Miles Harker

Judge Barrett on Employment Law I

Before reading this summary, please read the overview for context. Grussgott v. Milwaukee Jewish Day School, Inc. (2018) Judge Barrett listed this as number 6 of the ten (actually eleven) most important cases she decided while serving on the Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. She described the case as follows: Miriam Grussgot, [sic]Continue reading “Judge Barrett on Employment Law I”

Judge Barrett on Employment Law II

Before reading this summary, please read the overview for context. Graham v. Arctic Zone Iceplex, LLC (2019) James Graham, Jr. was hired as head mechanic and maintenance supervisor at the ice rink Arctic Zone. [2] He was never an ideal employee: customers complained about his attitude; the staff didn’t like it either; and he rarelyContinue reading “Judge Barrett on Employment Law II”

Judge Barrett on Criminal Law II

Before reading this summary, please read the overview for context. Chazen v. Marske (2019) Non-lawyers might want to skip this one. It’s technical and complicated. Todd Chazen had a lot of felony convictions. He had been convicted for assault, manufacture of a controlled substance, escape from custody, and burglary. He had been convicted for theContinue reading “Judge Barrett on Criminal Law II”

Judge Barrett on Arbitration

Before reading this summary, please read the overview for context. Wallace v. Grubhub Holdings, Inc. (2020) Judge Barrett lists this decision as number 7 of her ten (actually eleven) most significant cases. She describes the case as follows: This appeal required us to decide whether food delivery drivers for Grubhub are exempt from the FederalContinue reading “Judge Barrett on Arbitration”

A Summary of Judge Barrett’s Opinions

UPDATES: Empirical SCOTUS has published a broad examination of Judge Barrett’s decision-making while on the Court of Appeals. SCOTUSBlog has also published a series of articles on her jurisprudence in specific areas. Because this summary is more specific than the former (analysing specific cases) and further-reaching than the latter (specifically including cases that do notContinue reading “A Summary of Judge Barrett’s Opinions”

Judge Barrett’s Decisions on Contracts

Insurance and Warranties Before reading this summary, please read the overview for context. Emmis Communications Corp. v. Illinois National Insurance Co. (2019) Emmis Communications Corp. was insured by Chubb Insurance from 2009 to 2010. In 2011, it purchased insurance from Illinois National Insurance. Emmis’ policy with Illinois National excluded “[a]ll notices of claim of circumstancesContinue reading “Judge Barrett’s Decisions on Contracts”

Judge Barrett’s Decisions on Criminal Law I

Before reading this summary, please read the overview for context. United States v. Allgire (2019) Michael Allgire pleaded guilty to two drug offences (he was charged with at least ten) and was sentenced to 120 months and 233 concurrent months of imprisonment. [2] This sentence was reduced by 53 months for cooperating with the government.Continue reading “Judge Barrett’s Decisions on Criminal Law I”

Judge Barrett’s Decisions on Law Enforcement III

Mistreatment of Prisoners and Other Detainees Before reading this summary, please read the overview for context. McCottrell v. White (2019) Two prisoners, John McCottrell and Dustin Clay, were eating lunch when a couple of inmates began to fight. Corrections officers then intervened and incapacitated the combatants with pepper spray. Moments later, two prison guards stationedContinue reading “Judge Barrett’s Decisions on Law Enforcement III”

Judge Barrett’s Decision on Law Enforcement II

Use of Force, Unjustified Detention, and Other Wrongdoing Before reading this summary, please read the overview for context. Biegert v. Molitor (2020) At the request of his mother, who (correctly) suspected him to be suicidal, police officers went to check on the late Joseph Biegert. The officers inspected Mr. Biegert’s apartment but failed to secure aContinue reading “Judge Barrett’s Decision on Law Enforcement II”

Judge Barrett’s Decisions on Law Enforcement I

Deception, Framing, Cover-Ups, and Other Disinformation Before reading this summary, please read the overview for context. Rainsberger v. Benner (2019) Judge Barrett listed this as number 5 of the 10 (actually 11) most significant cases during her time on the Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. (Others have also found the opinion significant.) SheContinue reading “Judge Barrett’s Decisions on Law Enforcement I”