Sixth Circuit
Religious Practice in Prison
The Sixth Circuit remanded a suit brought by inmates who practice the “Christian Identity” religion – which is “explicitly racist” and associated with white supremacy – against the Michigan Department of Corrections relating to its refusal to provide them with the same privileges as members of recognized religions.
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Panel Refuses to Toss Suit Over Crash Caused by Heart Attack
The Sixth Circuit on Friday granted additional discovery to a driver injured in a collision with a tractor trailer whose operator suffered a heart attack, refusing to dismiss the case under Ohio’s medical emergency doctrine.
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Panel Finds Discovery Dispute Moot in Gerrymandering Case
Republican Party officials cannot compel the identification of people who accessed sensitive documents during last year’s Ohio gerrymandering trial, the Sixth Circuit ruled Wednesday.
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Republicans Challenge Discovery Order in Ohio Gerrymandering Case
Republican lawmakers argued before the Sixth Circuit on Wednesday that a trial court’s decision to compel production of sensitive documents during a challenge to Ohio’s electoral map violated their First Amendment rights.
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Kentucky Fights to Reinstate Second Trimester Abortion Restrictions
Kentucky urged a Sixth Circuit panel Wednesday to reinstate a law that would require abortion providers to perform a so-called fetal demise procedure before a standard dilation and evacuation abortion for women who are more than 15 weeks pregnant.
Read moreOne-Day Sentence
A one-day sentence for a defendant convicted on child pornography charges was unreasonable, the Sixth Circuit ruled, even though the man had been diagnosed with PTSD after serving tours of duty in the military and lacked a criminal record. He possessed more than 3,600 images and 230 videos of child pornography.
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Sixth Circuit Rejects Challenge to Tennessee Voting Machines
A unanimous Sixth Circuit panel on Friday upheld a ruling that found a voters’ rights group lacks standing to challenge the security of voting machines used in Tennessee.
Read moreArson
Robert Doggart was improperly convicted of solicitation to commit federal arson for his planned attack on a mosque in New York because the religious building was not used in interstate commerce, as required by the underlying arson statute, the Sixth Circuit ruled. From his home in Tennessee, Doggart plotted to burn down the mosque, plans he shared with an FBI confidential informant.
Read moreFootball Coaching
A high school football coach’s conduct may have been “distasteful” and offensive but did not amount to sex-based discrimination, the Sixth Circuit ruled. The players claim the coach referred to them with the term “pussy,” portraying them as “‘feminine’ and thus seemingly less valuable teammates in the ‘masculine’ setting” of football.
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Sixth Circuit Lets Indigent Parole Violators Continue Suit
A class of parole violators who claim that a Tennessee county’s bail system is effectively “wealth-based detention” can proceed with their suit against the county and its sheriff, the Sixth Circuit ruled.
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Sixth Circuit Allows Juvie Inmates to Sue Over Sexual Assaults
The Sixth Circuit ruled unanimously Wednesday that a muddled grievance process prevented minor inmates in Michigan from filing claims of sexual assault by adult prisoners.
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Panel Looks Likely to Overturn Ban on Anti-Muslim Ads
A conservative free speech group appeared successful Friday at persuading a Sixth Circuit panel that a Detroit-area public transit authority cannot ban its anti-Muslim ads for being overtly political.
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Sixth Circuit Hears Debate Over Legality of Bump Stocks
A gun rights lobbyist group argued before the Sixth Circuit on Wednesday that rapid-fire gun attachments known as bump stocks should not be included in the government’s definition of machine gun.
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Tennessee County Defends Bail System at Sixth Circuit
A Tennessee county argued Tuesday before the Sixth Circuit to overturn an injunction requiring it to provide bail hearings for indigent defendants who would otherwise be unable to secure their release from jail after being arrested.
Read morePolice Immune from Abortion Protester’s Arrest Claims
Four police officers who arrested an anti-abortion protester over a perceived bomb threat are entitled to qualified immunity, the Sixth Circuit ruled Friday.
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Convicted Killer Asks Sixth Circuit to Vacate Death Sentence
A death-row inmate convicted of the 1985 rape and murder of a 12-year-old boy argued before a Sixth Circuit panel Thursday that his intellectual disabilities render his sentence unconstitutional.
Read moreSchool Officials Argue for Immunity After Third-Grader’s Suicide
The principal and vice principal of a Cincinnati elementary school argued before a Sixth Circuit panel Wednesday that they are entitled to immunity from claims brought by the parents of a third-grader who killed himself after being bullied repeatedly.
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