Federal Daily Recap: Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Federal appellate daily recap for Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Table of contents 0:00 Opening headlines 0:47 David Chen 0:49 James Taylor: Criminal Justice 2:30 David Chen 2:34 Aisha Johnson: Civil Rights & Constitutional 3:20 David Chen 3:24 Michael Reeves: Supreme Court & Constitutional 4:14 David Chen 4:17 Maria Santos: Business & Regulatory 5:08 David Chen 5:11 Raj Patel: Immigration & Government 6:28 David Chen Coverage Opening headlines Welcome to Do It For The Case Law for Wednesday May twenty first two thousand twenty six. Visit do it for the case law dot com to listen to more in-depth, per-case reporting. Today we are tracking thirty one federal appellate opinions across eight circuits. The docket features heavy coverage in criminal justice with fifteen cases including drug trafficking, firearms, and supervised release matters. Civil rights and… David Chen Let’s turn to James covering criminal justice. James Taylor: Criminal Justice Thanks, David. Fifteen cases in today’s criminal justice roundup. The disposition rollup shows six affirmances, two dismissals, one denial, and three outcomes involving vacatur or remand, with four other dispositions not fitting those categories. Leading with the movements: in the First Circuit, Richard Pimental’s one hundred twenty-month sentence was vacated and remanded because the prior Massachusetts carjacking… David Chen Thanks, James. Now for civil rights and employment law with Aisha. Aisha Johnson: Civil Rights & Constitutional Thanks, David. Two cases today in the civil rights beat, both affirmed. In the Tenth Circuit, Alicia Paschall’s sixteen emergency motions for injunctive relief were denied by the district court and that ruling stands. The appellate panel held that pro se litigants must still follow procedural rules, noting her notice of appeal did not strictly identify the specific order as required, even though the subject matter… David Chen Thanks, Aisha. Let’s turn to Michael covering constitutional law and Supreme Court related appeals. Michael Reeves: Supreme Court & Constitutional Thanks, David. We have four cases on the docket today across three circuits: one dismissal, two affirmances, and one denial of habeas relief that was actually a reversal of the lower court’s grant. Starting in the Eleventh Circuit, the court dismissed an appeal from Shaun Patrick Stewart for lack of jurisdiction because his notice was filed too late under Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure four. In a related… David Chen Thanks, Michael. Now for business and civil law with Maria. Maria Santos: Business & Regulatory Thanks, David. I have six cases for you today. Five were decided on the merits and one was dismissed as a routine group matter. The disposition mix includes two affirmances, three denials, one reversal, and one dismissal. Starting in the First Circuit, the court reversed an order requiring a hospital to turn over sensitive medical records to a federal agency, holding that the Child Advocate for Rhode Island failed… David Chen Thanks, Maria. Raj has the immigration and government news. Raj Patel: Immigration & Government Thanks, David. Four cases in this block from the Fifth Circuit: one vacatur, two affirmances, and one denial. The major development comes from Florida Gas Transmission Company versus the Department of Transportation and its agencies. The court vacated a Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration order imposing civil penalties, ruling the agency’s decision was arbitrary and capricious because it violated… David Chen That wraps up our broadcast for Wednesday, May twenty-first, two thousand twenty-six. A special thanks to James Taylor for covering fifteen cases, Aisha Johnson for two, Michael Reeves for four, Maria Santos for six, and Raj Patel for four. The most significant developments today included one reversal and remand, along with several other notable dispositions. We also saw seventeen affirmances and nine dismissals… Do It For The Case Law is a legal news and research publication. This episode is not legal advice.