Appellate

  • September 02, 2026

    1st Circ. Says Son's Asthma Not Enough To Stop Removal

    The First Circuit has refused to reverse a removal order for a Salvadoran citizen, finding that providing asthma medication for his 17-year-old son is not an exceptional hardship that could halt the process.

  • September 02, 2026

    5th Circ. Presses ATF On Out-Of-State Handgun Sales

    A Fifth Circuit panel pressed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to explain the scope of a law barring citizens from purchasing handguns outside their state of residence, asking Wednesday what problems the government would face from the law's revocation.

  • September 02, 2026

    Fla. Panel Nixes $1M Child Support Life Insurance Order

    A Florida appellate panel on Wednesday reversed a decision requiring a father to have a $1 million life insurance policy to protect child support payments, finding a lower court did not determine if he could afford the policy.

  • September 02, 2026

    2nd Circ. Faults NLRB's Dress Code Test In Starbucks Appeal

    The Second Circuit faulted the test the National Labor Relations Board applies to neutral dress codes that restrict workers' displays of union insignia, tossing Wednesday a ruling that Starbucks illegally barred workers at a Manhattan shop from wearing pro-union shirts. 

  • September 02, 2026

    11th Circ. Axes Ethics Complaint Over Fla. Judge's Israel Book

    The Eleventh Circuit's chief judge has dismissed an ethics complaint against a Florida federal judge, finding the district judge's alleged actions promoting his book about Israel, including appearances from his judicial chambers, didn't violate the judicial ethics code.

  • September 02, 2026

    Manslaughter Verdict Vacated Over DNA Analysts' Testimony

    Massachusetts' intermediate appellate court on Wednesday vacated a 2023 manslaughter conviction due to the prosecution's reliance on substitute DNA analysts whose testimony was based on the work of another crime lab staffer.

  • September 02, 2026

    DOL Backs Aramark Bid To Avoid Aetna ERISA Suit Arbitration

    The U.S. Department of Labor backed Aramark's attempt to keep in court its allegations that Aetna cost the company millions by mismanaging health benefit claims, telling the full Fifth Circuit that a panel correctly held that the case fell under an exception in the arbitration agreement.

  • September 01, 2026

    McLane Model Keeps Drivers Overtime-Exempt, 9th Circ. Says

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday affirmed a lower court's ruling that truck drivers behind a proposed class action against food distributor McLane Foodservice Inc. are exempt from overtime pay, holding that the employees engaged in interstate commerce despite driving only in California.

  • September 01, 2026

    Copyright Chief Says Cook Ruling Bolsters Firing Challenge

    The U.S. Copyright Office's Shira Perlmutter has asked the D.C. Circuit to reverse a federal judge's refusal to block her firing by the Trump administration, arguing that the U.S. Supreme Court's June decision protecting Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook undercuts the lower court's reason for denying her preliminary relief.

  • September 01, 2026

    Mass. Justices Uphold Plea Despite Police Corruption Claims

    The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has affirmed the denial of a man's request to withdraw his guilty pleas to the murders of two women, saying he failed to show on appeal that serious Boston Police Department corruption in a related murder investigation tainted his own case.

  • September 01, 2026

    Securitas Can't Arbitrate Wage Class Action, Wash. Panel Says

    A former Securitas worker's proposed wage-and-hour class action against the guard service will move forward following a Washington appeals panel's ruling Monday that upheld a lower court's rejection of the company's bid to force the ex-employee into arbitration.

  • September 01, 2026

    4th Circ. Told Geofence Warrant Doesn't Meet New Standards

    The Fourth Circuit has been asked to rule that the geofence warrant at the heart of a major U.S. Supreme Court decision clarifying standards for location-data searches did in fact authorize an unconstitutional search in light of the high court's ruling.

  • September 01, 2026

    High Court Should Skip Ruby Tuesday Benefits Suit, SG Says

    The U.S. solicitor general has urged the Supreme Court to decline to consider a suit from former Ruby Tuesday executives alleging Regions Bank inadequately protected their retirement plan benefits that were liquidated in bankruptcy, saying the "idiosyncratic" nature of the dispute makes it a poor candidate for high court review.

