CA5: Property Owner Properly Asked For Jury Trial, So He Gets One

Check out the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s opinion in Ramirez v. City of Texas City, No. 25-40475 (Sep. 3, 2026), in which the court concluded that a property owner raising a procedural due process claim properly invoked his right to have that claim tried by a jury.

[Disclosure: this is from our shop.]

After a fire caused extensive but repairable damage to Ramirez’s home, the city labeled the home “substandard” and demanded he do something. … Read the rest

Missouri man appeals death sentence after attorneys failed to press jury foreman’s bias

Missouri man appeals death sentence after attorneys failed to press jury foreman’s bias

Share

The Petitions of the Week column highlights some of the cert petitions recently filed in the Supreme Court. A list of all petitions we’re watching is available here.

People held in state prison can turn to federal court to challenge the validity of their conviction or sentence. But they face a high bar in doing so: They have to convince a federal trial judge that their state conviction or sentence was “unreasonable,” and if they fail in that … Read the rest

Court declines death penalty case on jury selection

Court declines death penalty case on jury selection

Share

Over a written dissent by two justices, the Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a death penalty case asking them to weigh in on when jury selection begins and the defendant has a right to be present. The order in Sandoval v. Texas came as part of a list of orders from the justices’ private conference last week. The justices did not add any new cases to their docket for the 2024-25 term.

The denial of review … Read the rest