5th Circuit Court

Federal judge halts disaster aid program for minority farmers

A federal judge in Texas has blocked an Agriculture Department disaster relief program from giving preferences to minority and female farmers, siding with a group of plaintiffs who allege that the program illegally discriminates against White male farmers.

Jun 11, 2024 12:25 PM CDT

5th Circuit orders 8 books returned to shelves of Texas library; ‘flatulent humor’ group not included

Eight library books must be returned to the shelves in Llano County, Texas, as a result of a decision Thursday by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New Orleans.

Jun 10, 2024 12:15 PM CDT

Religious-liberty training order likely violates lawyers’ constitutional rights, 5th Circuit says

In-house lawyers for Southwest Airlines would “likely suffer a violation of their constitutional rights” if they had to comply with a judge’s order for religious-liberty training taught by Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal advocacy group, a federal appeals court said Friday.

Jun 10, 2024 10:33 AM CDT

Supreme Court restores Louisiana voting map with majority-Black district

The Supreme Court restored a congressional voting map in Louisiana on Wednesday that includes an additional majority-Black district, handing a victory to African American voters and Democrats less than six months before the November election.

May 16, 2024 12:00 PM CDT

SCOTUS upholds funding scheme for consumer agency; ‘the framers would be shocked,’ Alito dissent says

A federal law authorizing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to draw funding from the Federal Reserve System does not violate the appropriations clause, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

May 16, 2024 10:25 AM CDT

Federal judge halts new US rules limiting credit card late fees

A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the U.S. government from trying to limit credit card late fees, siding with banks and other business lobbyists that had challenged the policy as unconstitutional.

May 13, 2024 1:15 PM CDT

As judgment preservation insurance gains steam, appellate decision leaves insurers ‘on the hook’ for millions

A federal appeals court’s April 30 reversal of a $1.6 billion judgment for a software maker “has sent ripples through the growing judgment preservation insurance industry,” according to a Bloomberg Law story.

May 8, 2024 2:07 PM CDT

University is ‘incubator of bigotry,’ say 13 federal judges boycotting its grads

Thirteen federal judges, all of them appointees of former President Donald Trump, have announced that they won’t hire clerks who graduate from Columbia University or Columbia Law School.

May 7, 2024 10:57 AM CDT

Chamber of Commerce sues to block FTC’s noncompete ban

Business groups led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sued the Federal Trade Commission Wednesday seeking to block a rule finalized this week that would outlaw noncompete provisions that prohibit workers from switching jobs within an industry.

Apr 25, 2024 1:30 PM CDT

Supreme Court will hear challenge to Biden administration rule on ghost guns

The Supreme Court on Monday said it would weigh a challenge to a Biden administration rule on “ghost guns,” weapons made from homemade kits that can be assembled into firearms.

Apr 23, 2024 8:50 AM CDT

‘Venue is not a continental breakfast’ judge forced to eat his words after 5th Circuit blocks transfer

A federal judge in Texas who declared that “venue is not a continental breakfast,” allowing litigants to pick and choose where to file a lawsuit, should not have transferred a case to Washington, D.C., a federal appeals court has ruled.

Apr 9, 2024 2:13 PM CDT

U.S. appeals court keeps block on Texas immigration law

A new Texas law that empowers state officials to detain and deport migrants will remain on hold, after a divided appeals court ruling late Tuesday that said the statutes “significantly impair the exercise of discretion by federal immigration officials.”

Mar 27, 2024 12:15 PM CDT

5th Circuit rules for prisoner allowed to sleep no more than 3.5 hours per night

A sleep-deprived prisoner can show that his treatment constituted cruel and unusual punishment without proving that his health issues stemmed from the restricted bedtime hours, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Mar 26, 2024 3:10 PM CDT

Texas officials ask appeals court to allow state immigration crackdown

Texas officials on Wednesday urged a U.S. appeals court to unblock a new law that would allow authorities to arrest and deport migrants, saying the state has been forced to take extraordinary measures to try to stop soaring levels of illegal border crossings.

Mar 21, 2024 10:45 AM CDT

Appeals court again blocks Texas from arresting and deporting migrants

A federal appeals court has again blocked a law that makes it a state crime for migrants to illegally cross the border into Texas, hours after the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority allowed the law to take effect while challenges to it continue through the court system.

Mar 20, 2024 9:50 AM CDT