Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Appellate
-
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.
-
January 27, 2026
Judiciary Panel Gets Earful On Legal Financing, Subpoenas
Plans to overhaul federal rules involving recusal and subpoenas fueled spirited debate Tuesday before a judiciary panel, as prominent lawyers outlined forceful views on transparency in third-party litigation funding as well as relaxed policies for serving court documents and obtaining trial testimony.
-
January 27, 2026
Ohio PBM Suit Belongs In Federal Court, 6th Circ. Rules
The Sixth Circuit on Tuesday ruled that Ohio's lawsuit accusing pharmacy benefit managers of driving up prescription prices through rebate schemes belongs in federal court, saying in an opinion recommended for publication that the suit imposes liability on conduct undertaken at the direction of a federal officer.
-
January 27, 2026
Venezuela Highlights 'Unique Issues' In $1B Exxon Award Suit
Venezuela on Monday urged the D.C. Circuit not to summarily toss its challenge to the enforcement of a $1 billion arbitral award issued to three Exxon Mobil subsidiaries, arguing that an issue left open by the circuit court in a previous, parallel decision warrants taking a closer look.
-
January 27, 2026
Split 9th Circ. Backs Blue Shield Win In Residential Care Row
A split Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday held Blue Shield of California did not abuse its discretion in declining to cover an adolescent's stay at a mental health treatment facility, rejecting arguments on appeal that the insurer wrongly went against the recommendations of treating physicians.
-
January 27, 2026
Colo. Developer Challenges Court's PUD Reversal Decision
A developer in Park County asked a Colorado Court of Appeals panel Tuesday to overturn a district court ruling prohibiting the company from building a waste transfer station despite approval from the county commissioners.
-
January 27, 2026
EPA Says Enviro Groups Lack Standing To Fight Review Rule
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the environmental groups challenging the agency's "project accounting" method for triggering air pollution review at industrial facilities lack the standing to pursue their fight, claiming that the challengers identified no harm at all from the agency's denial of their reconsideration bid.
-
January 27, 2026
6th Circ. Revives Rocket's Arbitration Bid In Spam Call Suit
The Sixth Circuit determined that a homeowner using online resources to research his mortgage refinancing options consented to a mandatory arbitration provision with Rocket Mortgage LLC when he navigated to its site through a third-party affiliate, reversing a decision from a Michigan district court that denied arbitration.
-
January 27, 2026
9th Circ. Affirms Ripple's Early Win On Registration Claim
The Ninth Circuit won't revive class action claims alleging cryptocurrency company Ripple Labs sold the digital token XRP in an unregistered securities offering, upholding in its decision Tuesday a lower court's finding that the claims are time-barred.
-
January 27, 2026
Jersey Shore Motels Fight Prom Season Rental Limits
Jersey Shore motel owners told a Garden State appellate panel on Tuesday that it should apply strict scrutiny to their argument that a municipal ordinance prohibiting anyone under the age of 21 from booking a motel room during prom season is unconstitutional.
-
January 27, 2026
Law360 Seeks Members For Its 2026 Editorial Boards
Law360 is looking for avid readers of our publications to serve as members of our 2026 editorial advisory boards.
-
January 27, 2026
6th Circ. Says Ky. Social Media Law Needs Closer Look
The Sixth Circuit on Monday determined that a trial court should not have blocked a Kentucky law requiring sex offenders to use their legal names on social media, ruling a lawsuit alleging the law amounts to a violation of freedom of speech needs a more "demanding, comprehensive" review.
-
January 27, 2026
Progressive Urges 4th Circ. To Decertify Car Valuation Class
Progressive told the Fourth Circuit to undo class certification of auto insurance customers in North Carolina challenging how it calculates adjustments for total loss claims, citing the court's decision last year in a "materially identical case" in which certification was reversed.
-
January 27, 2026
7th Circ. Probes Firm's Oral Agreement To Fees From Fund
Two Seventh Circuit judges on Tuesday pressed a Ballard Spahr LLP attorney to address why his firm didn't secure in writing that an investment fund would foot the legal bills of one of its officers, as the law firm is arguing to the appellate court that it has a valid claim to legal fees in the fund's bankruptcy proceedings based on an oral agreement.
