sua-sponte

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Case Title Lower Court Docketed Status Flags Tags Question Presented
25-820 Comcast Cable Communications, LLC v. WhereverTV, Inc. Federal Circuit 2026-01-12 Pending Amici (1)Response Waived appellate-procedure circuit-split jurisdictional-issue party-presentation sua-sponte waiver Whether a court of appeals may override the principle of party presentation by deciding sua sponte a non jurisdictional issue that a party deliberatel…
25-6484 Donald N. S. Mortvedt v. Charles E. Clawson, III, et al. Eighth Circuit 2026-01-06 Pending IFP due-process fourteenth-amendment parental-liberty pro-se section-1983 sua-sponte 1. Whether the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment excludes equity from jurisdiction over deprivations of liberty, including parental liber…
25A531 John Koe, aka Nicholas Krudy v. University Hospitals Health System, Inc., et al. Sixth Circuit 2025-11-07 Application appellate-procedure jurisdictional-dismissal merits-determination party-presentation procedural-rule sua-sponte Whether a federal appellate court can sua sponte dismiss a case without notice or opportunity to be heard when characterizing a procedural rule as jur…
25A530 John Koe, aka Nicholas Krudy v. University Hospitals Health System, Inc., et al. Sixth Circuit 2025-11-07 Application appellate-procedure due-process jurisdictional-rule merits-determination party-presentation sua-sponte Whether a sua sponte dismissal without notice or opportunity to be heard, based on a procedural rule characterized as jurisdictional, violates due pro…
25-5429 Anthony Brian Walker v. United States Tenth Circuit 2025-08-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP affirmative-defense criminal-procedure jury-instructions self-defense sua-sponte substantial-evidence 1. In a criminal prosecution, when an affirmative defense—such as imperfect self-defense—is supported by substantial evidence, does the trial court ha…
25A30 Humberto Andres Maldonado v. Eric Guerrero, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice Fifth Circuit 2025-07-08 Application certificate-of-appealability federal-district-court habeas-corpus procedural-bar statute-of-limitations sua-sponte Whether a federal district court's sua sponte denial of a certificate of appealability based on the statute of limitations constitutes an abuse of dis…
24-1300 Andrew John Blount v. Joan Michelle Blount Texas 2025-06-24 Denied community-property due-process evidentiary-burden fourteenth-amendment property-rights sua-sponte Whether a state appellate court violates the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause by sua sponte imposing an unargued, heightened evidentiary burd…
24-1195 In Re Symon Mandawala 2025-05-22 Denied civil-procedure jurisdiction motion-to-dismiss rule-12(b)(6) service-of-process sua-sponte Whether a district court itself can invoke a motion to dismiss sua sponte under Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure in a civil case …
24-6976 Domingo Agustin-Simon, aka Pedro Sanchez-Mendez v. United States Ninth Circuit 2025-04-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP alien-smuggling arms-length-agreement downward-departure sentencing-guidelines sua-sponte u-s-c-3553 Whether U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Section 2A4.1(b)(1) applies to an arms-length alien smuggling agreement and whether a district court must sua spont…
24-680 Dennis G. Collins, et al. v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Eighth Circuit 2024-12-26 Denied appellate-procedure civil-procedure district-court rule-9b sua-sponte waiver Whether a United States Court of Appeals can sua sponte affirm a district court's judgment on Rule 9(b) and other grounds that were waived on appeal w…
24-5301 Derek J. DeGroot v. Wisconsin Department of Corrections, et al. Seventh Circuit 2024-08-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP equitable-exception federal-court jurisdictional-limitation mootness rluipa sua-sponte Whether the doctrine of mootness remains a jurisdictional limitation given equitable exceptions and the 'capable of repetition yet evading review' sta…
24-5160 Duane Leo Ehmer, Darryl William Thorn, and Jake Ryan v. United States Ninth Circuit 2024-07-29 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP criminal-procedure criminal-prosecution ex-parte jury-selection jury-trial petty-offenses presley-v-georgia sixth-amendment structural-error sua-sponte Whether the district court's sua sponte, ex parte, and case-specific excusal of trial jurors for cause constituted reversible structural error?
