Appellate

  • December 08, 2025

    8th Circ. Says Video Privacy Law Doesn't Bind Movie Theaters

    The Eighth Circuit on Monday became the latest court to conclude that movie theaters don't qualify as businesses that are covered by the federal Video Privacy Protection Act, in affirming the rejection of a proposed class action accusing the regional movie chain Cinema Entertainment of illegally sharing website visitors' video viewing activities with Meta. 

  • December 08, 2025

    Apple Gets Fed. Circ. To OK Axed Mobile Wallet Patent

    The Federal Circuit on Monday issued a one-word order affirming a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision invalidating claims in a virtual wallet patent challenged by Apple and owned by Mozido, the predecessor of Fintiv Inc.

  • December 08, 2025

    5th Circ. Blocks Arbitration In Hurricane Coverage Case

    The Fifth Circuit on Monday overturned a lower court order compelling a southern Louisiana town to arbitrate a dispute over coverage for hurricane damage in light of a state law that expressly prohibits arbitration agreements for insurance contracts.

  • December 08, 2025

    7th Circ. Mulls Vagueness Of Ill. DOC's Use-Of-Force Rule

    A Seventh Circuit judge said Monday that it wasn't the court's job to determine if three fired prison guards violated their employer's use-of-force rule during their violent encounter with a prisoner, and that the court's review was limited to whether the Illinois Department of Corrections imposed an unconstitutionally vague policy.

  • December 08, 2025

    11th Circ. Vacates Benefits Ruling In Black Lung Case

    The Eleventh Circuit on Monday vacated a ruling that awarded survivors benefits to the widow of a railroad engineer who died after yearslong exposure to coal dust, finding the U.S. Department of Labor review board wrongly determined that a preparation plant was part of an underground coal mine. 

  • December 08, 2025

    Conservative Justices Probe 'Husk' Of FTC Firing Protections

    The U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority pushed back Monday against the 90-year-old precedent permitting the removal only for cause of Federal Trade Commission members, and perhaps those serving other independent agencies, calling those safeguards a "dried husk" and wondering where to draw the line for protected agencies.

  • December 08, 2025

    2nd Circ. Doubts Ex-Basketball Players' NIL Claims Are Timely

    A Second Circuit panel on Monday persistently pushed the attorney for former college basketball players to explain why the players waited so long to claim the unpaid use of their images by the NCAA, years after their careers had ended.

  • December 08, 2025

    1st Circ. Keeps Planned Parenthood Funding Ban In Place

    The First Circuit on Monday issued an administrative stay that temporarily keeps in place a ban on Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, pausing a lower court's ruling.

  • December 08, 2025

    'Known Dangers' Of Driving Don't Merit $76M, Texas Court Says

    A split Texas appellate court did away with a $76 million judgment against a company whose driver rear-ended the vehicle of a woman who later died, saying the woman's estate failed to show the company's negligence caused the wreck.

  • December 08, 2025

    Colo. Supreme Court Sets New Anti-SLAPP Test

    Colorado's high court issued an opinion Monday creating a two-step analysis for judges to conduct when evaluating anti-SLAPP motions to dismiss in defamation cases after issuing a ruling against a Colorado Springs-based veterinary clinic suing two women who published negative reviews about it on social media.

  • December 08, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Revive Express Mobile's Patents Or $40M Win

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board rightfully invalidated claims of three Express Mobile web-design patents, and a Delaware federal judge properly found Shopify didn't infringe additional, related patents, the Federal Circuit held Monday.

  • December 08, 2025

    7th Circ. Questions Popcorn Shop Director's Retaliation Proof

    A Seventh Circuit panel appeared doubtful Monday that a former assistant research and development director for Chicago's iconic Garrett Popcorn Shops had enough direct evidence to try to convince a jury that lodging several federal food safety complaints led to her termination.

  • December 08, 2025

    Trump Admin Backs Exxon In Cuba Property Seizure Case

    The Trump administration is pressing the U.S. Supreme Court to rule in favor of Exxon Mobil Corp. and find that a federal law allowing U.S. victims of property seizures by the Cuban government to seek damages from entities that subsequently used the property abrogates the sovereign immunity of Cuban agencies and instrumentalities.

