Appellate

  • July 21, 2026

    7th Circ. Told To Keep Judge's MAGA Firing Fight In Fed. Court

    A retired judge looking to hold the Illinois Supreme Court liable for canceling his temporary reinstatement over a pro-MAGA opinion column told the Seventh Circuit Monday that his case belongs in federal court, saying he has no unbiased state court forum because his claims "would inevitably reach defendants themselves."

  • July 21, 2026

    7th Circ. Backs UChicago, TIAA In Spousal Pension Fight

    The Seventh Circuit backed a Wisconsin federal court's decision to hand the University of Chicago and its pension plan manager TIAA an early win in a dispute over a deceased worker's spousal pension benefits, and declined to certify a question about power of attorney authority to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

  • July 21, 2026

    Full Fed. Circ. Won't Review Apple's ITC Loss Against Masimo

    The full slate of Federal Circuit judges will not reconsider a panel's determination that Apple has infringed Masimo Corp.'s blood oxygen monitor patents in a high-profile case that led to some Apple Watch imports being banned.

  • July 21, 2026

    DC Circ. Backs Nuclear Plant Enviro Review Rules

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday upheld the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's updated rules for renewing nuclear power plant licenses, rejecting arguments from antinuclear groups that the rules don't adequately account for climate change risks.

  • July 21, 2026

    2nd Circ. Won't Be Savior For 'Made In Heaven' Koons IP Case

    The Second Circuit on Tuesday declined to save a prop and set designer's suit accusing artist Jeff Koons of copyright infringement with his "Made in Heaven" series from the late 20th century, saying the prominence of the works should have gotten the designer's attention sooner.

  • July 21, 2026

    Ohio Can't Pause Halt Of Hemp Law During Appeal, Judge Says

    Ohio lost its bid Monday in federal court to be allowed to enforce a new law that reclassifies hemp products as marijuana, as a judge rejected the state's arguments that the hemp product manufacturers and sellers waited too long to file their lawsuit.

  • July 21, 2026

    Chamber Asks 2nd Circ. To Back Toss Of Pepsi Smoking Suit

    A New York federal judge rightly tossed allegations that Pepsi violated federal benefits law by making employees who smoke pay more for health insurance, the nation's largest business lobby argued in an amicus brief, urging the Second Circuit to affirm dismissal of the suit.

  • July 21, 2026

    Texas Appeals Court Revives Ex-CEO's Claims Against REIT

    A Texas appeals court on Tuesday revived claims brought by the former CEO of Houston-based Whitestone REIT accusing his ex-employer of ousting him without cause, saying that the REIT failed to show it should win as a matter of law.

  • July 21, 2026

    DC Circ. Sides With FCC In Spectrum Revamp Row

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday rejected challenges to the Federal Communications Commission's overhaul of the 4.9 gigahertz public safety band, ruling that the Spectrum Act gave AT&T partner FirstNet broad authority to build its network without confining it to just one band.

  • July 21, 2026

    Mullen Fights To Keep Patent Suit Against Samsung Alive

    Mullen on Tuesday opposed a magistrate judge's recommendation that the court find invalid its patents covering location-based services on mobile devices asserted against Samsung, saying it is at odds with a recent Federal Circuit decision.

  • July 21, 2026

    Class Cert. In Avandia MDL Undone For Lacking Stats

    The Third Circuit undid class certification for a group of health plans claiming GlaxoSmithKline deceptively marketed its diabetes drug Avandia, with a panel majority ruling Tuesday the plans needed stronger statistical analysis to show links between the marketing, the revelation of side effects and a drop in sales.

  • July 21, 2026

    10th Circ. Backs Kan. Library's Ban On Protest Signs Inside

    A Kansas public library can prohibit protesting and the display of signs inside its property, the Tenth Circuit held Tuesday in finding the library's policies prohibiting disruptive behavior did not violate the First Amendment.

  • July 21, 2026

    Invisalign Maker Align Keeps PTAB Wins At Fed. Circ.

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board properly invalidated claims in two Dental Monitoring SAS orthodontia patents, the Federal Circuit affirmed Tuesday.

