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Appellate
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July 22, 2025
9th Circ. Rejects Gun Club's Bid For Permitting Cost Coverage
An insurer for a Washington shooting club had no duty to cover roughly $400,000 in costs to secure proper site development permits after county officials won a public nuisance lawsuit against the club, the Ninth Circuit ruled, finding the club can't be covered for its deliberate actions.
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July 22, 2025
1st Circ. Nixes $15.5M Haitian Torture Judgment, Narrows Law
The First Circuit has tossed a $15.5 million judgment awarded to the victims and survivors of political violence allegedly orchestrated by a former Haitian mayor, and narrowed the legal options for foreign nationals seeking damages for acts that occurred outside the United States.
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July 22, 2025
Ethics Appeal Over Columbia Letter Nixed As Judge Joins USDA
In its first decision of 2025, the Judicial Conference's conduct committee on Tuesday dismissed a challenge to the Seventh Circuit Judicial Council's decision to toss ethics claims against a U.S. Court of International Trade judge who threatened not to hire law clerks from Columbia University over the school's handling of Israel protests.
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July 22, 2025
4th Circ. Affirms $190M Trademark Verdict Against Vivint
Smart home software company Vivint on Tuesday lost its appeal seeking to overturn a nearly $190 million verdict in which a North Carolina jury found it liable for deceiving customers of a rival local security company, with the Fourth Circuit finding there was enough evidence to support the award.
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July 22, 2025
Transportation Cases To Watch: Midyear Report 2025
Litigation concerning whether local delivery drivers qualify as transportation workers exempt from arbitration and clashes over the scope of federal preemption in personal injury cases involving freight brokers and motor carriers are among the court battles that transportation attorneys are watching in the latter half of 2025.
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July 22, 2025
Missouri Solicitor General, State Judge Secure Federal Seats
The Senate confirmed two nominees on Tuesday to serve on Missouri federal courts.
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July 21, 2025
Revived Effort To Break Up 9th Circ. Makes Its Way To Senate
Idaho Republicans have reintroduced a U.S. Senate bill that looks to split up the Ninth Circuit and create a new Twelfth Circuit, according to an announcement made Monday, roughly nearly seven months after a similar bill was introduced in the House.
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July 21, 2025
Trump Asks DC Circ. To Block FTC Dem's Reinstatement
The Trump administration on Monday asked the D.C. Circuit to pause a Thursday order restoring a fired Federal Trade Commission Democrat's job, arguing that the ruling defies recent U.S. Supreme Court orders staying similar reinstatements at other independent agencies.
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July 21, 2025
Insurer Can't Get New Trial After $1.75M Loss, 11th Circ. Says
The Eleventh Circuit on Monday upheld a $1.75 million verdict a Georgia church won against its insurance company in a storm damage coverage dispute, ruling that the insurer largely abandoned its defenses against the judgment before the case ever landed in front of the appellate panel.
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July 21, 2025
Novartis Can't Block Generic Entresto Amid TM Feud Appeal
The Third Circuit said no way to Novartis AG's attempt to block a competitor from selling a generic version of a heart failure drug while the pair duke it out in federal court over Novartis' allegations that an Indian drugmaker is infringing its trademarks.
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July 21, 2025
2nd Circ. Reopens Etan Patz Murder Case Over Trial Error
The Second Circuit on Monday reversed the conviction of a man charged in the notorious 1979 killing of six-year-old Etan Patz, saying a key jury instruction about a supposed confession was "dramatically" inaccurate and "manifestly prejudicial."
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July 21, 2025
The Biggest Telecom Developments Of 2025: Midyear Report
It's been a headline-grabbing year in communications law so far, with the U.S. Supreme Court handing down a major win for federal programs that help pay for broadband deployment and a new Republican chief at the nation's telecom agency ushering in a rule-slashing agenda.
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July 21, 2025
DC Circ. Urged To Leave FERC Project Approvals Alone
Grid operator Southwest Power Pool Inc. urged the D.C. Circuit to deny utility petitions challenging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's approval of four transmission projects developed by Kansas-based Sunflower Electric Power Corp.
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July 21, 2025
Feds Tell 3rd Circ. Gun Rights Not Automatic After Crime
The Third Circuit heard oral arguments Monday over whether the Second Amendment gives a man convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol the automatic right to own weapons after serving his time.
