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Appellate
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July 18, 2025
Top 4 Texas Court Rulings Of 2025: Midyear Report
Texas courts made several high-profile decisions in the first half of 2025, including backing a multibillion-dollar mattress merger, awarding more than $6 million to employees fired by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and granting the state a $1.4 billion data privacy settlement with Google. Here are four of the biggest court rulings in Texas so far this year.
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July 18, 2025
​​​​​​​3rd Circ. Pick 'Respected' By Trump, Mysterious To Senators
The senior White House lawyer nominated to represent Delaware on the Third Circuit is a constitutional scholar and presidential immunity defender touted as "highly respected" by President Donald Trump, although some Delaware lawmakers have questioned her ties to the First State.
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July 18, 2025
USPTO Calls On Fed. Circ. To Reject Fight Over Fintiv Policy
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office urged the Federal Circuit on Friday to reject allegations that its handling of policies governing Fintiv-based discretionary denials violates due process, claiming SAP America Inc. is just upset that its Patent Trial and Appeal Board challenges were rejected.
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July 18, 2025
Fla. Court Reverses Conviction Over Judge's Guilt Directive
A Florida appeals court Friday ordered that a woman accused of battery against an elderly person be given a new trial after a trial judge required her attorney to concede her client's guilt as a condition of the court giving certain jury instructions on self-defense.
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July 18, 2025
Texas Panel Says RE Funds Can Bar Manager, For Now
A Texas appellate court mostly kept intact a court order barring the former manager of multiple commercial real estate funds from interfering with the funds going forward, saying the funds had done enough to show the former manager was undercutting their financial interests.
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July 18, 2025
Trade Legal Matters To Watch: Midyear Report
Aggressive, sweeping tariff actions have defined the first six months of President Donald Trump's second term, altering the global trade environment in attempts to return manufacturing to the U.S. and reset trading deficits, but legal challenges to certain duties may obstruct Trump's long-term trade strategy in ongoing negotiations later this year.
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July 18, 2025
Competence Questions Prompt New Calif. Murder Trial
A potentially intellectually disabled man who was found guilty of killing a woman and burying her body in his backyard is entitled to a new trial, a California state appeals court has ruled, finding that the lower court didn't properly determine his competency.
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July 18, 2025
Judge Says She'd Block Birthright Order For Nationwide Class
A Maryland federal judge has said she can't rule on a bid to block President Donald Trump's birthright citizenship executive order for a proposed nationwide class since another preliminary injunction is on appeal, but that she would grant the request if the Fourth Circuit remanded to let her do so.
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July 18, 2025
Ill. Man Gets New Murder Trial Due To Improper Evidence
An Illinois state appeals court has reversed a murder conviction for a man for a second time after finding the lower court incorrectly allowed evidence of unrelated crimes to be brought up at trial.
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July 18, 2025
Boeing Urges 4th Circ. To Decertify 737 Max Investor Class
Boeing told the Fourth Circuit on Friday that a Virginia district court flouted U.S. Supreme Court precedent by certifying a class of investors alleging the company misrepresented the safety of its 737 Max 9 fleet after a door plug blowout, saying there's zero evidence backing the plaintiffs' damages theories.
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July 18, 2025
Oxford Shooting Victim's Estate Can Sue Cops, Court Finds
A Michigan appellate panel reopened a lawsuit from the father of a student killed in the Oxford High School shooting alleging state police failed to act on tips about the threat of an attack, finding a provision designed to extend filing deadlines for estates applies to claims against the state.
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July 18, 2025
4th Circ. Remands Insurance Award Feud Over FAA Confusion
In a published decision that refers to the Federal Arbitration Act as "not a triumph of legislative draftsmanship," the Fourth Circuit on Friday overturned the enforcement of an arbitral award favoring health insurance service providers that is being challenged over an arbitrator's alleged conflict of interest.
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July 18, 2025
Texas Appeals Court Says City Wanted Too Much In Royalties
A Texas appeals court affirmed a lower court's ruling against the city of Crowley, Texas, on Thursday, finding that the city's energy agreement with TotalEnergies E&P USA Inc. requires gas royalty payments to be calculated solely based on the market value of the gas at the point of sale.
