Appellate

  • January 13, 2026

    San Antonio Slams Tribal Church Rehearing Bid In 5th Circ.

    San Antonio is fighting an attempt by two Native American church members to win a Fifth Circuit rehearing in a case over plans to restore a municipal park, saying a panel of the appeals court broke no new ground in its December opinion that would merit another look.

  • January 13, 2026

    Ark. Official Urges 7th Circ. Not To Revive Pharma Rule Fight

    An Illinois federal judge correctly upheld an Arkansas insurance regulation designed to protect local pharmacies, the state's insurance commissioner told the Seventh Circuit on Monday, asking the court to toss a Teamsters healthcare plan's bid to renew its challenge to the regulation.

  • January 13, 2026

    Ill. Justices Mull COVID Screening Pay Under State Law

    The Illinois Supreme Court should leave decades of understanding surrounding the statutory term "workweek" intact and rule that the state's minimum wage law incorporates federal limitations on compensable preliminary activities, as finding otherwise would revive a short-lived overtime regime Congress considered "disastrous," Amazon argued Tuesday.

  • January 13, 2026

    No Jury Yet In Goldstein Trial, But Celeb Witnesses Possible

    Day two of jury selection in Tom Goldstein's tax and mortgage fraud case wrapped without a jury being seated Tuesday, but did reveal that the government could call celebrities Tobey Maguire and Kevin Hart to the stand.

  • January 13, 2026

    Battery Co. Urges 11th Circ. To Undo $20M Award In IP Feud

    A battery charger company told the Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday that it should reverse a roughly $20 million award after a jury found it ran Amazon advertisements that infringed a rival's trademark, arguing it used a generic product description and didn't cause confusion among consumers. 

  • January 13, 2026

    NC Tech Exec Urges 4th Circ. To Delay Sentence Amid Appeal

    A North Carolina software executive convicted of failing to pay employment taxes has asked the Fourth Circuit to delay the start of his 366-day prison sentence while his appeal is pending before the court.

  • January 13, 2026

    Texas Appeals Panel Skeptical Pipeline Death Falls Under FAA

    A Texas appeals panel seemed hesitant to buy Energy Transfer's argument that it can compel arbitration in a suit brought by the family of a man killed in a pipeline explosion, asking Tuesday whether the employee's work qualifies as interstate commerce and therefore falls outside the Federal Arbitration Act.

  • January 13, 2026

    2nd Circ. Hints Ex-Luxottica Worker Has ERISA Standing

    Second Circuit judges sounded sympathetic Tuesday to the idea that a former Luxottica employee has standing to pursue changes to its defined benefit pension plan, expressing skepticism at the company's notion that her case is barred because she is seeking unavailable remedies.

  • January 13, 2026

    9th Circ. Limits Unpreserved Challenge Reviews To Plain Error

    The en banc Ninth Circuit on Tuesday said it would no longer review unpreserved claims of legal error under a decades-old "pure question of law" exception to criminal rules of procedure, narrowing the court's purview to only plain error.

  • January 13, 2026

    Full Fed. Circ. Asked To Reconsider Car Seat Patent Case

    Wonderland Switzerland AG wants the full Federal Circuit to take another look at a panel's December reversal of part of a ruling that Evenflo Co. Inc. infringed one of its car seat patents, saying the suit involves a regularly occurring question in patent law.

  • January 13, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Backs PTAB's Axing Of UV Disinfectant Patent

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday issued a one-word order affirming a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision invalidating claims in a patent covering technology for using UV light for sanitation, declining to take on the inventor's challenge to the board's obviousness determinations.

  • January 13, 2026

    Comcast Decries Circuit Split After $177M IP Case Is Revived

    The Federal Circuit split from several other circuits when reviving WhereverTV Inc.'s $177 million infringement suit against Comcast based on waived arguments, the telecommunications giant has warned the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • January 13, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Loggers' Suit Does Not Show A Monopoly

    The Ninth Circuit declined Tuesday to revive a lawsuit by a coalition of logging groups that accused a U.S. Forest Service contractor of monopolizing the industry in the Pacific Northwest, finding the plaintiffs' antitrust claims lacked adequate details.

