A federal district court did not have jurisdiction to review the Coast Guard’s bond fixed for release of a detained ship under investigation for potential violations of certain ocean pollution prevention statutes; the 4th Circuit reverses the district court order ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Administrative Judge Stephanie Dawn Thacker

A plaintiff who operated a “Diabetes Warrior” website advising on the “Paleolithic” diet for diabetics can sue on a First Amendment claim after a state agency that licenses dieticians sent him a “red-pen” review of “areas of concern” that could ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Civil Rights Judge Stephanie Dawn Thacker

An employee of a chain-store distribution center who filed his disability discrimination claim with the EEOC before he filed his Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition has standing to pursue his discrimination claim, the 4th Circuit says, but the claim has no ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Employment Discrimination Judge Stephanie Dawn Thacker

A chief warrant officer in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves, who left his job as a municipal waste manager for periods of active service with the Coast Guard, waited too long to file his suit under the Uniform Services Employment ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Employment Judge Stephanie Dawn Thacker

A gas company seeking to expand its natural gas substation in Prince George’s County, Md., cannot challenge the county’s denial of their request in this federal lawsuit; the 4th Circuit affirms the district court decision dismissing the company’s claim under ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Stephanie Dawn Thacker Land Use & Zoning

Although defendant had a long history of mental illness and questionable capacity to represent himself at his trial on drug and firearm charges, the district court applied the correct standard and its decision to allow the pro se representation and ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Criminal Judge Stephanie Dawn Thacker

Exigent circumstances did not justify an officer’s warrantless entry into a locked closet in the home of a man who had been removed from the home in response to a domestic violence call; the 4th Circuit said a report by ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Stephanie Dawn Thacker Search & Seizure

A former employee of an American Red Cross Chapter has no grounds for his suit alleging disability discrimination based on his allegations that he was expected to exceed a 15-pound limit on lifting due to his back pain and was ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Employment Discrimination Judge Stephanie Dawn Thacker

The 4th Circuit upholds dismissal of a putative class action complaint filed by plaintiff homeowners alleging defendant Louisiana-Pacific Corporation negligently designed and manufactured Trimboard, a composite building product used for exterior trim in homes plaintiffs purchased. The district court dismissed ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Stephanie Dawn Thacker Products Liability

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The newest member of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is formally joining the court after a swearing-in ceremony in West Virginia. Stephanie Dawn Thacker of Hamlin, W.Va., has already heard cases after being confirmed by ...

Tagged with: Federal Courts Judge Stephanie Dawn Thacker