Petitions and applications docketed on December 09, 2025
type Caption Docket No Court Below Petitioner's Counsel Counsel's Address Recent Filings QP
paid Jeffrey Andrews v.

United States

25-668 Second Circuit, No. 24-1479

Judgment: March 19, 2025

Charles Timothy Yates Pacific Legal Foundation 555 Capitol Mall, Suite 1290 Sacramento, CA 95814 [Main Document] [Appendix] [Petition]
Question(s) presentedQUESTION PRESENTED

Petitioner Jeffrey Andrews resides on his family farm in Connecticut. His farm contains a short reach of an unnamed tributary to the Farm River, but no portion of the farm has a continuous surface water connection to that tributary or to the Farm River.

In 2020, the United States—acting on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency—brought an en- forcement action alleging that Mr. Andrews’ earth- moving projects to improve his farm disturbed wet- lands that qualify as “navigable waters” under the Clean Water Act.

In Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, 598 U.S. 651 (2028), this Court held that EPA may only regulate those wetlands that are “as a practical mat- ter indistinguishable” from covered waters. The Sec- ond Circuit nevertheless upheld EKPA’s authority over Mr. Andrews’ farm by omitting Sackett’s indistin- suishability requirement, and by holding that, even after Sackett, EPA may regulate wetlands lacking a continuous surface water connection to covered wa- ters.

The question presented is:

Was the Second Circuit correct to uphold Clean Water Act authority over wetlands that are not “asa practical matter indistinguishable” from covered wa- ters?

paid Timothy Rosin v.

Kimberly Hill

25-669 Fourth Circuit, No. 24-2025

Judgment: September 02, 2025

Timothy Rosin 6000 Arbutus Lane Clinton, MD 20735 [Petition] [Appendix]
Question(s) presented1 QUESTIONS PRESENTED 1. Whether Rosin’s involuntary transfer was: 1) an administrative transfer, or 2) a | punitive/disciplinary demotion? 2. Whether a_ certified public-school principal possesses a _ constitutionally protected property interest in his professional rank and salary, - in light of Maryland Education Article § 6-202, such . that a punitive/disciplinary demotion—reducing title, | authority, and compensation—without written notice violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process ) . Clause? 3. Whether a local school board’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which does not expressly require written notice, can supersede a clear and controlling State statute — specifically Maryland Educational Article § 6-202 — which mandates written notice? 4. Whether a superintendent can demote a : certified public-school principal having only provided vague, conclusory, and subjective rationales—such as : “failure to evolve’—without specific charges or factual explanation, in contravention of Cleveland ; Board of Education v. Loudermill, 470 U.S. 532 | (1985)? | . i
ifp Gary Allen Kachina v.

United States

25-6319 Eighth Circuit, No. 25-1173

Judgment: July 24, 2025

Gary Allen Kachina 4439 Monroe St. NE Minneapolis, MN 55421 [Petition] [Appendix]
Question(s) presentedQUESTION enTSENTED Does A Appellate Court Error_or Committ A Structutal Zor when meng A Dishonest Opinion Concluding That The APPelladTS Claims OF Judicial Bias 15 inadeQuaTe Iv Supported When The Record Shaws The DistTricT cdurT sli SAS AH ons Grid Conduct, QverwhelHingly DiSSiay The. Muty Extreme Case SF Sad cea Bias fo ti! rdint ot _seing Comiaal Actions BY The District Court Juclje - TWO. ue Does A Appellate Court paney Dispiay Judicial Bias winen Making A YiShonesT Opinion Stating thar a Preponderaumke oF the Evidence Suppor ret} The STrict Courts determination Tht Appellant vislatedasrecial Condition of His Su pervisi On, When “No Evidence’ was Petr presented oc Testitied, Te Suppor The District? (ourTs Mau yeMent Thor Appeiiant Lek Park Avenue 7 texTMeny . Wrthwwl. Approval And Wos Nischarged ” And The ii/ | Evidence Presented The Case watJ Proven persured “TESTIMONY BYU.S Prabation OFFiCer Laura Krier > . Daesd Appei\ate Coury Error ina Opinion When \ \ , . Fineling That “The Manner in WhichThe ReVacertion ae Hear WES Canclucted do NoTJupporT Revert Sai | VN \ When She RecardShows Petitioner Had Literiy. NO aa ale Revocation Hearing AY Aj\ wWaS8ThS CUMUIENVE Error J . T
ifp Dean Spencer v.

Utah

25-6320 Court of Appeals of Utah, No. 20230863-CA

Judgment: May 08, 2025

Dallas Brent Young Utah County Public Defender Association 5152 N. Edgewood Dr., Suite 300 Provo, UT 84604 [Petition]
Question(s) presentedQUESTION PRESENTED
  1. In an alcohol DUI prosecution where the only question was if Mr. Spencer’s BAC was above Utah’s then-applicable per se threshold of 0.08, two toxicologists testified to Mr. Spencer’s BAC according to their respective toxicological analysis. One testified that his BAC was 0.79, and the other testified that it was 0.08. Both testified that both results were within known measurement errors and were correct measurements. The question 1s whether this evidence was sufficient to find beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Spencer’s BAC was 0.80 or above.

