7th Circuit Court

7th Circuit upholds injunction allowing transgender teen to use the boys’ restroom

A transgender high school senior in Wisconsin, who wanted to use the boys’ restroom, has demonstrated a likelihood of success that the Kenosha Unified School District violated the teen’s constitutional rights and federal education law, a federal appeals court has ruled. In a decision on Tuesday, the Chicago-based 7th U.S.…

May 30, 2017 2:57 PM CDT

Title VII protects gay workers, 7th Circuit rules; Posner backs ‘interpretive updating’ of old laws

In an opinion praised by gay-rights advocates, an en banc federal appeals court has ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects employees from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Apr 5, 2017 11:54 AM CDT

Holy cats! Posner makes feline comparison in eye-drops class action

The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently reversed a class-action certification order in a consumer lawsuit that alleged that the eye drops used to treat glaucoma were larger than necessary, and those who used the drops were overpaying. Even if the defendants—Allergan, Alcon, Bausch and Lomb, Pfizer, Merck…

Mar 9, 2017 7:00 AM CST

Posner opinion upholds conviction for false Facebook threat

A federal appeals court has upheld an Indiana man’s conviction for maliciously conveying false information in a Facebook post about a plan to kill police officers and judges. There was no need to prove that the defendant, Samuel Bradbury of Lafayette, intended to cause harm by the post, according to…

Feb 17, 2017 11:18 AM CST

7th Circuit strikes down ban on minors at gun ranges; SCOTUS shortlister wrote the opinion

A federal appeals court on Wednesday struck down restrictions on gun ranges in Chicago, including a categorical ban on minors at gun ranges. The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned three regulations enacted after the city’s complete ban on city gun ranges was struck down in 2011. Judge…

Jan 19, 2017 10:26 AM CST

Posner criticizes ‘verbosity’ in appeals briefs in decision upholding closed voir dire

It didn’t take much more than seven pages for Judge Richard Posner of the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to explain why he was upholding the convictions of two Wisconsin defendants. The Jan. 5 opinion spilled over into the eighth page because of a final paragraph in which…

Jan 9, 2017 7:00 AM CST

Wife’s unauthorized access to husband’s emails could violate Wiretap Act, 7th Circuit says

Putting an auto-forward on your husband’s email account when you suspect that he’s cheating on you can amount to a violation of the federal Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Act, the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided on Dec. 14. Paula Epstein, the defendant in the case, was sued…

Dec 21, 2016 4:30 PM CST

Acquitted lawyer can’t sue, 7th Circuit says; Posner would allow claim over investigator statements

A Michigan lawyer who was acquitted on charges that she aided a client’s fraud can’t sue officials involved in her arrest and prosecution for alleged deprivation of her constitutional rights, a federal appeals court has ruled. The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said most of the claims by…

Dec 14, 2016 7:45 AM CST

Does federal law forbid workplace discrimination against gays? Full 7th Circuit hears arguments

A lawyer with Lambda Legal told an en banc federal appeals court on Wednesday that workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation should be prohibited under a federal law barring sex discrimination. Lawyer Greg Nevins argued on behalf of Kimberly Hively, a math teacher at Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana…

Dec 1, 2016 9:52 AM CST

In just-released video, Posner calls chief justice a ‘terrible’ manager, blasts ‘stupid’ opinions

The discussion topic was the First Amendment, but Judge Richard Posner went far afield with criticisms of the U.S. Supreme Court and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., a newly released video shows. Posner spoke before a small group of First Amendment advocates last May, but a video of the…

Dec 1, 2016 8:00 AM CST

7th Circuit bars release of nephew in ‘Making a Murderer’ case

Brendan Dassey will have to stay in jail while the state of Wisconsin appeals his overturned conviction. The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday granted (PDF) an emergency request to keep Dassey in jail pending an appeal. Dassey’s case received widespread attention after it was examined in…

Nov 17, 2016 12:59 PM 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

Posner says Supreme Court is ‘awful,’ top two justices are OK but not great

Updated: Circuit Judge Richard Posner says he’s writing a new book called Strengths and Weaknesses of the Legal System, and one of the weaknesses is the U.S. Supreme Court. Posner, a judge on the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, criticized the high court at a recent bookstore appearance…

Oct 25, 2016 9:20 AM CDT

Mike Pence’s attempt to ban Syrian refugees is based on ‘nightmare speculation,’ Posner opinion says

A federal appeals court has upheld a preliminary injunction that prevents Indiana Gov. Mike Pence from barring federal funding to a social-service agency to help resettle Syrian refugees. The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the funding ban was based on “nightmare speculation” rather than evidence that some…

Oct 4, 2016 9:15 AM CDT

‘Parking while black’ at issue in pending 7th Circuit appeal

A case pending in the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals could give the green light to police who want to use parking infractions as a justification for car searches. The case pending before the en banc court could legitimize cases of so-called “parking while black,” according to a…

Sep 26, 2016 7:45 AM CDT