Opinion ID: 1042011
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: standard of review

Text: This case was submitted to the district court on the parties’ briefs without oral argument, on a stipulated record, and pursuant to a pretrial order agreed upon by the parties. The parties agree that the district court’s order sufficiently resembles a grant of summary judgment that we apply the relevant legal standards de novo. See N.M. Youth Organized v. Herrera, 611 F.3d 669, 675 (10th Cir. 2010). We review the district court’s construction of the pretrial order for an abuse of discretion. Trujillo v. Uniroyal Corp., 608 F.2d 815, 817 (10th Cir. 1979). Summary judgment is appropriate “if the pleadings, the discovery and disclosure materials on file, and any affidavits show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c). “Because this case implicates the First Amendment, we have an obligation to make an independent examination of the whole record in order to make sure that the judgment does not constitute a forbidden intrusion on the field of free expression.” Golan v. Holder, 609 F.3d 1076, 1082-83 (10th Cir. 2010) (internal quotation marks omitted), aff’d, 132 S.Ct. 873, 2012 WL 125436 (Jan. 18, 2012).