23-1356 Justin K. Holder v. Mark Duvall Thomas Fourth Circuit 2024-06-28 Denied civil-procedure civil-rights due-process federal-statute injunctive-relief pro-se standing sua-sponte subject-matter-jurisdiction Did the District Court judge error in law, or abuse his discretion when he sua sponte dismissed Petitioner's pro se complaint for lack of subject matt…
23A1156 Rona J. Adeoye v. Clayton County DFCS Employees, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2024-06-25 Presumed Complete appellate-procedure court-of-appeals dismissal jurisdiction pro-se sua-sponte Whether a pro se litigant's procedural challenges to a sua sponte dismissal by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals for lack of jurisdiction warrant …
23-1253 McLaughlin Freight Services, Inc. v. ContiTech USA, Inc. Eighth Circuit 2024-05-31 Denied civil-procedure claim-processing claim-processing-rules federal-rules-of-civil-procedure judgment judgment-amendment nutraceutical-corp-v-lambert remittitur rule-59 sua-sponte time-limitation Can a district court disregard Rule 59's claim-processing rule by sua sponte remitting and amending a judgment more than nine months after Rule 59's t…
23A871 Pushpa Shekar v. PHH Mortgage Group Illinois 2024-04-01 Presumed Complete federal-jurisdiction judicial-misconduct mortgage-servicing removal state-court sua-sponte Whether a state supreme court can improperly interfere with federal court jurisdiction by sua sponte remanding a previously removed case without legal…
23-1057 Paul Johnson v. Matthew Tepper Texas 2024-03-27 Denied Response Waived appellate-procedure civil-rights due-process free-speech judicial-neutrality party-presentation pro-se pro-se-plaintiff sua-sponte sua-sponte-arguments supreme-court-review Whether the United States Supreme Court will review the actions of a Texas Court of Appeals, which departed from its role as a neutral arbiter by enga…
23A855 Willie James Pye v. Tyrone Oliver, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Corrections, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2024-03-20 Denied due-process equal-protection preliminary-injunction res-judicata section-1983 sua-sponte Whether a federal court may sua sponte raise a procedural affirmative defense to deny preliminary injunctive relief without considering the movant's l…
23-7041 Willie James Pye v. Tyrone Oliver, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Corrections, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2024-03-20 Denied IFP civil-rights due-process equal-protection preliminary-injunction procedural-defense res-judicata section-1983 stay-of-execution sua-sponte Whether a federal court may raise a procedural affirmative defense sua sponte in the absence of any special circumstances, and, if so, whether it may …
23-1015 Norman Seabrook v. United States Second Circuit 2024-03-15 Denied Response Waived 28-usc-2255 habeas-corpus habeas-law ineffective-assistance judicial-recusal light-most-favorable notice-and-hearing procedural-due-process sixth-amendment sua-sponte sua-sponte-dismissal Did the District Court's sua sponte denial of Petitioner's habeas petition alleging ineffectiveness of trial counsel violate habeas procedural law?
23A700 Cyrus Sanai v. Alex Villanueva Ninth Circuit 2024-01-30 Presumed Complete appellate-disentitlement district-court due-process habeas-corpus procedural-default sua-sponte Whether a federal district court may sua sponte dismiss a habeas petition on procedural default grounds without providing the petitioner an opportunit…
23-6604 Nicole Johnson v. Massachusetts Department of Children and Families Massachusetts 2024-01-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP 7th-amendment best-interests child-custody due-process jury-trial massachusetts-rule-38 parental-rights sua-sponte termination termination-of-parental-rights Whether the petitioner's right to due process and 7th amendment right and Massachusetts rule 38 Jury Trial of Right was violated
23A579 Deonte Marques Curry v. United States Fourth Circuit 2023-12-22 Presumed Complete appellate-review final-judgment plain-error preservation-of-error rule-52b sua-sponte Whether the exception to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 52(b) applies to a district court's sua sponte amendment of a final judgment when a defend…
23-6256 Kenneth Ray Brabham v. Florida Florida 2023-12-14 Denied IFP civil-rights constitutional-violation due-process judicial-discretion judicial-misconduct prosecutorial-misconduct structural-defect structural-error sua-sponte trial-procedure Whether a trial judge's sua sponte actions create the appearance of partiality
23-595 Peter R. Hall v. Michael J. Geoffrey Fulton, et al. Delaware 2023-12-05 Denied Response Waived civil-rights due-process foreign-corrupt-practices-act fraud fraudulent-concealment misrepresentation state-sponsored-fraud sua-sponte treaty-obligations When a Delaware court has ruled that a Delaware company committed 'a clear act of fraudulent concealment' on a foreign court and has also ruled there …
23-6083 Chalmer Detling, II, aka Chuck Detling v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2023-11-21 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP appellate-review due-process judicial-procedure notice notice-requirement opportunity-to-be-heard speedy-trial-act sua-sponte summary-reversal supervisory-power Was the panel's decision proper in light of Day v. McDonough?
