11th Circuit Court

Law firms can’t be sanctioned for multiplying cases ‘vexatiously’ in federal court, 5th Circuit says

A provision of federal law that allows sanctions for multiplying legal proceedings “unreasonably and vexatiously” applies to lawyers but not their law firms, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Mar 14, 2023 12:46 PM CDT

States don’t have to ‘stand idly by and watch the carnage,’ 11th Circuit says in upholding age restriction on gun sales

A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a Florida ban on gun sales to people younger than age 21 that was passed after a 19-year-old youth shot and killed 17 people and left another 17 injured at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in February 2018. The…

Mar 9, 2023 3:21 PM CST

Gorsuch, Thomas question ‘offended observer’ standing in rejected police prayer-vigil case

Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas suggested Monday that an “offended observer” does not have standing to sue for an alleged establishment clause violation, when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a police prayer-vigil case.

Mar 7, 2023 12:25 PM CST

Weekly Briefs: Legal jobs increase in January; 11th Circuit doesn’t rule out execution by firing squad

Legal industry adds 2,400 jobs The legal services sector added 2,400 jobs in January, according to preliminary and seasonally adjusted figures released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The legal industry had 1,183,900 jobs, a gain of 13,700 jobs since January 2022. But the January 2023 number is…

Feb 3, 2023 3:09 PM CST

11th Circuit upholds school’s ban on transgender students using bathrooms corresponding with gender identity

Updated: In a decision that creates a circuit split, a federal appeals court has upheld a Florida school district’s policy that bans transgender students from using bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity.

Jan 4, 2023 10:10 AM CST

Supreme Court will decide criminal cases involving co-defendant’s statement, improper venue

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to decide two cases involving criminal defendants and their rights under the Sixth Amendment.

Dec 15, 2022 10:27 AM CST

Judge didn’t have jurisdiction to appoint special master in Trump documents case, 11th Circuit says

U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon of the Southern District of Florida didn’t have jurisdiction to consider former President Donald Trump’s request for a special master to review documents seized from his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Dec 2, 2022 10:28 AM CST

2 federal appeals judges boycotting Yale Law clerks see progress in campus tolerance for conservative views

Two conservative federal appeals judges who previously announced plans to boycott Yale Law School clerks said they are seeing progress in tolerance for differing viewpoints at a university event Wednesday.

Dec 2, 2022 9:15 AM CST

Federal judge blocks Florida’s ban on ‘woke’ instruction by public universities

A federal judge in Florida has barred Florida education officials from enforcing provisions in a law that ban advancement of critical race theory by professors at public colleges and universities.

Nov 18, 2022 11:55 AM CST

11th Circuit judge pokes fun at Federalist Society critics in convention remarks

A federal appeals judge poked fun at a Democratic senator, Above the Law bloggers and other critics of the Federalist Society during opening remarks at the conservative group’s annual convention Thursday.

Nov 14, 2022 8:48 AM CST

Supreme Court rejects Sen. Lindsey Graham’s bid to block his testimony in Georgia election probe

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday denied Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham ’s request to block a subpoena for his testimony before a Georgia grand jury investigating 2020 election interference.

Nov 1, 2022 3:15 PM CDT

A sign of rapprochement? Federal appeals judges boycotting Yale Law will speak at school

Two conservative federal appeals judges who are boycotting Yale Law School graduates have offered to discuss free speech issues in a panel discussion at the school.

Oct 24, 2022 3:53 PM CDT

Justice Thomas gives Sen. Lindsey Graham temporary reprieve on testifying before grand jury

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Monday stayed an order that required Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina to testify before a grand jury investigating 2020 election interference.

Oct 24, 2022 3:01 PM CDT

Sen. Lindsey Graham must testify before Georgia grand jury, with some exceptions, 11th Circuit rules

Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina must testify about efforts to “cajole” or “exhort” Georgia election officials in connection with the 2020 election, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Oct 21, 2022 11:27 AM CDT

Yale Law School touts dedication to a ‘vibrant intellectual environment’ after complaints of cancel culture

Yale Law School has said it has taken several concrete steps to reaffirm its commitment to free speech in a message to alumni posted after critics expressed concern about a cancel culture environment.

Oct 14, 2022 9:42 AM CDT