  • January 13, 2026

    10th Circ. OKs Murder Conviction Despite Gender Bias At Trial

    The Tenth Circuit ruled Tuesday that the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals correctly concluded that a woman sentenced to death for killing her husband received a fair trial, rejecting arguments that prosecutors' use of sexualized and gender-stereotyped evidence violated her constitutional rights.

  • January 13, 2026

    Sen. Whitehouse Presses AG On Boasberg Complaint Results

    Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., ranking member of the courts panel on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is calling for Attorney General Pam Bondi to release the results of the disciplinary complaint she filed against Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg of the District of Columbia when the investigation wraps up.

  • January 13, 2026

    Illinois Justice Theis To Retire From Supreme Court Bench

    Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis is retiring at the end of January after more than 40 years on the bench, with her seat to be filled through the end of her term by First District Appellate Court Justice Sanjay T. Tailor, the first Asian American to serve on the high court.

  • January 13, 2026

    DC Circ. Upholds NLRB's Ruling Against Mont. Telco

    The D.C. Circuit Tuesday upheld the National Labor Relations Board's finding that a telecom company illegally withheld records of its use of non-union workers from a union, saying the company forfeited its argument that the union took too long to back up its demand. 

  • January 13, 2026

    Youths Urge 9th Circ. To Revive Trump Energy Orders Fight

    A group of young people asked the Ninth Circuit to revive their lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's energy-related emergency orders, arguing the lower court erred by saying it did not have jurisdiction to rule on the matter.

  • January 13, 2026

    North Carolina County Tells 4th Circ. It Didn't Underpay EMTs

    A North Carolina federal court correctly ruled that a North Carolina county didn't owe damages to EMS workers because their pay structure included both straight time and overtime, but erred in concluding the county violated federal wage law, the county told the Fourth Circuit.

  • January 13, 2026

    Carnival Urges 11th Circ. To Undo $10M Sexual Assault Verdict

    Cruise line Carnival urged the Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday to reverse a decision awarding $10 million to a passenger who was sexually assaulted, arguing it was unfairly prejudiced when FBI evidence rebutting her testimony was admitted during trial after it was previously rejected by the lower court.

  • January 13, 2026

    5th Circ. Urged To Revive Southwest 737 Max Overcharge Suit

    Consumers have urged the Fifth Circuit to revive their claims alleging Southwest Airlines overcharged them for riskier flights on Boeing 737 Max 8 jets, saying they've asserted a classic benefit-of-the-bargain injury that gives them standing to sue.

  • January 13, 2026

    Former USPTO Solicitor Joins Orrick's Supreme Court Group

    A veteran U.S. Patent and Trademark Office attorney has come aboard Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in Washington, D.C., as a partner in the firm's Supreme Court and appellate practice, Orrick announced Tuesday.

  • January 13, 2026

    Justices Seem Poised To Greenlight Transgender Athlete Bans

    The conservative wing of the U.S. Supreme Court voiced skepticism of allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's and girls' sports Tuesday, while also signaling a willingness to keep its ruling narrowly tailored.

  • January 13, 2026

    4th Circ. Combines DOJ Appeals Of Comey, James Dismissals

    The Fourth Circuit has granted the Trump administration's request to combine its previously separate appeals of the dismissals of prosecutions against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

  • January 13, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Gives Apple New Shot At Axing Smart Mobile Patent

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday revived Apple's challenge at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to a technology patent that Smart Mobile Technologies LLC accuses it of infringing.

Expert Analysis

  • Del. Dispatch: What Tesla Decision Means For Exec Comp

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    The recent Delaware Supreme Court decision granting Tesla CEO Elon Musk his full pay, now valued at $139 billion, following a yearslong battle appears to reject the view that supersized compensation may be inherently unfair to a corporation and its shareholders, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • 6 Issues That May Follow The 340B Rebate Pilot Challenge

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    Though the Health Resources and Services Administration withdrew a pending case to reconsider the controversial 340B rebate pilot program, a number of crucial considerations remain, including the likelihood of a rework and questions about what that rework might look like, say attorneys at Spencer Fane.