23-536 Kendall Merlo v. Ingrid Warren, Presiding Judge, Probate Court No. 2, Dallas County, Texas Texas 2023-11-20 Denied Response Waived competency competency-hearing due-process estate-law guardian-ad-litem judicial-procedure notice pleadings probate-court sua-sponte Does a state trial court violate due process by appointing a guardian ad litem for the adult beneficiary of an estate, who is presumed to be competent…
23-5865 Jason Dix v. United States Fourth Circuit 2023-10-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-procedure appellate-review burden-of-proof constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process harmless-error separation-of-powers sua-sponte Whether an appellate court may relieve a government party of its burden to show that a favorable error is harmless, decide the issue sua sponte, and t…
23-5651 Harry J. Williby v. Sergey Brin, et al. Ninth Circuit 2023-09-26 Dismissed Relisted (2)IFP 14th-amendment 28-U.S.C-455(a) district-court due-process judge judicial-ethics recusal section-455 sua-sponte Does a District Court Judge violate a litigant's right to Due Process, under the 14th Amendment, when the District Court Judge rules on a recusal moti…
23-223 Charles J. Jenkins v. TriWest Healthcare Alliance, et al. Fifth Circuit 2023-09-08 Denied Response Waived civil-rights court-procedure due-process federal-circuit federal-courts judicial-authority judicial-review rule-56 separation-of-powers stare-decisis sua-sponte whether-the-triumvirate-overstepped-their-authority
22-1235 Brandon E. Ogbolu v. Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, et al. Second Circuit 2023-06-23 Denied Response Waived civil-rights constitutional-duty disability-discrimination due-process emotional-distress felony-conduct pro-se public-interest standing sua-sponte Whether lower courts have a constitutional duty to sua sponte assess all unlawful conduct and harm to the public interest
22-1120 Paula Parisi v. Peter C. Anderson, United States Trustee for Region 16 Ninth Circuit 2023-05-16 Denied Response Waived 11-usc-chapter-11 28-usc-158 bankruptcy bankruptcy-appeal chapter-11-proceeding debtor-in-possession district-court-jurisdiction self-representation sua-sponte sua-sponte-designation united-states-trustee Discretion to designate U.S. trustee as appellee
22-7540 Harry Cole v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-05-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review burden-of-proof criminal-procedure district-court due-process essential-element jurisdiction jurisdictional-concept sua-sponte venue Whether venue is only a jurisdictional concept rather than essential element of an offense that must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt
22-1105 Carlo Giuseppe Civelli, et al. v. JPMorgan Chase Securities, L.L.C., et al. Fifth Circuit 2023-05-11 Denied Response Waived appellate-procedure appellate-review civil-procedure fifth-circuit notice notice-requirement preservation sua-sponte summary-judgment trial-court Whether an appellate court may sua sponte raise grounds for summary judgment, which were not noticed or preserved in the trial court
22-7454 In Re Reginald Swinton 2023-05-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-procedure case-law circuit-court discretionary-review due-process habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mandate statutory-interpretation sua-sponte Is the Circuit Court's order an abuse of discretion?
