Appellate

  • September 26, 2025

    DC Circ. Revives FCA Suit Against US Cellular

    U.S. Cellular Corp. must face a lawsuit from two whistleblowers alleging it used a sham business to fraudulently obtain discounted spectrum licenses through Federal Communications Commission auctions, a D.C. Circuit panel ruled Friday in overturning a lower court.

  • September 26, 2025

    High Court Pauses Distribution Of $4B Foreign Aid

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Trump administration can hold onto $4 billion in frozen foreign aid funding while Congress considers a proposal to cut it, pausing a lower court order that required the federal government to spend the money before the end of the month.

  • September 26, 2025

    Calif. Justices Approve Changes To Bar Exam Oversight Rule

    The California Supreme Court has approved amendments to the state rules of court, in part to clarify oversight of the California bar exam in the wake of a botched administration in February.

  • September 26, 2025

    Texas High Court Won't Redo Med Mal Nonprofit Liability Case

    The Texas Supreme Court said Friday it won't disturb its May ruling that nonprofit health organizations can be sued for the alleged medical malpractice of one of their physician employees.

  • September 26, 2025

    Texas Justices To Review Atty Fee Dispute Over Criminal Case

    The Texas Supreme Court on Friday agreed to wade into a fees dispute between a law firm and its former client in a criminal matter, with the high court's review likely to touch on the scope of a 30-year-old doctrine concerning the ability of criminal defendants to sue their defense lawyers after being convicted.

  • September 26, 2025

    Oregon Urges 9th Circ. To Revive Cannabis Labor Peace Law

    Oregon officials urged the Ninth Circuit on Thursday to reverse a lower federal judge's decision that blocked enforcement of a voter-approved law requiring licensed cannabis businesses to enter into labor peace pacts with their workers.

  • September 26, 2025

    Justices Urged To Review Suit Over Mich. City Tenant Info Law

    Real estate companies have pressed the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Sixth Circuit decision upholding the dismissal of a constitutional contract claim in their suit against a Michigan city over a law requiring commercial landlords to provide prospective tenant information in order to obtain a license to rent to them.

  • September 26, 2025

    Calif. Fights Biz Groups' Bid To Halt Climate Disclosure Rules

    California asked the Ninth Circuit to reject business groups' effort to halt two new state climate regulations requiring large companies to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risks.

  • September 26, 2025

    4th Circ. Says NC Man's Abuse Of Trust Justifies Sentence

    The Fourth Circuit on Friday affirmed a North Carolina man's 33-month sentence for engineering an investment fraud scheme in which he pretended to be a successful day trader, finding he had abused his position of trust sufficient to support a sentencing enhancement.

  • September 26, 2025

    Oysters Not Covered By Drug Forfeiture Law, Court Rules

    Massachusetts' intermediate appellate court on Friday found that the commonwealth may not apply the same forfeiture laws used for seized drugs to 1,600 wild oysters, though it nonetheless upheld the taking of the allegedly ill-gotten mollusks.

  • September 25, 2025

    Justice Thomas Says High Court Precedent Isn't 'Gospel'

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said Thursday that he doesn't view the high court's prior rulings as "the gospel," and that any precedent that doesn't respect the U.S. Constitution or the country's legal traditions is ripe for reconsideration.

  • September 25, 2025

    Standing Questions Loom In Mozambique LNG Loan Dispute

    The requirements for organizational standing dominated much of Thursday's oral argument over the Export-Import Bank of the United States' decision to back a massive liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique, as the challengers sought a preliminary injunction that could hinge on recent standing rulings from the D.C. Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court.

  • September 25, 2025

    Ex-Highland CEO Tells High Court Judge's Novels Show Bias

    The founder and president of hedge fund Highland Capital Management has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on a bankruptcy judge's refusal to recuse herself from proceedings involving the company after she published two novels that he says contain veiled commentary about the case.

  • September 25, 2025

    Pa. Justices Say Child Arbitration Invalid Despite Parents' OK

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Thursday that parents signing waivers at attractions like trampoline parks cannot bind their children or spouses to arbitration, in twin injury suits seeking to hold Sky Zone liable for two minors' injuries.

  • September 25, 2025

    CashCall Urges Justices To Overturn $134M CFPB Award

    CashCall is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a Ninth Circuit order that left the loan company on the hook for $134 million in restitution to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, despite the firm's insistence that conflicting precedent deprived it of its right to a jury trial.

  • September 25, 2025

    Rap Song Can't Be Used To Prove Rap Sheet, NY Court Says

    A criminal defendant's rap song should not have been allowed as evidence that he enabled a murder, a New York state appeals court ruled, granting a new trial in a case that saw Brooklyn prosecutors put one of their own on the stand on a moment's notice as a slang expert.

  • September 25, 2025

    Mining Cos. Look To Revive $50M Zimbabwe Award Suit

    Two Mauritian mining companies will look to challenge a D.C. Circuit decision nixing their lawsuit to enforce an 11-year-old, $50 million arbitral award against Zimbabwe stemming from an ill-fated mining deal, according to documents made public this week.

  • September 25, 2025

    NJ Justice Hints 'Essential' A Key Term In Benefits Case

    New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Rachel Wainer Apter asked Thursday if a worker can be considered an "essential employee" under an executive order but not under a COVID-19 law governing workers' compensation, as the court considered a school district's bid to deny the designation to a deceased teacher.