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July 21, 2025
Copyright And TM Cases To Watch In The Second Half Of 2025
The U.S. Supreme Court will evaluate contributory liability in a $1 billion copyright case involving internet service providers, and the Federal Circuit will assess the latest attempted trademark registration testing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's comfort with profanity. Here are the copyright and trademark cases to watch for the rest of the year.
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July 21, 2025
Enterprise Need Only Check License, Conn. Panel Rules
Enterprise Rent-A-Car can not be held liable for renting a vehicle to a man who became intoxicated and struck a jogger and his dog later that day, a Connecticut appeals court ruled, saying the company was only required to inspect the driver's physical license and not to find out if the state had limited him to vehicles equipped with car breathalyzers.
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July 21, 2025
Mich. Justices Raise Bar For Prisoner Contraband Cases
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled Monday that possession of contraband in prison is not a strict liability offense, meaning prosecutors must prove that a prisoner was, at minimum, reckless in obtaining drugs or alcohol while behind bars.Â
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July 21, 2025
Guinea Tells DC Circ. $22M Award Can't Be Enforced
The Republic of Guinea has urged the D.C. Circuit not to revive a consulting company's bid to enforce a $22 million arbitration award, saying a lower court correctly found that it was unclear whether the country agreed to arbitrate the dispute in the first place.
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July 21, 2025
9th Circ. Narrows 'Remain In Mexico' Block During Appeal
A split Ninth Circuit panel ruled that a California federal judge's nationwide block of the Remain in Mexico program can only apply to the clients of the nonprofit that brought the underlying challenge while the Trump administration's appeal proceeds.
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July 21, 2025
Baseball Training Co. Must Face Suit Over Mom's Injury
Indiana's court of appeals ruled that a baseball training center cannot escape a lawsuit accusing the business of negligence after an admittedly unstable training screen fell over and caused a head injury to the mother of one of the trainees.
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July 21, 2025
Split 8th Circ. OKs Fed Charges In Cop Car Burning Case
A split Eighth Circuit panel has ruled that a man convicted in Arkansas federal court of firebombing three police vehicles must face his sentence, ruling that, because the departments to which the cars belonged received federal money, the U.S. government is allowed to bring charges against the man.
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July 21, 2025
Wash. Plastic Surgeon Can't Get $13M Jury Verdict Overturned
A Washington appeals court panel refused on Monday to undo a $13 million jury verdict against a plastic surgeon in a medical malpractice case, rejecting the doctor's argument that the lower court wrongly allowed evidence of state regulators' unrelated disciplinary proceedings against her.
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July 21, 2025
Justices Asked If Frontier Law Covers 'Corner Crossing' Case
A Wyoming ranch owner is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Tenth Circuit decision that four hunters who crossed over its property to reach public lands didn't trespass, arguing that state law prohibits "corner crossing" and that no federal easement exists across private land for public access.
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July 21, 2025
Ex-Judges Call SAP Hypocritical In 'Self-Serving' Fintiv Appeal
Retired Federal Circuit Judges Randall Rader and Kathleen O'Malley are urging their former court to reject SAP America Inc.'s challenge to how the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is implementing new policies, saying the agency is acting within its limits and that SAP is selfishly contradicting arguments it previously made at the U.S. Supreme Court.
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July 21, 2025
Calif. Court Orders Drug Deal Retrial Over Mistaken Admission
A California state appeals court on Monday demanded a new trial on drug dealing charges for a man who admitted to possessing cocaine while on probation, finding a trial court judge had erroneously admitted botched testimony the man gave in a probation hearing.
Expert Analysis
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Teaching Yourself Legal Tech
New graduates often enter practice unfamiliar with even basic professional software, but budding lawyers can use on-the-job opportunities to both catch up on technological skills and explore the advanced legal and artificial intelligence tools that will open doors, says Alyssa Sones at Sheppard Mullin.
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Opinion
Legacy Of 3 Justices Should Guide Transgender Rights Ruling
Three Republican-appointed U.S. Supreme Court justices — Anthony Kennedy, Sandra Day O'Connor and David Souter — gave rise to a jurisprudence of personal liberty that courts today invoke to protect gender-affirming care, and with the court now poised to decide U.S. v. Skrmetti, it must follow the path that they set, says Greg Fosheim at McDermott.
