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Appellate
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August 12, 2025
Fed. Circ. Rejects Another Fannie, Freddie Investor Suit
The Federal Circuit on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit accusing the federal government of profiting off Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to other shareholders' detriment, saying the case was seeking to rehash arguments the court rejected three years ago.
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August 12, 2025
2nd Circ. Rules Dormant Commerce Clause Covers Marijuana
A split Second Circuit panel on Tuesday ruled that, despite marijuana's federal illegality, the U.S. Constitution prohibits states from privileging their own residents when awarding licenses to cannabis businesses.
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August 12, 2025
Ohio Court Orders Resentencing Over Disclosure Failures
An Ohio state appeals court has ruled that a man given an indefinite sentence for a series of assaults must be resentenced after a trial court failed to adequately inform him about his sentence when it was handed down.
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August 12, 2025
Rising Star: Jones Day's Brinton Lucas
Brinton Lucas of Jones Day successfully challenged a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule requiring public companies to describe their reasoning behind stock buybacks, earning him a spot among the appellate law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.
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August 12, 2025
DOJ Demurs On Lawsuit Seeking Emil Bove Docs
The U.S. Department of Justice is contesting a watchdog's lawsuit seeking to obtain public records requests on now-Third Circuit Judge Emil Bove, who was formerly President Donald Trump's criminal attorney and a top DOJ official.
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August 12, 2025
Insurer Pushes 11th Circ. To Avoid Malpractice Coverage
An insurance company has told the Eleventh Circuit it should not have to foot the bill to defend its client against a federal malpractice suit in Atlanta, arguing its policy contains a carveout for claims involving "conversion, improper comingling, or misappropriation," and asking the appellate court to review an earlier dismissal de novo.
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August 12, 2025
11th Circ. Wary Of Individual Arbitration Push In ESOP Fight
The Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday appeared unlikely to force individual arbitration of a federal benefits lawsuit alleging that a legal technology company's employee stock ownership plan shares were undervalued in a plan termination, with multiple judges questioning the validity of an arbitration provision in ESOP plan documents.
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August 12, 2025
6th Circ. Says Officials' Cabin Search Violated 4th Amendment
The Sixth Circuit on Monday upheld a lower court's decision denying qualified immunity to Michigan officials who entered a family's property without a warrant or permission, ruling the mini cabins they inspected were protected as homes under the Fourth Amendment and the search was unreasonable.
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August 11, 2025
5th Circ. Backs Mexican Banks' Subpoena For Fraud Case
The Fifth Circuit on Monday refused to revive a Mexican businessman's motion to quash a subpoena stemming from major Mexican financial institutions' efforts to obtain discovery as they pursue claims that the businessman absconded with $32 million in loans, saying it detected "no error" in a lower court's denial.
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August 11, 2025
9th Circ. Affirms SEC Win In Life Insurance Investment Row
The Ninth Circuit ruled in a published opinion Monday that fractional interests in life settlements are investment contracts and thus securities, backing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's win against Pacific West Capital Group agents, who the SEC alleged sold unregistered securities and didn't properly register as broker-dealers.
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August 11, 2025
2nd Circ. Revives Hezbollah Terrorism Suit Against Bank
The Second Circuit held Monday that a Lebanese bank is subject to the personal jurisdiction of New York courts on claims over its predecessor's alleged assistance to Hezbollah, citing the state highest court's certified answer in the case while also reasoning that the bank being subjected to the state's jurisdiction was foreseeable.
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August 11, 2025
11th Circ. Nixes Ineffective-Counsel Claim In Salmonella Case
Peanut Corp. of America's former president and a food broker convicted for their roles in a salmonella outbreak that killed nine people and sickened more than 700 cannot throw out their prison sentences, the Eleventh Circuit ruled Monday, rejecting their assertion of ineffective counsel.
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August 11, 2025
Ohio Justice's Suit Over Partisan Label Rule Moves Forward
Ohio Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner's challenge to a state law requiring judicial candidates to list their political party affiliations on general election ballots will go on after a federal judge ruled the justice sufficiently alleged that her First Amendment rights were violated.
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August 11, 2025
11th Circ. Rejects Speedy Trial Claim In MetroPCS Robberies
The Eleventh Circuit will not overturn the conviction of a man arrested in a string of MetroPCS store robberies in Miami, saying that even though the government may have violated the Speedy Trial Act, the man missed the window to challenge the charges.
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August 11, 2025
Justices Told USAA's $218M Win Threatened By Inconsistency
The Federal Circuit's decision to let the Patent Trial and Appeal Board invalidate patents at the heart of the United Services Automobile Association's recently reversed $218 million infringement verdict against PNC Bank, endorsed allowing government agencies to issue contradictory rulings without explaining themselves, USAA has told the U.S. Supreme Court.
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August 11, 2025
2nd Circ. Revives Ex-Fed Worker's COVID Vax Exemption Suit
The Second Circuit has revived a former employee's claims against the Federal Reserve Bank of New York over its COVID-19 vaccination requirement, saying Monday there was a disputed issue of fact over whether the executive assistant had a genuine religious objection.
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August 11, 2025
Trump's DC Takeover Highlights Local Judicial Vacancies
President Donald Trump's announcement Monday on the federal takeover of D.C. law enforcement and deployment of the National Guard to Washington, D.C., has drawn attention once again to the vacancy crisis plaguing the local D.C. court system.
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August 11, 2025
Texas AG Says Trans Care Decision Limits Investigative Power
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office told the state's high court Friday that a lower court's decision severely diminished its ability to investigate violations of the state's deceptive trade practices statute, and stalled an investigation into an LGBTQ+ advocacy group.
