Fourth Circuit

The Fourth Circuit ruled that a Virginia driver's anti-government license plate, 'FTP&ATF,' is protected private speech under the First Amendment. The court found personalized license plates are not government speech and rejected the DMV's claim that the plate was offensive and violative of its content guidelines.

A Maryland synagogue sued Montgomery County, challenging a regulation that prohibits firearm possession within 100 yards of places of worship, claiming it violates the First, Second, and Fourteenth Amendments. The synagogue argues the law hinders its ability to defend against anti-Semitic threats and fulfill religious security obligations, citing Talmudic teachings. The county enacted the regulation to comply with a state Supreme Court ruling that limited local firearm restrictions to specific public assembly areas.

The Fourth Circuit ruled against the Trump administration, allowing detained noncitizens to seek judicial relief in District Courts for unconstitutional immigration detentions. This decision conflicts with the Third Circuit's ruling in Khalil v. President, which denied such jurisdiction to District Courts. The case involves pro-Palestinian scholars, including Georgetown postdoctoral fellow Badar Khan Suri, who argue detention for political views violates the First Amendment.

The Fourth Circuit ruled that a class of Boeing investors failed to provide a valid damages methodology for their securities fraud claims, citing inconsistencies with the Supreme Court's Comcast v. Behrend decision. The investors allege Boeing defrauded them following two 2018-2019 plane crashes and subsequent safety violations, but the court found their proposed out-of-pocket damages calculation insufficient.

A U.S. Fourth Circuit panel denied legal immunity to former Salvadoran colonel Mario Reyes Mena for allegedly ordering the 1982 extrajudicial killings of four Dutch journalists. The court ruled that acts violating international norms like summary executions cannot claim foreign official immunity, advancing a case under the Torture Victims Protection Act brought by the brother of one victim.

A former Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge was fined $5,000 for obstructing ICE officers attempting to arrest a man outside her courtroom. The judge was convicted of obstruction but acquitted on a lesser charge, with her defense arguing she followed judicial policy to handle ICE encounters.

A federal judge upheld the felony obstruction conviction of Hannah Dugan, a former Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge, after she was found guilty of obstructing ICE officers. Dugan's appeal argued judicial immunity, but the court denied her motion for a new trial, citing a recent Fourth Circuit ruling in United States v. Hernandez that narrowed the definition of 'pending proceeding.'