7th Circuit Court of Appeals

Walls v. Posey - Collateral Attack Appeal

The Seventh Circuit dismissed William Walls' appeal challenging his Illinois sexually violent person commitment, affirming the district court's procedural dismissal. The court held that Walls defaulted his constitutional claims by failing to file a state appellate brief and by not seeking review in the Illinois Supreme Court. This decision reinforces federal exhaustion requirements for habeas corpus petitions challenging civil commitment.

Velazquez-Olais v. Blanche - Immigration Removal Review

The Seventh Circuit dismissed petition No. 25-1244 filed by Asucena Velazquez-Olais challenging a 2018 Final Administrative Removal Order. The court held that an email from a Chicago Field Office Deportation Officer declining to reopen the removal order does not constitute a final agency action subject to judicial review. The petitioner must exhaust administrative remedies before seeking appellate review.

Dec v. Mullin - Immigration Waiver Appeal Affirmed

The Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Danuta Dec's petition challenging the denial of her waiver of inadmissibility under 8 U.S.C. § 1154(l). The court held that federal immigration law precludes judicial review of agency decisions regarding waiver eligibility determinations. The appellate court also admonished petitioner's counsel for submitting a brief containing fabricated AI-generated citations and a false quotation, though imposing no other sanction.

Holt v. Boughton - Habeas Corpus

The Seventh Circuit reversed a district court's grant of habeas corpus relief to Maurice Holt, restoring his Wisconsin armed robbery conviction. The appellate court found that the Wisconsin Court of Appeals reasonably applied Supreme Court precedent in rejecting Holt's claims that his defense attorney was ineffective and that he should have been allowed to present photographs to the jury. Holt v. Boughton, No. 24-3346 (7th Cir. March 30, 2026).

Ryan Milbeck v. Allison George - Civil Rights § 1983

The Seventh Circuit affirmed dismissal of Ryan Milbeck's § 1983 claims against a prosecutor (absolute immunity) and law enforcement officers (probable cause for arrest), but vacated the dismissal of his warrantless home entry claim. The court held that probable cause alone does not justify warrantless entry under the Fourth Amendment, distinguishing between arrest authority and home invasion authority.

Daugerdas v. CIR - IRS Restitution Authority

The Seventh Circuit affirmed that the IRS may assess and collect civil restitution under 26 U.S.C. § 6201(a)(4)(A) following a criminal tax conviction, even when the payment schedule differs from the criminal restitution order. The court upheld $371 million in parallel civil restitution against Paul Daugerdas, a convicted tax fraudster, establishing that IRS restitution authority is not limited by criminal sentencing structures.

Chong Lee v. Bradley Mlodzik - Habeas Corpus

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court's denial of a habeas corpus petition. The court found that while the State of Wisconsin violated the petitioner's due process rights by failing to disclose and destroying evidence, the state appellate court did not act contrary to federal law in its remedy. The decision upholds the petitioner's conviction.

Steinhoff v. Malovrh - Excessive Force Claim to Jury

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district court's grant of qualified immunity for one officer in an excessive force claim. The court found that disputed facts regarding an M16 rifle striking the plaintiff's head require Steinhoff's Fourth Amendment claim to proceed to a jury.

Thomas v. McAuliffe - Affirmation of Jury Verdict

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a jury verdict in favor of defendants Officer Daniel McAuliffe, Officer Michael Botica, and the City of Chicago in a Section 1983 action brought by Marion Thomas. The court found no grounds to overturn the district court's denial of Mr. Thomas's motion for a new trial.

United States v. Adam Power - Child Pornography Offenses

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence of Adam Power for child pornography offenses. Power was sentenced to sixty years imprisonment after pleading guilty to thirty-four counts. He appealed, arguing for the vacation of eight guilty pleas or his sentence.