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July 18, 2025
MSN Urges Fed. Circ. To Allow Launch Of Generic Entresto
MSN Pharmaceuticals asked the Federal Circuit on Friday to lift a temporary injunction and allow the company to launch a generic version of the blockbuster heart drug Entresto, a move MSN says would benefit the public by reducing costs for Medicare and Medicaid.
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July 18, 2025
Fed. Circ. Frees Medtronic From $125M Patent Judgment
The Federal Circuit on Friday overturned a more than $125 million judgment against Medtronic's CoreValve unit for infringing a Colibri Heart Valve LLC patent, saying changes made to the patent during examination mean that Medtronic should not have been found to infringe.
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July 18, 2025
DC Circ. Affirms Toss Of Tax Pros' PTIN User Fee Challenge
A D.C. federal court properly dismissed a lawsuit by tax return preparers challenging the IRS' process for issuing their special identification numbers, the D.C. Circuit ruled Friday, saying the suit violated rules against filing duplicate claims.
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July 18, 2025
Miami Official Loses Appeal To Toss $63.5M Judgment
The Eleventh Circuit has dismissed Miami City Commissioner Joe Carollo's appeal of the $63.5 million judgment against him for targeting a pair of business owners after they supported a political opponent, finding that he prematurely filed the appeal and then failed to amend it.
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July 18, 2025
3rd Circ. Says Gun Possession Requires Control Of Property
A Pennsylvania man convicted of drug charges should not have also been found guilty of illegal gun possession, the Third Circuit ruled Friday in a precedential opinion that addressed novel issues, reasoning that prosecutors failed to show how the home where the firearms were found was under his control.
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July 18, 2025
Texas Court Tosses Cities' Challenge To 'Death Star' Bill
A state appeals court tossed three Texas cities' challenge to a bill nicknamed the "Death Star," writing that they hadn't properly shown they'd be injured by the bill's mandate that state law preempt local ordinances.
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July 18, 2025
Off The Bench: Latest NASCAR Win, Trans Athlete Fights Ban
In this week's Off The Bench, Michael Jordan's racing team fails to bounce back right away from a tough defeat in its battle with NASCAR, a transgender woman fights a last-minute expulsion from a college women's track and field event, and a football player sees his window to playing an extra college season slammed shut by the NCAA and the Seventh Circuit.
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July 18, 2025
'Lost Services' Damages OK In Child Death Suits, Court Rules
A mother can pursue damages against a Detroit hospital for the loss of household services she would have received if her infant son had lived to adulthood, even after a recent Michigan Supreme Court ruling narrowed the available recovery, an appellate panel held.
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July 18, 2025
3rd Circ. Won't Halt Corteva Pension Judgment For Appeal
The Third Circuit has refused to halt judgment against Corteva Inc. and DuPont while they challenge a verdict in favor of employees who claimed the chemical companies failed to inform them about benefit changes stemming from a merger and spinoff, which netted the plaintiffs' counsel nearly $6.4 million in fees and costs.
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July 18, 2025
6th Circ. Won't Revive Ex-Ruby Tuesday Execs' Benefits Fight
The Sixth Circuit refused to reopen a suit from former Ruby Tuesday managers and executives alleging Regions Bank inadequately protected their retirement plan benefits that were liquidated in bankruptcy, concluding a lower court was right to end the case in the bank's favor.
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July 18, 2025
7th Circ. OKs FBI Withholding Of Ex-Atty's Informant Records
The Federal Bureau of Investigation did not violate the Freedom of Information Act by providing only some of the documents former lawyer Joel Brodsky requested related to his work as a confidential informant on corruption and murder investigations, the Seventh Circuit found on Friday, ruling that the FBI had properly justified its rationale.
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July 18, 2025
Cannabis And The Courts: A Midyear Litigation Review
In the first half of 2025, lawsuits taking aim at state hemp restrictions, putative residency criteria in cannabis licensure programs and the federal policy that keeps users and convicted sellers of pot from lawfully owning guns were all briefed in multiple appellate courts across the country.
Expert Analysis
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Series
Running Marathons Makes Me A Better Lawyer
After almost five years of running marathons, I’ve learned that both the race itself and the training process sharpen skills that directly translate to the practice of law, including discipline, dedication, endurance, problem-solving and mental toughness, says Lauren Meadows at Swift Currie.
