LATEST SUMMARIES

CIVIL PROCEDURE, CIVIL RIGHTS, CONSTITUTIONAL LAW, CRIMINAL LAW & PROCEDURE
• Hannon v. Beard

CRIMINAL LAW & PROCEDURE, EVIDENCE
• US v. Whitney

EVIDENCE, IMMIGRATION LAW
• Piedrahita v. Mukasey

LATEST SUMMARIES

CIVIL PROCEDURE, CIVIL RIGHTS, CONSTITUTIONAL LAW, CRIMINAL LAW & PROCEDURE
Hannon v. Beard, No. 07-2272
In a suit against defendants, most of whom were officials in the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, alleging federal and state constitutional violations, dismissal of plaintiffs' claims for lack of personal jurisdiction is reversed in part and remanded where: 1) assertion of personal jurisdiction over one defendant was authorized by the Massachusetts long-arm statute; and 2) exercising jurisdiction over that defendant comported with due process requirements under the federal constitution. Read more...

CRIMINAL LAW & PROCEDURE, EVIDENCE
US v. Whitney , No. 07-1934
Conviction for making a false statement to a firearms dealer during an attempt to purchase firearm is affirmed over claims that: 1) the trial judge erred in defining the term "knowingly", by refusing to give an explicit willful blindness instruction; and 2) the trial judge erroneously admitted evidence that defendant was arrested for violating a protective order entered against him three weeks before denying the existence of such an order on a federal firearms form. Read more...

EVIDENCE, IMMIGRATION LAW
Piedrahita v. Mukasey , No. 07-1850
Petition for review of a BIA order denying petitioner's application for asylum and withholding of removal is denied where: 1) petitioner failed to raise relevant issues in his opening brief, and addressed a dispositive issue in an incoherent and perfunctory manner; and 2) the BIA's adverse credibility decision was supported by substantial evidence. Read more...