Ohio

NASHVILLE, TN, October 17, 2025 — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has ruled that a lawsuit filed by the widow of Landon Eastep may proceed against one Metropolitan Nashville Police Department officer accused of using excessive force, while granting qualified immunity to eight other officers involved in the fatal 2022 highway shooting. The case stems from a 35-minute standoff on Interstate 65, where nine officers from multiple agencies fired approximately 33 rounds at Eastep, striking him 12 times. Video evidence confirmed that Eastep, who had initially displayed a box cutter, was shot after raising an unidentified object that officers mistook for a firearm. According to court documents, the Sixth Circuit found that most officers acted reasonably in using deadly fo...

CLEVELAND, OH, October 17, 2025 — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has affirmed the denial of a motion to suppress evidence filed by Devin Long, who pleaded guilty to federal drug and firearms charges after officers recovered narcotics and weapons from his home. According to court records, Drug Enforcement Administration task force officers began investigating a drug trafficking network involving methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. During multiple controlled buys, investigators observed Long coordinating with other suspects and engaging in what they believed to be drug transactions. Surveillance linked Long to a residence on East 35th Street, which he had registered with the Ohio Adult Parole Authority as his home address. A federal magistrate judge authorized ...

GRAND RAPIDS, MI, October 17, 2025 — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by former Michigan Department of Corrections officer Charles Bozzo, who alleged that his firing in 2019 violated his constitutional right to due process. Bozzo sued MDOC Director Heidi Washington and Discipline Coordinator Jennifer Nanasy under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, claiming that the department relied on false allegations and an unfair arbitration process to terminate him following workplace misconduct complaints. The district court dismissed the suit as time-barred and for failure to state a claim. According to the ruling, Bozzo was terminated on July 31, 2019, after a coworker accused him of making harassing remarks. He pursued arbitration through his u...

CINCINNATI, OH, October 17, 2025 — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has denied a petition from Guatemalan national Juan Carlos Pastor-Hernandez, who sought to reopen his removal proceedings in order to apply for voluntary departure from the United States. According to court records, Pastor-Hernandez entered the country illegally in 2014 and was ordered removed after his applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture were denied. He later sought to reopen his case following the Supreme Court’s decision in Niz-Chavez v. Garland, arguing that the ruling allowed him to pursue voluntary departure because his initial notice to appear did not meet statutory requirements. To qualify for voluntary departure, immigrants m...