Appellate

  • July 30, 2026

    Ohio Panel Says Burnt Pot Smell Justified Vehicle Search

    An Ohio appeals court has ruled that even though marijuana is legal in the state, law enforcement can use visible signs of the drug's use as probable cause to search a vehicle, as driving while intoxicated is still a crime.

  • July 30, 2026

    Ill. Atty Sanctioned For AI Slop In Starbucks Bias Suit

    A unanimous Illinois appeals court sanctioned an attorney representing a former Starbucks employee in a workplace discrimination suit after determining that he submitted briefs using false citations and quotations hallucinated by artificial intelligence software.

  • July 30, 2026

    NJ Appeals Court Approves Docs Release In Atty Bribery Case

    A former Bayonne mayoral candidate accused of accepting a bribe from an attorney is entitled to limited access to communications related to the investigation in his case, a New Jersey state appeals court ruled Thursday.

  • July 30, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Revives Schmeisser Gun Magazine Patent Suit

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday reversed a Wyoming judge's decision that found a firearm patent invalid as indefinite, reviving a preliminary injunction against a Bosnian gun part-maker that the lower court had dissolved.

  • July 30, 2026

    J&J Pans Talc Claimant's 'Absurd' Bid To Nix $25M Appeal

    In a sharply worded memo, Johnson & Johnson told the Connecticut Appellate Court that it should deny a "nonsensical" dismissal motion from a real estate developer who won a $25 million asbestos-related cancer verdict, defending its appeal of the trial court outcome as timely.

  • July 30, 2026

    Broward Sheriff Can't Duck Parkland Shooting Claims

    A Florida appeals court said Wednesday that the Broward County Sheriff must face claims from victims of the 2018 high school mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, ruling that sovereign immunity does not apply to negligence claims regarding the events on the day of the shooting.

  • July 30, 2026

    Army Asks 4th Circ. To Rethink Boarding School Burial Ruling

    The U.S. Army wants the Fourth Circuit to rethink a decision that says it must return the remains of two Indigenous children from a former Indian boarding school cemetery to a Nebraska tribe, arguing that if not reversed, it will cause confusion, likely spur more litigation and slow repatriation.

  • July 30, 2026

    3M Wins 11th Circ. Bid To Fight PFAS Suit In Federal Court

    An Eleventh Circuit panel said a judge should have let 3M Co. fight an Alabama town's lawsuit over forever chemical contamination in federal court based on its defense that some pollution may stem from firefighting foams made for the U.S. military.

  • July 30, 2026

    9th Circ. Rules 401(k) Plan Arbitration Clause Unenforceable

    A split Ninth Circuit panel refused Thursday to force individual arbitration of a former asset management company worker's proposed class action alleging 401(k) self-dealing, ruling that an arbitration provision in retirement plan documents was unenforceable because it sought to nullify rights guaranteed by federal benefits law.

  • July 30, 2026

    DA Says Trump's NY Hush Money Conviction Must Stand

    New York prosecutors told a state appellate court that President Donald Trump's 34-count felony conviction for falsifying business records is "unaffected" by the U.S. Supreme Court's watershed presidential immunity decision and should be upheld.

  • July 29, 2026

    X, Ad Group End Fight Over Alleged Ad Boycott Scheme

    Elon Musk's X will no longer pursue its claims that the World Federation of Advertisers schemed to have advertisers boycott the social media company by cutting back on or stopping ad purchases, the company and advertising trade group announced Wednesday.

  • July 29, 2026

    9th Circ. Vacates Orrick Win In Stock Transfer Deal Dispute

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday reversed a lower court's finding that Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP can't be held liable in a battle over a stock transfer agreement gone awry, ruling that California law does allow a party to the transfer to pursue equitable indemnity in the case.

  • July 29, 2026

    2nd Circ. Backs Ex-Shkreli Atty's 401(k) Restitution Deal

    A New York trial judge erred in rejecting a retirement-fund garnishment deal that would have protected Martin Shkreli's convicted former lawyer from tax penalties, the Second Circuit ruled Wednesday.

