Appellate

  • July 16, 2026

    Aramark Asks Full 5th Circ. To Nix Aetna ERISA Arbitration Bid

    Food services company Aramark urged the full Fifth Circuit to deny Aetna's request to arbitrate allegations that it cost Aramark millions by bungling health benefits claims, arguing that the insurer is attempting to twist U.S. Supreme Court precedent to kick the case out of court.

  • July 16, 2026

    3 Sitting Judges Eye Montoya-Lewis' Wash. High Court Spot

    Since Washington Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis announced in January she wouldn't seek a second term on the high court, three sitting judges have entered the race for her open seat: a Seattle state trial court judge, a member of Washington's Court of Appeals and a superior court judge in rural Mason County.

  • July 15, 2026

    Circuit-By-Circuit Guide To The US Supreme Court's Term

    Federal appeals courts had wide-ranging successes and struggles during the U.S. Supreme Court's recently completed term: One had its best showing in years following its worst showing in years; one felt déjà vu after recently starting to find favor with the justices; and one saw its reputation for independence occupy a rare role in the Supreme Court spotlight.

  • July 15, 2026

    Intel, Google Fight 'Free Rein' Given To USPTO Head

    Intel and Google have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to vacate a Federal Circuit ruling upholding the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's precedent allowing Patent Trial and Appeal Board petitions to be denied based on related litigation, saying the ruling essentially gives the patent office director "free rein."

  • July 15, 2026

    Oil Giants Can't Move Chicago's Climate Suit, 7th Circ. Says

    The Seventh Circuit on Wednesday kept the city of Chicago's climate deception suit against BP, Shell and other oil giants in Illinois state court, saying the oil companies could not lean on their fuel production for the federal government to remove the case to federal court.

  • July 15, 2026

    Texas Appeals Court Flips $9M Misrepresentation Verdict

    A Texas appellate court reversed a $9 million verdict awarded to an energy engineering and construction company, saying the construction company failed to show economic harm beyond the loss of a contractual benefit and therefore its negligent misrepresentation claim was barred.

  • July 15, 2026

    Mich. Panel Backs No-Contact Order, Sets Constitutional Test

    A woman convicted of methamphetamine possession lost her appeal of a probation condition restricting contact with her husband after a Michigan appellate panel ruled the limitation was justified by her rehabilitation, while also establishing a new legal standard for reviewing probation conditions that affect constitutional rights. 

  • July 15, 2026

    NC's WakeMed Hit With $18.2M Verdict Over Birth Injury Claim

    A North Carolina hospital system was hit with an $18.2 million jury verdict over claims its doctor botched a delivery, causing a newborn to lose all ability to use his left arm for life.

  • July 15, 2026

    Acorda Can't Add $66M To Award In Ampyra Royalty Fight

    The Second Circuit on Wednesday refused to alter an arbitral award issued to Acorda Therapeutics to include nearly $66 million beyond the $16.6 million it won in a multiple sclerosis drug dispute, saying the company "slept on its rights" and couldn't change the result now.

  • July 15, 2026

    DOJ Asks DC Circ. To Stay USDA Grant Revival Order

    The Trump administration is asking the D.C. Circuit to pause a district judge's injunction ordering the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reinstate more than $100 million in land access program grants aimed at assisting "underserved" farmers, arguing that the case belongs in the Court of Federal Claims.

  • July 15, 2026

    10th Circ. Judge Urges Inmate Sex Consent Precedent Review

    A federal appeals court judge in the Tenth Circuit said that underlying case law in the circuit surrounding sexual relationships between incarcerated people and their jailers should be revisited, and that the circuit should stop assuming these relationships can be consensual.

  • July 15, 2026

    Mich. Panel Says Missed Fee Doesn't Bar Jury Trial

    The Michigan Court of Appeals said in a published opinion that a trial court should not have denied a jury trial in a civil case where, two years into proceedings, it was discovered that the plaintiff never paid the fee required by Michigan statute to have a jury trial.

  • July 15, 2026

    4th Circ. Rejects Golden Corral's COVID-19 Coverage Do-Over

    The Fourth Circuit on Wednesday declined to walk back a North Carolina federal judge's five-year-old decision denying Golden Corral insurance coverage for pandemic-era business interruption losses, finding a belated state Supreme Court victory for policyholders in another case doesn't merit a redo.