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ifp Wenlasombo Ilboudo v.

United States

25-6321 Eighth Circuit, No. 25-1694

Judgment: July 10, 2025

Steven J. Wright Law Office of Steven J. Wright 331 Second Ave South Suite 705 Minneapolis, MN 55401 [Petition] [Appendix]
Question(s) presentedQuestion Presented for Review Whether a defendant who speaks no English may properly be determined to have waived his right to appeal a substantively unreasonable sentence without the district court engaging in discussion to ensure that the defendant is knowingly waiving his right. 1
ifp Donald Irving Hill, Jr. v.

United States

25-6323 Fifth Circuit, No. 24-30677

Judgment: September 03, 2025

Dustin Talbot Federal Public Defender 102 Versailles Blvd. Ste. 816 Lafayette, LA 70501 [Petition] [Appendix]
Question(s) presentedQUESTIONS PRESENTED
  1. Is the lifetime ban on possession of firearms by all felons, codified at 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), plainly unconstitutional on its face under New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, 597 U.S. 1 (2022), because it is permanent and applies to all persons convicted of felonies?

  2. Whether 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), the federal statute that prohibits anyone who has been convicted of “a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year’ from possessing a firearm, violates the Second Amendment as applied to individuals with convictions for nonviolent drug trafficking offenses?

1

ifp Craig Edward Hunnicutt, Jr. v.

United States

25-6324 Sixth Circuit, No. 24-1831, 24-1836

Judgment: September 19, 2025

Martin James Beres 42211 Garfield, #146 Clinton Township, MI 48038 [Petition] [Appendix]
Question(s) presentedQUESTIONS PRESENTED

I. Whether the Sixth Circuit decision affirming Mr. Hunnicutt’s supervised release violation and new law convictions, improperly upheld the clearly erroneous factual findings of the district court that were critical and material to his claim of self-defense?

IT. Whether the district court district court abused its discretion at Mr. Hunnicutt’s sentencing proceeding and imposed a procedurally unreasonable sentence upon him where it erroneously determined that he did not act in self-defense, improperly applied an enhancement, and considered other irrelevant, inaccurate, or uncorroborated information 1n imposing an upward variant sentence upon him?

III. Whether the district court district court abused its discretion at Mr. Hunnicutt’s sentencing proceeding and imposed a substantively unreasonable sentence upon him where it varied upward and made his sentence consecutive, and placed inordinate weight on Mr. Hunnicutt’s history and characteristics, offense facts and the need to punish, in sentencing him to a custodial term of 130-months?

IV. Whether the district court’s 70-month sentence upon Mr. Hunnicutt resulted in a sentencing disparity with those similarly situated nationally?

V. Whether the district court’s reasons for imposition of sentence on Mr. Hunnicutt’s supervised release violation included prohibited factors, including, the seriousness of the offense, promoting respect for the law, and just punishment, contrary to the holding of Esteras v. United States, 606 U.S. 185 (2025)?

LIST OF PARTIES All parties appear in the caption of the case on the cover page. 1

ifp Steven R. DeWitt v.

Ceressa Haney

25-6325 Eleventh Circuit, No. 23-11203

Judgment: May 12, 2025

Eddie Travis Ramey Appellate Advocacy Clinic University of Alabama School of Law Box 870392, 110 Paul W. Bryant Drive, East Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 [Main Document] [Lower Court Orders/Opinions] [Lower Court Orders/Opinions] [Petition] [Appendix]
Question(s) presentedQUESTIONS PRESENTED

The judicially created doctrine of qualified immunity shields government offi- cials from liability for constitutional misconduct under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 so long as they do not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which every reasonable officer would have known. This doctrine contradicts the text of § 1983, relying on policy concerns instead of the statutory text or the historical com- mon law immunities it allegedly incorporated. The courts of appeals have also splin- tered, disagreeing about when a right 1s “clearly established.” Moreover, the typical immunity-first approach to judicial decisions impedes the development of “clearly es- tablished” rights altogether. All courts of appeals but the Eleventh Circuit, however, agree that a robust consensus of persuasive authority can render a right clearly es- tablished. The First, Fifth, Seventh, Ninth, and Eleventh circuits have held that there is a constitutional right, under the First Amendment, to record government officials’ activities in public places.

The questions presented are:

  1. Should the Court abolish or substantially reform qualified immunity?
  2. If qualified immunity survives, what constitutes a clearly established right?
  3. If qualified immunity survives, 1s the right to record government officials on

publicly accessible property clearly established?

PARTIES TO THE PROCEEDING Petitioner is Steven R. DeWitt. Respondents are Ceressa Haney, Trent Sexton, and Melanie Pretti. 1

ifp Eric Lebron Burney v.