  • 5 E-Discovery Predictions For 2026 And Beyond

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    2026 will likely be shaped by issues ranging from artificial intelligence regulatory turbulence to potential evidence rule changes, and e-discovery professionals will need to understand how to effectively guide the responsible and defensible adoption of emerging tools, while also ensuring effective safeguards, say attorneys at Littler.

  • What's On Deck In Tribal Nations' Prediction Markets Litigation

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    Native American tribes' response to the expansion of sports-based prediction markets enters a decisive phase this year, with appellate courts positioned to address whether federal commodities law permits nationwide offering of sports-based event contracts free from state and tribal gaming regulation, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • SEC Virtu Deal Previews Risks Of Nonpublic Info In AI Models

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent settlement with Virtu Financial Inc. over alleged failures to safeguard customer data raises broader questions about how traditional enforcement frameworks may apply when material nonpublic information is embedded into artificial intelligence trading systems, says Braeden Anderson at Gesmer Updegrove.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Boost Access To Justice

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    Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Samuel A. Thumma writes that generative artificial intelligence tools offer a profound opportunity to enhance access to justice and engender public confidence in courts’ use of technology, and judges can seize this opportunity in five key ways.

  • Fed. Circ. In November: Looking For Patent 'Blaze Marks'

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Duke v. Sandoz serves as a warning that when patentees craft claims, they must provide adequate "blaze marks" that direct a skilled artisan to the specific claimed invention, and not just the individual claimed elements in isolation, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • Examining Privilege In Dual-Purpose Workplace Investigations

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    The Sixth Circuit's recent holding in FirstEnergy's bribery probe ruling that attorney-client privilege applied to a dual-purpose workplace investigation because its primary purpose was obtaining legal advice highlights the uncertainty companies face as federal circuit courts remain split on the appropriate test, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Opinion

    The Case For Emulating, Not Dividing, The Ninth Circuit

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    Champions for improved judicial administration should reject the unfounded criticisms driving recent Senate proposals to divide the Ninth Circuit and instead seek to replicate the court's unique strengths and successes, says Ninth Circuit Judge J. Clifford Wallace.

  • Why 'Baby Shark' Floundered In Foreign Service Waters

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    The Second Circuit recently ruled that the "Baby Shark" company couldn’t use email to serve alleged infringers based in China under an international agreement prohibiting such service, providing several important lessons for parties in actions involving defendants in jurisdictions unwilling or unable to effectuate efficient service, say attorneys at Greenspoon Marder.

  • ERISA Litigation Trends To Watch With 2025 In The Rearview

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    There were significant developments in Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation in 2025, including plaintiffs pushing the bounds of sponsor and fiduciary liability and defendants scoring district court wins, and although the types of claims might change, ERISA litigation will likely be just as active in 2026, say attorneys at Groom Law.

  • 2025's Defining AI Securities Litigation

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    Three securities litigation decisions from 2025 — involving General Motors, GitLab and Tesla — offer a preview of how courts will assess artificial intelligence-related disclosures, as themes such as heightened regulatory scrutiny and risk surrounding technical claims are already taking shape for the coming year, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • How 11th Circ.'s Zafirov Decision Could Upend Qui Tam Cases

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    Oral argument before the Eleventh Circuit last month in U.S. ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates suggests that the court may affirm a lower court's opinion that the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act are unconstitutional — which could wreak havoc on pending and future qui tam cases, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • 3 DC Circ. Rulings Signal Shift In Search And Seizure Doctrine

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    A trio of decisions from courts in the District of Columbia Circuit, including a recent order compelling prosecutors to return materials seized from James Comey’s former attorney, makes clear that continued government possession of digital evidence may implicate the Fourth Amendment, says Gregory Rosen at RJO.

  • Series

    Muay Thai Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Muay Thai kickboxing has taught me that in order to win, one must stick to one's game plan and adapt under pressure, just as when facing challenges by opposing counsel or judges, says Mark Schork at Feldman Shepherd.

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