Latest 3 Cases: United States v. Joiner (Civil Rights), First Midwest Bank v. City of Chicago (Civil Rights), Karr v. Saul (Public Benefits)

What Accounts for the Increase in Law School Applications This Year?

VIKRAM DAVID AMAR

Illinois Law dean Vikram David Amar comments on the apparent increase in the number of law school applications this year and offers some thoughts as to the reasons behind the trend. Dean Amar suggests that increased job opportunities and heightened social awareness might be behind the higher numbers of applications.

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United States v. Joiner

Docket: 20-2361

Opinion Date: February 23, 2021

Judge: Kirsch

Areas of Law: Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law

Joiner is a 31‐year‐old prisoner serving an eight-year sentence at U.S. Penitentiary Marion for a drug crime. In July 2020, amid the COVID‐19 pandemic, Joiner sought compassionate release under 18 U.S.C. 3582(c)(1)(A), citing “extraordinary and compelling reasons,” self‐reported hypertension, a body mass index (BMI) of 28.9 (the “over‐weight” category), and his skin color. He argued that Black Americans have disproportionately suffered from COVID‐19 because “society has put them in worse positions.” He cited a CDC article to argue that Black people in the U.S. face a higher risk of hospitalization and death from COVID‐19, and other articles to contend that, even though skin color should not affect health outcomes from infectious diseases, “our society” delivers subpar health care to “people with black skin,” even when controlling for class, comorbidities, and access to health insurance. The government contended that Joiner’s medical records did not contain evidence of hypertension and that his BMI did not place him at “high risk” for severe COVID‐19 complications. The district court ruled that Joiner did not present extraordinary and compelling reasons for release, without comment on Joiner’s racial disparity argument. The Seventh Circuit affirmed. The cited articles identify multiple societal factors that are not relevant to Joiner’s individual situation in federal prison. Without any factual basis tying those broader societal concerns to Joiner’s individual situation, the district court was not required to address the argument.

First Midwest Bank v. City of Chicago

Docket: 18-3049

Opinion Date: February 23, 2021

Judge: Diane S. Sykes

Areas of Law: Civil Rights, Constitutional Law

Kelly, an off-duty Chicago police officer, shot his friend LaPorta in the head during an argument after a night of drinking together. LaPorta’s injuries left him severely, permanently disabled. LaPorta sued the city under 42 U.S.C. 1983, which provides a federal remedy against state actors who deprive others of rights secured by the federal Constitution and laws, arguing that the city had inadequate policies in place to prevent the shooting. He identified several policy shortcomings: the failure to have an “early warning system” to identify officers who were likely to engage in misconduct, the failure to adequately investigate and discipline officers who engage in misconduct, and the perpetuation of a “code of silence” that deters reporting of officers who engage in misconduct. A jury awarded LaPorta $44.7 million in damages. The Seventh Circuit reversed. Whatever viability LaPorta’s claim might have under state tort law, it has no foundation in constitutional law. When Kelly shot LaPorta, he was not acting as a police officer but as a private citizen. LaPorta claimed that he was deprived of his due-process right to bodily integrity but it has long been settled that “a State’s failure to protect an individual against private violence … does not constitute a violation of the Due Process Clause.”

Karr v. Saul

Docket: 20-1939

Opinion Date: February 23, 2021

Judge: Scudder

Areas of Law: Public Benefits

Karr applied for Social Security disability benefits based on her complaints of chronic lower back pain and other ailments. Karr traces the source of her back pain to a car accident in the late 1990s. She has tried multiple forms of treatment for her pain, numbness, and weakness in her lower back and legs. An ALJ concluded that Karr was not disabled because she still could perform sedentary work with some restrictions. The district court and Seventh Circuit affirmed, rejecting Karr’s claim that the ALJ improperly discounted a statement from her treating neurosurgeon that she could not sit, stand, or walk for sustained periods. The ALJ’s decision was supported by substantial evidence Although acknowledging that the neurosurgeon was a treating provider who had examined Karr, the ALJ found “extreme” his notation that Karr could not “sit, stand or walk for any sustained period of time” because the record contained reports of multiple physical examinations showing that Karr had full strength and could walk normally.