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Featured
Justices Face Busy Summer After Nixing Universal Injunctions
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to limit nationwide injunctions was one of its biggest rulings of the term — a finding the court is likely going to be dealing with all summer. Here, Law360 takes a look at the decision, how it and other cases on the emergency docket overshadowed much of the court's other work, and what it all means for the months to come.
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August 06, 2025
6th Circ. Rips 'Stalking Horse' Ploy In Drug Negotiation Suit
The pharmaceutical industry will feel the sting of a Wednesday loss in a wide-ranging war over Medicare's power to negotiate drug prices, as the Sixth Circuit tossed a suit and accused one major company of utilizing a "stalking horse" to sue in a more favorable forum.
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August 06, 2025
6th Circ. Orders Redo Of Pension Fund Withdrawal Liability
The Sixth Circuit on Wednesday said a pension fund's actuary must redo his estimate of a Michigan-based paving company's withdrawal liability, likening the actuary to an oddsmaker giving a bad estimate of how many points a college basketball team will give up in a game because he is "just rude."
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August 06, 2025
States Urge Justices To Back Med Mal Laws In Federal Court
Tennessee and 26 other states on Wednesday urged the U.S. Supreme Court to hold that state statutes requiring an expert affidavit in all medical malpractice suits may be applied in federal court, arguing that overriding these laws under federal procedure rules would undermine state authority.
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August 06, 2025
Calif. Water Toxicity Test Flouts Federal Law, Court Rules
A California state appeals court has barred state regulators from requiring wastewater entities to use a new water pollution test for discharge permits, but said the Golden State's adoption of new toxicity provisions was proper under state law.
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August 06, 2025
Ga. Judges Weigh Birth Defect Ruling in Sterigenics Case
A group of Georgia residents who alleged they were injured by emissions from a Sterigenics sterilization plant urged the Georgia Court of Appeals on Wednesday to overturn a lower court's grant of partial summary judgment to the company on the issue of whether the plant's emissions caused birth defects.
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August 06, 2025
Ohio Panel Revives Robbery Case Over Receipt Evidence
An Ohio state appeals court has ruled that a state prosecutor's office did not violate evidence rules when it failed to turn over a sales receipt for a stolen cell phone in a robbery case, finding the evidence wouldn't have helped the defendant.
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August 06, 2025
RJ Reynolds Keeps Trial Win In Cancer Death Suit, Panel Says
A Massachusetts intermediate-level appeals court on Wednesday affirmed RJ Reynolds' trial win in a suit accusing it of causing a man's lung cancer, saying a new trial was not warranted as the trial judge did not unfairly exclude certain evidence.
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August 06, 2025
Compelling ERISA Arbitration No Sure Thing, 9th Circ. Shows
The Ninth Circuit aligned with several other federal appeals courts when it recently struck down a clause in a food service company's employee health plan that barred class or representative actions, marking the latest in a series of setbacks for employers looking to push federal benefits suits into solo arbitration.
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August 06, 2025
Pa. Panel OKs Doctor's Midtrial Win In Bad Surgery Suit
A Pennsylvania appellate panel on Wednesday upheld a trial judge's decision to grant a midtrial win to a physician accused of botching a woman's saliva gland removal surgery, saying the plaintiff's liability theory was not supported by the testimony of her medical expert.
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August 06, 2025
Axed Verdicts Put Spotlight On Patent Applicant Statements
Recent Federal Circuit decisions overturning substantial patent judgments due to statements the patent owner made during the application process illustrate the importance of applicants carefully calibrating their arguments, particularly when seeking design patents, attorneys say.
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August 06, 2025
5th Circ. Upholds Gun Ban For Convicted Felons
A Fifth Circuit panel on Wednesday shot down a felon's attempt to have a gun charge thrown out after he was found guilty of a drive-by shooting, saying a historical analog from the time of the country's founding allows for confiscation of firearms from felons.
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August 06, 2025
4th Circ. Says Habeas Request Prevented By Procedure
The Fourth Circuit denied habeas relief to a Virginia attempted bank robber who has since been released from prison, affirming Wednesday that his argument that he was sentenced under an unconstitutionally vague guideline did not meet procedural requirements for postconviction relief and could not be considered.
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August 06, 2025
Parents Lose Deportation Appeal That Cited Child's Disability
An Eleventh Circuit panel said Wednesday that hardship determinations in deportation proceedings should be reviewed to ascertain whether federal immigration courts have "substantial evidence" to back the determinations, in the process rejecting an undocumented immigrant couple's bid to stay in the U.S. to continue treatment and schooling for their child, who has a learning disability.
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August 06, 2025
Mich. Panel Wary Of MSU Student's Hazing Law Challenge
A former Michigan State University student may have an uphill battle convincing a state appellate panel to ax criminal hazing charges related to a student's death at a fraternity party, the judges on the panel suggested Wednesday.
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August 06, 2025
Archdiocese Seeks Reinsurance Docs In Sex Abuse Row
The Archdiocese of New York urged a state appeals court Wednesday to uphold an order mandating that nine Chubb units turn over reinsurance documents as they litigate coverage for thousands of sex abuse lawsuits, noting Chubb already said before the trial court that "reinsurance is simply insurance for insurers."
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August 06, 2025
Insulin Collusion Needn't Be 'Clever' To Exist, 2nd Circ. Says
A Second Circuit panel revived safety-net providers' proposed class action claims against Sanofi, Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and AstraZeneca on Wednesday that allege the company agreed to limit discount program participation to spike insulin and weight-loss drug costs, with the appeals court rejecting drugmaker arguments that their actions weren't "clever" enough to be collusion.