22-1058 John L. Roseman, Sr. v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Sixth Circuit 2023-05-02 Denied Response Waived 42-usc-1981 42-usc-1982 civil-procedure civil-rights constitutional-rights due-process judicial-procedure pro-se-pleadings standing sua-sponte Whether motion-initiated 'sua sponte' dismissal was proper
22-970 James H. Griffith, Jr., dba CJ's Sports Bar, et al. v. Joe Hand Promotions, Inc. Sixth Circuit 2023-04-07 Denied copyright-act copyright-infringement de-novo-review exclusive-licensing idea-of-work licensing-rights right-to-sue sua-sponte summary-judgment tangible-medium Whether the plain language of the US Copyright Act authorizes the exclusive licensing of rights in an idea before it is fixed in a tangible medium
22-934 Dale Sundby, Trustee v. Marquee Funding Group, Inc., et al. Ninth Circuit 2023-03-24 Denied civil-procedure court-of-appeal due-process judgment party-presentation precedential-ruling property-rights standing sua-sponte trustee-representation Can the court of appeal ignore its own precedential rulings
22-900 Ganiyu Ayinla Jaiyeola v. Robert Allen Brundage Sixth Circuit 2023-03-16 Denied Response Waived civil-procedure diversity-jurisdiction due-process federal-courts federal-jurisdiction procedural-fairness standing sua-sponte subject-matter-jurisdiction Whether a District Court can nullify an existing diversity jurisdiction by doing sua sponte conversion of one of Plaintiff's two witnesses into Plaint…
22-6665 Orlando Cortez-Nieto and Jesus Cervantes-Aguilar v. United States Tenth Circuit 2023-01-31 Denied IFP criminal-procedure double-jeopardy due-process judicial-discretion jury-instructions lesser-included-offenses post-trial-convictions sua-sponte Whether a court may sua sponte enter post-trial convictions on lesser-included offenses that the jury had no authority to return
22-6654 Roland Cummings v. Maine Maine 2023-01-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP due-process fourteenth-amendment ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel post-conviction-review prejudice sixth-amendment sua-sponte Whether the Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial and Fourteenth Amendment right to due process are satisfied by an appellate court's summary conclusi…
22-6593 Steven C. Heiser v. Ricky D. Dixon, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2023-01-23 Denied Response RequestedRelisted (2)IFP abuse-of-discretion certificate-of-appealability certiorari-jurisdiction due-process habeas-corpus limitations-defense party-presentation statute-of-limitations sua-sponte Did the district court abuse its discretion when it sua sponte dismissed Heiser's habeas petition by overriding the state's deliberate waiver of the l…
22-6122 Danny Wayne Alcoser v. Kathryne Ford, et al. Fifth Circuit 2022-11-21 Denied Relisted (2)IFP civil-procedure civil-rights due-process federal-rules-of-civil-procedure fifth-circuit judicial-discretion rule-15 standing sua-sponte supervisory-power Whether the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals departed from the accepted and usual course of judicial proceedings
22-5790 David Delva v. United States Second Circuit 2022-10-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-counsel due-process fifth-amendment ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel precedent section-2255 sua-sponte warrantless-seizure Whether appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to argue that Petitioner's Fifth Amendment right to be heard and due process were violated when …
22-5773 Roland Ma v. Gallery Belltown Condo Association Washington 2022-10-05 Denied IFP civil-procedure court-order due-process judicial-procedure notice-and-opportunity-to-object notice-requirement standing sua-sponte vexatious-litigant Whether the state courts erred in entering a sua sponte vexatious litigant order without notice and an opportunity to object
22-5734 Timothy W. Saunders v. Terry Raybon, Warden Eleventh Circuit 2022-10-03 Denied Relisted (3)IFP appellate-procedure certificate-of-appealability circuit-split due-process gatekeeping-function habeas-corpus statutory-interpretation sua-sponte Question not identified
22-5556 Mehmet Ali Whicker v. Washington Washington 2022-09-12 Denied IFP arbitrary-action arbitrary-and-capricious civil-procedure constitutional-rights due-process extraordinary-circumstances jury-instructions legal-procedure standing state-court sua-sponte Whether the Court violated due process by reaching a sua sponte answer to a question not presented
21-8175 Adrian Castro v. United States Fifth Circuit 2022-06-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-procedure certificate-of-appealability court-of-appeals due-process government-objection habeas-corpus judicial-discretion procedural-jurisdiction sua-sponte sua-sponte-review Whether the Court of Appeals may sua sponte raise an alleged inadequacy of its own Certificate of Appealability after the parties have fully briefed t…
21-8022 William Dew v. S. Columbia Terrace, LLC, et al. Third Circuit 2022-06-01 Denied Relisted (2)IFP circuit-split civil-procedure civil-rights discrimination due-process factual-deficiencies motion-to-dismiss neitzke-v-williams pleadings pro-se sua-sponte Whether the district court may dismiss a non-prisoner pro se complaint sua sponte basis of factual deficiencies in complaint or must wait until defend…
21-1468 Erickson Meko Campbell v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2022-05-23 Denied appellate-procedure appellate-review circuit-court civil-procedure constitutional-law due-process judicial-discretion party-presentation sineneng-smith standing sua-sponte Whether a court of appeals violates the principle of party presentation
