Appellate

  • April 23, 2025

    Latest CFPB Layoffs Need Court's Scrutiny, DC Circ. Told

    The National Treasury Employees Union has hit back at a Trump administration bid to resume mass layoffs of nearly all the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's workforce, urging the D.C. Circuit to leave a federal judge's temporary restraining order in place.

  • April 23, 2025

    Firm Can't Fight Conn. Scam Suit Fee Rulings, Ex-Client Says

    A Connecticut judge should not reconsider an award of attorney fees and interest against the law firm Mancini Provenzano & Futtner LLC because it already waived its arguments or brought them up in a pending appeal of a negligence judgment, a former client said this week.

  • April 23, 2025

    Judge's Same-Sex Wedding Ban Legal In Texas, Justices Hear

    A Texas appeals panel balked at a state judge's argument that refusing to officiate same-sex marriages keeps with Texas law during oral arguments Wednesday, saying the discussion had gotten "far afield" of the issues before the court.

  • April 23, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Revive Minority Farmer COVID Debt Relief Suit

    The Federal Circuit declined to revive claims by socially disadvantaged farmers who said the government owes them millions of dollars after repealing a coronavirus pandemic-era debt relief program, ruling Tuesday the farmers failed to show the government had a mutual intent to enter a binding contract.

  • April 23, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Immediately Pause Sanctions On IP Attys

    A Federal Circuit judge on Wednesday declined to provide immediate relief to attorneys from Texas patent firm Ramey LLP fighting sanctions they've deemed "career ending," letting stand penalties coming due for practicing without licenses in California, among other conduct.

  • April 23, 2025

    Qualcomm Patent Revived As Fed. Circ. Axes Apple PTAB Win

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday reversed the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's invalidation of a Qualcomm circuit patent challenged by Apple, saying the board's decision was improperly based on an admission Qualcomm made in its patent about earlier technology.

  • April 23, 2025

    4th Circ. Says Immigration Board Evidence Standard Too High

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday gave an Ethiopian man another chance to reopen his removal case following his marriage to an American woman, ruling that the Board of Immigration Appeals applied the wrong standard when it required that he provide "clear and convincing evidence" of his marriage's "bona fides."

  • April 23, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Agrees MS Generic Drug Didn't Infringe Metacel IP

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday backed a New Jersey federal judge's finding that Rubicon Research's generic version of Metacel's drug Ozobax does not induce doctors and patients to infringe a Metacel patent.

  • April 23, 2025

    Iraq's Counsel Can Stay In $120M Award Fight, DC Circ. Says

    The D.C. Circuit has declined to nix Pierson Ferdinand LLP's appearance as counsel for Iraq in an appeal challenging the enforcement of a $120 million arbitral award issued to a Cypriot construction and engineering firm, rejecting the company's allegations that Iraq engaged in "gamesmanship."

  • April 23, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Passes Game Controller Patent Case Back To PTAB

    Video game developer Valve on Wednesday won yet another chance to convince patent board judges to look at its challenge to claims in a rival's video game controller patent asserted in litigation in Washington federal court.

  • April 23, 2025

    Denver Water Says Dam Work Won't Hurt Environment

    The utility Denver Water urged the Tenth Circuit to lift part of a Colorado district court's ruling that stopped construction of a new dam, arguing that allowing construction to go forward won't impact environmental issues that environmental groups are actually concerned about.

  • April 23, 2025

    3rd Circ. Backs Health Network In Suit Over Malpractice Case

    The Third Circuit on Wednesday declined to reinstate a retired lawyer's case against the Rothman Institute Orthopedic Foundation for not giving him an affidavit of merit to support medical malpractice claims against different healthcare providers, with the panel ruling the institute did not interfere with his ability to seek legal recourse.

  • April 23, 2025

    10th Circ. Says Lower Court Erred On Pollution Coverage

    A Tenth Circuit panel determined Wednesday that absolute pollution exclusions in insurance policies unambiguously prevented a New Mexico property owner from obtaining coverage for underlying contamination litigation, reversing a decision by a district court and saying that court erred "in all key respects."

  • April 23, 2025

    Del. Justices Mull Scope Of Jenzabar Founders' Control Feud

    A Delaware Supreme Court justice on Wednesday pressed an attorney for a co-founder of higher education software venture Jenzabar Inc. on whether he had adopted a "rather expansive reading" for claims of continuing wrongs in an appeal from rulings tied to a divorcing couple's sprawling battles over control of the business.