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August 06, 2025
UC Policy Found Discriminatory Based On Immigration Status
A California state appeals court has ruled that the University of California's employment policy against hiring unauthorized immigrant students who lack federal work permits is "facially discriminatory," and that the university system couldn't lean on a risk of federal enforcement for justification.
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August 06, 2025
4th Circ. Revives Chance Of Class Cert. For Overdraft Suit
The Fourth Circuit has reversed a denial of class certification in a lawsuit against Michigan-based Independent Bank, finding that a South Carolina federal judge had improperly ruled that bank customer Jamila Grice couldn't represent a nationwide class and remanding the case for further proceedings.
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August 06, 2025
Golfer Wants Full 11th Circ. To Take Swing At Defamation Suit
Pro golfer Patrick Reed urged the full Eleventh Circuit Tuesday to take a second look at his failed defamation suit against a litany of media organizations and figures, arguing that a three-judge panel "abjectly failed" to properly review his complaints after their dismissal by a Florida federal judge.
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August 06, 2025
7th Circ. Reverses Class Cert. In Wis. Gas Price-Fixing Suit
The Seventh Circuit unwound a lower court's decision to certify a class in a Wisconsin natural gas price-fixing case on Tuesday, saying the trial judge needed to "engage more fully" with conflicting expert evidence before deciding that common issues predominate in the case.
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August 06, 2025
Colo. Justices Asked To Rule On Pro Se Appeal Authority
A plumbing company and two Colorado homeowners asked the state's Supreme Court on Tuesday to clarify that the Colorado Court of Appeals has jurisdiction to prevent litigants from making "frivolous" pro se filings, contrary to a prior ruling from the court.
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August 06, 2025
US Asks High Court To Decide If Drug Users Can Have Guns
The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve "a four-way circuit conflict" over whether it is legal to prevent users of drugs including marijuana, which has been legalized in some fashion in the vast majority of states, from possessing firearms.
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August 06, 2025
9th Circ. Backs SEC's No-Denials Settlements Rule
The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday rejected a First Amendment challenge to a decades-old U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule that restricts defendants who settle securities law charges from denying the claims against them, saying the law has "long regarded the voluntary relinquishment of constitutional rights as permissible" with safeguards.
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August 06, 2025
Family Says Court Must Face Bias Suit Over Witness Killing
The father of a pregnant woman from Las Vegas who was fatally shot after traveling to Asheville to testify in a capital murder case urged the North Carolina Court of Appeals to restore his case against the state's court administrative office, arguing it was not time-barred.
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August 06, 2025
Ark. Prisoners Challenge Nitrogen Gas Execution Law
A group of 10 Arkansas death row inmates has challenged a new law authorizing their execution by nitrogen gas, arguing the law is unconstitutional because it violates the state's separation of powers doctrine, an attorney confirmed to Law360.
Editor's Picks
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How GOP Judges Teed Up 4th Circ.'s Supreme Court Shutout
No appeals court found the U.S. Supreme Court's latest term less endearing than the Fourth Circuit, where a supersize shutout accentuated a multiyear slump for the once-favored circuit and repeatedly vindicated conservative dissenters on the left-leaning bench.
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Circuit-By-Circuit Recap: Justices Send Message To Outliers
It was a tough term at the U.S. Supreme Court for two very different circuits — one solidly liberal, one solidly conservative — that had their rulings overturned in eye-popping numbers. But it was another impressive year for a relatively moderate circuit that appears increasingly simpatico with the high court.
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The Funniest Moments Of The Supreme Court's Term
After justices and oral advocates spent much of an argument pummeling a lower court's writing talents, one attorney suggested it might be time to move on — only to be told the drubbing had barely begun. Here, Law360 showcases the standout jests and wisecracks from the 2024-25 U.S. Supreme Court term.
Expert Analysis
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2 Circuit Court Rulings Offer A Class Certification Primer
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.
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Supreme Court's Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review
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.
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Opinion
The Legal Education Status Quo Is No Longer Tenable
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.
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2nd Circ. Reinforces Consensus On Vacating Foreign Awards
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.
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What Dismissal Rulings May Mean For ERISA Forfeiture Cases
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.
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Justices' Age Verification Ruling May Lead To More State Laws
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.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Relevance Redactions
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.
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Opinion
Section 1983 Has Promise After End Of Nationwide Injunctions
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.
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Reel Justice: 'Oh, Hi!' Teaches Attys To Return To The Statute
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.
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Patent Ambiguity Persists After Justices Nix Eligibility Appeal
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.
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Justices' Decision Axing Retiree's ADA Claim Offers Clarity
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.
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Fed. Circ. In June: Transitional Phrases In Patent Claims
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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Series
Playing Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Soccer has become a key contributor to how I approach my work, and the lessons I’ve learned on the pitch about leadership, adaptability, resilience and communication make me better at what I do every day in my legal career, says Whitney O’Byrne at MoFo.
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What To Do When Congress And DOJ Both Come Knocking
As recently seen in the news, clients may find themselves facing parallel U.S. Department of Justice and congressional investigations, requiring a comprehensive response that considers the different challenges posed by each, say attorneys at Friedman Kaplan.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Learning From Failure
While law school often focuses on the importance of precision, correctness and perfection, mistakes are inevitable in real-world practice — but failure is not the opposite of progress, and real talent comes from the ability to recover, rethink and reshape, says Brooke Pauley at Tucker Ellis.