21-1383 Alejandro Asbun v. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services North Carolina 2022-04-26 Denied Response Waived due-process equal-protection fourteenth-amendment government-activities property-interest state-courts state-created-property sua-sponte whistleblower-protection whistleblower-protections Whether the Due Process Clause protects a state-created property interest in whistleblower protections
21-1329 Estate of Geraldine F. Jennings, et al. v. Gulfshore Private Home Care, LLC Eleventh Circuit 2022-04-05 Denied Response Waived appellate-jurisdiction civil-procedure due-process final-judgment notice notice-requirement sua-sponte sua-sponte-vacatur vacatur Whether a district court has the power to sua sponte vacate a final judgment without notice to the parties
21-1135 Goyko Gustav Kuburovich v. United States Ninth Circuit 2022-02-16 Denied Response Waived bankruptcy bankruptcy-fraud criminal-procedure due-process false-statements federal-prosecution fraud jury-instructions jury-unanimity statutory-interpretation sua-sponte Whether a district court has an obligation to issue a sua sponte jury unanimity instruction when a criminal defendant is prosecuted for a single count…
21-1119 Paul Francis v. John O. Desmond, United States Trustee First Circuit 2022-02-11 Denied Response Waived 11-usc-521 11-usc-727 appellate-review bankruptcy-court bankruptcy-procedure court-of-appeals discharge-denial due-process judicial-discretion statutory-interpretation sua-sponte Whether the First Circuit Court of Appeals committed error when affirming judgment from the Bankruptcy Court Appellate Panel refusing to reverse the B…
21-1015 Angela Cao v. BSI Financial Services, Incorporated, et al. Fifth Circuit 2022-01-19 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2) civil-procedure due-process equal-protection issue-preclusion judicial-power separation-of-powers sua-sponte ultra-vires Whether the lower courts acted ultra vires and the judgments below are void
21-6072 Patsy N. Sakuma v. Association of Apartment Owners of the Tropics of Waikele, et al. Ninth Circuit 2021-10-26 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP civil-procedure civil-rights clause 2 for obstruction-of-justice due-process federal-jurisdiction standing judicial-foreclosure jurisdictional-issue pro-se section-1343 section-1985 sua-sponte Whether a putative claim under 42 U.S.C. §1985(2)
21-531 Jerome D. Lee, Stephen E. Brown-Bennett, and Taylor Lee & Associates LLC v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2021-10-12 Denied Response Waived available-funds civil-procedure cja-vouchers contempt contract-authority due-process fee-inquiry judicial-discretion reimbursement standing statutory-interpretation sua-sponte Did the lower court have the authority to, sua sponte, set aside the petitioners' contracts, and conduct a fee inquiry into whether or not funds were …
21-449 Bilal Abdul Kareem v. William J. Burns, Director, Central Intelligence Agency, et al. District of Columbia 2021-09-23 Denied Response Waived civil-rights d-c-circuit due-process government-media government-transparency judicial-notice online-publication standing sua-sponte technology Whether the D.C. Circuit's decision to dismiss the case based on disputed facts noticed sua sponte and without due process was improper
21-438 Olaf Sööt Design, LLC v. Daktronics, Inc., et al. Federal Circuit 2021-09-22 Denied CVSGAmici (1)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (3) appellate-review claim-construction infringement jury-trial jury-verdict patent patent-law seventh-amendment sua-sponte Whether the Seventh Amendment allows the Federal Circuit to reverse a jury verdict based on a sua sponte new claim construction
20-7671 Ronald E. Johnson v. Derek Schmidt, Attorney General of Kansas, et al. Tenth Circuit 2021-04-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-review criminal-procedure due-process kansas-supreme-court mandatory-minimums mandatory-sentencing sentencing sentencing-modification sixth-amendment statutory-interpretation sua-sponte Was Astorga v. Kansas remanded back to the Kansas Supreme Court for the purpose of correcting with the Mandatory Sentence modification of Hard 40/50 p…
20-7480 Mickey Thomas v. Dexter Payne, Director, Arkansas Department of Correction Eighth Circuit 2021-03-17 Denied Relisted (2)IFP appellate-procedure day-v-mcdonough federal-habeas habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel martinez-v-ryan procedural-default sua-sponte wood-v-milyard Whether a court of appeals can sua sponte raise a habeas defense that a state abandons on appeal
20-6804 Stephen Cometa v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2021-01-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP bona-fide-doubt competency competency-hearing due-process eleventh-circuit irrational-behavior medical-opinions pate-v-robinson sua-sponte trial-competence Whether a district court must conduct a competency hearing sua sponte based on the record evidence
20-694 Eagle Cove Camp & Conference Center, Inc., et al. v. Town of Woodboro, Wisconsin, et al. Wisconsin 2020-11-19 Denied Response Waived due-process equal-protection federal-law judicial-review notice procedural-due-process property property-rights religious-exercise sanctions sua-sponte sua-sponte-analysis Did the Wisconsin courts deprive petitioners of due process by reversing sanctions without notice?
