5th Circuit Court

5th Circuit upholds fine for lawyer who refused judge’s request for a yes-or-no answer

A federal judge didn’t abuse his discretion when he imposed a $500 fine on an assistant public defender who refused to give a yes-or-no answer. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week upheld the fine imposed on William Hermesmeyer, the Houston Chronicle reports. The appeals court’s…

May 9, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

5th Circuit tosses challenge to Texas law banning the harboring of immigrants here illegally

Citing a lack of standing by the plaintiffs, a federal appeals court on Thursday dismissed a challenge to a Texas law that makes it a felony to harbor or conceal immigrants who are in the country illegally, The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of appeals dismissed the challenge and…

Feb 24, 2017 11:58 AM CST

DOJ tells judge it doesn’t object to injunction blocking Obama policy on transgender restrooms

A day after Jeff Sessions was sworn in as U.S. attorney general, the Justice Department indicated possible disagreement with the Obama administration’s directive telling public schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. In a court filing on Friday, the Justice Department…

Feb 13, 2017 10:07 AM CST

Appeals courts are dismantling stricter voter ID laws

The rulings came quickly this past summer in a steady drumbeat that pleased progressives and disappointed conservatives.

Nov 1, 2016 12:15 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: Is court delaying some oral arguments in hopes of 9th justice?

As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to begin its second month of oral arguments, which start Monday, Oct. 31, the effect of the court having only eight justices is clearly evident.

Oct 27, 2016 8:30 AM CDT

Federal judge is tossed from two cases for repeated failure to rule on pending motions

A federal appeals court has removed a Mississippi federal judge from two cases because of repeated delays in ruling on motions. In the first case, the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals removed U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate from a civil suit filed against an electric utility by…

Oct 5, 2016 10:59 AM CDT

Louisiana can’t withhold Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood, 5th Circuit rules

The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld a lower court’s injunction against Louisiana’s attempt to defund Planned Parenthood. A three-judge appellate panel said the health services provider likely would prevail at trial because plaintiffs would be denied both access to and choice of a medical…

Sep 15, 2016 4:15 PM CDT

5th Circuit blocks Texas voter ID law as violation of the Voting Rights Act

The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has again struck down Texas’s controversial voter ID law, according to the Dallas Morning News. The en banc ruling affirms a panel ruling issued in August of 2015, which found the law disproportionately harms Latino and African American Texans’ ability to…

Jul 21, 2016 8:45 AM CDT

Machine guns aren’t protected by Second Amendment, 5th Circuit rules

A federal appeals court has upheld a federal law that generally bars the possession of machine guns. Machine guns are not protected by the Second Amendment, the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled (PDF) on June 30. The plaintiff wanted to build an M-16 machine gun from…

Jul 5, 2016 8:00 AM CDT

Appeals court upholds lawyers’ convictions in internet-paramour money scheme

A federal appeals court has upheld the convictions of two formerly married lawyers who were accused of wrangling money from men who answered internet ads for sex. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the habeas appeals of Ted and Mary Roberts on Wednesday in an unpublished,…

Jun 30, 2016 10:52 AM CDT

After $35M Chadbourne settlement, second law firm faces litigation over Stanford Ponzi scheme

Terms of a settlement reached earlier this year between Chadbourne & Parke and victims of R. Allen Stanford’s $7 billion Ponzi scheme have been revealed. The law firm agreed to pay $35 million to resolve claims by both investors and a court-appointed receiver, in separate lawsuits, the plaintiffs say in…

May 9, 2016 10:45 AM CDT

5 ex-police officers admit guilt, get greatly reduced sentences in Katrina bridge-slayings plea deal

At their first sentencing, four New Orleans police officers involved in shooting a group of unarmed civilians on Danziger Bridge in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina got prison terms of between 38 and 65 years. A fifth officer who reportedly played a key role in a cover-up of their crimes…

Apr 25, 2016 12:50 PM CDT

Lawyer who spoke out after fellow lawyer shot himself during trial gets suspension overturned

A Louisiana lawyer who criticized the prosecution of another lawyer who shot himself during trial should not have been suspended from federal court practice for speaking out, a federal appeals court has ruled. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit ruled (PDF) in a First Amendment challenge on Monday that a…

Apr 20, 2016 9:07 AM CDT

Texas immunity law protects BigLaw firms that represented Ponzi schemer, 5th Circuit rules

Law firms that represented convicted Ponzi schemer R. Allen Stanford are immune from a lawsuit by defrauded investors as a result of Texas law on attorney immunity, a federal appeals court has ruled. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled (PDF) on Thursday in a suit against…

Mar 11, 2016 8:51 AM CST

Supreme Court blocks enforcement of Louisiana abortion clinic restrictions

Last month, a federal appeals court in New Orleans refused to block a Louisiana law that could close three of the state’s four abortion clinics, staying an injunction issued by a trial court. But on Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court effectively reversed that 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling…

Mar 4, 2016 4:55 PM CST