No. 25-7201October Term 2025Before Arguments
Reginald Winans, Petitioner v. Michael K. McKay
from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Case status
- Current stage
- Before Arguments
- Latest event
- Accepted by the Court
- Decision timing
- No window until argument is scheduled.
- What it's about
from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Question presented
1. Whether a federal court violates Due Process Clause and the protections of the Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(d) when it denies a nonmovant’s request for limited, outcome determinative discovery and proceeds to enter summary judgment affecting asserted property rights, where the district court denied Rule 56(d) in a summary order, and the court of appeals affirmed even though it acknowledged that “[w]ithout offering an explanation as to why, the district court denied” the Rule 56(d) motion? 2. Whether, absent an express order shortening the Federal Rule’s response period, a party may refuse to answer written discovery served before a court-ordered discovery deadline by claiming the deadline required “completion” of discovery, so that service near the deadline is “untimely” because responses would fall after the cutoff, and whether summary judgment may be affirmed after the opposing party refused to answer Requests for Admission served a few days before the close of discovery, where the requested admissions sought judicial authorization and service/notice proof for an alleged writ of seizure and sheriff’s sale central to the claimed chain of title?
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit / Accepted by the Court
- Area
Supreme Court case awaiting argument
Timing
Expected by late June 2026, if argued this term
The Court granted review but has not yet scheduled oral argument. Once argued, the median case reaches a decision in 94 days. Nearly all cases are decided by the end of the term in which they are argued.
Briefing
What it's about
This petition asks whether courts can deny limited discovery (the exchange of evidence before trial) and then grant summary judgment (ending a case without a trial) in a property-rights dispute. It also asks whether a party may refuse to answer written requests to admit certain facts served shortly before a discovery deadline because the responses would come after the cutoff.
Argument
No argument is scheduled. The petition says the lower courts let summary judgment go forward after a short denial of limited discovery and after discovery requests were treated as too late.
Impact
The answer could affect people trying to prove who owns property or challenge a claimed chain of title. For example, someone opposing summary judgment may say key records or admissions were blocked before the judge ended the case.
What is at stake in Reginald Winans v. McKay?
The petition says the courts ended a property dispute without allowing limited evidence-gathering that could have changed the result. It also challenges refusal to answer written requests to admit key facts served near the discovery deadline.
Who could be affected if the Court takes this case?
People fighting over land or other property could be affected, especially when key records are controlled by the other side. Civil litigants facing fast summary judgment could also care.
What happens next in Reginald Winans v. McKay?
The justices will decide whether to hear the case. No argument date or decision window has been set.
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary materials plus reporting.
- Note
- Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Jul 17, 2026
- Method
- Methodology