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Appellate

  • September 18, 2025

    Alaska Asks Justices To End Feds' Subsistence Fishing Regs

    The state of Alaska is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to step into its dispute with the federal government and Native American groups over fishing regulations in its navigable waters, challenging a Ninth Circuit ruling that barred the state from opening part of the Kuskokwim River to all fishers.

  • September 18, 2025

    Fed. Circ.'s PTAB Prior Art Ruling Risks Havoc, Justices Told

    The Federal Circuit created a "jumbled mess" when it ruled that the filing date of a patent application dictates whether it can be used as prior art to invalidate a later patent, rather than the date the application was published, Lynk Labs Inc. has told the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • September 18, 2025

    Texas Court Says Citizen Can't Intervene To Uphold Pot Law

    The citizen sponsor of a voter-approved marijuana decriminalization ordinance cannot intervene in the deal struck between the state attorney general and city of Elgin that declared the ordinance void, a Texas appeals court ruled, saying the advocate doesn't have standing.

  • September 18, 2025

    Conn. Justice 'Embarrassed' By State's Atty Discipline Rules

    A Connecticut Supreme Court justice said Thursday that he was "embarrassed" by the "terribly unclear" ethics rules at the center of an attorney discipline case, appearing sympathetic to the argument that a trial court should have entertained the lawyer's constitutional challenge to the grievance process.

  • September 18, 2025

    DC Circ. Judge Says PJM Monitor May Have 'Hint Of Paranoia'

    The D.C. Circuit didn't seem so sure Thursday morning that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was flouting the rules by denying an independent market monitor access to its liaison committee meetings, with one judge saying the monitor seemed to be exhibiting a "hint of paranoia."

  • September 18, 2025

    7th Circ. Judge Wary Of Ex-Firefighter's Free Speech Position

    A Seventh Circuit judge on Thursday said an attorney for a former Chicago firefighter seeking to revive a suit claiming he was unlawfully fired for a series of memes and other statements posted on Facebook seemed to be making a "hyperbolic" argument that public employers cannot regulate speech outside the workplace.

  • September 18, 2025

    Wash. Panel Calls Gas Station Co.'s Insurance Delay Risky

    Whether gas station operator Gull Industries Inc. is entitled to legal defense costs from Granite State Insurance Co. in long-running litigation over the company's environmental liability may ultimately boil down to timing, Washington state appellate judges suggested at a hearing Thursday.

  • September 18, 2025

    2nd Circ. To Weigh EFTA's Scope In NY's Citi Wire Fraud Case

    The Second Circuit has granted Citibank's request for an appeal in its fight with New York Attorney General Letitia James over the bank's response to incidents of online wire transfer fraud, agreeing to review whether key federal consumer protections for electronic payments apply to wire transfers initiated over the internet.

  • September 18, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Hears 'Settled Expectations' Are 'Lawless' In IP Feud

    SanDisk Technologies Inc. and its former parent have become the latest challengers at the Federal Circuit to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's discretionary denial practices, taking aim at its acting director's holdings that patent owners eventually have the right to assume their patents won't be challenged.

  • September 18, 2025

    Split Court Shields Mich. City From Teen's Drowning Suit

    The city of South Haven, Michigan, is immune from the claims of the estate of a man who drowned while swimming in Lake Michigan because the estate failed to establish that an exception to governmental immunity applied, a divided state appeals court ruled.

  • September 18, 2025

    Groups Look To Block EPA's $3B Grant Cuts Amid Appeal

    Conservation, tribal groups, and local and county governments are looking to block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from terminating a $3 billion climate grant program while they appeal a decision that dismissed their claims, arguing that public interest and equities weigh heavily in their favor.

  • September 18, 2025

    6th Circ. Allows Case Against Deputy For Attacking Man

    A Sixth Circuit panel has affirmed a lower court's ruling, finding that a Tennessee police officer who went into a man's home and hit him on Halloween in 2021 could not use qualified immunity to shield himself from liability for his actions.

  • September 18, 2025

    Mich. Top Court To Weigh Medicare's Role In No-Fault Cases

    Michigan's highest court will weigh whether an injured driver who opted out of personal injury protection due to his Medicare coverage must offset his damages by billing the insurance program for accident-related medical expenses in a no-fault dispute. 