  • July 21, 2026

    Mich. Panel Revives Health Providers' No-Fault Coverage Suit

    A Michigan state appeals court revived a suit brought by medical providers seeking to recover no-fault benefits for treatments they provided to a woman injured in a crash, saying a trial judge failed to consider lesser sanctions for a discovery violation before barring key witnesses and effectively ending the case.

  • July 21, 2026

    Peter Navarro Loses DC Circ. Appeal Of Contempt Conviction

    The D.C. Circuit Tuesday upheld Trump White House adviser Peter Navarro's contempt of Congress conviction, saying President Donald Trump never invoked executive privilege to allow Navarro to flout congressional subpoenas concerning the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

  • July 21, 2026

    High Court Ruling Doesn't Impact Pipeline Fight, 9th Circ. Told

    California and environmental groups have told the Ninth Circuit that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision clarifying federal arbitration jurisdictional lines has no bearing on their lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's assertion of jurisdiction over an in-state oil pipeline system.

  • July 21, 2026

    Arbitration Valid In Tax Privacy Suit, H&R Block Tells 9th Circ.

    A California federal judge wrongly denied H&R Block's bid to make two filers arbitrate allegations that it unlawfully shared private data with Meta and Google, the tax preparation company told the Ninth Circuit, disputing the district court's finding that an underlying arbitration agreement is too unfair.

  • July 21, 2026

    DC Circ. Revives Challenge To EPA's $3B Grant Cut

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday revived a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's termination of nearly $3 billion in environmental justice grants, saying a district court had neglected a key jurisdictional question when it dismissed the suit.

  • July 21, 2026

    DC Circ. Backs FAA In Conn. Airport Fight After Seven County

    The D.C. Circuit ruled Tuesday that the Federal Aviation Administration sufficiently analyzed the environmental impacts of a regional Connecticut airport expansion project, saying the U.S. Supreme Court's Seven County ruling made clear that courts cannot override agencies' reasonable National Environmental Policy Act judgments or explanations.

  • July 21, 2026

    NJ High Court Affirms No Arbitration For PIP Fraud Suits

    The New Jersey Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed that insurance fraud and racketeering claims can't be forced into the state's personal injury protection arbitration system, finding the process too narrow for complex fraud litigation.

  • July 21, 2026

    Canon Notches Another Fed. Circ. Win In Inkjet Patent Fight

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday declined to reboot claims in a Slingshot Printing patent covering a printhead for an inkjet printer challenged by Canon at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, less than a week after the appeals court backed decisions invalidating claims in three similar patents.

  • July 21, 2026

    High Court To Hear Alaskan Pilot Plane Forfeiture Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review a case in which the Alaska Supreme Court held that a pilot must forfeit his $95,000 plane to the state for transporting a six-pack of beer in a dry village.

  • July 21, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Restarts Treadmill Patent Infringement Case

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday revived a case in which treadmill maker Woodway USA Inc. sued exercise equipment company Lifecore Fitness Inc., saying Lifecore was granted a win based on an overly narrow claim construction.

  • July 21, 2026

    Wyeth's Patent Loss Has Attys Focusing On Dosage

    The Federal Circuit's holding that a Pfizer unit's cancer treatment patents are invalid highlights the risk of including dosages in patents without sufficient proof that those dosages work, attorneys say.

  • July 21, 2026

    DC Circ. Affirms Argentina Must Pay $391M Arbitral Award

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday affirmed the enforcement of a $391 million arbitral award issued against Argentina in a 17-year-old dispute over the renationalization of its state-owned airline, rejecting arguments that the petition was filed too late.

Expert Analysis

  • What A Court Doc Audit Reveals About Erroneous Filings

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    My audit of 1,522 court documents from last month found that over 95% contained at least one verifiable error, with fewer than 1% showing clear indicators of artificial intelligence use — highlighting above all else that lawyers may want to focus most on strengthening their review processes, says Elliott Ash at ETH Zurich.

  • Exploring When Fraud Asset Freezes Limit Right To Pick Atty

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    The defendant’s claim in the Seventh Circuit’s pending U.S. v. Shah case that the government restrained his assets until he couldn’t afford his chosen counsel presents a useful case study in how criminal forfeiture procedure interacts with U.S. Supreme Court rulings on Sixth Amendment rights and appealing complex fraud convictions, says Elisha Kobre at Sheppard.