  • September 01, 2026

    Toyota Can't Block Expert In Carbon Monoxide Death Suit

    A Georgia appeals court on Tuesday largely upheld rulings allowing a wrongful death and product liability case against Toyota to proceed over a fatal carbon monoxide poisoning linked to a keyless ignition vehicle, but said punitive damages were off the table.

  • September 01, 2026

    DC Circ. Reinstates Bergdahl Court-Martial Conviction

    The D.C. Circuit ruled Tuesday that a district court judge lacked jurisdiction to vacate Bowe Bergdahl's 2017 court-martial conviction for desertion, finding that only military appellate courts can directly overturn court-martial judgments and reversing a summary judgment decision that voided the conviction.

  • September 01, 2026

    7th Circ. Backs Removal Order Over Neglect Conviction

    The Seventh Circuit on Tuesday refused to halt a Mexican women's removal order, ruling that her 2012 Wisconsin state misdemeanor conviction for neglecting a child is a deportable offense that makes her ineligible for cancellation of removal.

  • September 01, 2026

    8th Circ. Backs $110M Deal For NAR Broker Fees Suit

    The Eighth Circuit sided against class action settlement objectors Tuesday and affirmed $110.6 million worth of settlements in antitrust class actions alleging the National Association of Realtors and brokerages followed anticompetitive NAR rules that artificially inflated broker commissions.

  • September 01, 2026

    Unified, Industry Orgs. Again Push Justices On PTAB Policies

    Unified Patents, Clearing House Payments subsidiary Askeladden and a series of industry groups have continued pressing the U.S. Supreme Court to accept petitions addressing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's patent review authority, this time in a case brought by Tesla.

  • September 01, 2026

    Colo. Panel Mulls Enviro Groups' Challenge To Emission Rule

    Environmental advocacy groups urged a Colorado appellate court to revive their challenge to a state agency's rule on emissions monitoring, arguing Tuesday that the rule allows most polluters to escape certain monitoring requirements by paying a fee, while the judges focused counsel on questions of statutory interpretation.

  • September 01, 2026

    Patent Owner Urges Fed. Circ. To Rethink Marking Decision

    A patent licensing company has urged the Federal Circuit to reconsider its ruling that patent owners must ensure that all licensees mark their products with patent information in order to recover presuit damages, saying the holding flouts the law and creates risks for patent owners.

  • September 01, 2026

    HHS Seeks 9th Circ. Review Of Tribal Opioid Clinic Order

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has appealed to the Ninth Circuit for a review of a lower court order requiring the HHS' Indian Health Service to fund a Pechanga Band of Indians' opioid treatment facility.

  • September 01, 2026

    Foreign Air Carriers To Challenge FCC Altimeters Order

    The International Air Transport Association is challenging a Federal Communications Commission order requiring aircraft serving the United States to upgrade their radio altimeters but limits reimbursements to domestic carriers.

  • September 01, 2026

    DC Circ. Backs Fair Use Repairs On Med Device Software

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday ruled that using copyrighted data and computer programs for the purpose of repairing medical devices falls under the fair use exemption, rejecting a challenge from two industry groups that wanted to compel the Library of Congress to revise its rules on the issue.

  • September 01, 2026

    BioMarin To Get Royalties From Ascendis Under IP Settlement

    Ascendis Pharma will pay BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. royalties under an agreement resolving their patent disputes over competing treatments for children with a certain genetic disorder, ending proceedings at the U.S. International Trade Commission, in California federal court and other venues.

  • September 01, 2026

    11th Circ. Sends Coal Workers' Race Bias Suit To Trial

    The Eleventh Circuit reinstated a suit Tuesday from two Black workers who claimed a coal company fired them out of race bias, stating the court can't overlook evidence that a white worker fired the same day for the same conduct was allowed back while the Black employees remained terminated.

Expert Analysis

  • Solar's Momentum At Mid-2026 Will Help It Overcome Snags

    Author Photo

    The rapid expansion of U.S. solar development in the first half of 2026 is likely to continue its pace, even amid ongoing shifts in federal trade policy and supply chain regulations, obstacles to permitting reform, and an increasing divide between states enacting policies to encourage or stymie project development, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • How Justices Stayed Off The Geofence In Location Data Case

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent Chatrie v. United States decision reaffirms Fourth Amendment protections for location data but avoids more complicated questions about geofence warrants, say attorneys at Adams Duerk.

