Appellate

  • September 13, 2024

    Conn. High Court Snapshot: Firm's Bill Battle Rages In Sept.

    The Connecticut Supreme Court's September case lineup tasks the justices with helping a federal court judge decide if McCarter & English LLP can fetch punitive damages in a billing battle with an ex-client, and if parents suing Target and others can be compensated for the impairment of their relationship with their injured child. Here, Law360 previews some highlights of the high court's argument schedule for the month.

  • September 13, 2024

    Bankman-Fried Lays Blame On Trial Judge In 2nd Circ. Appeal

    FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried on Friday launched an appeal of his fraud conviction over the cryptocurrency exchange's historic collapse, issuing a broadside against the judge who oversaw his trial and saying FTX's debtor counsel Sullivan & Cromwell LLP acted as an arm of the prosecution.

  • September 13, 2024

    Judiciary Panel Dems Endorse Amicus Funding Disclosure

    A plan to overhaul required financial disclosures in appellate amicus briefs has generated strong early reaction, including from two key congressional Democrats who endorsed the proposals.

  • September 13, 2024

    Ex-IT Workers Urge DC Circ. To Rethink Spousal Work Permits

    An organization of former IT workers who say they are being displaced by temporary visa holders petitioned the D.C. Circuit to take a second look at their case against an Obama-era program that authorizes some spouses of highly skilled foreign workers to get work permits.

  • September 13, 2024

    Panama's Ex-Prez Fights Alleged Wrongful Extradition

    Panama's ex-president told the Eleventh Circuit Friday that a lower court wrongly dismissed his lawsuit challenging the extradition to his home country, saying he has standing because the U.S. government violated an international treaty by sending him back to face criminal charges beyond the scope of the original request.

  • September 13, 2024

    Google, Cognizant Are Joint Employers, Union Tells DC Circ.

    The union representing workers at YouTube Music's content operation urged the D.C. Circuit to uphold a National Labor Relations Board decision that Google and contractor Cognizant jointly employ the video site's workers, saying there's a "mountain of evidence" to support the board's ruling that both companies need to bargain with the union.

  • September 13, 2024

    9th Circ. Ruling Guts Religious Protections, Apaches Say

    The U.S. Supreme Court should stop the federal government from handing over a sacred tribal site in Arizona's Tonto National Forest to a copper mining joint venture owned by Rio Tinto and BHP, the San Carlos Apache Tribe argued, saying that the decision could pose an "existential threat" to Native Americans.

  • September 13, 2024

    Fed. Judges Urged To Stop Clerks From Seeking Political Jobs

    Federal judges should prohibit their law clerks from applying for postclerkship jobs with political organizations, as that may connect the judges' chambers to political activity, a judiciary committee said in ethics guidance issued this week. 

  • September 13, 2024

    Trio Of BigLaw Mergers Expected To Drive More Deal Talks

    After months of a relatively steady pace of law firm mergers and acquisitions, the trio of proposed BigLaw tie-ups announced in recent days will likely spur more firms toward entertaining similar deal talks, experts say. Here, Law360 offers a snapshot of the proposed deals.

  • September 13, 2024

    DC Circ. Gives EPA Chance To Review Good Neighbor Plan

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will have a chance to review its Good Neighbor Plan in-house before litigating it further, according to a D.C. Circuit ruling granting the agency's request to remand the rule, so it could respond to issues raised by the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • September 13, 2024

    Neb. Court Allows Competing Abortion Measures On Ballot

    Nebraska's top court agreed on Friday to let two competing — and sharply contested — abortion initiatives on the November ballot.

  • September 13, 2024

    Ga. Lawyers Group Blast 'Chill' Of Young Thug Atty Contempt

    A Georgia criminal defense lawyers group has called on the state Supreme Court to erase the contempt conviction of an attorney representing rapper Young Thug for the lawyer's refusal to reveal how he learned about a judge's closed-door meeting with prosecutors and a witness, saying the sanction could have a chilling effect on attorneys' ability to represent criminal defendants.

