Where a woman sued to compel United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, to produce immigration records under the Freedom of Information Act, the claim was dismissed as moot because USCIS produced the records. Background In this action under ...

Tagged with: Administrative Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles U.S. District Court - Eastern District

Where plaintiffs argued that a new Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS, is required from an agency reviewing a proposed toll bridge across North Carolina’s Currituck Sound, their arguments were rejected. Although the plaintiffs pointed to new information about traffic forecasts, ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Administrative Judge Albert Diaz

Where an administrative law judge, or ALJ, improperly accorded “little weight” to the testimony of the applicant’s long-time treating psychiatrist, failed to specify which specific objective evidence supported his conclusion that she was not disabled, inappropriately afforded more weight to ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Administrative Judge Roger L. Gregory

Where a claim for disability benefits was denied by an administrative law judge, or ALJ, who was appointed in contravention of the Constitution’s Appointments Clause, it was vacated. The Supreme Court requires a new and plenary hearing before a different ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Administrative Judge Robert B. King

Where the court previously dismissed a suit brought by military chaplains complaining about the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the plaintiffs’ motion to reconsider was denied. Background This action stems from a complaint by military chaplains surrounding the military’s COVID-19 vaccine ...

Tagged with: Administrative Judge Anthony J. Trenga U.S. District Court - Eastern District

Where a mother sued the Rockbridge County Department of Social Services, or DSS, for removing her children from their schools, the suit was dismissed. The Rockbridge DSS was immune from several claims and the remaining claims failed as a matter ...

Tagged with: Administrative Judge Norman K. Moon U.S. District Court - Western District

In an issue of first impression, the court held that a claim for attorney’s fees by parents who prevail in state administrative proceedings under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, is more “analogous” to an IDEA merits review ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Administrative Judge Pamela A. Harris

Where the Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, denied a hospital’s request for Medicare reimbursement because it failed to submit information in a form that could be audited, that decision was affirmed. Relevant HHS regulations require the data ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Administrative Judge Toby Heytens

Where the five reasons given by the Board of Supervisors of Culpeper County for denying an application for a conditional use permit to build a telecommunications tower were improper or not supported by substantial evidence, the denial violated federal law. ...

Tagged with: Administrative Judge Norman K. Moon U.S. District Court - Western District

Where multiple environmental organizations challenged a final rule that affected how federal agencies would conduct reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, but each of their categories of alleged damages was unripe, the suit was dismissed. Background A ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Administrative Judge James A. Wynn Jr.