  • July 15, 2026

    2nd Circ. Revives NY Provider's BCBS Underpayment Suit

    The Second Circuit on Wednesday revived a New York healthcare provider's suit accusing out-of-state Blue Cross Blue Shield licensees of underpaying insurance claims, saying the carriers' long-standing business relationship with a New York licensee to obtain preferential prices in the state supports jurisdiction there.

  • July 15, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives PPP Fraud Suit Against Calif. Mortgage Co.

    The Ninth Circuit Wednesday revived whistleblower entity Relator LLC's lawsuit accusing a California mortgage lender and its founder of making false statements in a federal loan application, saying in a published opinion that information backing Relator's allegations was not already publicly available so as to bar its claims.

  • July 15, 2026

    Trump Swiftly Fires Court-Appointed Seattle US Atty

    Almost immediately after being sworn in as Seattle's new U.S. attorney Wednesday morning, former King County Superior Court judge and federal prosecutor Roger Rogoff was fired by President Donald Trump.

  • July 15, 2026

    CIT Judge Says Order Incoming For Next Tariff Refund Phase

    The U.S. Court of International Trade judge overseeing U.S. Customs and Border Protection's development of a duty refund system for tariffs struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court forecast new directions for the government as it prepares another phase of its tariff refund system, according to an order published Wednesday.

  • July 15, 2026

    Pa. Panel Backs Benefits For Giant Eagle Worker Hit By Car

    A Pittsburgh pharmacy technician can get workers' compensation after she was hit by a car during her 15-minute lunch break, since the break was limited enough to fall under the "personal comfort doctrine" in state law, a divided appellate court ruled Wednesday.

  • July 15, 2026

    NC Panel Nixes Nurse Noncompetes For Being 'Too Broad'

    A medical clinic provider couldn't convince a North Carolina state appeals court to overturn a ruling that noncompete agreements for two former nurses were unenforceable, after a split panel ruled Wednesday that the terms were overly broad and voidable under public policy.

  • July 15, 2026

    NJ Justices Rule Fraud Law Applies To Insurance Brokers 

    Insurance brokers, producers and agents are not exempt from the Consumer Fraud Act under an exception for semiprofessionals, the New Jersey Supreme Court held Wednesday, reviving a neurosurgeon's allegation his insurance broker negligently failed to obtain sufficient disability insurance for him after he developed a vision condition.

  • July 15, 2026

    Ga. Court Says State Rep. Must Face Wrongful Death Suit

    Georgia State Rep. Trey Kelley, R-Cedartown, will have to face a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the father of a man who was struck and killed in a bicycle accident, the Georgia Court of Appeals said Wednesday, reversing a lower court's dismissal of the case.

  • July 15, 2026

    Ex-Investor Urges Del. High Court To Revive Higher Damages

    The Delaware Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday over whether the Delaware Chancery Court improperly limited evidence used to calculate a $6.9 million award to a former member of a Philadelphia-area EB-5 investment company, with each side accusing the other of misapplying Delaware law governing expert evidence and attorney fee awards.

  • July 15, 2026

    Texas Court Says $350M Claim Can't Include General Counsel

    The statewide Texas appeals court found that the former CEO of software company Reynolds and Reynolds cannot include the company's general counsel in a $350 million employment lawsuit, saying in a split opinion that the company's general counsel has immunity in this case.

  • July 15, 2026

    Title Co. Can't Keep Tax Refund, Wash. Panel Rules 2nd Time

    A Washington appeals panel handed a win again to the state Department of Revenue, reversing a lower court order that the department owed an $11 million tax refund to a title insurance and settlement services company.

  • July 15, 2026

    DC Circ. Says District Court Can't Decide USPS Policy Claim

    The D.C. Circuit reversed a 2020 summary judgment win for Democratic-led states and cities that required the Postal Service to increase services at its election mail processing centers in more than 20 districts across the country, so millions of ballots could be delivered before that year's general election.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Survive The Tech Revolution

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    Colorado Supreme Court Justice Maria Berkenkotter and Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Lino Lipinsky de Orlov discuss how artificial intelligence has already fundamentally altered the legal system and offer tips for courts navigating deepfakes, hallucinations and a gap in access to AI tools.

  • 'Skinny Label' Arguments Spotlight Induced Infringement Risk

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    Recent oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in Hikma Pharmaceuticals v. Amarin Pharma highlight the uncertain boundary between lawful generic competition through so-called skinny labels and induced patent infringement, with potential implications for patent holders’ communication, enforcement and causation strategies across industries, says Anton Hopen at Trenam.