  • September 25, 2025

    NY Court Vacates Guilty Plea Over Impossible Plea Agreement

    A New York state appeals court on Thursday vacated a plea agreement after finding it contained a requirement that a defendant complete a substance abuse program despite not being eligible for enrollment.

  • September 25, 2025

    Chicago Man Forged Signatures Of Federal Judges, Feds Say

    A Chicago man has been indicted for forging the signatures of two Illinois federal judges on various court filings in an attempt to get around an order restricting his ability to file new cases, according to an announcement made by the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday.

  • September 25, 2025

    Amazon Denied Quick Appeal Of Massive Antitrust Class Cert.

    The Ninth Circuit has rejected a petition from Amazon seeking permission to immediately appeal an order certifying a class of roughly 300 million consumers in a sweeping antitrust case accusing the e-commerce giant of inflating prices through its merchant policies.

  • September 25, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Snubs Patent Atty's Bid To Join Toddler Mat IP Case

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday denied an attorney's bid to appear in a patent infringement case over toddler dining mats, in which the lower court found that his misrepresentation of prior art during prosecution was "purposeful, deliberate, and egregious."

  • September 25, 2025

    6th Circ. Backs Rock Singer's Win In Arson Coverage Dispute

    The Sixth Circuit on Thursday affirmed that rock singer John Falls can still recoup a portion of the $2.5 million that a Hanover Insurance unit was ordered to pay for music equipment that was lost in an arson at a House of Blues recording studio.

  • September 25, 2025

    Pa. Justices Say Gov't Must Show Proof Of 'High-Crime Areas'

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that police detention of a person based in part on their presence in a "high-crime area" must be supported by proof that the area is actually high in crime, but declined to create strict rules or tests to make that designation.

  • September 25, 2025

    Pa. Justices Allow Utilities To Deny Rivals' Billing For Add-Ons

    Electricity distributors in Pennsylvania can apply add-ons to their customers' bills for things like smart thermostats, line insurance and tree trimming while denying the same "on-bill billing" service to third-party electricity providers, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • How Latest High Court Rulings Refine Employment Law

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    The 2024-2025 U.S. Supreme Court term did not radically rewrite employment law, but sharpened focus on textual fidelity, procedural rigor and the boundaries of statutory relief, say attorneys at Krevolin & Horst.

  • Calif. Air Waivers Fight Fuels Automakers', States' Uncertainty

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    The unprecedented attempt by Congress and the Trump administration to kill the Clean Air Act waivers supporting California's vehicle emissions standards will eventually end up in the U.S. Supreme Court — but meanwhile, vehicle manufacturers, and states following California's standards, are left in limbo, says John Watson at Spencer Fane.

  • Diversity, Equity, Indictment? Contractor Risks After Kousisis

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Kousisis v. U.S. decision, holding that economic loss is not required to sustain wire fraud charges related to fraudulent inducement, may extend criminal liability to government contractors that make false diversity, equity and inclusion certifications, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • 9th Circ. Customs Ruling A Limited Win For FCA Plaintiffs

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    While the decision last month in Island Industries v. Sigma may be welcome news for False Claims Act relators, under binding precedent courts within the Ninth Circuit still do not have jurisdiction to adjudicate customs-based FCA claims pursued by the government, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding

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    As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • Quantifying Trading-Based Damages Using Price Impact

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will likely increasingly rely on price impact analyses to demonstrate pecuniary harm from trading-related misconduct, meaning measuring price impact will be helpful in challenging SEC disgorgement, determining appropriate remedies, and assessing loss causation and damages in private litigation, says Vyacheslav Fos at Boston College and Erin Smith at Compass Lexecon.

  • How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery

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    E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.

  • How McKesson Ruling Will Inform Interpretations Of The TCPA

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    Amid the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in McLaughlin Chiropractic Associates v. McKesson, we can expect to see both plaintiffs and defendants utilizing the decision to revisit the Federal Communications Commission's past Telephone Consumer Protection Act interpretations and decisions they did not like, says Jason McElroy at Saul Ewing.

  • Justices Rethink Minimum Contacts For Foreign Entities

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    Two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Devas v. Antrix and Fuld v. Palestine Liberation Organization, suggest that federal statutes may confer personal jurisdiction over foreign entities that have little to no contact with the U.S. — a significant departure from traditional due process principles, says Gary Shaw at Pillsbury.

  • Opinion

    High Court Must Overrule Outdated Patent Eligibility Doctrine

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    A certiorari petition should directly ask the U.S. Supreme Court to correct its 1972 patent decision in Gottschalk v. Benson, the critical point where patent eligibility law veered from the statutory text toward judicial policymaking, says Robert Greenspoon at Dunlap Bennett.

  • Examining TCPA Jurisprudence A Year After Loper Bright

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    One year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Chevron deference in Loper Bright v. Raimondo, lower court decisions demonstrate that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act will continue to evolve as long-standing interpretations of the act are analyzed with a fresh lens, says Aaron Gallardo at Kilpatrick.

  • Gauging The Risky Business Of Business Risk Disclosures

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    With the recent rise of securities fraud actions based on external events — like a data breach or environmental disaster — that drive down stock prices, risk disclosures have become more of a sword for the plaintiffs bar than a shield for public companies, now the subject of a growing circuit split, say attorneys at A&O Shearman.

  • How Justices' Ruling Limits Options To Challenge DHS Orders

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    In Riley v. Bondi, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that a 30-day deadline for challenging deportation orders begins when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issues a final administrative review order, opening the door for the government to effectively bar circuit court review in future similar cases, says Kevin Gregg at Kurzban Kurzban.

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