Appellate

  • July 23, 2025

    NJ Justices Back AG Takeover Of Paterson Police Dept.

    New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin acted within his authority when he took control of the troubled police department of the state's third-largest city in 2023, the state Supreme Court unanimously ruled Wednesday.

  • July 23, 2025

    Mass. Justices Order 2nd Look At Murder Testimony

    A Massachusetts judge who presided over a 2020 murder trial abused his discretion by relying on the opinion of law enforcement officers about the credibility of a witness with potentially exculpatory testimony rather than hear from him directly, the state's highest court said Wednesday.

  • July 23, 2025

    5th Circ. Finds Enclave Doctrine Blocks Asbestos Claims

    The Fifth Circuit has held that the federal enclave doctrine blocks the bulk of a military family's claims in a suit alleging their housing at Randolph Air Force Base had mold and asbestos, while affirming a $91,000 damages award against the housing managers.

  • July 23, 2025

    8th Circ. Wipes Out Pot-Smoking Gun Owner's Conviction

    The Eighth Circuit has vacated a man's conviction for possessing a firearm as an unlawful drug user, saying the trial court failed to determine that his use of cannabis made him dangerous to others or pose a credible threat with the firearm.

  • July 23, 2025

    Spurning Outsiders, Trump Expands Role In Picking Judges

    President Donald Trump is tightly controlling judicial nominations in his second term, eschewing guidance from mainstream groups and instead relying on close advisers and vetting candidates himself.

  • July 22, 2025

    FCA Draws Heavy Constitutional Fire After $1.6B J&J Verdict

    Reeling from a record fraud verdict tied to drug promotion practices, Johnson & Johnson is pursuing a sweeping constitutional challenge to the False Claims Act, and in filings this week at the Third Circuit, major industry allies rallied behind its views of whistleblower litigants usurping executive branch power.

  • July 22, 2025

    9th Circ. OKs Toss Of U-Visa Holder's Status Adjustment Suit

    Federal district courts can't review discretionary denials of nonimmigrant visa holders' bids to adjust to lawful permanent resident status, the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday in a published opinion refusing to revive a Mexican woman's lawsuit that challenged her green card denial.

  • July 22, 2025

    Justices Urged To Hear Ill. Freight Broker Negligence Fight

    A man who was injured in an Illinois trucking accident urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to address conflicting court decisions on whether federal law shields freight brokers from state-based negligence and personal injury claims, saying broker and logistics giant C.H. Robinson cannot evade liability.

  • July 22, 2025

    DC Circ. Denies AP's Bid To Rehear White House Press Ban

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday refused to reconsider a split panel's decision reinstating a White House directive banning the Associated Press from the Oval Office and other restricted spaces, with one circuit judge explaining that the requirements for an en banc review were not met.

  • July 22, 2025

    Bipartisan Bill Aims To Protect Judges From Rising Threats

    Representatives Lucy McBath, D-Ga., and Michael McCaul, R-Texas, on Tuesday reintroduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to better protect state and local judges from threats and violence that are "becoming increasingly more common" against the judiciary.

  • July 22, 2025

    5th Circ. Asks If Fishery Council Guidance Was Ratified

    A Fifth Circuit panel pushed multiple commercial fisheries to explain how the adoption of fishing limit recommendations from a council would not count as a ratification and clear constitutional hurdles, saying during oral arguments on Tuesday that the council in question seemingly made a "bottom up data recommendation."

  • July 22, 2025

    OCC Defends Ex-Wells Fargo Exec's $10M Fake Accounts Fine

    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has urged the Eighth Circuit to uphold a $10 million penalty and industry ban against a former Wells Fargo risk executive for her role in the bank's fake accounts scandal, arguing her post-Jarkesy claims rest on a "fundamental misconception" of the Constitution.

  • July 22, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Urged To Nix Motorola Fintiv Memo Withdrawal Fight

    Stellar Inc. has urged the Federal Circuit to ignore Motorola's challenge to a decision by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's acting leader that shut down its attempt to invalidate various Stellar patents at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

  • July 22, 2025

    11th Circ. Looks Likely To Ground Delta Pilots' Bias Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit appeared skeptical Tuesday of a group of Delta Air Lines Inc. pilots' claims they were forced out of their jobs for taking military leave, expressing incredulity at their arguments that a pilot should be allowed to go skiing while purportedly saying he was out sick with the flu.

  • July 22, 2025

    DC Circ. Puts Fired FTC Dem's Restoration On Ice, For Now

    One of the Federal Trade Commission Democrats who was removed from the agency before her term was up by the Trump administration will not be returning to her seat just yet after the D.C. Circuit agreed to put the order mandating her return to work on hold.

  • July 22, 2025

    Mich. Justices Say Gaming Act Doesn't Bar $3M BetMGM Suit

    The Michigan Supreme Court on Tuesday said a statute legalizing online betting did not take away a disgruntled gambler's ability to bring certain common-law claims in state court, reviving a lawsuit alleging BetMGM improperly withheld more than $3 million in winnings from an online roulette game.

  • July 22, 2025

    DC Circ. Won't Revive Cocoa Farm Child Slave Labor Suit

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday declined to revive a proposed class suit by former child laborers against Hershey, Nestlé and five other companies alleging they were forced into child labor to pick cocoa later used by the companies, saying the plaintiffs failed to link the companies to the specific farms they worked on.