-
January 27, 2026
'Assumed Risk' Bars Construction Death Suit, Ga. Panel Says
A Georgia Court of Appeals panel backed early wins Tuesday for SK Battery America Inc. and its contractors on a Peach State battery plant in a suit over a construction worker's fatal fall on the job, holding that the worker "assumed the risk of his injuries" by not tying himself to a safety line.
-
January 27, 2026
Hearsay Evidence OK Amid $2.5M Med Mal Verdict, Panel Says
A Pennsylvania appeals court on Tuesday affirmed a $2.5 million verdict in a medical malpractice suit accusing a doctor of causing a woman's death from a blood clot in her lungs, saying certain hearsay evidence didn't taint the jury's verdict.
-
January 27, 2026
Ill. Panel Upholds Life Sentence Despite 'Juvenile Mind' Claim
An Illinois state appeals court has refused to overturn a sentence of life without parole for a man who claims his attorney failed to present an expert at trial to prove that he had "the mind of a juvenile" when he murdered two people.
-
January 27, 2026
NCAA Warns Of Broad Impacts In WVU Players' Eligibility Row
If a West Virginia federal court's decision to give four football players another year of eligibility is left standing, scores of student-athletes will be emboldened to use last-minute litigation to skirt National Collegiate Athletic Association rules and secure more playing time, the NCAA's counsel told the Fourth Circuit on Tuesday.
-
January 27, 2026
Wis. Homeowners Challenge Tribal Tax Ruling At 7th Circ.
A group of Wisconsin homeowners is asking the Seventh Circuit to revive its claims that local political jurisdictions of the Menominee Indian Tribe joined forces to increase the homeowners' tax burden, arguing a lower court was wrong to dismiss the case.
-
January 27, 2026
Ohio Psychiatrist Freed From Patient Wrongful Death Suit
An Ohio appeals court on Monday declined to reinstate claims against a psychiatrist alleging he misdiagnosed a patient, leading to his death following a standoff with police, finding he has immunity under state law.
-
January 27, 2026
Del. Supreme Court Backs Harman In $28M Coverage Fight
The Delaware Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed a lower court ruling requiring insurers to cover a $28 million settlement paid by Harman International Industries Inc. to resolve stockholder litigation over its $8 billion sale to Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., rejecting arguments that the payment amounted to a prohibited postdeal "bump-up" in merger consideration.
-
January 27, 2026
Feds Urge 1st Circ. To Nix 3rd-Country Removals Injunction
The Trump administration told the First Circuit a Massachusetts federal judge overstepped by granting a "sweeping injunction" that required it to provide due process to a certified class of noncitizens facing removal to third countries they have no ties to.
-
January 27, 2026
Butterball Worker Wants Full 4th Circ. To Rehear Wage Case
Fourth Circuit precedent establishes that state wage and hour laws are not preempted by federal law, a Butterball turkey catcher argued, urging the full appeals court to revisit a panel's decision denying his bid to revive his wage suit.
-
January 27, 2026
Iowa Church Says DEA Has Delayed Ayahuasca Application
An Iowa church seeking approval for the religious use of a psychedelic has told the D.C. Circuit that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration continues to drag its feet on the organization's application for a religious exemption to the Controlled Substances Act.
-
January 27, 2026
Offit Kurman Beats Appeal In $40M Malpractice Suit
The Pennsylvania Superior Court has ruled that a lower court properly granted summary judgment in favor of Offit Kurman and two of its lawyers in a legal malpractice case.
-
January 27, 2026
BigLaw Firms Seek Partial Exec Order Appeal Consolidation
The four BigLaw firms that sued the White House and Justice Department over executive orders against them related to the clients they represent have asked the D.C. Circuit that the cases be "partially consolidated" amid the government's appeals of its losses, while maintaining the ability to file individual response briefs.
Editor's Picks
-
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.
-
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.
-
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
-
Evenflo IP Ruling Shows Evidence Is Still Key For Injunctions
Notwithstanding renewed policy and doctrinal attention to patent injunctions, the Federal Circuit's December decision in Wonderland v. Evenflo signals that the era of easily obtained patent injunctions has not yet arrived, say attorneys at King & Wood.
