United States Ninth Circuit - Opinion Summaries

Osborne v. Dist. Attorney's Office

Civil Rights, Criminal Law & Procedure, Evidence, Injury & Tort Law
Heck v. Humphrey, 512 U.S. 477 (1994), does not bar a prisoner's section 1983 action seeking post-conviction access to biological evidence in the...

Barker v. Fleming

Criminal Law & Procedure, Habeas Corpus
Denial of plaintiff's habeas petition is affirmed over his claim that the prosecution suppressed evidence in violation of Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S....

Rivas v. Rail Delivery Serv.

Constitutional Law, Contracts
Plaintiffs lack standing under the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act to bring their damages claims for alleged violations of the...

Williams v. Warden

Criminal Law & Procedure, Habeas Corpus
Denial of plaintiff's habeas corpus petition is affirmed over her claim that her conviction violated the Fifth Amendment's Double Jeopardy Clause.

Smolniakova v. Gonzales

Immigration Law
Dismissal of plaintiff's claim for asylum is reversed where substantial evidence does not support the immigration judge's adverse credibility finding.

Menendez v. Terhune

Constitutional Law, Criminal Law & Procedure, Habeas Corpus
Denial of plaintiffs' petitions for habeas corpus is affirmed over their claim that the exclusion of certain evidence violated their rights to due...

Ass'n of Irritated Residents v. US EPA

Administrative Law, Environmental Law, Government Law
The EPA's approval of the San Joaquin Valley's plan to attain the national ambient air quality standard for PM-10 pollutants comports with the overall...

Planned Parenthood v. Am. Coalition of Life Activists

Constitutional Law, Remedies
A punitive damages award of $108.5 million, awarded for violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, exceeds constitutional limits.

US v. Esparza-Gonzalez

Constitutional Law, Criminal Law & Procedure
Defendant's conviction for being an alien unlawfully present in the United States is reversed where an Equal Protection violation under Batson v....

AFL-CIO v. Lockyer

Constitutional Law, Labor & Employment Law
California Assembly Bill 1889, which bars employers from spending "state funds" on union-related speech, is preempted by the National Labor Relations...