  • December 08, 2025

    DC Circ. Highly Skeptical It Has Jurisdiction In Eviction Fight

    The D.C. Circuit did not seem at all convinced Monday morning that it had jurisdiction over an eviction dispute that the owner of a multifamily property in Washington, D.C., pulled into federal court after being accused of wrongfully seizing a unit while the tenant was hospitalized.

  • December 08, 2025

    4th Circ. Backs EIDP In Dispute Over Annuity Reductions

    The Fourth Circuit backed agricultural chemical giant EIDP Inc. and its retirement plan administrator in a Monday opinion, finding that unambiguous contract language doomed the revival of a lawsuit from a retired employee who said his monthly benefit was unfairly reduced.

  • December 08, 2025

    Mich. Justices To Probe Cyberbullying Free Speech Defense

    The Michigan Supreme Court has taken up the appeal of a woman who contends her cyberbullying conviction should be thrown out because her messages were constitutionally protected speech.

  • December 08, 2025

    Mosaic Says 'Radioactive' Road Done, Legal Challenge Moot

    A Florida fertilizer producer asked the Eleventh Circuit to toss a lawsuit challenging a new roadway on its property using radioactive materials, arguing the court cannot provide any remediation or relief for a road it already constructed.

  • December 08, 2025

    Habba Resigns As Acting US Atty After DQ Ruling At 3rd Circ.

    Alina Habba stepped down Monday as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey following a Third Circuit ruling that she was unlawfully appointed to the position, with the U.S. Department of Justice unveiling that a trio of officials will take on her responsibilities.

  • December 08, 2025

    Town Can Join New Regional School District, NJ Justices Say

    The New Jersey Supreme Court on Monday held that a series of public education reforms allow for a Garden State municipality to withdraw from two school districts in order to join one regional school district that would serve all of its public school students.

  • December 08, 2025

    11th Circ. Won't Pause Medicaid Rule Amid Fla. Hospital Audit

    An Eleventh Circuit panel revived Florida's lawsuit against a federal rule that reduces Medicaid funding based on agreements between hospitals, but upheld a lower court's decision to deny the state's request for an injunction after finding it wouldn't likely succeed on the merits of its complaint. 

  • December 08, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs Erasure Of $64M IP Verdict Against Goodyear

    The Federal Circuit on Monday affirmed an Ohio federal judge's decision to erase a $64 million jury verdict against Goodyear, agreeing that a Czech self-inflating tire company's suit had alleged misappropriation of trade secrets that were insufficiently defined, not secret or not used by Goodyear.

  • December 08, 2025

    Pa. Court Halts Bucks College Project Over Labor Agreement

    Bucks County Community College in eastern Pennsylvania can't move ahead with a $2 million expansion of its HVAC training program because a potential bidder convinced a majority of the Commonwealth Court on Friday that the school's preexisting "public labor agreement" was likely discriminatory to nonunion workers and met no urgent need.

  • December 08, 2025

    'Red Flags' Give 2nd Circ. Pause In NBA Health Fraud Appeal

    A Second Circuit panel appeared skeptical Monday of arguments by two former NBA players convicted of defrauding a league healthcare plan that they were tricked into participating by the scheme's leader, saying the trial evidence included "red flags."

  • December 08, 2025

    MVP: Dechert's Michael McGinley And Steven Engel

    Dechert LLP's Michael McGinley and Steven Engel had three cases before the U.S. Supreme Court during its previous term, including a unanimous ruling that clarified how final judgments can be reopened, earning them spots as 2025 Law360 Appellate MVPs.

  • December 08, 2025

    AT&T Joins SG's High Court Review Bid Despite 5th Circ. Win

    After winning a Fifth Circuit case involving fines from the Federal Communications Commission, AT&T has nonetheless agreed with the U.S. solicitor general that the U.S. Supreme Court should review the need for jury trials when the agency seeks certain penalties.

Expert Analysis

  • Justices Could Clarify Post-Badgerow Arbitration Jurisdiction

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    If the U.S. Supreme Court grants a certiorari petition in Jules v. Andre Balazs Properties, it could provide some welcome clarity on post-arbitration award jurisdiction, an issue lingering since the court's 2022 decision in Badgerow v. Walters, says David Pegno at Dewey Pegno.