  • July 29, 2026

    Split 10th Circ. Revives Class Bid In 'Safer' Cig False Ad Suit

    A divided Tenth Circuit panel ruled Wednesday that a lower court should not have denied class certification to consumers who claimed Santa Fe Natural Tobacco falsely implied its Natural American Spirit cigarettes were safer than others, saying the court erroneously rejected their damages model as common proof of causation and damages.

  • July 29, 2026

    1st Circ. Mulls Temu's Bid To Reinstate Suit Against IP Atty

    A First Circuit panel seemed torn Wednesday over whether to revive Chinese e-commerce giant Temu's lawsuit accusing an intellectual property attorney of lying to induce the company into settlements with two clients.

  • July 29, 2026

    NJ Justices Clarify New-Evidence Standards In Murder Case

    The New Jersey Supreme Court on Wednesday held that one of its opinions concerning requests for retrial due to newly discovered evidence has a higher threshold than the similar U.S. Supreme Court landmark case Brady v. Maryland.

  • July 29, 2026

    8th Circ Reverses Meth User Gun Case Over New Rulings

    The Eighth Circuit has reversed a Missouri man's gun conviction, finding that a decision earlier this year from the U.S. Supreme Court changes what kind of analysis is needed to decide whether to dismiss firearms-related charges filed against known drug users.

  • July 29, 2026

    10th Circ. Trims $20M Judgment In Wyo. Coal Royalty Row

    A Tenth Circuit panel said a Wyoming federal judge erred when she ordered Bridger Coal Co. to recalculate royalty payments to Wildcat Coal LLC going back to 1986 in a dispute over payments between 2016 and 2020.

  • July 29, 2026

    Calif. Court OKs $11M Verdict In Motorcycle Crash Case

    Los Angeles' publicly owned utility provider can't avoid an $11 million judgment after one of its van drivers caused a crash that left a motorcyclist with lifelong injuries, a California appeals court ruled, saying the city couldn't meet the "almost impossible" burden needed to prove the biker's "excessive speed" substantially caused the collision.

  • July 29, 2026

    Feds Say High Court Ruling Justifies Calif. Pipeline Oversight

    The Trump administration has told the Ninth Circuit that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision clarifying federal arbitration jurisdictional boundaries backs its assertion that it has exclusive jurisdiction over the Santa Ynez pipeline system in California.

  • July 29, 2026

    Securities Class Actions To Watch: Mid-Year Report

    A trio of circuit court appeals tied to the class certification process in shareholder suits and a U.S. Supreme Court appeal that also touches on certification are among the cases that securities litigators are keeping an eye on in the second half of 2026.

  • July 29, 2026

    7th Circ. Flips Order Keeping 5 Baby Formula Suits In Ill. MDL

    The Seventh Circuit has reversed a district court's finding that five out-of-state necrotizing enterocolitis suits should stay in Illinois-based multidistrict litigation involving similar cases over allegedly harmful formula for preterm infants, saying the lower court went "far afield" in its fraudulent joinder analysis.

  • July 29, 2026

    Fla. DOH Worker Wasn't Fired For Blowing Whistle, Court Says

    A Florida appeals court on Wednesday affirmed the state's win against a former Florida Department of Health employee who claimed she was told to fabricate COVID-19 data, finding that she was not fired in retaliation for protected whistleblower activity.

  • July 29, 2026

    Fla. Panel Rules Against Firefighter Over Medical Cannabis

    A Florida appellate court on Wednesday sided with a county for terminating a firefighter-paramedic who tested positive for cannabis in a random drug screen, saying he wasn't entitled to a workplace accommodation for having a medical marijuana card.

  • July 29, 2026

    King & Spalding Told To End 'Shenanigans' In Bid To Exit Case

    The individual defendants in a $300 million fraud lawsuit have accused King & Spalding LLP of appellate "shenanigans" while it seeks to exit the case due to an alleged ethics conflict, claiming the firm has falsely denied representing corporate clients despite an attorney's appearance suggesting otherwise.

