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Appellate

  • September 19, 2025

    Union's $3.5M OT Pension Suit Win Overturned At 3rd Circ.

    The Third Circuit overturned Friday a pipe fitters and plumbers union local's $3.5 million win in a dispute with a commercial real estate company over pension contributions related to overtime hours, holding that the parties' collective bargaining agreements didn't obligate the employer to pay additional benefits.

  • September 19, 2025

    Fla. Bar Must Conduct Bondi Ethics Probe, State Justices Told

    An attorney has doubled down on his attempt to force the Florida Bar into investigating U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi for alleged unethical conduct, arguing to the state Supreme Court that the bar has a clear legal duty to do so.

  • September 19, 2025

    Fla. Judge's Resignation Ends 'Dad Jokes' Ethics Case

    The Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission has tossed an ethics case targeting a former state court judge over "dad joke" remarks that discipline authorities referred to as "grossly inappropriate," saying the judge's subsequent departure from the bench justifies the dismissal. 

  • September 19, 2025

    Off The Bench: Briefings On Trans Ban, New Kalshi Conflicts

    In this week's Off The Bench, the U.S. Supreme Court receives initial briefs from West Virginia and Idaho regarding their bans on gender identity-based participation in school sports, Kalshi is taken to court by another state over its event contract offerings, and Washington, D.C.'s National Football League team takes a major step toward returning to its namesake city.

  • September 19, 2025

    Trump Asks High Court To Lift Block On Trans Passport Ban

    The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to lift a nationwide order requiring the U.S. Department of State to issue passports to transgender and nonbinary individuals that reflect their gender identity, arguing the mandate wrongly compels the government to express speech it disagrees with.

  • September 19, 2025

    Michigan Justices To Weigh Enbridge Pipeline Tunnel Dispute

    The Michigan Supreme Court agreed Friday to hear challenges to state regulators' approval of an Enbridge Energy LP plan to construct a miles-long tunnel for a petroleum pipeline underneath a Great Lakes shipping corridor.

  • September 19, 2025

    Mich. Top Court Again Backs Retroactive Auto Reform Limits

    The Michigan Supreme Court on Friday reversed a lower state appellate panel's decision in a dispute over whether no-fault reforms enacted in 2019 apply to policies that "straddled" the reform effective dates, pointing to the top court's earlier finding that such policies are subjected to post-reform increased limits for liability.

  • September 19, 2025

    2nd Circ. Lets Students Facing Removal Stay Free, For Now

    The Second Circuit on Friday declined to revisit its earlier decisions that allowed two foreign students facing deportation, allegedly for their pro-Palestinian advocacy, to stay out of detention, rejecting the Trump administration's bid to find it lacks jurisdiction over their cases.

  • September 18, 2025

    Ill. Justices Reverse Therapist's Fee Win Against Regulator

    Illinois' financial and professional regulator should not be ordered to pay attorney fees in connection with a therapist's successful bid to shield his notes from a doctor's administrative reinstatement hearing, the state's highest court ruled Thursday.

  • September 18, 2025

    Delaware Judge Calls For Civility After 'Annus Horribilis'

    In a rare postscript to her bench ruling this week, a Delaware vice chancellor lamented what she observed as a breakdown in the state bar's civility and mutual respect over the past "annus horribilis," comments that have since drawn cautious support and resonance with several in the First State's legal community.

  • September 18, 2025

    Ga. Panel Lifts Bar On Mom's Suit Over Accidental Shooting

    The Georgia Court of Appeals has revived a woman's wrongful death suit over her son's accidental shooting while in training as a security guard, overturning a lower court's ruling that her claims were preempted by a liability release in a workers' compensation settlement.

  • 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.

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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