  • How Justices' GEO Ruling Resets Gov't Contractor Litigation

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent GEO Group v. Menocal decision, holding that government contractors cannot immediately exit cases via interlocutory appeals, may increase litigation costs, strengthen plaintiffs' leverage in settlement negotiations and dampen the government's ability to attract bids on high-risk or sensitive projects, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Appellate Strategy Lessons From Pa. Excess Coverage Ruling

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    In FedEx v. National Union Fire Insurance, a Pennsylvania state court recently set forth a clear holding that policyholders may recover postjudgment interest under excess liability insurance policies only when the policy language expressly allows, offering important takeaways for planning appeals, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Defense Counsel Options Widen As No-Bill Rate Increases

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    Citizens impaneled on grand juries in politically motivated cases who are reasserting their role as a critical check on state power could provide criminal defense attorneys an opportunity to pursue seldom-used preindictment strategies, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • How Cos. Can Prepare For 'Made In America' Ad Scrutiny

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    The Trump administration's executive order to combat fraudulent "Made in America" claims in consumer-facing advertising, along with actions by the Federal Trade Commission, suggest a potential increased focus on consumer protection and pricing-related matters, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Similar-Looking Designs May Not Always Prove Infringement

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Range of Motion Products v. Armaid is a reminder that even a strikingly similar design might not be found to infringe upon a patented design once design features driven by functionality are filtered out from consideration, say attorneys at BCLP.

  • Series

    Mich. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    Michigan's financial services sector saw several significant developments in 2026's first quarter, including the state Department of Insurance and Financial Services' issuance of a bulletin on the use of artificial intelligence and the Michigan House's introduction of a bill based on the Model Money Transmission Modernization Act, say attorneys at Dykema.

  • Pension Case Offers Entertainment Work Exception Insights

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    A recent Ninth Circuit decision clarified that any amount of entertainment work can satisfy the entertainment industry exception under the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act, reinforcing that statutory language, rather than evolving business models, dictates withdrawal liability outcomes, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Justices' Ruling Stresses Quick Action Against Absconders

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    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent holding in Rico v. U.S. that a supervised release term is not automatically extended when a defendant absconds, probation officers and prosecutors risk being unable to address later violations if they don't act promptly to secure warrants, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • Justices May Hesitate To Limit Courts' Arbitration Review

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    Based on Monday's argument in Jules v. Andre Balazs, the U.S. Supreme Court seems poised to preserve federal jurisdiction over arbitral award enforcement stemming from actions originated in federal court, a holding that would markedly limit the court's 2022 Walters v. Badgerow decision, says Ashwini Jayaratnam at DarrowEverett.

  • Series

    Ultramarathons Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Completing a 100-mile ultramarathon was tougher, more humbling and more rewarding than I ever imagined, and the experience highlighted how long-distance running has sharpened my ability to adapt to the evolving nature of antitrust law and strengthened my resolve to handle demanding, unforeseen challenges, says Dan Oakes at Axinn.

  • State FARA Laws Pose Unique Constitutional Challenges

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    Several states have recently enacted foreign agent registration and disclosure regimes that were modeled after the Foreign Agents Registration Act, but these state laws raise several constitutional questions, including concerns about preemption, speech and petition, and vagueness, says Alexandra Langton at Covington.

  • Series

    Pa. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    The first quarter of 2026 brought several consequential developments for Pennsylvania financial institutions, including the state banking department's first assessment overhaul in 10 years, a bill prohibiting interchange fees on card transaction sales taxes and a federal appeals court's upholding of a $52 million enforcement action, say attorneys at Gross McGinley.

  • Determining When Engineered Biologics May Be Patentable

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Regenxbio v. Sarepta, concluding that engineered cells with DNA from different organisms are not patent-ineligible natural phenomena, raises questions surrounding what framework courts will use to evaluate the patent eligibility of engineered biologics moving forward, says Robert Frederickson at Goodwin.

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