-
Justices' Med Mal Ruling May Spur Huge Shift For Litigators
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in the medical malpractice suit Berk v. Choy, holding that a Florida procedural requirement does not apply to medical malpractice claims filed in federal court, is likely to encourage eligible parties to file claims in federal court, speed the adjudicatory process and create both opportunities and challenges for litigators, says Thomas Kroeger at Colson Hicks.
-
Challenging Restitution Orders After Supreme Court Decision
The U.S. Supreme Court’s Ellingburg v. U.S. decision from last week, holding that mandatory restitution is a criminal punishment subject to the Sixth Amendment, means that all challenges to restitution are now fair game if the amount is not alleged in the indictment, say Mark Allenbaugh at SentencingStats.com and Doug Passon at Doug Passon Law.
-
State Of Insurance: Q4 Notes From Pennsylvania
Last quarter in Pennsylvania, a Superior Court ruling underscored the centrality of careful policy drafting and judicial scrutiny of exclusionary language, and another provided practical guidance on the calculation of attorney fees and interest in bad faith cases, while a proposed bill endeavored to cover insurance gaps for homeowners, says Todd Leon at Marshall Dennehey.
-
Justices' Double Jeopardy Ruling May Limit Charge-Stacking
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent holding in Barrett v. U.S. that the double jeopardy clause bars separate convictions for the same act under two related firearms laws places meaningful limits on the broader practice of stacking charges, a reminder that overlapping statutes present prosecutors with a menu, not a buffet, says attorney David Tarras.
-
How 2025 Recalibrated Fair Use For The AI Era
Although the Second Circuit's decision last year in Romanova v. Amilus Inc. did not involve artificial intelligence, its formulation of relevant fair use factors provides a useful guide for lower courts examining AI cases in 2026, demanding close attention from legal practitioners on both sides of these disputes, say attorneys at Cleary.
-
Series
Adapting To Private Practice: 5 Tips From Ex-SEC Unit Chief
My move to private practice has reaffirmed my belief in the value of adaptability, collaboration and strategic thinking — qualities that are essential not only for successful client outcomes, but also for sustained professional satisfaction, says Dabney O’Riordan at Fried Frank.
-
5 Drug Pricing Policy Developments To Watch In 2026
2026 may prove to be a critical year for drug pricing in the U.S., with potential major shifts including several legislative initiatives moving forward after being in the works for years, and more experimentation on the horizon concerning GLP-1s and Section 340B pricing, say attorneys at Manatt.
-
2026 Int'l Arbitration Trends: Awards Against Sovereign States
The enforcement of arbitral awards against sovereign states is one of the most contentious and rapidly evolving areas in international arbitration, with three defining issues on the 2026 horizon: the scope of sovereign immunity, assignability of rights, and availability of fraud and corruption defenses, say attorneys at Cleary.
-
Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Start A Law Firm
Launching and sustaining a law firm requires skills most law schools don't teach, but every lawyer should understand a few core principles that can make the leap calculated rather than reckless, says Sam Katz at Athlaw.
-
Opinion
What Justices Got Right In Candidate Standing Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision this month in Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections broadens standing for candidates challenging state election rules, marking a welcome shift from other decisions that have impeded access to federal courts, says Daniel Tokaji at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
-
Justices' Med Mal Ruling May Hurt Federal Anti-SLAPP Suits
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Berk v. Choy restricts the application of certain state laws in diversity actions in federal court — and while the ruling concerned affidavit requirements in medical malpractice suits, it may also affect the use of anti-SLAPP statutes in federal litigation, says Travis Chance at Brownstein Hyatt.
-
Fed. Circ. Patent Decisions In 2025: An Empirical Review
In 2025, the Federal Circuit's increased output was not enough to keep up with its ever-growing patent case load, and patent owners and applicants fared poorly overall as the court's affirmance rate fell, says Dan Bagatell at Perkins Coie.
-
Key False Claims Act Trends From The Last Year
The False Claims Act remains a powerful enforcement tool after some record verdicts and settlements in 2025, and while traditional fraud areas remain a priority, new initiatives are raising questions about its expanding application, says Veronica Nannis at Joseph Greenwald.
-
Series
Hosting Exchange Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Opening my home to foreign exchange students makes me a better lawyer not just because prioritizing visiting high schoolers forces me to hone my organization and time management skills but also because sharing the study-abroad experience with newcomers and locals reconnects me to my community, says Alison Lippa at Nicolaides Fink.