  • A Framework For Habeas Relief After 5th Circ. Bond Ruling

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    Following the Fifth Circuit’s recent Buenrostro-Mendez v. Bondi decision foreclosing statutory bond for detained nonimmigrants not deemed admitted to the U.S., lawyers should adopt a framework that requests habeas relief pursuant to the Fifth Amendment’s due process clause, says Kemal Hepsen at Mandamus Lawyers.

  • 4th Circ. Ruling Will Rewrite Class Action Litigation Strategies

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    The Fourth Circuit's recent decision in Oliver v. Navy Federal Credit Union is the first from a federal circuit court to hold that motions to strike are inappropriate vehicles for challenging class allegations at the pleading stage, invalidating a tactic that had been used for decades, says Jim Francis at Francis Mailman.

  • Startup Founder Disputes Increasingly Turn On Governance

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    Recent Delaware developments suggest that as courts place increasing emphasis on board process, independence and oversight in founder-led startups, the growing intersection of governance, technology risk and investor oversight is accelerating both the emergence and escalation of founder disputes, says mediator Frank Burke.

  • 3 AI Adoption Mistakes GCs Should Avoid

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    The pressure in-house legal teams face to quickly adopt artificial intelligence tools, combined with budget constraints and the need to evaluate a crowded market of options, sets the stage for implementation mistakes that are often difficult to undo, says former 23andMe general counsel Guy Chayoun.

  • Series

    Playing Basketball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My grandfather used to say "I wear your jersey" as shorthand for wholly committing to support someone with loyalty and integrity — ideals that have shaped my life on the basketball court and in legal practice, says Tracy Schimelfenig at Schimelfenig Legal.

  • Salt-N-Pepa Suit May Shake Up Music Copyright Issue

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    James v. UMG Recordings is a copyright termination rights case that provides an opportunity for the Second Circuit to make concrete choices about grant language, authorship, work-for-hire status and survival of derivative works, says attorney Abdul Abdullahi.

  • Opinion

    5th Circ.'s Abortion Pill Order Is Shaky On Multiple Grounds

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    The Fifth Circuit's recent order in Louisiana v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, reinstating an in-person dispensing requirement for the abortion medication mifepristone, seems to turn federalism upside-down, and is also questionable for several other reasons, says Gregory Curtner at Curtner Law.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Georgia Court Has Business On Its Mind

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    Thanks to recent legislation, the Georgia State-wide Business Court will soon offer business litigants greater access to the court than ever before, further enhancing the court's emphasis on efficiency, predictability and accessibility for sophisticated commercial disputes, says former GSBC judge Walt Davis at Jones Day.

  • 5 Takeaways From Justices' Subpoena Fight Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in First Choice v. Davenport fortifies a line of First Amendment associational privacy cases stretching back nearly 70 years, and ensures that organizations subject to government demands for donor information have a meaningful federal forum in which to defend their constitutional rights, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Where The Preemption Fight Over Prediction Markets Stands

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    While the Third Circuit's recent ruling in Kalshi v. Flaherty remains a significant win for the federal government in its quest to regulate prediction markets, the Fourth, Sixth and Ninth Circuits appear more skeptical, indicating that this fight is likely headed for the Supreme Court, says Johnny ElHachem at Holland & Knight.

  • Md. Justices' State Climate Tort Ban May Shape National Path

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    The Maryland Supreme Court’s recent ruling that federal law preempted state-level deceptive marketing tort claims brought by several municipalities could offer the U.S. Supreme Court a road map to use in the pending Suncor Energy v. Boulder County case to exclude states from the business of regulating global emissions, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • 4 Emerging Approaches To AI Protective Order Language

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    Over the last year, at least five federal district courts have issued or analyzed specific protective order provisions restricting the use of generative artificial intelligence platforms with protected materials, establishing that proactive AI-specific provisions are now standard practice and demonstrating that no single model works for every case, says Joel Bush at Kilpatrick.

  • What Justices Are Focusing On In 'Skinny Label' Patent Case

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    Though Hikma v. Amarin appears to be a patent dispute that could reshape inducement doctrine in the pharmaceutical context, oral argument suggests the U.S. Supreme Court may treat this as primarily a pleading-stage dispute, with important unresolved questions lurking beneath the surface, says Shashank Upadhye at Upadhye Tang.

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