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Appellate

  • September 09, 2025

    Wash. Justices Doubt Amazon's Stance On Chemical Suicides

    Washington Supreme Court justices hinted on Tuesday at reviving a series of lawsuits against Amazon for allowing online sales of a chemical used in suicides, suggesting the plaintiff families' cases are strengthened by the alleged promotion of a suicide manual on the product page for sodium nitrite.

  • September 09, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Revives Realtek's Fee Bid In Semiconductor IP Feud

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday faulted U.S. District Judge Alan Albright for denying Realtek Semiconductor Corp.'s request for fees following the dismissal of a patent infringement suit against it, saying the semiconductor company is the prevailing party even if the accusing company willingly abandoned the case.

  • September 09, 2025

    9th Circ. Declines To Block Most Of Social Media Addiction Law

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday largely rejected a tech trade group's effort to block California from enforcing a law barring online platforms from using algorithms to deliver addictive feeds to children, saying a requirement to hide "likes" and share counts must be enjoined but challenges to other provisions are either unripe or fact-intensive.

  • September 09, 2025

    Pa. Justices Seem Split On Uber's 'Clickwrap' Arbitration Link

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court appeared unsure about whether arbitration agreements linked in apps like Uber adequately inform consumers that they're giving up the right to a jury trial by using services, with some justices commenting during oral arguments Tuesday that more explicit warnings couldn't hurt and others saying they could muddle the state's contract laws.

  • September 09, 2025

    Pa. Court Orders Resentencing In 2 DUI Cases Over Treatment

    A pair of drunk-driving cases in Pennsylvania will be sent back to the lower courts for resentencing after a state appeals court ruled Tuesday that recently decided state Supreme Court precedent requires prosecutors to prove in front of a jury that the drivers had previously completed a drunk-driving program in order to apply sentencing enhancements. 

  • September 09, 2025

    2nd Circ. Sends Prevailing Wage Questions To NY Panel

    Fire alarm testers and inspectors are eligible for prevailing wages under New York law, but the state appeals court should mull whether employment contracts need to specify the wages and whether employers can limit the statute of limitations, the Second Circuit ruled Tuesday.

  • September 09, 2025

    Russia Keeps Fighting $34M Ukraine Gas Award At DC Circ.

    The Russian Federation has asked the D.C. Circuit to reject efforts by Ukrainian gas companies, including Stabil LLC, to enforce a $34 million arbitral award, disputing once again that an arbitration agreement was ever formed and arguing that the country has foreign sovereign immunity.

  • September 09, 2025

    11th Circ. Told Insurers Wrongly Denied $5.6M To Railroad Co.

    A Florida railroad company incurred minimal losses from Hurricane Irma in 2017 because it took measures to protect its property, but insurers unfairly used the preventive efforts to justify denying coverage for $5.6 million worth of costs under an all-risk policy, it told an Eleventh Circuit panel on Tuesday.

  • September 09, 2025

    Fed Circ. Won't Revive Ex-DOI Worker's Military Bias Case

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday refused to revive a former U.S. Department of the Interior employee's allegations that he was denied promotions because he's an Air Force veteran, ruling the claims were precluded by a 2008 settlement agreement and 2022 appeals court decision.

  • September 09, 2025

    11th Circ. Urged To Revisit Pause Of 'Alligator Alcatraz' Suit

    Environmental groups and a Florida tribe challenging the immigration detention center dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" have asked the Eleventh Circuit to reconsider its order pausing the case while Florida appeals a preliminary injunction, arguing that it is "overbroad, unnecessary and prejudicial."

  • September 09, 2025

    Full 11th Circ. Backs Health Plan's Gender Care Exclusions

    The Eleventh Circuit struck down a win Tuesday for a transgender sheriff's deputy who sued a Georgia county health plan after it refused to pay for gender-affirming surgery, saying the challenged coverage exclusion did not violate federal anti-discrimination law.  

  • September 09, 2025

    Roberts Pauses Foreign Aid Distribution For Now

    Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday temporarily stayed a lower court's order requiring the Trump administration to release roughly $4 billion in frozen foreign aid while the U.S. Supreme Court considers a longer-term solution. 

  • September 09, 2025

    Meghan Markle's Sister Asks For Revival Of Defamation Suit

    An attorney for Meghan Markle's half-sister urged the Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday to revive her defamation claims against the duchess, arguing that while individual remarks made during an Oprah Winfrey interview and a Netflix documentary series were not actionable, together they amounted to a smear campaign.