  • September 18, 2025

    Circuit Board Maker Fights $7.6M Trial Loss At 11th Circ.

    A Chinese circuit board manufacturer asked the Eleventh Circuit on Thursday to reverse a ruling in its U.S. distributor's favor, arguing that the lower court improperly held it to a heightened pleading standard in their contract dispute, paving the way to a $7.6 million loss at trial.

  • September 18, 2025

    7th Circ. Questions Jurisdiction In $250M Van Gogh Dispute

    The Seventh Circuit on Thursday appeared skeptical that an Illinois court had jurisdiction to hear a dispute brought by heirs of a German Jewish art collector persecuted by the Nazi Party, seeking to recover a Vincent van Gogh "Sunflowers" painting from a Japanese firm.

  • September 18, 2025

    Army Challenges Tribe's Claims In Burial Dispute At 4th Circ.

    The U.S. Army told the Fourth Circuit this week that a tribe seeking the repatriation of remains from a former Pennsylvania Native American boarding school was wrong to claim that it couldn't find living relatives of the entombed children, citing a news article pointing to the existence of those relatives.

  • September 18, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Stay Venezuelans' TPS Win Amid Feds' Appeal

    The Ninth Circuit denied on Wednesday the Trump administration's latest emergency-stay request, which would have let the government continue to unwind temporary protected status for 600,000 Venezuelans as it challenges its summary-judgment loss on appeal, rejecting the government's argument that the U.S. Supreme Court's prior stay ruling in the case controls.

  • September 18, 2025

    EPA Will Maintain Hazardous Designations For PFOA, PFOS

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said it will defend the Biden administration's decision to list two common forever chemicals as hazardous substances under the federal Superfund law.

  • September 18, 2025

    Circuit Split On Felon Gun Ban Could Set Up High Court Review

    A growing divide among federal appellate courts on how a gun ban for felons fits within the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 expansion of individuals' right to carry firearms in public could force the high court to revisit the Second Amendment.

  • September 18, 2025

    Citing Lashify, ITC Finds Domestic Industry In Vape Case

    The U.S. International Trade Commission has agreed with a judge's finding that Pax Labs Inc. has satisfied a requirement for it to bring its case alleging imports of vape devices infringed various patents, relying on a pair of Federal Circuit rulings over what counts toward that requirement.

  • September 18, 2025

    Couple Slam NC Defense Attys In Hospital Negligence Appeal

    A couple pursuing negligence claims against a local hospital scoffed at the idea that they were lurking on the sidelines waiting to cash in on a favorable outcome in a similar case, telling the North Carolina appeals court to ignore an amicus brief by defense attorneys arguing as much.

  • September 18, 2025

    Colibri Wants Full Fed. Circ. To Rethink Medtronic Patent Case

    Colibri Heart Valve LLC wants the full Federal Circuit to review a panel's ruling overturning a patent infringement judgment of more than $125 million against Medtronic's CoreValve unit, saying the panel wrongly applied a reading of the law that is too broad.

  • September 18, 2025

    Ex-Trump Atty Says Fla. Discipline Case Is Over 'Void' Charges

    Former Trump campaign attorney Kenneth Chesebro told the Supreme Court of Florida this week to reject a push to discipline him over his conviction in Georgia's election interference racketeering case, arguing his name was cleared by a court order invalidating the charge to which he pled guilty.

  • September 18, 2025

    Fla. Supreme Court Disbars Atty For Misusing Client Funds

    The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday disbarred an Orlando-area attorney for misconduct, including improperly diverting funds from homebuyers he represented in real estate closings to a construction marketing entity he was affiliated with that was the seller in the transactions.

  • September 18, 2025

    11th Circ. Appears Poised To Back MetLife Benefits Denial

    The Eleventh Circuit seemed unpersuaded Thursday by a push to overturn MetLife's denial of death benefits to a worker who died days after she broke her leg and ankle exiting a vehicle, with judges zeroing in on plan language that barred coverage when contributing illnesses were involved.