20-516 D'Ann S. McCoy v. Boureima Ouedraogo Pennsylvania 2020-10-20 Denied civil-rights constitutional-rights due-process ex-parte ex-parte-communication family-court judicial-disqualification judicial-jurisdiction jurisdiction sua-sponte Has the Pennsylvania Court System violated the constitutional rights of the Appellant, D'Ann McCoy, through communication ex-parte in a matter without…
20-5917 Eric Malmstrom v. United States First Circuit 2020-10-06 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP civil-procedure competency criminal-law criminal-procedure due-process embassy-communication judicial-discretion mental-competency mental-disease mental-disease-or-defect standing sua-sponte Whether the district court abused its discretion when it failed to sua sponte order a competency evaluation
20-431 John L. Corrigan, Sr. v. Grant County, Washington, et al. Washington 2020-10-05 Denied Response Waived appellate-procedure appellate-review civil-procedure civil-rights due-process fifth-amendment motion-to-dismiss standing sua-sponte summary-judgment Was Corrigan's U.S. Constitutional Fifth Amendment right to due process violated?
20-405 City of Miami Gardens, Florida v. Wells Fargo & Co., et al. Eleventh Circuit 2020-09-29 Denied Amici (2) alabama-legislative-black-caucus article-three circuit-conflict civil-rights discovery due-process standing sua-sponte summary-judgment Whether the Eleventh Circuit's sua sponte dismissal of the case on standing grounds without providing the plaintiff an opportunity for discovery and e…
20-404 In Re John Masiz 2020-09-28 Denied 5th-amendment article-ii article-iii civil-rights consent-decree due-process fifth-amendment securities-law sua-sponte Whether the federal court exceeded its Article III authority by initiating a sua sponte investigation into a defendant's compliance with a consent dec…
20-5826 Chris Anthony George v. Raymond Madden, Warden Ninth Circuit 2020-09-28 Denied IFP appellate-procedure civil-rights due-process habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel party-presentation plea-bargaining pro-se pro-se-petition sua-sponte Whether the Ninth Circuit violated the principle of party presentation by raising and deciding an issue sua sponte in petitioner's habeas appeal
20-208 Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Company v. Ethan Volungis, et al. Ninth Circuit 2020-08-21 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) amendment civil-procedure district-court federal-rules-of-civil-procedure leave-to-amend motion-to-dismiss represented-plaintiff rule-15 sua-sponte Whether Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(a) requires district courts to grant plaintiffs represented by counsel leave to amend their complaint sua s…
20-5388 Michael J. Buck v. Texas Texas 2020-08-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP adversarial-process appeal appeal-waiver appellate-procedure constitutional-rights due-process inherent-powers sua-sponte sua-sponte-dismissal waiver Whether due process requires courts to treat certain claims as unwaivable on appeal, whether due process guarantees a limited right to appeal, and whe…
20-147 Timothy B. Brown v. U.S. Bank National Association, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2020-08-13 Denied adversary-process civil-procedure district-court due-process magistrate magistrate-referral pro-se-litigant res-judicata sua-sponte Does the Supreme Court's ruling in Arizona v. California empower a District Judge to raise the issue of res judicata sua sponte?