  • September 13, 2024

    3rd Circ. Won't Undo Philly DA's Immunity From Cop's Suit

    The Third Circuit won't revive a Philadelphia police officer's lawsuit alleging that city District Attorney Larry Krasner violated his civil rights by hitting him with a murder charge that was ultimately tossed, finding that the officer couldn't overcome the immunity granted to prosecutors when advocating on behalf of the state.

  • September 13, 2024

    Mass. Justices Say Benefits Don't Accrue Under Leave Law

    Massachusetts' top court ruled Friday that the state's Paid Family and Medical Leave Act doesn't allow a group of state troopers to accrue certain benefits while on leave.

  • September 13, 2024

    Wash. Biz Group Dues Weren't Deductible From Gross Income

    The Better Business Bureau isn't entitled to a refund of business and occupation taxes paid to the Washington Department of Revenue in 2017, an appeals court affirmed, agreeing with the department that membership dues weren't deductible from gross income.

  • September 12, 2024

    8th Circ. Nixes $563M Verdict Against BMO Harris Over Ponzi

    The Eighth Circuit on Thursday struck down a $563 million verdict against BMO Harris NA over claims that a bank it acquired had aided and abetted Thomas J. Petters' multibillion dollar Ponzi scheme, ruling that the bank should have been allowed to raise a defense that would have barred the suit in the first place.

  • September 12, 2024

    Trump Gets Counts Cut From Ga. Election Interference Case

    Donald Trump and his co-defendants in the sprawling Georgia election interference case scored a partial victory Thursday when a judge dismissed three charges from the 41-count indictment, pointing to a 134-year-old U.S. Supreme Court holding that states can't pursue criminal conduct in connection with federal matters.

  • September 12, 2024

    2nd Circ. Rejects Another Trump Bid To Halt Hush Money Case

    The Second Circuit on Thursday rejected former President Donald Trump's request for an emergency order pausing his criminal hush money case, citing New York state court Justice Juan M. Merchan's decision to push his sentencing hearing from Sept. 18 until after the election.

  • September 12, 2024

    FCC Tells 6th Circ To Affirm Net Neutrality

    The Federal Communications Commission told the Sixth Circuit the agency acted well within the law when it reimposed net neutrality limits on broadband providers and urged the court to reject industry claims that the commission's authority to regulate high-speed internet service is a "major question" that only Congress may address.

  • September 12, 2024

    Towers Watson Can't Duck Bump-Up Exclusion, 4th Circ. Told

    Towers Watson's latest effort to get its directors and officers insurers to fund a $75 million settlement in a shareholder suit over its merger with Willis should be tossed, the insurers told the Fourth Circuit, saying the bump-up exclusion unambiguously applies to bar coverage.

  • September 12, 2024

    McKinsey Partner Can't Undo $11M Music Piracy Judgment

    An Eleventh Circuit panel Thursday upheld an $11 million federal default judgment against a McKinsey & Co. partner for pirating music, agreeing with the Georgia lower court that the motion to set aside the roughly 10-year-old order was untimely.

  • September 12, 2024

    Del. Justices Uphold Chancery Toss Of $1.2B NCino Deal Suit

    The Delaware Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the Chancery's court's decision to throw out nCino investor claims against company directors and investment firm Insight Venture Partners challenging the financial technology company's $1.2 billion acquisition of mortgage loan platform SimpleNexus.

  • September 12, 2024

    6th Circ. Says Food Transporter Illegally Shuttered Warehouse

    A bulk food delivery contractor for grocery giant Kroger violated federal labor law when it closed its Louisville, Kentucky, terminal after a union representation election and fired employees, the Sixth Circuit has ruled, upholding a National Labor Relations Board decision.

  • September 12, 2024

    DOL Has Authority To Issue Salary Regs, 5th Circ. Affirms

    The U.S. Department of Labor has the authority to issue salary rules as part of its role in defining the overtime exemptions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Fifth Circuit affirmed, in a case that raised questions about the DOL's power to regulate a fundamental aspect of wage and hour law.

  • September 12, 2024

    9th Circ. Sends Salary Basis Case Back To Lower Court

    San Francisco city nurses claiming they were not paid a true salary and are therefore entitled to overtime pay will have their day in court after the Ninth Circuit reversed a lower court's summary judgment and remanded the case for further proceedings.

