Circuit Split Alerter

Stay informed about federal circuit court conflicts that shape American law

What are Circuit Splits?

Circuit splits occur when different Federal Circuit Courts reach conflicting decisions on similar legal questions. These conflicts often signal cases ripe for Supreme Court review.

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Our system automatically monitors Federal Circuit Court opinions, identifies potential splits using AI analysis, and alerts legal professionals to important developments.

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Recent Circuit Splits
BENNETT v. US
SplitScore: 61/100

Legal Issue:

Whether an order dismissing a complaint but granting leave to amend is an appealable "final decision" under 28 U.S.C. § 1291/§ 1295 before the plaintiff either amends, the amendment period expires, or the plaintiff formally elects to stand on the dismissed complaint.
May 6, 2026Federal CircuitCircuit 1Circuit 4Circuit 8Circuit 9Circuit 10conflicting withCircuit 2Circuit 7Circuit 11conflicting withCircuit 3DC Circuit
Fidencio Alvarez v. Warden, Federal Detention Center Miami, et al
SplitScore: 68/100

Legal Issue:

Does 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A) require mandatory, no-bond detention of non-admitted aliens found inside the United States, or does 8 U.S.C. § 1226 govern their detention and allow the possibility of bond?
May 6, 2026Circuit 11conflicting withCircuit 2Circuit 5Circuit 7Circuit 8
US v. Vizcaino-Peguero
SplitScore: 88/100

Legal Issue:

Whether the phrase “the people” in the Second Amendment includes aliens who are illegally or unlawfully present in the United States for purposes of Bruen’s step-one inquiry.
May 5, 2026Circuit 1Circuit 2Circuit 6Circuit 7Circuit 9Circuit 10Circuit 11conflicting withCircuit 4Circuit 5Circuit 8
United States v. Karnail Singh -Eastern District of Michigan at Detroit
SplitScore: 66/100

Legal Issue:

Whether the Sixth Amendment requires criminal defense counsel to advise naturalized-citizen clients that a guilty plea may expose them to denaturalization (and consequent deportation).
May 5, 2026Circuit 6Circuit 7conflicting withCircuit 2
Rider, et al. v. Oxy USA, et al.
SplitScore: 47/100

Legal Issue:

Whether Rule 23’s implicit ascertainability requirement includes a separate "administrative feasibility" component that obligates the proponent of class certification to show an administratively workable method of identifying class members.
May 5, 2026Circuit 10Circuit 7conflicting withCircuit 3
Elizabeth Kerwin v. Trinity Health Grand Haven Hosp. -Western District of Michigan at Grand Rapids
SplitScore: 50/100

Legal Issue:

Whether, in National Labor Relations Act §10(j) proceedings, a district court may infer irreparable harm from the nature of an employer’s alleged unfair-labor practice (such as refusal to bargain) without independent factual evidence, or must require a clear evidentiary showing of likely irreparable harm under the Winter standard.
May 1, 2026Circuit 6conflicting withCircuit 2Circuit 4Circuit 9
New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association v. Lutnick
SplitScore: 68/100

Legal Issue:

Whether the ‘pocket-veto’ provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (16 U.S.C. § 1854(c)(3) and (h)) violate the Appointments Clause and, if so, whether they must be severed and/or plaintiffs are entitled to injunctive relief when those provisions were not invoked in the challenged rulemaking.
Apr 30, 2026Circuit 1conflicting withCircuit 5conflicting withCircuit 3
Gordon-Darby Holdings, Inc. v. Quinn
SplitScore: 42/100

Legal Issue:

Whether the Clean Air Act permits citizen suits against state regulators acting in their regulatory capacity under 42 U.S.C. § 7604/§7605.
Apr 30, 2026Circuit 1conflicting withCircuit 3conflicting withCircuit 6
JAMES SCOTT V. RON BROOMFIELD
SplitScore: 57/100

Legal Issue:

Whether federal habeas courts may grant relief on an ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claim based on the cumulative prejudice of multiple alleged attorney errors when no single error is independently prejudicial under Strickland and AEDPA.
Apr 29, 2026Circuit 9conflicting withCircuit 5Circuit 6Circuit 8Circuit 11
US v. Mao
SplitScore: 72/100

Legal Issue:

Whether inchoate drug offenses such as conspiracy qualify as a “controlled substance offense” under U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2(b) for purposes of the career-offender enhancement.
Apr 29, 2026Circuit 1Circuit 2Circuit 5Circuit 7Circuit 8Circuit 10conflicting withCircuit 4Circuit 9Circuit 11
Jorge Oxlaj-Perez v. Todd Blanche -Board of Immigration Appeals
SplitScore: 48/100

Legal Issue:

Whether the 30-day deadline in 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b)(1) is subject to equitable tolling after the Supreme Court’s decision in Riley v. Bondi.
Apr 29, 2026Circuit 6conflicting withCircuit 4Circuit 5Circuit 9
Jose Baltazar Us v. Todd Blanche -Board of Immigration Appeals
SplitScore: 62/100

Legal Issue:

Proper standard of review (IIRIRA substantial-evidence vs. clear-error) for appellate courts assessing the Board of Immigration Appeals’ determination that removal would not cause “exceptional and extremely unusual hardship” under 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b)(1)(D).
Apr 29, 2026Circuit 6Circuit 3Circuit 8Circuit 9Circuit 11conflicting withCircuit 2
Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC v. NLRB
SplitScore: 60/100

Legal Issue:

Whether the National Labor Relations Board possesses statutory authority under 29 U.S.C. § 160(c) to award compensation for "foreseeable pecuniary harms" (so-called "Thryv remedies") as part of its make-whole relief.
Apr 28, 2026DC Circuitconflicting withCircuit 3Circuit 5Circuit 6conflicting withCircuit 9
USA v. Aaron Lyons
SplitScore: 67/100

Legal Issue:

Whether Reed v. Ross's second category of novelty continues to provide 'cause' to excuse a procedural default on collateral review after Bousley v. United States.
Apr 28, 2026Circuit 3Circuit 1Circuit 5Circuit 6Circuit 7Circuit 8Circuit 10conflicting withCircuit 9
DOE 1, ET AL. V. META PLATFORMS, INC.
SplitScore: 61/100

Legal Issue:

Whether § 230 of the Communications Decency Act immunizes social-media platforms from liability for harms allegedly caused by their algorithmic recommendation and amplification of third-party content.
Apr 28, 2026Circuit 9Circuit 2conflicting withCircuit 3