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August 11, 2025
Philly Cop Not Too Late To Seek Benefits For Mental Health
A Philadelphia police officer who was beaten by a suspect while responding to a robbery call can add post-traumatic stress disorder and depression to his existing workers' compensation claims, with the Commonwealth Court ruling that it was permissible since the symptoms were not identified as compensable until after the original claim was filed.
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August 11, 2025
Panel Says Public Health Order, Not COVID, Is An Occurrence
Governmental COVID-19 shutdown orders, and not the pandemic itself, are what constitute an "occurrence" under Life Time Fitness' commercial property policy with Zurich American Insurance Co., a Minnesota state appeals panel ruled Monday, specifically analyzing an "interruption by communicable disease" endorsement providing up to $1 million per occurrence.
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August 11, 2025
4th Circ. Revives Union Member's Bid To Sue Machinists
A divided Fourth Circuit panel has given a union member another shot at accusing the International Association of Machinists'Â president and secretary-treasurer of misusing IAM funds on personal travel, saying Monday that she took the necessary steps to raise the matter internally before filing suit.
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August 11, 2025
Fed. Circ. Reverses Alice Ax Of Dumbbell Patent In IFit Case
The Federal Circuit decided on Monday that a Utah federal judge wrongly declared a PowerBlock Holdings Inc. dumbbell patent asserted against iFit Inc. to be invalid for claiming only an abstract idea, holding it instead covers a specific type of dumbbell that is patent eligible.
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August 11, 2025
Fed. Circ. Drops Co.'s $1.5B Commerce Award Challenge
A Virginia company voluntarily dropped a Federal Circuit appeal related to a U.S. Department of Commerce procurement for IT services valued at up to $1.5 billion, though a second company will continue to press its challenge.
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August 11, 2025
Licensing Co. Seeks Revival Of Leibovitz Photo Dispute
The licensing firm for photographer Annie Leibovitz urged the Eleventh Circuit Monday to revive its suit alleging that an online magazine used her photos without permission, arguing that carveouts in the agreement letting Leibovitz use her work for select purposes doesn't undermine the exclusivity of the company's rights.
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August 11, 2025
NC Legislator's Judicial Campaign Scrutinized Over Donations
The former director of a voting rights nonprofit has filed a complaint with the North Carolina State Board of Elections challenging certain donations to a Republican state lawmaker's campaign for a seat on the state Supreme Court that he says flout state campaign finance laws.
Expert Analysis
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care
Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.
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Texas' Cactus Ruling Clarifies 'Produced Water' Rules
The Texas Supreme Court's decision in Cactus Water Services v. COG Operating, holding that mineral interest lessees have the rights to water extracted alongside oil and gas, should benefit industry players by clarifying the rules — but it leaves important questions about royalties unresolved, say attorneys at Yetter Coleman.
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ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'
The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.
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How Political Divisions Are Stalling Pa. Energy Development
Despite possessing the nation's second-largest natural gas reserves and a legacy of energy infrastructure, Pennsylvania faces a fragmented and politically charged path to developing the energy resources it will need in the future, thanks to legislative gridlock, divided public opinion and competing energy interests, says Andrew Levine at Stradley Ronon.
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How High Court Ruling Can Aid Judgment Enforcement In US
In CC/Devas (Mauritius) v. Antrix, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that only two steps are required to keep a foreign sovereign in federal court, making it a little easier for investors to successfully bring foreign states and sovereign-owned and -controlled entities into U.S. courts, says Kristie Blase at Felicello Law.
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What High Court's Tenn. Trans Care Ruling Means Nationally
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in U.S. v. Skrmetti, upholding a Tennessee ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors, is fairly limited in scope and closely tailored to the specific language of Tennessee's law, but it may have implications for challenges to similar laws in other states, say attorneys at Hall Render.
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Justices Rewrite Rules For Challenging Enviro Agency Actions
Three recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings — Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas, Oklahoma v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and EPA v. Calumet Shreveport Refining — form a jurisprudential watershed in administrative and environmental law, affirming statutory standing and venue provisions as the backbone of coherent judicial review, say attorneys at GableGotwals.
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Series
My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer
Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.
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High Court ACA Ruling May Harm Preventative Care
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Kennedy v. Braidwood last week, ruling that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary has authority over an Affordable Care Act preventive care task force, risks harming the credibility of the task force and could open the door to politicians dictating clinical recommendations, says Michael Kolber at Manatt.
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Opinion
Subject Matter Eligibility Test Should Return To Preemption
Subject matter eligibility has posed challenges for patentees due to courts' arbitrary and confusing reasoning, but adopting a two-part preemption test could align the applicant, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the courts, says Manav Das at McDonnell Boehnen.
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8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work
Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.
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Kousisis Concurrence Maps FCA Defense To Anti-DEI Suits
Justice Clarence Thomas' recent concurrence in Kousisis v. U.S. lays out how federal funding recipients could use the high standard for materiality in government fraud cases to fight the U.S. Justice Department’s threatened False Claims Act suits against payees deviating from the administration’s anti-DEI policies, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.
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Justices' Review Of Fluor May Alter Gov't Contractor Liability
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to review Hencely v. Fluor, a case involving a soldier’s personal injury claims against a government contractor, suggests the justices could reconsider a long-standing test for determining whether contractors are shielded from state-tort liability, says Lisa Himes at Rogers Joseph.
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Google Damages Ruling Offers Lessons For Testifying Experts
The Federal Circuit's recent decision in EcoFactor v. Google represents a shift in how courts evaluate expert testimony in patent cases, offering a practical guide for how litigators and testifying experts can refine their work, says Adam Rhoten at Secretariat.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients
Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.