20-5110 Gabriel Cardona-Ramirez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-07-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP certificate-of-appealability circuit-conflict collateral-appeal-waiver district-court due-process plea-agreement section-2255 standing sua-sponte Whether a district court has authority to raise a collateral-appeal-waiver sua sponte
20-50 Monica Voss v. Gregory G. Goode Fifth Circuit 2020-07-21 Denied 4th-amendment appellate-review civil-procedure civil-rights clearly-established-right due-process fourth-amendment qualified-immunity section-1983 standing sua-sponte Whether an appellate court may impute third-party actions to a § 1983 claimant as the basis for qualified immunity
19-8882 George Donald Hatt, Jr. v. Washington Washington 2020-07-02 Denied IFP burden-of-proof due-process first-aggressor jury-instruction self-defense sua-sponte substantial-rights sufficiency-of-evidence Did the First Aggcessor Jury Instruction, issued sua sponte, violate due process by celieving the state of its burden to disprove self-defense?
19-1291 Charles Hamner v. Danny Burls, Warden, et al. Eighth Circuit 2020-05-14 Denied Amici (7) affirmative-defense circuit-split civil-procedure civil-rights constitutional-law constitutional-prong due-process federal-appellate-courts qualified-immunity standing state-actors sua-sponte Is qualified immunity an affirmative defense that state actors must assert, as nine circuits hold, or may federal appellate courts raise the defense s…
19-888 Eric A. Longmire v. Warshaw Burstein Cohen Schlesinger & Kuh, LLP New York 2020-01-16 Denied appellate-review civil-procedure due-process employment-discrimination legal-malpractice motion-to-appeal prima-facie procedural-due-process standing sua-sponte Whether the State Appellate Division wrongfully denied Petitioner's Motion for Leave to Appeal
19-5846 Joshua Eric Townley v. Texas Texas 2019-09-06 Denied IFP appellate-procedure appellate-review constitutional-law constitutional-principles criminal-procedure double-jeopardy due-process judicial-discretion new-trial sua-sponte supremacy-clause trial-court trial-procedure whether a trial judge violates the Supremacy and Double Jeopardy Clauses of the United States Constitution
18-9743 Hollins Tizeno v. Gerald Janda, Warden Ninth Circuit 2019-06-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-procedure district-court due-process habeas-corpus judicial-discretion legal-procedure procedural-default standing sua-sponte waiver Whether a district court may sua sponte raise a waived procedural default defense and, if so, under what circumstances is it appropriate to do so.
18-1544 Hallmark Care Services, Inc., et al. v. Superior Court of Washington, Spokane County Washington 2019-06-14 Denied Response Waived appellate-review civil-rights court-appointed-guardian due-process ex-parte fourteenth-amendment guardianship predeprivation-rights professional-guardians property-interest property-rights state-action sua-sponte Whether a court-appointed professional guardian has a property interest in the business expectation of continued fees, and a pre-deprivation right to …
18A1307 James Destry Hamm v. Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2019-06-13 Presumed Complete criminal-conviction due-process equal-protection jury-instructions stalking-statute sua-sponte Whether a trial court's failure to provide complete jury instructions constitutes a due process violation that warrants reversal of a criminal convict…
18-9611 Nicholas D. Weir v. United States, et al. Second Circuit 2019-06-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion appellate-review civil-procedure de-novo-analysis de-novo-review factual-allegation frivolous frivolous-claim frivolous-claims judicial-discretion legal-standard standing sua-sponte sua-sponte-dismissal How does the lower courts rigorously determine if a factual allegation is baseless or frivolous when there is no argument in fact or law to dispute th…
18-9222 Michael Owen Harriot v. Robert Waizenhofer, et al. Fourth Circuit 2019-05-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP 28-usc-1291 civil-procedure court-of-appeals district-court due-process federal-rules-of-civil-procedure judicial-procedure mclaughlin-violation notice-and-opportunity standing statute-of-limitations sua-sponte Whether the Court of Appeals exceeded its authority to affirm a judgment as time barred
18-8363 Joshua G. Stegemann v. United States Second Circuit 2019-03-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP 28-usc-1915 appellate-procedure circuit-court criminal-appeal dismissal federal-rules greenlaw-v-united-states gvr in-forma-pauperis neitzke-v-williams party-presentation-rule sua-sponte sua-sponte-dismissal Whether the Second Circuit may dismiss a criminal appeal sua sponte under Neitzke v. Williams and 28 U.S.C. § 1915 (e) without briefing by any party a…
18-8137 Tanya Steele v. John Pedro, Jr., et al. First Circuit 2019-02-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP anti-harassment civil-rights due-process fair-housing-act jurisdiction sovereign-immunity standing sua-sponte Whether the First Circuit Appeals Court erred in dismissing the case for lack of jurisdiction despite the judge's sua sponte order overriding the lega…
18-7951 Cornell Winfrei McClure v. United States Fourth Circuit 2019-02-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP 2255-motion bench-trial due-process impartiality ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel judicial-recusal sua-sponte waiver-of-jury-trial Should a judge recuse themselves from reviewing a motion challenging their rulings made during a bench trial?
