Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Appellate
-
July 24, 2025
7th Circ. Erases Class Cert. Over Progressive's Car Valuation
The Seventh Circuit on Thursday reversed a policyholder's class certification win against Progressive Insurance over certain adjustments the insurer makes when calculating a totaled vehicle's actual cash value, finding that whether Progressive paid insureds the proper amount is a primarily individualized inquiry.
-
July 24, 2025
Split 9th Circ. Affirms Block Of Calif. Ammunition Regulation
A split Ninth Circuit panel Thursday affirmed a lower court's finding that California can't require gun owners to undergo background checks before buying ammunition, ruling that the law runs afoul of the Second Amendment in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 ruling in Bruen.
-
July 24, 2025
Ky. Clerk Seeks To Overturn Marriage Equality Ruling
A Kentucky clerk who made international headlines for refusing to issue marriage licenses in protest of the legalization of same-sex marriage asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to overturn its 2015 marriage equality decision after she unsuccessfully tried to shake a civil judgment against her.
-
July 24, 2025
Panel OKs Atty As Expert In 'Vanishingly Rare' Med Mal Suit
A Texas appellate court said Thursday that allegations that a hospital negligently discharged a newborn to adoptive parents can be considered a medical malpractice claim, but said a family law attorney can also serve as an expert witness in a "vanishingly rare" case where an expert needn't be a physician.
-
July 24, 2025
Feds Say 9th Circ. Order Supports Nixing Delay Of TPS End
The U.S. Department of Justice told the Ninth Circuit it can hear an immediate appeal of a district court's decision postponing the Trump administration's termination of temporary protected status for Venezuelans, citing a recent decision from the appeals court narrowing an injunction in a separate case.
-
July 24, 2025
NY Court Bars Monitoring Of Domestic Violence Survivors
A New York state appellate court held Thursday that the Family Court acted unlawfully in placing a mother under the supervision of New York City's child welfare agency just because she has experienced domestic abuse, further curtailing a controversial practice that's already banned elsewhere in the state.
-
July 24, 2025
9th Circ. Urged Not To Let $1.3B India Award Suit Drag On
Weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned an outlier Ninth Circuit decision refusing to enforce a $1.3 billion arbitral award against India, an Indian satellite communications company's shareholders are now urging the circuit court to minimize or nix briefing on issues left open by the justices.
-
July 24, 2025
Pa. Court Backs Use Of DNA From Trash In 1995 Rape Case
The Pennsylvania Superior Court on Thursday upheld the use of a John Doe warrant and decades-delayed DNA testing to identify and convict a man in 2024 for the violent rape of a Penn State student in 1995, saying in the precedent-setting opinion that police were allowed to collect DNA evidence from the man's trash years later.
-
July 24, 2025
IRS Can Levy Religious Group's Property, Split 9th Circ. Says
The IRS can impose a lien on an Arizona residential property held by a religious organization to collect unpaid taxes owed by a bankrupt couple who had decision-making authority over the entity's finances and bank account, a divided Ninth Circuit ruled Thursday.
-
July 29, 2025
CORRECTED: Nonprofit Attys Get OK To Appear In Yale Defamation Suit
The Connecticut Appellate Court on July 23 allowed six out-of-state attorneys representing special interest groups to appear in an appeal questioning whether an unapproved amicus brief in a separate case defamed an acquitted ex-Yale student.
-
July 24, 2025
Insurer Asks 4th Circ. To Nix $1.1M Roof Damage Verdict
An insurer specializing in covering religious organizations asked the Fourth Circuit to set aside a $1.1 million jury verdict it faces over roof damage that a North Carolina church said was caused by snow, arguing the lower court's jury instructions adopted the wrong causation standard.
-
July 24, 2025
NJ Attys Warn RICO Case Revival Would 'Chill' Lawyering
The New Jersey State Bar Association told a Garden State appellate court that lawyers across the state will be chilled from zealously advocating for their clients if it revives the state's racketeering indictment against two politically connected attorneys, making it the second attorney advocacy group to file a proposed amicus curiae brief in the case.
-
July 24, 2025
Ex-Calif. Judge Says 'Trying To Do Too Much' Led To Backlog
A former California state appellate justice said health problems and a strong work ethic harmed his ability to handle his caseload quickly, leading to delays in hundreds of cases that precipitated ethics charges, telling a watchdog he "can only be faulted for trying to do too much under the circumstances."
-
July 24, 2025
Senate Tees Up Vote On Emil Bove To 3rd Circ.
The Senate voted 50-48 on Thursday to tee up the confirmation of Emil Bove to the Third Circuit, which will likely happen next week.
-
July 24, 2025
High Court Hits Pause On 8th Circ. Voting Rights Order
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday paused an Eighth Circuit order to vacate two North Dakota tribes' challenge to two of the state's voting laws that they allege will silence the state's Indigenous voters and disenfranchise millions across seven Midwestern states.