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High Court Ruling Bucks Trend Of Narrowing Fraud Theories
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Kousisis v. U.S. decision, holding that economic loss is not required to establish prosecutors’ fraudulent inducement theory of fraud, is at odds with its decadeslong narrowing of federal fraud statutes’ reach, and may lead to convictions for a wide variety of contractual misrepresentations, say attorneys at Keker Van Nest.
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High Court Order On Board Firings Is Cold Comfort For Fed
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Trump v. Wilcox order, upholding the firings of two independent agency board members during appeal, raises concerns about the future of removal protections for Federal Reserve System members, and thus the broader politicization of U.S. monetary policy, say attorneys at Squire Patton.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Supporting A Trial Team
While students often practice as lead trial attorneys in law school, such an opportunity likely won’t arise until a few years into practice, so junior associates should focus on honing skills that are essential to supporting a trial team, including organization, adaptability and humility, says Lucy Zelina at Tucker Ellis.
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Google Damages Ruling May Spur Income Approach Usage
The Federal Circuit's recent decision in EcoFactor v. Google may affect the extent to which damages experts apply the market approach in patent infringement matters, and income approach techniques may assume greater importance, says Erin Crockett at Charles River Associates.
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Opinion
Address Nationwide Injunction Issues With Random Venues
Many of the qualms about individual district court judges' authority to issue nationwide injunctions could be solved with a simple legislative solution: handling multiple complaints about the same agency action filed in different district courts by assigning a venue via random selection, says Harvey Reiter at Stinson.
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Series
Adapting To Private Practice: From US Attorney To BigLaw
When I transitioned to private practice after government service — most recently as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia — I learned there are more similarities between the two jobs than many realize, with both disciplines requiring resourcefulness, zealous advocacy and foresight, says Zach Terwilliger at V&E.
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11th Circ. Ruling Warns Parties To Follow Arbitral Rules
The Eleventh Circuit's recent decision in Merritt Island Woodwerx v. Space Coast is important for companies utilizing arbitration clauses because it clearly demonstrates the court's intent to hold noncompliant parties responsible in federal court — regardless of subsequent efforts to cure, says Ed Mullins at Reed Smith.
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2nd Circ. Limits VPPA Liability, But Caveats Remain
The Second Circuit's narrowed scope of the Video Privacy Protection Act in Solomon v. Flipps Media, in which the court adopted the ordinary person standard, will help shield businesses from VPPA liability, but the decision hardly provides a free pass to streamers and digital media companies utilizing website pixels, say attorneys at Frankfurt Kurnit.
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The Ins And Outs Of Consensual Judicial References
As parties consider the possibility of judicial reference to resolve complex disputes, it is critical to understand how the process works, why it's gaining traction, and why carefully crafted agreements make all the difference, say attorneys at Pillsbury.
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SpaceX Labor Suit May Bring Cosmic Jurisdictional Shifts
The National Mediation Board's upcoming decision about whether SpaceX falls under the purview of the National Labor Relations Act or the Railway Labor Act could establish how jurisdictional boundaries are determined for employers that toe the line, with tangible consequences for decades to come, say attorneys at Davis Wright.
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Opinion
The BigLaw Settlements Are About Risk, Not Profit
The nine Am Law 100 firms that settled with the Trump administration likely did so because of the personal risk faced by equity partners in today's billion‑dollar national practices, enabled by an ethics rule primed for modernization, says Adam Forest at Scale.
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Opinion
Courts Must Revitalize Robust Claim Construction
Two Federal Circuit decisions from earlier this year illustrate the rarity of robust claim construction and the underused reverse doctrine of equivalents — a dual problem that prevents courts from clearly delineating and correctly cabining the scope of rights conferred by patent claims, say attorneys at Klarquist Sparkman.
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State Tort Claims May Help Deter Bribes During FCPA Pause
As the U.S. pauses Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement, companies that lose business due to competitors' bribery should consider using state tortious interference suits to expose corruption, deter illegal practices and obtain compensation for commercial losses, says Jason Manning at Levy Firestone.
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2nd Circ. Arb. Ruling May Give Foreign Insurers An Edge
The Second Circuit's decision this month in Lloyds of London v. 3131 Veterans Blvd that international arbitration agreements take primacy over state anti-arbitration insurance laws opens a division between domestic and foreign insurers that could affect the surplus lines market, says attorney Rosanne Felicello.