Federal Civil Update April 2024

The following are summaries of opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in February 2024. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS: Contractual limitations provision barred federal employment discrimination claim. Harris v. FedEx Corp. Servs., Inc., 92 F.4th 286 (5th Cir. 2024). FedEx hired Harris as an account executive in …

Federal Civil Update March 2024

The following are summaries of opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in January 2024. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. TRADEMARK: Antique Rolex watches with added diamonds, modified bezels, or replaced bands did not qualify for refurbishment exception to trademark infringement. Rolex Watch USA, Inc. v. BeckerTime, L.L.C., No. 22-10866, 2024 …

Federal Civil Update February 2024

The following are summaries of opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in October 2023. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. FIRST AMENDMENT: All State Bar speech supported by mandatory dues must be directly related to regulating the legal profession or improving the quality of legal services. Boudreaux v. La. State Bar …

Federal Civil Update December 2023/January 2024

Jason LaFond is an Austin-based appellate litigator with significant experience before the Fifth Circuit. He is a Senior Counsel at Yetter Coleman, LLP. The following are summaries of opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in October 2023. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. TAX INJUNCTION ACT: Act did not preclude residents …

Federal Civil Update November 2023

The following are summaries of opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in September 2023. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. MAGISTRATE JUDGE REFERRALS: Undisclosed relationship between magistrate judge and plaintiff’s lead counsel may vitiate defendant’s consent to trial before the magistrate. IFG Port Holdings, LLC v. Lake Charles Harbor & Terminal …

Federal Civil Update October 2023

The following are summaries of opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in August 2023. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. ADMINISTRATIVE LAW: Petitioners did not need to be “aggrieved parties” to challenge grant of license as ultra vires; Nuclear Regulatory Commission lacked authority to license private storage of nuclear waste. Texas v. …

Federal Civil Update September 2023

FEDERAL PREEMPTION: Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) does not preempt Texas law charging out-of-state citizens higher tuition than Texas residents, including noncitizens not lawfully present in the country. Young Conservatives of Tex. Found. v. Smatresk, 2023 WL 4419365 (5th Cir. July 10, 2023) The IIRIRA’s express preemption provision directs that “an alien who is not lawfully present …

Federal Civil Update July/August 2023

The following are summaries of opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in May 2023. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. JURISDICTION: In an ancillary action to enforce a settlement agreement, parties could not collaterally challenge jurisdiction in the original proceeding settled and could sue only to enforce the settlement agreement. Nat’l …