Expert Analysis

  • 4 Cert. Denials Keep Personal Jurisdiction Issues Percolating

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court's decisions in Ford Motor v. Montana and Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway expanded limits on personal jurisdiction, the justices' denials this term of four certiorari petitions suggest they are content to let jurisdiction questions brew in lower courts before weighing in, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: July Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four recent rulings involving wage and hour allegations, medical care for incarcerated individuals, oil and gas royalty payments, and nuisance claims.

  • Flashpoints In Focus: Employer Risk After Trans Sports Ruling

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    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in West Virginia v. B.P.J. that allowed states to limit trans women's participation in sports, schools must carefully navigate investigations and religious accommodations, as even lawful athletics policies can lead to employment claims, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Inside Differing State Approaches To Prediction Market Taxes

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    As states adopt divergent approaches to prediction market platforms through both legislation and litigation, and the landscape is anything but settled, the emerging patchwork of state taxes on prediction markets presents novel questions about characterization, preemption and compliance, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • After Wash. Ruling, Paid Claim May Not End Bad Faith Risk

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    In Labeaume v. First National Insurance, a Washington appeals court recently held that the insurer's benefit payment did not preclude the plaintiff's Insurance Fair Conduct Act claim, expanding the scope of the act's cure provision and making claim documentation even more significant, says Rishabh Agny at Clyde & Co.

  • Series

    Being A Singer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Before law school, I spent seven years trying to make it as a professional singer in Los Angeles, and nearly everything I learned about preparation, humility, confidence and more has followed me into my legal practice, says Jessica Caterina at Moses & Singer.

  • Justices' Review Of Atty Fees Could Reshape Pipeline Takings

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    With the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to review Hoffmann v. WBI Energy Transmission, property owners' right to recover attorney fees for appropriations under the Natural Gas Act is at stake, potentially leading to a choice between a depressed land valuation or court costs that could exceed any rewards, says attorney Sophia Holley.

  • How 2nd Circ. Raised The Bar For Pleading Securities Fraud

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    In Huey v. Anavex, the Second Circuit recently appeared to increase the burden on securities fraud plaintiffs in pleading loss causation where no immediate share price decline follows the corrective disclosure, generating new questions that district courts must grapple with, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Trade Secret Practice Tips From The 1st Half Of 2026

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    Intellectual property attorneys should consider what several significant developments in 2026 thus far mean for how they protect, litigate and value trade secrets, focusing on new state noncompete bans, cases scrutinizing how plaintiffs identify trade secrets and federal rulings on damages doctrines, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Yellow Corp. WARN Act Appeal Refines Layoff Guidance

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    A Delaware federal court's recent upholding of a bankruptcy court's disallowance of unions' federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act claims against Yellow underscores that fact-specific notices and thoughtful timing are essential for distressed companies implementing layoffs, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • High Court Rulings Could Alter Agency Strategy For Cos.

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decisions in Trump v. Slaughter and Trump v. Cook mark major turning points in the law of independent agencies and in how regulated companies should think about federal enforcement, rulemaking and agency-facing strategy, say attorneys at Holtzman Vogel.

  • Opinion

    Justices' Parole Ruling Degrades Green Card Holders' Rights

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Blanche v. Lau, holding that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers can parole a returning lawful permanent resident without clear and convincing evidence of a crime, weakens the statutory and practical protections Congress intended, say attorneys at Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners.

  • 3rd Circ. ERISA Ruling Stresses Process Over Perfect Returns

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    The Third Circuit's recent decision in Quest Diagnostics affirms that a sound fiduciary process — not perfect investment returns — defeats Employee Retirement Income Security Act claims, signaling that courts will keep scrutinizing how fiduciaries decide, and sponsors who can show their work should remain protected, say attorneys at Nixon Peabody.

  • Fed. Circ. Licensing Rulings Shed Light On Patentee Standing

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    Two recent decisions from the Federal Circuit provide a useful framework for evaluating whether a patent license agreement preserves a sufficient exclusionary interest to support future patent infringement claims, say attorneys at Venable.

  • Asylum Ruling Signals Larger Separation Of Powers Battle

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Mullin v. Al Otro Lado that border officials may turn away asylum-seekers without inspection is part of a broader conversation about the reach of institutional safeguards that subject governmental authority to legal constraint, says Dree Collopy at American University's Washington College of Law.

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