Expert Analysis

  • M&A Ruling Reinforces High Bar For Aiding, Abetting Claims

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    The Delaware Supreme Court's recent decision in In re: Columbia Pipeline may slow the filing of aiding and abetting claims against third-party buyers in situations where buyers negotiate aggressively, putting buy-side dealmakers' minds at ease that they likely won't be liable for seeking the best possible deal, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Series

    Creating Botanical Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Pressing and framing plants that I grow has shown me that pursuing an endeavor that brings you joy can lead to surprising benefits for a legal career, including mental clarity, perspective and even a bit of humility, says Douglas Selph at Morris Manning.

  • What To Expect As Calif. Justices Weigh Arbitration Fee Law

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    If the California Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling in Hohenshelt v. Superior Court holds that the Federal Arbitration Act does not preempt the California Arbitration Act's strict fee deadlines, employers and businesses could lose the right to arbitrate over minor procedural delays, say attorneys at Bird Marella.

  • 2 Circuit Court Rulings Offer A Class Certification Primer

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    Two recent decisions from the Third and Sixth Circuits provide guidance on the rigorous analysis of predominance that courts might require for class certification, and insights into how defendants might oppose or narrow potential class actions, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Supreme Court's Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review

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    Though the U.S. Supreme Court’s criminal law decisions in its recently concluded term proved underwhelming by many measures, their opinions revealed trends in how the justices approach criminal cases and offered reminders for practitioners, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Opinion

    The Legal Education Status Quo Is No Longer Tenable

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    As underscored by the fallout from California’s February bar exam, legal education and licensure are tethered to outdated systems, and the industry must implement several key reforms to remain relevant and responsive to 21st century legal needs, says Matthew Nehmer at The Colleges of Law.

  • 2nd Circ. Reinforces Consensus On Vacating Foreign Awards

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    In Molecular Dynamics v. Spectrum Dynamics Medical, the Second Circuit recently affirmed that federal district courts do not possess subject matter jurisdiction to vacate foreign arbitral awards, strengthening this consensus across the circuits most active in recognition and enforcement actions, says Ed Mullins at Reed Smith.

  • What Dismissal Rulings May Mean For ERISA Forfeiture Cases

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    Following an influx of Employee Retirement Income Security Act class actions challenging the long-standing practice of plan sponsors using plan forfeitures to offset employer contributions, recent motion to dismiss rulings and a U.S. Department of Labor amicus brief may encourage more courts to reject plaintiffs' forfeiture theories, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • Justices' Age Verification Ruling May Lead To More State Laws

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton ruling, permitting a Texas law requiring certain websites to verify users’ ages, significantly expands states' ability to regulate minors’ social media access, further complicating the patchwork of internet privacy laws, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Relevance Redactions

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    In recent cases addressing redactions that parties sought to apply based on the relevance of information — as opposed to considerations of privilege — courts have generally limited a party’s ability to withhold nonresponsive or irrelevant material, providing a few lessons for discovery strategy, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Opinion

    Section 1983 Has Promise After End Of Nationwide Injunctions

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down the practice of nationwide injunctions in Trump v. Casa, Section 1983 civil rights suits can provide a better pathway to hold the government accountable — but this will require reforms to qualified immunity, says Marc Levin at the Council on Criminal Justice.

  • Reel Justice: 'Oh, Hi!' Teaches Attys To Return To The Statute

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    The new dark comedy film “Oh, Hi!” — depicting a romantic vacation that turns into an inadvertent kidnapping — should remind criminal practitioners to always reread the statute to avoid assumptions, meet their ethical duties and finesse their trial strategy, says Veronica Finkelstein at Wilmington University School of Law.

  • Patent Ambiguity Persists After Justices Nix Eligibility Appeal

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    The Supreme Court recently declined to revisit the contentious framework governing patent eligibility by denying certiorari in Audio Evolution Diagnostics v. U.S., suggesting a necessary recalibration of both patent application and litigation strategies, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Justices' Decision Axing Retiree's ADA Claim Offers Clarity

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's holding in Stanley v. City of Sanford that protections under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act don't extend to retirees potentially limits liability by giving employers additional support to challenge complaints, and highlights the need for proactive policy management to mitigate risk, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Fed. Circ. In June: Transitional Phrases In Patent Claims

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Eye Therapies v. Slayback Pharma takes on the rarely addressed topic of transitional phrases in patent claims, providing some useful lessons regarding restating claim language and broadly distinguishing prior art, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

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