18-7862 Vincent Beatty, aka Jamaal Beatty, aka Vincent Daward Beatty, aka Mozzi v. United States Fourth Circuit 2019-02-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion advisory-guidelines criminal-history criminal-procedure criminal-sentencing felon-in-possession reasonableness reasonableness-review sentencing-guidelines sentencing-variance sua-sponte upward-variance Whether a sua sponte upward variance sentence is reasonable where the advisory Guideline range accurately reflected the defendant's conduct and prior …
18-6415 Amalya Cherniavsky, aka Amalya Surenovna Yegiyan v. United States Ninth Circuit 2018-10-25 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split criminal-procedure district-court due-process jury-instruction jury-instructions sentencing standard-of-review sua-sponte sufficiency-of-evidence theory-of-defense trial-procedure Under what circumstances must a district court sua sponte instruct the jury on a theory of defense presented and relied upon at trial where the theory…
18-520 WeConnect, Incorporated v. Brooks Goplin Seventh Circuit 2018-10-19 Denied appellate-review due-process federal-rules-of-evidence judicial-notice standing sua-sponte unauthenticated-website website-authentication Whether Federal Rules of Evidence 201, 901, and 902 and principles of due process forbid a district court to, sua sponte, take judicial notice of info…
18-6230 Harvey L. Shoate v. Jason Lewis, Warden Eighth Circuit 2018-10-05 Denied Relisted (2)IFP ineffective-assistance-of-counsel plain-error plea-agreement post-conviction post-conviction-relief sentencing sua-sponte Can a post-conviction court find plain error in the movant's guilty plea or sentence record and 'sua sponte' order relief when the movant never raised…
18-5695 Robert Wayne Annabel, II v. Michigan Department of Corrections, et al. Sixth Circuit 2018-08-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP ada amendment-opportunity civil-procedure civil-rights conspiracy deliberate-indifference due-process plra plra-dismissal prisoner-litigation prisoner-rights rehabilitation-act res-judicata retaliation sua-sponte Whether the Sixth Circuit's interpretation of the PLRA's dismissal procedures denies a fair and adequate opportunity to object or amend the complaint
18-5498 Willie Beasley Curtis v. Michigan Michigan 2018-08-07 Denied IFP 14th-amendment civil-rights constitutional-rights direct-appeal due-process ex-post-facto habeas-corpus habitual-offender plea-bargain plea-bargain-standards retroactive-sentencing standing sua-sponte unprecedented-error Whether the Supreme Court has a duty to consider unprecedented errors that are important to the public interest
18-5424 Patsy N. Sakuma v. Association of Apartment Owners of the Tropics of Waikele, et al. Ninth Circuit 2018-08-01 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP 42-usc-1983 42-usc-1985 circuit-split civil-procedure civil-rights civil-rights-claim due-process hypothetical-jurisdiction jurisdictional-waiver merits-question rooker-feldman rooker-feldman-doctrine standing sua-sponte waiver Whether the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit properly applied waiver on appeal as a new exception to bypass the Rooker-Feldman jur…
18-68 Marie Conforto v. Richard V. Spencer, Secretary of the Navy, et al. Ninth Circuit 2018-07-12 Denied Response Waived appeals-court appellate-procedure civil-procedure due-process federal-government judicial-discretion notice procedural-fairness standing sua-sponte Whether an appeals court deciding a case sua sponte without hearing or chance to respond violates due process
25A439 William P. DeBoskey v. Goshen Mortgage, as Separate Trustee for GDBT 1 Trust 2011-1, et al. Eleventh Circuit Application 28-usc-1447 diversity-jurisdiction federal-rules remand removal sua-sponte Whether a federal district court may sua sponte remand a removed case to state court after the statutory thirty-day period for challenging removal has…