Intent To File Media

AI tools are now part of how veterans build VA claims. What can they help with, and where does the evidence still have to come from? Our new feature looks at evidentiary weight in the VA claims process. #Veterans #VA

New CAAF Decision: United States v. Thompson, No. 25-0254/AR (Nov. 5, 2026) An appellate court generally cannot uphold a conviction on a theory of liability never presented at trial. CAAF directed ACCA to determine whether the evidence supports the convictions under the aiding-and-abetting theory actually litigated at trial. CAAF found the evidence legally sufficient and remanded the case for further review. This was not an acquittal. Read the opinion here: armfor.uscourts.gov/newcaaf/…

The Supreme Court of the United States will hear oral argument in Marschner v. Marschner (No. 25-1349) on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2027. The question: Can a state court order a veteran to restore retirement pay he waived to receive Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation? Docket: supremecourt.gov/search.aspx…

For the full-length feature article, see the original here: doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23817…

Qualified immunity doesn't shield retaliation under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). On Oct. 27, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held that a state university supervisor sued personally for retaliating over an employee's pay complaint can't claim qualified immunity. The court called it a question of first impression in the circuit. Why: the FLSA says nothing about immunity. Under Supreme Court precedent, an immunity the statute doesn't mention needs firm common-law roots and strong policy reasons. The court found neither. When Congress authorized private FLSA retaliation suits in 1977, the common law didn't protect malicious retaliation, and immunity would chill the very complaints the law protects. The court called it an "atextual immunity defense." Limits: the ruling binds only in the Fifth Circuit (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi). It's not a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 case, and the FLSA's good-faith defenses weren't decided. Cites: Stramaski v. Lawley, No. 25-20348 (5th Cir. Oct. 27, 2026); Wyatt v. Cole, 504 U.S. 158 (1992). ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pu…

Intent To File Media is a new source for clear, primary-record-based writing on veterans’ law, VA policy, and the courts, with related coverage in law, education, and military topics. Built for veterans, legal professionals, advocates, and anyone else who needs accurate information instead of summaries that drift. The goal is straightforward: explainers and articles that stay close to the statutes, regulations, decisions, and records, written so both specialists and the general public can follow them. Informational only, not legal advice. First piece drops Friday evening next week. It examines how AI tools are entering the VA claims environment, what the governing rules and available records actually show, and where the practical boundaries sit. Friday evening, 30 October. #IntentToFile #VeteransLaw #VAPolicy #ITFMedia