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Featured
Supreme Court Caseload Hits 160-Year Low
Not since the Civil War has the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in as few cases as it will this term — the latest milestone for the court's shrinking docket, and one attorneys say might have more to do with the high court's culture than its expanding emergency appeals caseload.
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February 03, 2026
3rd Circ. Says Contractor Payments Not Payroll Costs For PPP
The Third Circuit sided with the Small Business Administration on Tuesday in the case of an IT company seeking full forgiveness of a $7.2 million Paycheck Protection Program loan, ruling that the SBA was within its rights to deny forgiveness because the company's payments to independent contractors did not count as "payroll costs."
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February 03, 2026
Senate Confirms Picks For Texas, Ark. District Court Seats
The Senate confirmed two U.S. district court judges, for Texas and Arkansas, on Tuesday.
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February 03, 2026
Fed. Circ. Backs Nearmap Win On 2 Out Of 3 PTAB Challenges
The Federal Circuit on Tuesday stood by Nearmap's successful challenges at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to a pair of patents covering a system for identifying attributes in a roof by using aerial imagery, but also refused to undo its unsuccessful challenge to another patent.
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February 03, 2026
2nd Circ. Keeps Credit Suisse Collapse Suit Out Of US Courts
The Second Circuit on Tuesday declined to revive a shareholder suit accusing Credit Suisse and related entities of misconduct leading up to the bank's collapse, holding that a New York judge was not wrong to find that the litigation is overwhelmingly tied to Switzerland.
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February 03, 2026
Georgia Atty Gives Up Law License After Forging Court Order
The Georgia Supreme Court has accepted an attorney's voluntary surrender of his law license, finding Tuesday that his removal from the state bar was appropriate after the attorney admitted to forging a court order for a client.
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February 03, 2026
5th Circ. Enforces NLRB Order Against NYC Janitorial Co.
A Fifth Circuit panel has enforced a National Labor Relations Board order requiring a New York City janitorial contractor to rehire a longtime cleaner, saying the board reasonably linked the cleaner's 2020 firing to a series of complaints she'd recently lodged about work conditions.
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February 03, 2026
Full Fed. Circ. Won't Rethink $162K Fee Award In Ramey Case
The Federal Circuit will not reconsider its earlier ruling upholding a $162,000 fee award against a patent owner represented by attorney William Ramey III and his firm, Ramey LLP, after a district court found Ramey had brought a "weak" patent suit against television maker Vizio.
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February 03, 2026
Pa. Juror's Lie Wins Ex-Trooper New Vehicular Homicide Trial
Because a jury foreman lied and said he was childless, an off-duty Pennsylvania state trooper sentenced to up to 23 months in prison for crashing into and killing a mother of three will have a new trial, the Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled in a reversal.
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February 03, 2026
2nd Circ. Skeptical Anesthesia Group Suffered Antitrust Harm
A Second Circuit panel seemed poised Tuesday to find that an anesthesiology practice didn't suffer an antitrust injury in its claim that a United Healthcare unit used its market power in New York to cut reimbursement rates.
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February 03, 2026
1st Circ. Pushes For Settlement In Mass. 'Right-To-Repair' Suit
The First Circuit suggested Tuesday that major automakers and the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office should work together to resolve a suit over compliance with a state law requiring open access to vehicle telematics systems.
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February 03, 2026
Colorado Supreme Court Nominees For Vacancy Announced
Colorado's nominating commission for the state's next Supreme Court justice has nominated three candidates for the high court's vacancy, the Colorado Judicial Branch announced Tuesday.
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February 03, 2026
Calif. Justices Rule Loose Pot Is Not 'Open Container'
The California Supreme Court has ruled that the mere presence of loose cannabis in a vehicle doesn't trigger the state's "open container" law, but instead it must be in a usable quantity and readily accessible to the driver to create probable cause that justifies a search.
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February 03, 2026
Del. High Court Revives Noncompete Over Forfeited Equity
The Delaware Supreme Court on Tuesday revived a fire and life-safety services company's bid to enforce postemployment restrictive covenants against a former executive, rejecting a lower court's conclusion that those covenants became unenforceable once the executive forfeited his incentive equity after being fired for cause.
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February 02, 2026
Calif. Justices Revive 'Unreadable' Arbitration Agreement Suit
In a 6-1 decision, the California Supreme Court clarified on Monday that courts must "closely scrutinize the terms of difficult-to-read contracts for unfairness or one-sidedness," but the "illegibility" — font size, placement, prominence, etc. — of agreements do not themselves indicate that it is unconscionable.
