⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

The Seventh Circuit hears Demetrius Williams v. Erik Michalsen. In May 2018, Williams and John Patterson, two Black Milwaukee pastors, were returning from fishing when a tire on their boat trailer went flat. They pulled fully onto I-94's shoulder, called for a tow, and waited. They allege Deputy Erik Michalsen asked about guns and drugs, insisted on both men's licenses, and kept them for warrant checks during the roughly fifteen-minute encounter. They sued under Section 1983, which allows claims against state or local officials for violating federal rights, alleging unreasonable seizure and race discrimination. The district court granted the defendants summary judgment, holding that no reasonable jury could find a seizure or a sufficiently similar white motorist treated differently. The appeal asks whether disputed evidence required a jury trial and whether qualified immunity independently protects the defendants.

Demetrius Williams v. Erik Michalsen (No. 25-3287) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, argued September 15, 2026.