Supreme Court Report

Supreme Court of the United States · Official docket →

Frederick Lewis Washington v. Sunflower County, Mississippi

Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, No. 23-60072 · judgment July 23, 2024


Certiorari denied · March 10, 2025
Pre-decision estimate: 12% cert probability (95% interval 8%–17%)

Before the decision, about 2.9× the 4.1% base rate. The model weighted this up for a Fifth Circuit decision below, counsel with five or more prior petitions here, and a circuit split argued in the petition.

Questions presented

  1. Should this Court summarily reverse when a court of appeals defies clear, unmistakable decisions of this Court?

  2. Should a judge or a jury decide whether a public employee’s speech is pursuant to his ordinary job duties, such that the speech is not protected by the First Amendment?

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Jim Waide

For respondent
Bethany Ann Tarpley
Jacks Griffith Luciano, P.A.

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 2 conferences

Proceedings

  1. Mar 10 2025
    Petition DENIED.
  2. Feb 19 2025
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/7/2025.
  3. Feb 03 2025
    Brief of respondent Sunflower County, Mississippi in opposition filed.
  4. Jan 02 2025
    Response Requested. (Due February 3, 2025)
  5. Dec 24 2024
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/10/2025.
  6. Dec 20 2024
    Waiver of right of respondent Sunflower County, Mississippi to respond filed.
  7. Dec 02 2024
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due January 3, 2025)