Expert Analysis

  • 3 Policyholder Tips After Calif. Ruling Denying D&O Coverage

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    A California decision from June, Practice Fusion v. Freedom Specialty Insurance, denying a company's claim seeking reimbursement under a directors and officers insurance policy for its settlement with the Justice Department, highlights the importance of coordinating coverage for all operational risks and the danger of broad exclusionary policy language, says Geoffrey Fehling at Hunton.

  • Opinion

    Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism

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    As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.

  • Opinion

    High Court Made Profound Mistake In Tossing Purdue Deal

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to throw out Purdue Pharma's Chapter 11 plan jeopardizes a multistate agreement that would provide approximately $7 billion in much-needed relief to help fight the opioid epidemic, with states now likely doomed to spend years chasing individual defendants across the globe, says Swain Wood at Morningstar.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Piercing FEMA Authority Is Not Insurmountable

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    While the Federal Emergency Management Agency's discretionary authority continues to provide significant protection from claims under the Administrative Procedure Act, Loper Bright is a blow to the argument that Congress gave FEMA unfettered discretion to administer its own programs, says Wendy Huff Ellard at Baker Donelson.

  • What Happens After Hawaii Kids' Historic Climate Deal

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    Implications of the Hawaii Department of Transportation's first-of-its-kind settlement with youth plaintiffs over constitutional climate claims may be limited, but it could incite similar claims, says J. Michael Showalter and Robert Middleton at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Series

    Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.

  • Big Business May Come To Rue The Post-Administrative State

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    Many have framed the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions overturning Chevron deference and extending the window to challenge regulations as big wins for big business, but sand in the gears of agency rulemaking may be a double-edged sword, creating prolonged uncertainty that impedes businesses’ ability to plan for the future, says Todd Baker at Columbia University.

  • Differences In Enforcing Oral Settlements In NJ And Pa.

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    New Jersey mediations should incorporate new best practices for settlement agreements after a recent state appellate court ruling eliminated the enforceability of oral-only settlements, setting New Jersey at odds with Pennsylvania’s established willingness to enforce unwritten agreements that were clearly intended to be binding, say Thomas Wilkinson and Thomas DePaola at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Reading Between The Lines Of Justices' Moore Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent Moore v. U.S. decision, that the Internal Revenue Code Section 965 did not violate the 16th Amendment, was narrowly tailored to minimally disrupt existing tax regimes, but the justices' various opinions leave the door open to future tax challenges and provide clues for what the battles may look like, say Caroline Ngo and Le Chen at McDermott.

  • Series

    After Chevron: A Sea Change For Maritime Sector

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    The shipping industry has often looked to the courts for key agency decisions affecting maritime interests, but after the U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright ruling, stakeholders may revisit important industry questions and coordinate to bring appropriate challenges and shape rulemaking, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Opinion

    Post-Chevron, Good Riddance To The Sentencing Guidelines

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of the Chevron doctrine may signal the end of the U.S. sentencing guidelines, which is good news given that they have accomplished the opposite of Congress’ original intent to bring certainty, proportionality and uniformity to sentencing, say attorneys Mark Allenbaugh, Doug Passon and Alan Ellis.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Impact On CFPB May Be Limited

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo is likely to have a limited impact on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's regulatory activities, and for those who value due process, consistency and predictability in consumer financial services regulation, this may be a good thing, says John Coleman at Orrick.

  • A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates

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    Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.

  • Series

    After Chevron: 7 FERC Takeaways From Loper Bright

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    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine, it's likely that the majority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's orders will not be affected, but the commission has nonetheless lost an important fallback argument and will have to approach rulemaking more cautiously, says Norman Bay at Willkie Farr.

  • Series

    After Chevron: USDA Rules May Be Up In The Air

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    The Supreme Court's end of Chevron deference may cause more lawsuits against U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations, like the one redefining "unfair trade practices" under the Packers and Stockyards Act, or a new policy classifying salmonella as an adulterant in certain poultry products, says Bob Hibbert at Wiley.

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