Appellate

  • December 11, 2025

    3rd Circ. Won't Toss Drug Plea Over Judge's Involvement

    The Third Circuit on Thursday refused to vacate a plea agreement in a drug case, finding that while a Pennsylvania federal judge violated judicial rules by imposing a longer sentence than prosecutors wanted, the defendant was unable to prove that the interference substantially violated his rights.

  • December 11, 2025

    Mich. Justices Weigh If Quitting Can Start Whistleblower Clock

    Michigan's Supreme Court justices on Thursday pressed an attorney for a school district on whether a buildup of alleged harassment can allow a worker to claim the adverse treatment forced them to resign — and whether that triggers the time window to bring a suit under the state's Whistleblower Protection Act.

  • December 11, 2025

    NJ Justices Say Teacher Was 'Essential' During Pandemic

    An Ocean Township teacher who died from COVID‑19 in 2020 was an "essential employee" entitled to a statutory presumption that her illness was work-related, the New Jersey Supreme Court affirmed Thursday, rejecting the school district's arguments that the workers' compensation judge improperly granted summary relief without supporting affidavits.

  • December 11, 2025

    4th Circ. Suppresses Gun Found In Illegal Traffic Stop Search

    A West Virginia man sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for illegal possession of a firearm should not have been searched during a 2023 traffic stop, a unanimous Fourth Circuit panel ruled Thursday, finding that a gun found on him should have been suppressed.

  • December 11, 2025

    6th Circ. Seems Skeptical Of Ex-Paralegal's Harassment Claim

    The Sixth Circuit on Thursday seemed to lean toward a broad interpretation of a 2022 law that bars mandatory arbitration for sexual harassment cases, but appeared skeptical that a sexual harassment claim by a former Adams & Reese LLP paralegal passed muster.

  • December 11, 2025

    Split Pa. Panel Blocks Police Reports On Liquor Licensee

    A trial court was wrong to deny a Philadelphia establishment's appeal for renewal of its liquor license, since nearly a dozen police reports the court considered should have been excluded as hearsay, a split appellate panel said Thursday.

  • December 11, 2025

    Duolingo, CoStar Prevail In Font Patent Fight At Fed. Circ.

    The Federal Circuit on Dec. 11 refused to revive a pair of computer font patents challenged by Duolingo Inc. and CoStar Realty Information Inc., backing the Patent Trial and Appeal Board findings that the patents were invalid.

  • December 11, 2025

    Natural Gas Tax Nixed For Wash. Silicon Maker On Appeal

    A Washington state maker of silicon materials used in solar semiconductors qualified for a tax exemption for natural gas purchased for use in its manufacturing process, an appeals court said Thursday, reversing a state board.

  • December 11, 2025

    MVP: Jenner & Block's Adam Unikowsky

    Adam Unikowsky of Jenner & Block LLP's appellate practice got a U.S. Supreme Court victory in February on behalf of unemployment claimants. He also obtained a Second Circuit panel majority win for Uber and Postmates in a proposed antitrust class action and a partial win at the First Circuit in a challenge to a Rhode Island toll on tractor trailers, earning him a spot as one of the 2025 Law360 Appellate MVPs.

  • December 11, 2025

    Ga. Justices Leave $500K Atty Fee Lien In Place

    The Georgia Supreme Court decided it won't review a lower appellate court's ruling that upheld a nearly $500,000 lien awarded to a team of Atlanta personal injury lawyers who said they were bilked by a former client.

  • December 11, 2025

    6th Circ. Panel Shows No Leanings On PBM Jurisdiction Fight

    A Sixth Circuit appeals panel gave few hints Thursday on whether it would send back to state court a lawsuit from Ohio alleging that pharmacy benefit managers were driving up prescription prices through rebate schemes. 

  • December 11, 2025

    Grassley Urges White House To Step It Up On Noms

    Sen. Chuck Grassley, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, had a message for the White House Thursday: "Get on the ball" with nominations for U.S. attorneys and the judiciary.

  • December 11, 2025

    Feds Challenge Utah Tribe's 1800 Act Land Ownership Claim

    The federal government is asking the D.C. Circuit to reject a bid by the Ute Indian Tribe to reverse a lower court decision that denied it ownership of 1.5 million acres of U.S. land, saying the challenge is based on mischaracterizations of a 19th century law.