  • July 22, 2025

    DOJ Backs Door Maker's Divestiture Order In 4th Circ. Appeal

    The U.S. Department of Justice cleared a door maker's merger twice by the time a rival challenged the tie-up in court and won a landmark divestment order, but now the government is standing behind the company that won the order and asking the Fourth Circuit to keep it in place.

  • July 22, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Stop Entresto Generic During Novartis Appeal

    The Federal Circuit won't stop MSN Pharmaceuticals from releasing its generic version of Novartis' blockbuster cardiovascular drug Entresto while the latter appeals a noninfringement ruling, according to a Tuesday order.

  • July 22, 2025

    No Early Release For Former Teen Shooter, 9th Circ. Affirms

    A Ninth Circuit panel declined to grant an early release to a man serving 70 years in prison for a gang-related shooting he committed at age 16, finding that neither the length of his sentence nor his youth at the time of conviction amounted to the type of "extraordinary" circumstances allowing him compassionate relief.

  • July 22, 2025

    Power Cos., PJM Back FERC Auction Rerun Decision

    Power producers and PJM Interconnection LLC told the D.C. Circuit Monday the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was right to let PJM rerun an electricity capacity auction with an inflated reliability requirement after the Third Circuit ruled changes to it were retroactive ratemaking.

  • July 22, 2025

    Pa. High Court Says Expunged DUI Still Counts As An Offense

    Pennsylvania's highest court ruled Tuesday that the state can count a charge for driving under the influence that was expunged following a diversion program as a prior offense for the purpose of suspending a man's driver's license after he committed another DUI offense.

  • July 22, 2025

    Feds Tell 9th Circ. That Judge Misread Trump's Sanctuary Orders

    The U.S. Department of Justice told the Ninth Circuit on Monday that a district court's injunction blocking the Trump administration from withholding federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions like San Francisco rests on the court's misunderstanding of President Donald Trump's executive orders.

  • July 22, 2025

    Divided 3rd Circ. Backs ICE Detention Contracts In NJ

    A split Third Circuit panel on Tuesday backed a lower court's decision invalidating a New Jersey state law barring detention centers from contracting with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ruling that the law directly regulates the federal government.

  • July 22, 2025

    Zynga PTAB Win Upheld As Fed. Circ. Finds No 'Shenanigans'

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday upheld the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's invalidation of an IGT gambling patent challenged by mobile game maker Zynga, saying the board did not engage in unlawful "shenanigans" by reviewing the patent after an earlier dispute between the parties.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Series

    Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.

  • Purdue Case Could Transform Patent Obviousness Analyses

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    If accepted for review by the U.S. Supreme Court, Purdue Pharma v. Accord Healthcare — concerning whether Purdue's abuse-deterrent opioid formulation patents were invalid as obvious — could significantly shift how courts weigh secondary considerations in patent obviousness analyses, say attorneys at Lathrop.

  • NM Cyber Ruling Will Spur Litigation As Coverage Remedy

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    In Kane v. Beazley, the New Mexico Court of Appeals recently found that a cyber liability provision insuring security breaches included coverage for funds transfer fraud, implicitly and incorrectly motivating policyholders to commence litigation to avoid contractual limitations on cyber coverages, say attorneys at Zelle.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care

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    Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.

  • Texas' Cactus Ruling Clarifies 'Produced Water' Rules

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    The Texas Supreme Court's decision in Cactus Water Services v. COG Operating, holding that mineral interest lessees have the rights to water extracted alongside oil and gas, should benefit industry players by clarifying the rules — but it leaves important questions about royalties unresolved, say attorneys at Yetter Coleman.

  • ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'

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    The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • How Political Divisions Are Stalling Pa. Energy Development

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    Despite possessing the nation's second-largest natural gas reserves and a legacy of energy infrastructure, Pennsylvania faces a fragmented and politically charged path to developing the energy resources it will need in the future, thanks to legislative gridlock, divided public opinion and competing energy interests, says Andrew Levine at Stradley Ronon.

  • How High Court Ruling Can Aid Judgment Enforcement In US

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    In CC/Devas (Mauritius) v. Antrix, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that only two steps are required to keep a foreign sovereign in federal court, making it a little easier for investors to successfully bring foreign states and sovereign-owned and -controlled entities into U.S. courts, says Kristie Blase at Felicello Law.

  • What High Court's Tenn. Trans Care Ruling Means Nationally

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in U.S. v. Skrmetti, upholding a Tennessee ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors, is fairly limited in scope and closely tailored to the specific language of Tennessee's law, but it may have implications for challenges to similar laws in other states, say attorneys at Hall Render.

  • Justices Rewrite Rules For Challenging Enviro Agency Actions

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    Three recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings — Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas, Oklahoma v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and EPA v. Calumet Shreveport Refining — form a jurisprudential watershed in administrative and environmental law, affirming statutory standing and venue provisions as the backbone of coherent judicial review, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • High Court ACA Ruling May Harm Preventative Care

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Kennedy v. Braidwood last week, ruling that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary has authority over an Affordable Care Act preventive care task force, risks harming the credibility of the task force and could open the door to politicians dictating clinical recommendations, says Michael Kolber at Manatt.

  • Opinion

    Subject Matter Eligibility Test Should Return To Preemption

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    Subject matter eligibility has posed challenges for patentees due to courts' arbitrary and confusing reasoning, but adopting a two-part preemption test could align the applicant, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the courts, says Manav Das at McDonnell Boehnen.

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