  • April 23, 2025

    NC Justice Hammers Home Depot's Reading Of Sales Law

    A North Carolina Supreme Court justice reminded Home Depot on Wednesday that it was arguing to "a lot of textualists" in a case about the state's ban on referral sales programs, with the justice suggesting the language in the law does not require a showing of inducement to prove harm.

  • April 23, 2025

    Texas Court Skeptical Of 'Death Star' Standing Argument

    A Texas appellate judge asked the state Wednesday if it expected three of its largest cities to " wait for a thousand tiny cuts" before being allowed to challenge a bill nicknamed the "Death Star" by opponents, which they say infringe on their ability to manage their own affairs.

  • April 23, 2025

    Fla. Panel Reverses Promoter's $1M Award Against Pro Boxer

    A Florida appeals court on Wednesday reversed a $1.45 million judgment against professional Mexican boxer Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, finding that the award for Alvarez's former promoter — who claimed he was owed part of Alvarez's earnings — was not based on competent substantial evidence.

  • April 23, 2025

    6th Circ. Calls Compassionate Release Change A 'Power Grab'

    The U.S. Sentencing Commission overstepped by telling prisoners serving unusually long sentences that they can seek early release due to changes in sentencing law, the Sixth Circuit ruled Tuesday, deeming the move "a heavy-handed and unseemly power grab by the commission." 

  • April 23, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Revive Web Patent Suit Against Meta, Others

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday backed a district court's denial of an inventor's bid to undo a finding that a website hot spot patent he accused Meta, Microsoft and others of infringing was invalid, rejecting his argument he didn't get a fair shot when he was at the Federal Circuit before because U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman was on an earlier panel.

  • April 23, 2025

    Justices Hint That Fuel Groups Can Fight Emissions Waiver

    U.S. Supreme Court justices on Wednesday appeared to back a contention from fuel industry groups that they have standing to challenge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Act waiver allowing California to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles.

  • April 23, 2025

    Severance Deal Bars 401(K) Suit, Whataburger Tells 5th Circ.

    Whataburger asked the Fifth Circuit on Wednesday to uphold the dismissal of an ex-worker's suit claiming the company failed to trim underperforming investment funds from its $215 million retirement plan, stating the lower court correctly found a release he signed doomed his case.

  • April 23, 2025

    'Minute Entry' Isn't A Real Judicial Order, 2nd Circ. Told

    A Second Circuit panel on Wednesday seemed skeptical of a plastic resin producer's claim that a Connecticut federal district judge's oral ruling and follow-up minute entry weren't formal orders triggering a deadline to appeal several contract dispute losses totaling $1.7 million.

  • April 23, 2025

    Judge Lifts Biocon Eye Med Biosimilar Ban After Settlement

    A West Virginia federal judge has vacated a permanent injunction that had blocked Biocon Biologics Inc. from selling a biosimilar to Regeneron's blockbuster eye medication Eylea in the U.S., citing a settlement agreement in the patent litigation allowing sales of the biosimilar in 2026.

  • April 23, 2025

    Plastic Co. Asks 1st Circ. To Undo Class Cert In PFOA Suit

    Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Co. told the First Circuit that a New Hampshire federal judge's overly broad class certification for plaintiffs claiming it contaminated thousands of properties with a toxic forever chemical must be reversed, arguing that it opened courthouse doors to uninjured class members.

  • April 23, 2025

    9th Circ. Asked To Modify Ruling In LA Port Co. Coverage Row

    A Los Angeles port operator's insurer asked a three-judge panel in the Ninth Circuit to rethink part of its decision ordering a jury trial on the amount of defense costs the operator incurred while litigating pollution claims brought by the city, arguing they improperly relied on a depublished decision.

Expert Analysis

  • The Post-Macquarie Securities Fraud-By-Omission Landscape

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 opinion in Macquarie v. Moab distinguished inactionable "pure omissions" from actionable "half-truths," the line between the two concepts in practice is still unclear, presenting challenges for lower courts parsing statements that often fall within the gray area of "misleading by omission," say attorneys at Katten.