  • September 09, 2025

    Post-Chevron, DC Circ. Again Backs FERC Solar Ruling

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday stuck to a decision backing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's conclusion that a hybrid solar facility qualified for small-scale power producer perks, following a U.S. Supreme Court-ordered rethink due to the elimination of the so-called Chevron deference.

  • September 09, 2025

    DA Willis, Lawmakers Cite Novel Fight In Constitutional Clash

    A Georgia Senate committee investigating Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her prosecution of President Donald Trump and others in an election interference case and Willis stressed to the state Supreme Court the novel nature of their dispute over a subpoena ordering her to testify, while they took competing sides on the constitutional issues at stake.

  • September 09, 2025

    1st Circ. Says Insurer Must Defend Heating Oil Class Action

    An insurer for a heating oil company must defend the company in a Massachusetts class action accusing it of damaging customers' heating equipment by adding too much biodiesel to its heating oil, the First Circuit ruled, finding the company's provision of the oil to customers constituted separate occurrences.

  • September 09, 2025

    Justices Grant Fast-Track Review For Trump Tariff Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court will fast-track its consideration of the government's appeal of a Federal Circuit ruling that President Donald Trump's tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act are unlawful, according to a Tuesday order.

  • September 09, 2025

    Feds, State Push Fla. Justices To Reject Bondi Ethics Probe

    The federal government and the state of Florida both threw their support behind the Florida Bar and its decision not to investigate U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi for alleged unethical conduct, calling a Sunshine State lawyer's attempt to force an investigation "lawfare."

  • September 09, 2025

    1st Circ. Urged To Nix $42M Disgorgement In Stock Scheme

    Five alleged participants in a $144 million multinational pump-and-dump scheme asked the First Circuit on Tuesday to vacate a disgorgement order holding them jointly and severally liable for nearly a third of the alleged ill-gotten gains, saying the order is based on "gibberish" records generated by the scheme's mastermind.

  • September 09, 2025

    2nd Circ. Allows NY AG To Curb Nonprofit's Debtor Coaching

    The Second Circuit vacated a lower court order that prevented New York Attorney General Letitia James from stopping a bankruptcy education nonprofit from advising low-income debtors Tuesday, saying that while the state's unauthorized practice of law statutes regulate speech, they are content neutral and should be reviewed under intermediate scrutiny.

  • September 09, 2025

    Ex-CFTC Atty Presses Religious Bias Claim At 2nd Circ.

    A former Commodity Futures Trading Commission lawyer urged an inquisitive panel of the Second Circuit Tuesday to revive the religious discrimination claims he brought alleging a "gag order" effectively banned him from praying with a friend who was serving as the agency watchdog at the time.

  • September 09, 2025

    Tribes, Enviro Orgs. Urge 9th Circ. To Halt Oak Flat Land Swap

    The U.S. and a copper mining company can't defend a federal law authorizing a land exchange in Arizona's Tonto National Forest, conservation groups and an Apache tribe told the Ninth Circuit on Monday, arguing that requirements for mining the site are unmet due to an inadequate final environmental impact statement.

  • September 09, 2025

    Colorado Justices Uphold Rejection Of City's Telecom Tax

    Tax ordinances in a Colorado city aimed at telecommunications providers, including a T-Mobile subsidiary, established new taxes without voter approval in violation of the state's Taxpayer Bill of Rights, the state Supreme Court ruled.

  • September 09, 2025

    Minn. Court Won't Reinstate Snowmobile Collision Death Suit

    A Minnesota appeals court refused to revive a lawsuit against a snowmobile club and one of its maintenance workers alleging that their negligence led to the death of a snowmobile user, finding that they are entitled to governmental immunity under the Minnesota Tort Claims Act.

  • September 09, 2025

    States Urge Justices To Quickly Rule Against Trump's Tariffs

    The U.S. Supreme Court should quickly consider the appeal of the Federal Circuit's ruling that President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs are unlawful and affirm that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act doesn't provide the authority to impose duties, the states challenging the measures told the justices this week.

Expert Analysis

  • How AI May Reshape The Future Of Adjudication

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    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.

  • Justices' Charter School Tie Delays Church-State Reckoning

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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.

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