-
July 24, 2025
Dish Network Can't Get Redo In $3.5M Auto Crash Suit
A New Jersey appeals panel won't let Dish Network Service LLC get a retrial following a $3.5 million verdict in favor of a woman grievously injured in a collision involving one of its drivers, rejecting its argument that the evidence didn't support the verdict.
-
July 24, 2025
Chamberlain Hrdlicka Wins Bid To Arbitrate Malpractice Claim
Chamberlain Hrdlicka White Williams & Autry PC won a Texas state appellate decision Thursday forcing a former client to arbitrate his claims that the firm's alleged malpractice over a business restructuring ultimately cost him millions in a divorce.
-
July 24, 2025
Fed. Circ. Backs Snap, Meta, X Win Over Xerox Patent
Xerox on Thursday lost its attempt to restore claims in a patent for providing personalized content to users after the Federal Circuit backed a Patent Trial and Appeal Board finding that Meta, X and Snap were able to show the claims were invalid.
-
July 24, 2025
3rd Circ. Rules Philly Injection Site Equals Religious 'Person'
A nonprofit battling government resistance to its planned safe drug injection site in Philadelphia can qualify for religious freedom protections, the Third Circuit said in a precedential opinion on Thursday, reasoning the organization meets the definition of a "person" practicing religion.
-
July 24, 2025
5th Circ. Tells School District To Rehire Fired Worker
The Fifth Circuit said an ex-maintenance worker who won his wrongful termination suit against a school district should be reinstated, faulting the lower court for finding that he couldn't be given a job because his previous position had been filled.
-
July 24, 2025
NC Urges 4th Circ. Not To Block Vape Regs During Appeal
North Carolina officials are urging the Fourth Circuit to deny a bid by vape interests to block enforcement of a new state vaping regulation while they appeal their case, saying the plaintiffs have already tried, and failed, three times to show they deserve an injunction.
-
July 23, 2025
9th Circ. Upholds Birthright Citizenship EO Injunction
The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a lower court's preliminary injunction blocking President Donald Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship in a legal challenge by four states, ruling in a published opinion that Trump's order contradicts the "plain language" of the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause.
-
July 23, 2025
8th Circ. Hands MyPillow CEO Win In 'Prove Mike Wrong' Fight
The Eighth Circuit on Wednesday unwound a software developer's success in forcing Mike Lindell to pay up on the $5 million "Prove Mike Wrong Challenge" by showing the MyPillow CEO was wrong about the 2020 presidential election, saying an arbitration panel overstepped in awarding the prize money.
-
July 23, 2025
Apple Beats Consumer Suit Over ICloud Storage At 9th Circ.
A Ninth Circuit panel affirmed Wednesday the dismissal of a proposed class action claiming Apple misled consumers about how much iCloud storage they were getting, finding that no reasonable person would expect the 200GB plan she bought would stack on top of Apple's free 5GB and that Apple's conduct wasn't deceptive.
-
July 23, 2025
Full Fed. Circ. Won't Disturb Machine Learning Patent Ruling
The full Federal Circuit on Wednesday declined to reconsider its first-ever patent eligibility decision involving machine learning, leaving in place a panel's April findings that applying established machine learning methods to a new area cannot be patented.
Expert Analysis
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Attacks On Judicial Independence Tend To Manifest In 3 Ways
Attacks on judicial independence now run the gamut from gross (bald-faced interference) to systemic (structural changes) to insidious (efforts to undermine public trust), so lawyers, judges and the public must recognize the fateful moment in which we live and defend the rule of law every day, says Jim Moliterno at Washington and Lee University.
-
Statistics Tools Chart A Path For AI Use In Expert Testimony
To avoid the fate of numerous expert witnesses whose testimony was recently deemed inadmissible by courts, experts relying on artificial intelligence and machine learning should learn from statistical tools’ road to judicial acceptance, say directors at Secretariat.
-
High Court Birthright Case Could Reshape Judicial Power
Recent arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in cases challenging President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order primarily focused on federal judges’ power to issue nationwide injunctions and suggest that the upcoming decision may fundamentally change how federal courts operate, says Mauni Jalali at Quinn Emanuel.
-
Ore. High Court Ruling Widens Construction Defect Coverage
A recent Oregon Supreme Court decision, Twigg v. Admiral Insurance, dispels the myth that a contractor's liability for defective work is uninsurable if pursued as a breach of contract, say attorneys at Stoel Rives.
-
Justices Hand Agencies Broad Discretion In NEPA Review
By limiting the required scope of reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County could weaken the review process under NEPA, while also raising questions regarding the degree of deference afforded to agencies, say attorneys at Foley Hoag.