criminal history of the deft.

Dissent: facts are muddled here -- AUSA incorrectly described relationship between the two sentences.

United States  v.  Quentin Tidwell

Eighth Circuit: United States v. Santana Drapeau


FRE, Tribe Law

No plain error/abuse of discretion in allowing testimony on priors, since there was no proof of prejudice given the curative instruction, and the testimony might somehow have been relevant.

 Uncounseled tribal court convictions are valid predicates



United States  v.  Santana Drapeau

Eighth Circuit: United States v. Scott Sholds


Sentencing

Sentence is not substantively unreasonable for lack of mitigation for being based on multiple recordings of the same event.

No abuse of discretion in within-guidelines sentence,as there is no implicit obligation of uniformity in sentencing.

United States  v.  Scott Sholds

Seventh Circuit: RTP LLC v. Orix Real Estate Capital, Inc.


FRCP

For purposes of diversity, when a trust (as opposed to a trustee) litigates, it takes the citizenship of its beneficiaries.


 RTP LLC v.   Orix Real Estate Capital, Inc.

Seventh Circuit: USA v. Kenyon Walton


Fourth Amendment

Defts' conflicting stories about a prior search of the car provided sufficient reasonable suspicion to justify prolonging Terry stop to allow a dog to sniff the car after issuance of written warning.



USA v.   Kenyon Walton

Sixth Circuit: In Re Michael Stansell


Habeas, AEDPA

A Habeas petition challenging a resentencing to add a period of post-release control is not second or successive for purposes od AEDPA.

Technical changes in the sentence, however, do not similarly reset the count.

In Re Michael Stansell

Sixth Circuit: Self-Insurance Inst. of Am. v. Rick Snyder


ERISA, Preemption

State tax on insurance claims is not preempted by express preemption provision of ERISA, as the recordkeeping and residency requirements do no impermissably intrude on the purposes of the act.

Self-Insurance Inst. of Am. v. Rick Snyder

Sixth Circuit: Sierra Club v. United States Forest Serv.

Environment, Administrative

No error in categorical exclusion from environmental review, since, inter alia, the present company is substantially the same as the one earlier granted a permit, and increased flow through the pipeline is not a material change in the original grant, which was for an easement of a certain width.


Sierra Club v. United States Forest Serv.

Sixth Circuit: Anthony Smith, Jr. v. Joy Technologies, Inc.


Torts

Under state law, in products liability, there is no duty to warn where the danger is known.


Anthony Smith, Jr. v. Joy Technologies, Inc.