Where a juror consulted with her pastor during a murder trial 20 years ago about whether she could vote to impose the death penalty without running afoul of her religious beliefs, and then communicated the pastor’s assurances to other jurors, ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Criminal Judge Henry F. Floyd

Where the district court concluded there were factual disputes whether a U.S. government contractor, CACI, sued for its alleged role in torture of Iraqis at Abu Ghraib violated the law or its contract, CACI could not seek immediate appellate review ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Henry F. Floyd Tort

The defendant’s 220-month sentence was based on four prior convictions that rendered him an “armed career criminal.” Now, however, two of those prior convictions no longer qualify as violent felonies, thus requiring resentencing. Background Randall Cornette pleaded guilty to being ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Criminal Judge Henry F. Floyd

Officials who allegedly instructed police to not intervene during the “Unite the Right” rally are nevertheless entitled to immunity against claims brought by a person who was allegedly attacked by protestors. Background Robert Sanchez Turner was attacked by protesters at ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Civil Rights Judge Henry F. Floyd

Parties who entered into settlement agreements with the city of Baltimore arising out of alleged police misconduct will no longer be bound by a gag clause routinely included in those agreements after the court held the clause was unenforceable and ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Constitutional Judge Henry F. Floyd

A defendant convicted of several drug related crimes failed to demonstrate the underlying crime stemmed from multiple conspiracies, as opposed to a single conspiracy charged by the government. Background A jury convicted Germaine Cannady of conspiracy to distribute and possession ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Criminal Judge Henry F. Floyd

A defendant was not entitled to a departure from the mandatory minimum sentence based on his completion of a term of imprisonment on a related offense because no congressional statute authorizes a departure from the mandatory minimum sentence on this ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Criminal Judge Henry F. Floyd

Officers were not entitled to qualified immunity on plaintiff’s excessive force claims where they may not have fired any shots at plaintiff’s vehicle until the vehicle had already passed them because there was no longer an immediate risk to their ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Civil Rights Judge Henry F. Floyd

The likelihood that a former gang member would be tortured if removed to his home country because of his gang-related tattoos depended on the total risk of torture posed by rival gangs, anti-gang vigilantes and police forces in the aggregate. ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Immigration Judge Henry F. Floyd

Disputed evidence on whether an employee who struggles with mobility could have performed her job without extensive travel, whether the employer lacked a reasonable belief she could engage in such travel and whether she was terminated because of her disability ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Employment Discrimination Judge Henry F. Floyd