Hammond v. Long — 2d Cir. (Sep 30, 2026) | Oral Arguments, with Context

Hammond v. Long — 2d Cir. (Sep 30, 2026)

No. 25-1953 Argued September 30, 2026 Published October 5, 2026

We hear the Second Circuit in Hammond versus Long. Officer Kyle Long accompanied an animal control officer to Tammy Hammond's home to deliver a summons about her dog. A confrontation at the doorway ended in her arrest. Hammond sued, alleging that Long entered her home without a warrant and injured her by using excessive force. The district judge refused to end those two claims before trial because important facts were disputed. Long is appealing that refusal and seeking qualified immunity. That defense protects officials from civil damages when their conduct does not violate clearly established rights that a reasonable official would know. This is an interlocutory appeal, meaning an appeal before the case is finished. The court must distinguish legal questions it can review now from disputes about what actually happened.

Hammond v. Long (No. 25-1953) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, argued September 30, 2026.

Sources

Argument audio — Second Circuit (court original):https://ww3.ca2.uscourts.gov/audio/25-1953.mp3

Argument date and case listing — Second Circuit:https://ww3.ca2.uscourts.gov/oral_arguments.html

Case background and ruling — District of Connecticut, July 10, 2025:https://ecf.ctd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2023cv0318-73=

Appeal and counsel — clerk docket mirrored by Justia (January 16, 2026 snapshot; not current status):https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca2/25-1953

Qualified immunity — Supreme Court, Pearson v. Callahan:https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/07-751.ZO.html

Immediate appeals and factual disputes — Supreme Court, Johnson v. Jones:https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/94-455.ZO.html

Second Circuit interlocutory jurisdiction — Salim v. Proulx, Part B:https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-2nd-circuit/1120964.html

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