  • AI Will Soon Transform The E-Discovery Industrial Complex

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    Todd Itami at Covington discusses how generative artificial intelligence will reshape the current e-discovery paradigm, replacing the blunt instrument of data handling with a laser scalpel of fully integrated enterprise solutions — after first making e-discovery processes technically and legally harder.

  • When Innovation Overwhelms The Rule Of Law

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    In an era where technology is rapidly evolving and artificial intelligence is seemingly everywhere, it’s worth asking if the law — both substantive precedent and procedural rules — can keep up with the light speed of innovation, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • The Future Of ALJs At NLRB And DOL Post-Jarkesy

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    In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2024 Jarkesy ruling, several ongoing challenges to the constitutionality of the U.S. Department of Labor's and the National Labor Relations Board's administrative law judges have the potential to significantly shape the future of administrative tribunals, say attorneys at Wiley Rein.

  • The Tides Are Changing For Fair Access Banking Laws

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    The landscape of fair access banking laws, which seek to prevent banks from denying services based on individuals' ideological beliefs, has shifted in the last few years, but a new presidential administration provides renewed momentum for advancing such legislation against the backdrop of state efforts, say attorneys at Latham.

  • Imagine The Possibilities Of Openly Autistic Lawyering

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    Andi Mazingo at Lumen Law, who was diagnosed with autism about midway through her career, discusses how the legal profession can create inclusive workplaces that empower openly autistic lawyers and enhance innovation, and how neurodivergent attorneys can navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with disclosing one’s diagnosis.

  • Top 10 Healthcare And Life Sciences Issues To Watch In 2025

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    Under the new Trump administration, this coming year may benefit some healthcare and life sciences stakeholders, while creating new challenges for others amid an increasingly complex regulatory environment, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Disciplinary Rule Updates Every Texas Lawyer Needs To Know

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    Sweeping amendments to the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct that recently went into effect provide essential clarity and modernity to rules governing conflicts of interest, client confidentiality and duties to prospective clients, says Robert Tobey at Johnston Tobey.

  • Parsing 3rd Circ. Ruling On Cannabis, Employee Private Suits

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    The Third Circuit recently upheld a decision that individuals don't have a private right of action for alleged violations of New Jersey's Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance and Marketplace Modernization Act, but employers should stay informed as the court encouraged the state Legislature to amend the law, say attorneys at Mandelbaum Barrett.

  • Perspectives

    How High Court May Rule In First Step Act Resentencing Case

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    U.S. Supreme Court justices grappled with verb tenses and statutory intent in recent oral arguments in Hewitt v. U.S., a case involving an anomalous resentencing issue under the First Step Act, and though they may hold that the statute is unambiguous, they could also decide the case on narrow, practical grounds, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • Series

    Documentary Filmmaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Becoming a documentary filmmaker has allowed me to merge my legal expertise with my passion for storytelling, and has helped me to hone negotiation, critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are important to both endeavors, says Robert Darwell at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Litigation Funding Disclosure Debate: Strategy Considerations

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    In the ongoing debate over whether courts should require disclosure of litigation funding, funders and plaintiffs tend to argue against such mandates, but voluntarily disclosing limited details about a funding arrangement can actually confer certain benefits to plaintiffs in some scenarios, say Andrew Stulce and Marc Cavan at Longford Capital.

  • Discretionary Compensation Lessons From 7th Circ. Ruling

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    The Seventh Circuit’s recent ruling in Das v. Tata established that contract disclaimers don't automatically bar claims under the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act, underscoring the limits of compensation systems that purport to grant employers unilateral discretion, say attorneys at Schoenberg Finkel.

  • Gas Contract Fight Holds Lessons On Force Majeure Clauses

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    Ongoing litigation over gas deliveries during Winter Storm Uri underscores the need for precision and foresight when negotiating force majeure clauses in contracts — particularly in the energy sector, where climate-related disruptions and market volatility are inevitable, but often unpredictable, say attorneys at Spencer Fane.

  • Justices Likely To Stay In ERISA's Bounds On Pleadings

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    The arguments in Cunningham v. Cornell showed the U.S. Supreme Court's willingness to resolve a circuit split regarding Employee Retirement Income Security Act pleading standards by staying within ERISA's confines, while instructing courts regarding what must be pled to survive a motion to dismiss, says Ryan Curtis at Fennemore Craig.

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