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How IPR Estoppel Ruling May Clash With PTAB Landscape
Though the Federal Circuit's narrowing of inter partes review estoppel in Ingenico v. Ioengine might encourage more petitions, tougher standards for discretionary denial established by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office could be a counterbalancing factor, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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Texas Ruling Emphasizes Limits Of Franchisors' Liability
The Texas Supreme Court's recent ruling in Massage Heights Franchising v. Hagman, holding that a franchisor was not liable to a customer for the actions of a franchisee's employee, helps clarify the relative roles and responsibilities of the parties in such situations — and the limits of franchisors' duty of care, say attorneys at Polsinelli.
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How AI May Reshape The Future Of Adjudication
As discussed at a recent panel at Texas A&M, artificial intelligence will not erase the human element of adjudication in the next 10 to 20 years, but it will drive efficiencies that spur private arbiters to experiment, lead public courts to evolve and force attorneys to adapt, says Christopher Seck at Squire Patton.
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Justices' Charter School Tie Delays Church-State Reckoning
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent deadlock in Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board v. Drummond, blocking the creation of the nation’s first religious charter school, preserved the separation of church and state for now, but offered little reassurance about its continued viability, says Jeffrey Sultanik at Fox Rothschild.
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When Legal Advocacy Crosses The Line Into Incivility
As judges issue sanctions for courtroom incivility, and state bars advance formal discipline rules, trial lawyers must understand that the difference between zealous advocacy and unprofessionalism is not just a matter of tone; it's a marker of skill, credibility and potentially disciplinary exposure, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.
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Florida Case Could Redefine Construction Defect Damages
If a Florida appellate court overturns the trial court in a pending construction contract dispute, the state could experience a seismic shift in construction defect damages, effectively leaving homeowners and developers with an incomplete remedy, says Andrew Gold at Akerman.
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2 NY Rulings May Stem Foreign Co. Derivative Suits
In recent decades, shareholders have challenged the internal affairs doctrine by bringing a series of derivative actions in New York state court on behalf of foreign corporations, but the New York Court of Appeals' recent rulings in Ezrasons v. Rudd and Haussmann v. Baumann should slow that trend, say attorneys at Cleary.
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8th Circ. Ruling Highlights Complicated Remote Work Analysis
The Eighth Circuit’s recent opinion in Kuklenski v. Medtronic USA demonstrates that the applicability of employment laws to remote workers is often a fact-driven analysis, highlighting several parameters to consider when evaluating what state and local laws may apply to employees who work remotely, say attorneys at Vedder Price.
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Class Standing Issues Still Murky After Justices Punt LabCorp
While litigants and district courts had hoped the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in LabCorp v. Davis would provide much-needed clarity on the interplay between Article III standing and class certification, the court's failure to rule on the issue leaves disagreement, confusion and uncertainty for stakeholders, says Erica Rutner at Cozen O'Connor.
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Indemnity Lessons From Mass. Construction Defect Ruling
The Massachusetts high court's decision in Trustees of Boston University v. CHA, holding that a bespoke contractual indemnity provision means that a construction defect claim is not subject to Massachusetts' statute of repose, should spur design and construction professionals to negotiate limited provisions, says Christopher Sweeney at Conn Kavanaugh.
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Series
Volunteering At Schools Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Speaking to elementary school students about the importance of college and other opportunities after high school — especially students who may not see those paths reflected in their daily lives — not only taught me the importance of giving back, but also helped to sharpen several skills essential to a successful legal practice, says Guillermo Escobedo at Constangy.
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Justices' Ruling Lowers Bar For Reverse Discrimination Suits
The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous opinion in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, lowering the evidentiary burden for plaintiffs bringing so-called reverse discrimination claims, may lead to more claims brought by majority group employees — and open the door to legal challenges to employer diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, say attorneys at Ice Miller.
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Fed's Crypto Guidance Yank Could Drive Innovation
The Federal Reserve Board's recent withdrawal of guidance letters brings regulatory consistency and broadens banks' ability to innovate in the crypto-asset space, but key distinctions remain between the Fed's policy on crypto liquidity and that of the other banking regulators, says Dan Hartman at Nutter.