All articles tagged with #11th circuit
A divided 11th Circuit court ruled that Florida’s Stop WOKE Act restricting how public college instructors teach about race and gender violates the First Amendment, keeping the law blocked during litigation; Florida may seek rehearing or Supreme Court review.
A federal appeals court ruled Alabama’s nitrogen gas executions unconstitutional as cruel and unusual punishment, halting Jeffery Lee’s planned execution and sending the case back for review. The state is likely to appeal, potentially to the Supreme Court, while alternatives like lethal injection or a firing squad could be reconsidered depending on court outcomes.
An 11th Circuit stay allows Alabama to use the 2021 State Senate map instead of the court-drawn post-2020 census map. The ruling, tied to Callais and the likelihood of success on appeal, notes the public interest in a legislature-approved map and that the injunctions cause irreparable harm. Districts 25 and 26 around Montgomery could require a special primary, though none has been scheduled as of Friday; incumbents Kirk Hatcher and Will Barfoot had already moved to new districts but will now run in their current districts, with residency rules tied to the redrawn maps paused pending the Supreme Court review.
Atlanta police are investigating whether a high-ranking officer had an extramarital affair with a federal judge, including sex in the judge’s chambers during working hours; the judge was privately reprimanded by the 11th Circuit for a two-year affair with the officer, whose name and status are not disclosed. The probe follows a clerk's misconduct complaint and court records with corroborating evidence; the 11th Circuit found serious misconduct but noted potential for rehabilitation.
A federal judge, whose identity and district are private, was disciplined by the 11th Circuit for a two-year extramarital affair with a high-ranking police officer, sex in the judge’s chambers during work hours, attendance at a partisan political event, and false statements to investigators; sanctions included letters of apology to six former clerks, stepping down as chief judge, and avoiding Judicial Conference committees, with the panel noting potential for rehabilitation.
The 11th Circuit ruled that the Trump administration could not detain all migrants without bond under its policy, adding to rulings against the policy across circuits and setting up potential Supreme Court review.
An 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel vacated Roy Moore’s $8.2 million defamation award, saying Moore as a public figure failed to prove the defendant acted with actual malice in a 2017 Senate campaign ad by Senate Majority PAC; the court characterized the decision as at most a negligent misstep rather than malice, prompting potential further appeals, including a possible Supreme Court look at the malice standard. Moore’s suit tied to allegations of sexual misconduct, including a reference to a 14-year-old in a mall anecdote; SMP said the ruling vindicates its ad, while Moore’s attorney hinted at seeking review.}
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed an $8.2 million defamation verdict Roy Moore won against Senate Majority PAC over a 2017 political ad, vacating the verdict and ordering summary judgment in PAC's favor after finding the evidence failed to prove actual malice.
An 11th Circuit panel unanimously reversed a jury’s $8.2 million verdict against Senate Majority PAC over a 2017 ad about Roy Moore, ruling the plaintiffs failed to prove the group acted with actual malice and that the ad’s use of cited articles did not clearly imply the alleged misconduct; the court noted the ad was vetted and at most any error was negligent rather than malicious, overturning libel and invasion-of-privacy findings.
Judge Cannon has ruled that the public interest outweighs the protective order in the Trump case, prompting backlash from Special Counsel Jack Smith who argues that unsealing the names of witnesses could deter cooperation and pose safety risks. Critics accuse Cannon of bias for Trump and predict that her ruling will likely be overturned on appeal, citing a lack of legal basis to unseal the witness list and potential danger to witnesses. The 11th Circuit previously reversed Cannon's decision in this case, and experts believe it may do so again.
A federal appeals court has upheld several provisions of a restrictive election law in Florida that was passed by the GOP-controlled legislature in 2021. The 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals reversed most of a ruling by a trial judge last year that said the provisions in question violated the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act by intentionally targeting Black voters. The 11th Circuit, however, did agree with the lower court that one of the challenged provisions of the 2021 law – which banned the “solicitation” of voters within 150 feet of a polling place – was unconstitutionally vague.