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February 02, 2026
Ex-UCLA Gynecologist Secures Sex Abuse Retrial On Appeal
A California appellate court Monday tossed sexual assault convictions against a University of California, Los Angeles, gynecologist and ordered a new trial, saying the trial court judge failed to tell defense counsel about a jury note detailing concerns that one of their peers didn't understand English well enough to deliberate.
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February 02, 2026
Conn. Justice Says Police Messed Up Warrant In Murder Case
When police investigating a 2017 murder in Connecticut drafted a warrant for the suspect's cellphone data, they "messed it up" by failing to specify the relevant time zone, a state Supreme Court justice said Monday as the defense sought to shield the information under an expanded constitutional privacy right.
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February 02, 2026
Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action
What happened to a GOP donor's $250,000 Swiss watch? Can cigarette warnings show jarring medical images? Will a circuit split of "far-reaching importance" for arbitration get even wider? That's a taste of the oral argument menu we'll help you digest in this preview of February's top appellate action.
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February 02, 2026
5th Circ. Panel Blushes At Starbucks Worker's Snapchat Notes
A Fifth Circuit panel pressed the National Labor Relations Board to explain why Starbucks lacks the ability to fire a union organizer who used excessively colorful language in private messages to co-workers, saying Monday the language used would "make any of us blush."
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February 02, 2026
Zipcar Can't Be Liable For Renting To Drunk Driver, Panel Says
A California appeals court has tossed claims against Zipcar in a suit accusing the online car rental platform of causing a passenger's catastrophic injuries by renting out a vehicle to a drunk customer, saying certain duties of care owed by traditional rental agencies don't apply to car-sharing companies.
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February 02, 2026
Staffing Agencies Beat Ill. Workers' BIPA Revival Bid
An Illinois Third District Appellate Court panel has refused to reverse two staffing agencies' pre-trial win over manufacturing workers' claim that the agencies illegally collected their time-clock fingerprint data, saying simply helping another entity obtain such data cannot trigger liability under a statutory provision requiring informed consent to collect it.
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February 02, 2026
Fed. Circ. Grapples With AI Patent Eligibility In Amazon Case
A Federal Circuit panel on Monday expressed skepticism about Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's argument that an artificial intelligence-related patent it sued Amazon over was wrongly invalidated as abstract, though the court seemed wary of issuing a ruling that could render all AI unpatentable.
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February 02, 2026
DC Circ. Gets History Lesson As Tribe Fights For Utah Land
The D.C. Circuit got a lesson in tribal history dating back to the 19th century as lawyers for the federal government and a Native American tribe argued Monday whether a congressional act gives the tribe compensable title to 1.5 million acres of Utah land where an oilfield lies.
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February 02, 2026
Judge Clears Apple Of Some Haptic Patent Claims
A California federal judge has allowed Apple to escape some patent claims brought by a company that accused the tech giant of infringing the business's vibration technology patents, letting Apple escape literal infringement allegations related to its "monolithic products."
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February 02, 2026
Manatt Appellate Star Leaves To Join Duane Morris In LA
Benjamin G. Shatz has joined Duane Morris LLP as a partner at the firm's appellate division of the trial practice group in Los Angeles, after spending more than two decades at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP, according to an announcement issued Monday.
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February 02, 2026
Fed. Circ. Backs CIT's Objection To ITC Wholesale Redactions
A Federal Circuit panel on Monday affirmed a U.S. Court of International Trade ruling finding the U.S. International Trade Commission was out of line in automatically making all questionnaire responses confidential, saying the CIT "struck the appropriate balance" between confidentiality and public access concerns.
Editor's Picks
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The Topics Appellate Attys Are Tracking Most Closely In 2026
A few far-reaching topics will dominate the appellate practice in 2026, attorneys predict, as appeals courts navigate an ever-growing thicket of Trump administration litigation and thorny questions involving artificial intelligence.
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4 High Court Cases To Watch This Spring
The U.S. Supreme Court justices will return from the winter holidays to tackle several constitutional disputes that range from who is entitled to birthright citizenship to whether transgender individuals are entitled to heightened levels of protection from discrimination.
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Circuit-By-Circuit Guide To 2025's Most Memorable Moments
Federal circuit courts in 2025 strained under a crush of Trump administration lawsuits, as judges directed animated language at litigants and even their fellow judges. And while the president only added a handful of appellate jurists, they had outsize impacts on circuit benches as they joined the cadre of conservatives seated in his first term.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
Minn. Can Still Bring State Charges In Absence Of Fed Action
After two fatal shootings by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota's role isn't waiting to see if the federal government brings criminal charges, but independently weighing state homicide charges and allowing the judiciary to decide whether the subject conduct falls within the narrow protections of supremacy clause immunity, says Sheila Tendy at Tendy Law.
