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John Does 1-10 v. Debra Haaland, et al.

Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, No. 19-6347 · judgment September 3, 2020

Certiorari denied · April 5, 2021
Pre-decision estimate: 7% cert probability (95% interval 4%–12%)

Before the decision, about 1.7× the 4.1% base rate. The model weighted this up for counsel with five or more prior petitions here, a circuit split argued in the petition, and a Sixth Circuit decision below.

Question presented

Is election to Congress a license to libel anyone, anywhere, anytime, even when the libel is not in response to a press inquiry, does not concern pending legislation, does not occur in the halls of Congress, and concerns private citizens, minor children, from a jurisdiction neither member of Congress represents?

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Robert Edward Barnes
Barnes law

For respondent
Marc Erik Elias
Elias Law Group LLP

Case

Subject area
First Amendment (estimated from the questions presented, in the Supreme Court Database’s categories)

Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference

Order
Order list, April 5, 2021 · Certiorari denied

Proceedings

  1. Apr 05 2021
    Petition DENIED.
  2. Mar 16 2021
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 4/1/2021.
  3. Mar 08 2021
    Waiver of right of respondent Senator Elizabeth Warren to respond filed.
  4. Feb 01 2021
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due March 8, 2021)