  • Remote Work Rulings Show ADA Fights Hinge On Process

    Author Photo

    Two opposite outcomes in recent Fifth Circuit and D.C. federal court cases underscore that the legality of denying employees' disability accommodation requests for remote work depends less on broad policy and more on how it's applied, says Paul Sweeney at Ice Miller.

  • Fed Autonomy Rests On Narrow Exception After Justices Rule

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions in Trump v. Cook and Trump v. Slaughter expand presidential removal power while temporarily preserving the Federal Reserve’s independence, but there is uncertainty about which of the Fed’s authorities fall within the court’s narrow monetary-policy exception, says Keith Bradley at Squire Patton.

  • Series

    Being A Magician Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    The skills I've developed as a lifelong magician have translated directly into tangible benefits in the courtroom because performing magic and trying cases both live at the intersection of psychology, storytelling, timing and disciplined rehearsal, says Mark Dombroff at Fox Rothschild.

  • How Litigants Are Testing Conversion Therapy Ruling's Scope

    Author Photo

    Litigants are already using the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Chiles v. Salazar ruling, which applied strict scrutiny to Colorado’s conversion therapy ban, to challenge laws limiting algorithmic rental pricing, artificial intelligence-based discrimination and anti-union employer speech, and courts must soon decide Chiles’ First Amendment limits, say attorneys at O'Melveny.

  • How Justices' TPS Ruling Affects Workforce Planning

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent holding in Mullin v. Doe that courts lack jurisdiction to review temporary protected status determinations greenlights the end of TPS for thousands of Syrian and Haitian nationals, and means employers must reevaluate TPS-designees' employability while avoiding discriminatory document practices, says attorney Richard Herman.

  • How Pfizer Won Fed. Circ. Patent Dispute By 1 Carbon Atom

    Author Photo

    The Federal Circuit's recent refusal to revive a patent in Enanta Pharmaceuticals v. Pfizer over an alleged typo creating a one-atom difference in a COVID-19 treatment application hands defendants a template for potentially converting a triable fact question into an early dispositive ruling, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • What To Know Before Justices Rule In Title IX Employee Case

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to decide whether Title IX protections extend to employees alleging sex discrimination in Crowther v. Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, which could have significant implications for higher education institutions and their employees, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Fed. Circ. Ruling Highlights The Cost Of Incorrect Inventorship

    Author Photo

    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Fortress Iron v. Digger Specialties, affirming that a fencing company's patents were invalid due to a missing co-inventor, is a reminder that confirming correct inventorship should be a critical part of every patent invalidity workup, say attorneys at Neal Gerber.

  • Future Of Fed Independence Shaky After Justices' Ruling

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Trump v. Cook preserved the Federal Reserve's formal independence but could invite the president to remove board members with just modest protections, leaving the central bank's autonomy uncertain and potentially setting up fresh clashes over other agencies, says Steven Schwinn at the University of Chicago.

  • Series

    Mich. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

    Author Photo

    The second quarter brought several notable financial services law developments to Michigan, including a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on state tax foreclosures, progress on a money transmission modernization bill package, and continued legislative momentum on cryptocurrency and mortgage lending, say attorneys at Dykema.

  • Justices' Ruling Alters Playing Field For State Subpoena Suits

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in First Choice Women’s Resource Centers v. Davenport will spark more federal court challenges to state subpoenas, but procedural defenses will block some merits decisions, so plaintiffs must carefully time and manage parallel federal and state proceedings, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Looking At Drake's Diss Track Appeal Through An IP Lens

    Author Photo

    Though Drake's pending Second Circuit appeal over UMG's promotion of Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" is formally about defamation, it shows that IP considerations can help identify records showing how a work traveled, which may guide courts when deciding context, says attorney Abdul Abdullahi.

  • Series

    Bass Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Landing a trophy striped bass and closing a big deal both require cultivating the patience to finesse — not force — your way to desired outcomes, changing course when your old approach isn’t working and learning from the ones that got away, says Jon Ruiss at Alston & Bird.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Appellate archive.