  • December 11, 2025

    Full 11th Circ. Won't Review Marijuana Enhancement Sentence

    The Eleventh Circuit, in refusing to rehear the decision, has upheld a 15-year prison sentence for a man who claimed an enhancement to a federal firearms conviction for a marijuana offense violated his rights under the equal protection clause of the Constitution.

  • December 10, 2025

    Hyundai Attacks Judge's 'Disdain For Arbitration' At 9th Circ.

    Hyundai urged the Ninth Circuit Wednesday to revive its bid to arbitrate litigation over an alleged defect in its Palisade SUVs, saying that a district court judge erred by rejecting an arbitration agreement within a contract for complimentary "connected" services and arguing that the order "drips with disdain for arbitration."

  • December 10, 2025

    Pelosi Attack Footage Unfairly Swayed Jurors, 9th Circ. Told

    David DePape urged the Ninth Circuit Wednesday to vacate his conviction and 30-year prison sentence for attempting to kidnap then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and assaulting her husband, arguing the trial judge committed multiple errors, including admitting prejudicial footage of Pelosi's husband lying in a pool of blood.

  • December 10, 2025

    Feds Drop 2 FIFA Bribery Cases Despite Appellate Win

    Brooklyn federal prosecutors are dropping criminal cases against a former 21st Century Fox executive and an Argentine sports marketing company in the long-running FIFA corruption probe, just months after successfully appealing the dismissal of their honest-services fraud conspiracy convictions.

  • December 10, 2025

    VLSI, PQA Square Off Again Over Conspiracy Claims In Va.

    A Virginia state judge spent two hours Wednesday working through whether VLSI Technology LLC should be able to proceed with its claims that Patent Quality Assurance LLC violated state law during its successful challenge to a VLSI chip patent.

  • December 10, 2025

    Atty Fees In Meta Pixel Privacy Action Reduced In Final Deal

    A New York federal judge has reduced an attorney fees award by about $100,000 in a Video Privacy Protection Act class action settlement with Scientific American's publisher, modifying the fees to approximately $200,000 in his order granting final approval of the deal.

  • December 10, 2025

    Calif. Panel Reinstates Child Porn Rap Despite Abuse History

    A man who was abused as a child and raped as an adult cannot escape a child pornography conviction by arguing the abuse he endured led to the offense, a California state appeals court has ruled, finding in a reversal that his many traumas made it hard to ascertain a direct link to his crime.

  • December 10, 2025

    SG Says Justices Should Back Employers In ERISA Split

    The U.S. solicitor general is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to back Home Depot's win in a retirement plan fight with its employees, and in the process, resolve a circuit split in employers' favor over who bears the burden of proving a financial loss from alleged mismanagement.

  • December 10, 2025

    Kaiser Asks 9th Circ. To Make Nurses Arbitrate Wage Claims

    Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and a staffing company urged the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday to force traveling nurses to arbitrate their claims that they were cheated out of compensation, saying a judge erred when he found the agreement unconscionable due to a potentially confusing fee shifting provision.

  • December 10, 2025

    Gov't Urges Justices To Review ERISA Pleading Standard Split

    The U.S. solicitor general and the solicitor of labor said the U.S. Supreme Court needs to clarify that workers must back their suits targeting underperforming retirement funds with proper comparison proof, urging the justices to take up a case taking aim at Parker-Hannifin Corp.'s retirement plan management.

  • December 10, 2025

    2nd Circ. Tosses Lego Rival's Appeal In IP Fight Over Figurine

    The Second Circuit on Wednesday dismissed a Lego rival's appeal challenging an order blocking the sale of its Third-Generation figurines, finding it lacked appellate jurisdiction since the district court correctly found the figurines fell within the ambit of an existing injunction due to a likelihood of confusion with Lego's Minifigure.

  • December 10, 2025

    10th Circ. Asked To Rehear Colo. Opt-Out Interest Rate Suit

    Banking groups have asked the Tenth Circuit for a full court rehearing of their challenge to a Colorado law intended to curb high-cost lending in the state, arguing that a recent panel decision upholding the law restricts state-chartered banks' interstate lending and creates a circuit split over the meaning of where loans are "made."