United States

25-6326 Sixth Circuit, No. 24-5613

Judgment: July 09, 2025

Erin Alix Phillippi Rust Federal Defender Services of Eastern TN, Inc. 605 Chestnut Street Suite 1310 Chattanooga, TN 37450 [Main Document] [Lower Court Orders/Opinions] [Petition] [Appendix]
Question(s) presentedQUESTION PRESENTED FOR REVIEW By April of 2019 both the state of Tennessee and the federal government excluded low-THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) marijuana from the definition of illegal “marijuana” as a controlled substance. That resulted in the proliferation of legal, low-THC marijuana products (often termed “hemp” by statute), which look, smell, and smoke the same as the illegal, high-THC variant of the same plant. The question presented here 1s: Does the smell of legal, low-THC marijuana provide probable cause for law enforcement to conduct an extensive search behind the internal framing and upholstery of an automobile?

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ifp Thelonious Wayne Kirby v.

United States

25-6327 Eleventh Circuit, No. 24-10142

Judgment: August 26, 2025

Matthew D. Cavender Office of the Federal Defender (MDFL) 201 South Orange Ave Suite 300 Orlando, FL 32801 [Main Document] [Lower Court Orders/Opinions] NA
ifp Tommie Slack v.

United States

25-6329 Ninth Circuit, No. 24-2404

Judgment: June 09, 2025

Bret Uhrich Walker Heye, PLLC 1333 Columbia Park Trail Ste, 220 Richland, WA 99352 [Petition] [Appendix]
Question(s) presentedQUESTION PRESENTED FOR REVIEW In County. Ct. of Ulster County., N. Y. v. Allen, 442 U.S. 140, 161 (1979), this Court affirmed jury instructions establishing that constructive possession of a contraband cannot “exist without the intent and ability to exercise control or dominion over the weapons.” The Court further identified that the Section 922(g¢)’s prohibition on possession of a firearm applied to actual and constructive possession alike in Henderson v. United States. 575 U.S. 622, 626 (2015).

The question presented here is:

  1. Whether establishing constructive possession of a location is sufficient to establish constructive possession of contraband found in the location occupied by multiple people.

1

app Marzet Farris, III v.

Ryan Thornell, Director, Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry

25A670 Ninth Circuit, No. 25-2553

Judgment: —

Marzet Farris III 300210 ASPC - Yuma, Cheyenne Unit P.O. Box 8909 San Luis, AZ 85349 [Main Document] NA
app Emanuel Johnson, Sr. v.

Ricky D. Dixon, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections

25A671 Eleventh Circuit, No. 25-10943, 25-10947

Judgment: —

Katherine Ann Blair Capital Habeas Unit Federal Public Defender NDFla 227 N. Bronough St., Ste. 4200 Tallahassee, FL 32301 [Main Document] [Lower Court Orders/Opinions] [Lower Court Orders/Opinions] NA
app Michael Sharpe v.

Connecticut

25A672 Supreme Court of Connecticut, No. SC 20815

Judgment: —

Tobias Samuel Loss-Eaton Sidley Austin LLP 1501 K Street NW Washington, DC 20005 [Main Document] [Lower Court Orders/Opinions] NA
app Republican National Committee v.

Mi Familia Vota

25A673 Ninth Circuit, No. 24-3188, 24-4029

Judgment: —

Kory Alan Langhofer Statecraft PLLC 649 North Fourth Avenue, First Floor Phoenix, AZ 85003 [Main Document] NA
app Arizona v.

Mi Familia Vota

25A674 Ninth Circuit, No. 24-3188, 24-3559, 24-4029

Judgment: —

Joshua David Rothenberg Bendor Office of the Arizona Attorney General 2005 N. Central Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85004 [Main Document] [Lower Court Orders/Opinions] NA
app United States v.

Leopoldo Rivera-Valdes

25A675 Ninth Circuit, No. 21-30177

Judgment: —

D. John Sauer Solicitor General United States Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001 [Main Document] [Lower Court Orders/Opinions] NA
app Jimmy ONeal Spencer v.

Alabama

25A676 Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, No. CR-2022-1280

Judgment: —

Angela Leigh Setzer 122 Commerce Street Montgomery, AL 36104 [Main Document] [Lower Court Orders/Opinions] NA
app Evan Norman v.

Lee Ingle

25A677 Fifth Circuit, No. 24-20431

Judgment: —

Daniel Hirotsu Woofter Russell & Woofter LLC 1701 Pennsylvania Ave NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20006 [Main Document] NA
app Thurmond McDonald v.

Florida

25A678 District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District, No. 4D2025-1010

Judgment: —

Joseph A. DiRuzzo III Margulis Gelfand DiRuzzo & Lambson 500 East Broward Blvd. Suite 900 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33394 [Main Document] NA
app Matthew Lee Pelton v.

United States

25A679 Ninth Circuit, No. 23-3242

Judgment: —

Darlene Bagley Comstedt Law Office of Darlene Bagley Comstedt 2358 Market Street San Francisco, CA 94114 [Main Document] [Lower Court Orders/Opinions] NA
app MFN Partners, LP v.

New York State Teamsters Conference and Retirement Fund

25A680 Third Circuit, No. 25-1421

Judgment: —

Derek L. Shaffer Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP 1300 I Street NW, Suite 900 Washington, DC 20005 [Main Document] NA