Federal Civil Update December 2025/January 2026

The following are summaries of selected criminal opinions issued by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The summaries are overviews; please review the entire opinions. The subsequent histories are current as of November 17, 2025.

Federal Civil Update November 2025

The following are summaries of selected criminal opinions issued by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The summaries are overviews; please review the entire opinions. The subsequent histories are current as of October 20, 2025. Below are recent decisions from the United States Fifth Circuit of Appeals. 

October 2025 Federal Civil Update

The following are summaries of selected criminal opinions issued by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The summaries are overviews; please review the entire opinions. The subsequent histories are current as of September 8, 2025. Below are recent decisions from the United States Fifth Circuit of Appeals. 

Federal Civil Update September 2025

The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in May 2025. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions.

Federal Civil Update July/August 2025

The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in May 2025. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions.

Federal Civil Update June 2025

This month, the Federal Civil Update covers United States Trinity Energy Services, L.L.C. v. Southeast Directional Drilling, L.L.C., Way v. City of Missouri City, and Villarreal v. City of Laredo.

Federal Civil Update April 2025

The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in February 2025. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions.  Editor’s Note: This is Jason LaFond’s final Federal Civil Update for Austin Lawyer. We sincerely appreciate his insight and tireless work in keeping our members updated on federal issues. …

Federal Civil Update March 2025

The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in January 2025. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. APPELLATE PROCEDURE: 28 U.S.C. § 1292(b) did not permit interlocutory review of pretrial ruling on proper measure of damages. Silverthorne Seismic v. Sterling Seismic Services, 125 F.4th 593 (5th Cir. …

Federal Civil Court Update February 2025

The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in November and December 2024. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. COMMERCIAL SPEECH: How to apply the Central Hudson test when an activity is legal under state law but prohibited under supreme federal law. Cocroft v. Graham, 2024 …

Federal Civil Update December 2024/January 2025

The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in October 2024. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. TAX: Ordering taxable articles to be shipped to the United States for resale makes one an “importer” under the Internal Revenue Code. Tex. Truck Parts & Tire, Inc. v. …