Expert Analysis

  • AI's Role In Google Antitrust Suit May Reshape Tech Markets

    Author Photo

    The evolution of AI in retail has reshaped the U.S.' antitrust case against Google, which could both benefit small business innovators and consumers, and fundamentally alter future antitrust cases, including the Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit against Amazon, says Graham Dufault at ACT.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: How It Works In Massachusetts

    Author Photo

    Since its founding in 2000, the Massachusetts Business Litigation Session's expertise, procedural flexibility and litigant-friendly case management practices have contributed to the development of a robust body of commercial jurisprudence, say James Donnelly at Mirick O’Connell, Felicia Ellsworth at WilmerHale and Lisa Wood at Foley Hoag.

  • Why Appellees Should Write Their Answering Brief First

    Author Photo

    Though counterintuitive, appellees should consider writing their answering briefs before they’ve ever seen their opponent’s opening brief, as this practice confers numerous benefits related to argument structure, time pressures and workflow, says Joshua Sohn at the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • Notable Q3 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

    Author Photo

    The third quarter of 2025 was another eventful quarter for total loss valuation class actions, with a new circuit split developing courtesy of the Sixth Circuit, while insurers continued to see negative results in cost-of-insurance class actions, says Kevin Zimmerman at BakerHostetler.

  • Strategic Use Of Motions In Limine In Employment Cases

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
    Author Photo

    Because motions in limine can shape the course of employment litigation and ensure that juries decide cases on admissible, relevant evidence, understanding their strategic use is essential to effective advocacy and case management at trial, says Sara Lewenstein at Nilan Johnson.

  • What's At Stake In High Court Compassionate Release Case

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Fernandez v. U.S. next week about the overlap between motions to vacate and compassionate release, and its ultimate decision could ultimately limit or expand judicial discretion in sentencing, says Zachary Newland at Evergreen Attorneys.

  • 2nd Circ. Peloton Ruling Emphasizes Disclosure Context

    Author Photo

    The Second Circuit’s recent decision to revive shareholders’ suit alleging that Peloton made materially misleading statements makes clear that public companies must continually review risk disclosures to determine if previous hypotheticals have materialized, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • Series

    Mindfulness Meditation Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Mindful meditation enables me to drop the ego, and in helping me to keep sight of what’s important, permits me to learn from the other side and become a reliable counselor, says Roy Wyman at Bass Berry.

  • Lessons From 7th Circ. Decision Affirming $183M FCA Verdict

    Author Photo

    The Seventh Circuit's decision to uphold a $183 million False Claims Act award against Eli Lilly engages substantively with recurring materiality and scienter questions and provides insights into appellate review of complex trial court judgments, say Ellen London at London & Naor, Li Yu at Bernstein Litowitz and Kimberly Friday at Osborn Maledon.

  • How Calif. High Court Is Rethinking Forum Selection Clauses

    Author Photo

    Two recent cases before the California Supreme Court show that the state is shifting toward greater enforcement of freely negotiated forum selection clauses between sophisticated parties, so litigators need to revisit old assumptions about the breadth of California's public policy exception, says Josh Patashnik at Perkins Coie.

  • AI Litigation Tools Can Enhance Case Assessment, Strategy

    Author Photo

    Civil litigators can use artificial intelligence tools to strengthen case assessment and aid in early strategy development, as long as they address the risks and ethical considerations that accompany these uses, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • Attys Beware: Generative AI Can Also Hallucinate Metadata

    Author Photo

    In addition to the well-known problem of AI-generated hallucinations in legal documents, AI tools can also hallucinate metadata — threatening the integrity of discovery, the reliability of evidence and the ability to definitively identify the provenance of electronic documents, say attorneys at Law & Forensics.

  • How 9th Circ. Ruling Deepens SEC Disgorgement Circuit Split

    Author Photo

    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Sripetch creates opposing disgorgement rules in the two circuits where the SEC brings a large proportion of enforcement actions — the Second and Ninth — and increases the likelihood that the U.S. Supreme Court will step in, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.

  • Calif. Justices Continued Anti-Arbitration Trend This Term

    Author Photo

    In the 2024-2025 term, the California Supreme Court justices continued to narrow arbitration's reach under state law, despite state courts' extreme caseload backlog and even as they embraced contractual autonomy in other contexts, says Josephine Petrick at The Norton Law Firm.

  • DC Circuit Charts Path On FERC Orders In Loper Bright Era

    Author Photo

    The D.C. Circuit's recent decision in Solar Energy Industries Association v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, upholding the agency's assessment of a power production facility's output, laid out an approach for addressing statutory interpretation in FERC appeals in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's game-changing Loper Bright decision, say attorneys at Bracewell.

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.