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State Of Insurance: Q4 Notes From Illinois
In 2025's last quarter, Illinois’ appellate courts weighed in on overlapping homeowners coverages for water-related damages, contractual suit limitation provisions in uninsured motorist policies, and protections for genetic health information in life insurance underwriting, while the Department of Insurance sought nationwide homeowners' insurance data from State Farm, says Matthew Fortin at BatesCarey.
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How 2 Tech Statutes Are Being Applied To Agentic AI
The application of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the California Invasion of Privacy Act to agentic artificial intelligence is still developing, but recent case law, like Amazon's lawsuit against Perplexity in California federal court, provides some initial guidance for companies developing or deploying these technologies, say attorneys at Weil.
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Defense Strategy Takeaways From Recent TCPA Class Actions
Although recent Telephone Consumer Protection Act decisions do not establish any bright-line tests for defeating predominance based on an argument that class members provided consent for the calls, certain trends have emerged that should inform defense strategies at class certification, say attorneys at Womble Bond.
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NYC Bar Opinion Warns Attys On Use Of AI Recording Tools
Attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools to record, transcribe and summarize conversations with clients should heed the New York City Bar Association’s recent opinion addressing the legal and ethical risks posed by such tools, and follow several best practices to avoid violating the Rules of Professional Conduct, say attorneys at Smith Gambrell.
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Series
The Biz Court Digest: Dispatches From Utah's Newest Court
While a robust body of law hasn't yet developed since the Utah Business and Chancery Court's founding in October 2024, the number of cases filed there has recently picked up, and its existence illustrates Utah's desire to be top of mind for businesses across the country, says Evan Strassberg at Michael Best.
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4 Quick Emotional Resets For Lawyers With Conflict Fatigue
Though the emotional wear and tear of legal work can trap attorneys in conflict fatigue — leaving them unable to shake off tense interactions or return to a calm baseline — simple therapeutic techniques for resetting the nervous system can help break the cycle, says Chantel Cohen at CWC Coaching & Therapy.
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2 Rulings Showcase Fuzzy Limits Of 'Related To' Jurisdiction
The Fifth and Ninth Circuits recently handed down decisions, in Sanchez Energy and Sawtelle Partners, respectively, reminding practitioners that bankruptcy court jurisdiction over lingering disputes is not guaranteed, regardless of whether confirmation orders contain specific "retention of jurisdiction" language, says Brian Shaw at Cozen O’Connor.
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3 Key Ohio Financial Services Developments From 2025
Ohio's banking and financial services sector saw particularly notable developments in 2025, including a significant Ohio Supreme Court decision on creditor disclosure duties to guarantors in Huntington National Bank v. Schneider, and some major proposed changes to the state's Homebuyer Plus program, says Alex Durst at Durst Kerridge.
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Patent Eligibility Faces Widening Gap Between USPTO, Courts
The year 2026 opened with a profoundly altered Patent Act Section 101 ecosystem — the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has pushed eligibility as far open as it can for artificial intelligence technologies, but the courts are not on the same page, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Navigating Trade Secret Exceptions In Noncompete Bans
Recent and ongoing developments in the noncompete landscape, including a potential decision from the Tenth Circuit in Edwards Lifesciences v. Thompson, could offer tools for employers to bring noncompete agreements within trade secret exceptions amid an era of heightened employee mobility, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.
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Series
Playing Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer
An instinct to turn pain into purpose meant frequent trips to the tennis court, where learning to move ahead one point at a time was a lesson that also applied to the steep learning curve of patent prosecution law, says Daniel Henry at Marshall Gerstein.
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False Ad Suit Shows Need For Clear, Conspicuous Disclosure
The Eleventh Circuit's recent false advertising decision in Federal Trade Commission v. Corpay reiterated the FTC's guidance imploring advertisers to ensure that any disclosures are clear and conspicuous to consumers, providing companies with numerous lessons about truthful advertising and highlighting some common disclosure pitfalls to avoid, says Michael Justus at Carlton Fields.
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Justices' BDO Denial May Allow For Increased Auditor Liability
The Supreme Court's recent denial of certiorari in BDO v. New England Carpenters could lead to more actions filed against accounting firms, as it lets stand a 2024 Second Circuit ruling that provided a road map for pleading falsity with respect to audit certifications, says Dean Conway at Carlton Fields.
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What To Expect From Justices' 401(k) Ruling, DOL Rulemaking
The U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming ruling in Anderson v. Intel, addressing alternative assets in defined contribution plans, coupled with the U.S. Department of Labor's recently proposed regulation on fiduciary duties in selecting alternative investments, could alleviate the litigation risk that has impeded wider consideration of such investments, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.