Circuit Split Alerter

Whether a federal prisoner who wishes to challenge the district court’s choice of remedy under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 must (a) file a notice of appeal from the amended criminal judgment or (b) obtain a certificate of appealability (COA) from the court of appeals.

Whether 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A) requires mandatory, no-bond detention of non-citizens who entered the United States without inspection and were later arrested inside the country, or whether those individuals are instead governed by the discretionary-bond regime in 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a).

Whether a post-judgment civil-contempt show-cause order that lacks both a contempt finding and a specific, unavoidable sanction is a final, appealable order under 28 U.S.C. § 1291.

Whether, in §1983 jury trials, post-incident videos showing the plaintiff’s unrelated confrontations with police are admissible under Federal Rule of Evidence 403 when offered to rebut emotional-distress damages or credibility.

Whether non-recoverable statutory or regulatory compliance costs, standing alone, constitute "irreparable harm" for purposes of obtaining a preliminary injunction.

Whether a state-law claim that implicates patent issues (e.g., Walker-Process antitrust or contract disputes over re-examination outcomes) ‘arises under’ the patent laws for purposes of 28 U.S.C. §§ 1295(a)(1) and 1338(a), giving the Federal Circuit exclusive appellate jurisdiction.

Whether, after Taylor v. Sturgell, federal courts may bind a non-party to a prior judgment under claim-preclusion based on a “close-and-significant-relationship” privity test, or must confine non-party claim preclusion to the six exceptions identified in Taylor.

Whether the Fourteenth Amendment's state-created-danger doctrine extends to make school officials liable for a non-custodial student’s suicide.

Whether the four-level enhancement in U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(4)(B)(i) applies when only one of multiple serial-number markings on a firearm is rendered illegible, or whether the firearm must be rendered wholly untraceable (all serial numbers illegible).

Whether a CAT-only petition for review filed after an alien has been removed is rendered non-moot by ICE Directive 11061.1’s promise to facilitate return, thereby allowing Article III jurisdiction.

Whether an unconditional guilty plea waives a defendant’s statute-of-limitations defense because the limitations period is non-jurisdictional.

Proper circuit law to apply when an Immigration Judge conducts a hearing remotely from a different circuit: interpretation of 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b)(2) (‘completed the proceedings’).

Whether a state criminal conviction that has been vacated continues to qualify as a "conviction" for purposes of inadmissibility under 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(2)(A)(i).

Whether a government may close a previously designated public forum to all private speech when the closure is allegedly motivated by hostility to a particular viewpoint ("retaliatory forum closure").

Whether the PSLRA’s heightened “strong-inference” scienter standard that governs motions to dismiss also applies at the summary-judgment stage of a federal securities-fraud action.