  • A Simple Way Courts Can Help Attys Avoid AI Hallucinations

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    As attorneys increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence for legal research, courts should consider expanding online quality control programs to flag potential hallucinations — permitting counsel to correct mistakes and sparing judges the burden of imposing sanctions, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl and Connors.

  • Strategies For ICE Agent Misconduct Suits In The 11th Circ.

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    Attorneys have numerous pathways to pursue misconduct claims against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the Eleventh Circuit, and they need not wait for the court to correct its misinterpretation of a Federal Tort Claims Act exception, says Lauren Bonds at the National Police Accountability Project.

  • Opinion

    SEC Should Restore Its 2020 Proxy Adviser Rule

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    Due to concerns over proxy advisers' accuracy, reliability and transparency, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission should reinstate its 2020 rule designed to suppress the influence that they wield in shareholder voting, says Kyle Isakower at the American Council for Capital Formation.

  • Surveying The Changing Overdraft Fee Landscape

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    Despite recent federal moves that undermine consumer overdraft fee protections, last year’s increase in fee charges suggests banks will face continued scrutiny via litigation and state regulation, says Amanda Kurzendoerfer at Bates White.

  • What's At Stake In High Court Review Of Funds' Right To Sue

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming review of FS Credit Opportunities v. Saba Capital Master Fund, a case testing the limits of using Investment Company Act Section 47(b) to give funds a private right of action to enforce other sections of the law, could either encourage or curb similar activist investor lawsuits, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • The Evolving Legal Landscape For THC-Infused Beverages

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    A recent Eighth Circuit ruling, holding that states may restrict the sale of intoxicating hemp-derived products without violating federal law, combined with ongoing regulatory uncertainty at both the federal and state levels, could alter the trajectory of the THC-infused beverage market, say attorneys at Pashman Stein.

  • How Securities Defendants Might Use New Wire Fraud Ruling

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    Though the Second Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Chastain decision — vacating the conviction of an ex-OpenSea staffer — involved the wire fraud statute, insider trading defendants might attempt to import the ruling’s reasoning into the securities realm, says Jonathan Richman at Brown Rudnick.

  • Cos. Must Tailor Due Diligence As Trafficking Risks Increase

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    As legislators, prosecutors and plaintiffs attorneys increasingly focus on labor and sex trafficking throughout the U.S., companies must tailor their due diligence strategies to protect against forced labor trafficking risks in their supply chains, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • Unpacking The Supreme Court's Views On Judgment Finality

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's June opinion in BLOM Bank SAL v. Honickman reaffirmed that the bar for reopening a final judgment remains exceptionally high — even when the movant seeks to amend their complaint based on a new legal development, say attorneys at Venable.

  • Asbestos Ruling Cements All Sums Coverage Precedent In SC

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    With its recent decision in Protopapas v. Travelers, the South Carolina Court of Appeals becomes the highest court in South Carolina to adopt the all sums allocation approach for long-tail claims, providing key appellate precedent to support policyholders' efforts to maximize their coverage, say attorneys at Anderson Kill.

  • M&A Ruling Reinforces High Bar For Aiding, Abetting Claims

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    The Delaware Supreme Court's recent decision in In re: Columbia Pipeline may slow the filing of aiding and abetting claims against third-party buyers in situations where buyers negotiate aggressively, putting buy-side dealmakers' minds at ease that they likely won't be liable for seeking the best possible deal, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Series

    Creating Botanical Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Pressing and framing plants that I grow has shown me that pursuing an endeavor that brings you joy can lead to surprising benefits for a legal career, including mental clarity, perspective and even a bit of humility, says Douglas Selph at Morris Manning.

  • What To Expect As Calif. Justices Weigh Arbitration Fee Law

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    If the California Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling in Hohenshelt v. Superior Court holds that the Federal Arbitration Act does not preempt the California Arbitration Act's strict fee deadlines, employers and businesses could lose the right to arbitrate over minor procedural delays, say attorneys at Bird Marella.

  • 2 Circuit Court Rulings Offer A Class Certification Primer

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    Two recent decisions from the Third and Sixth Circuits provide guidance on the rigorous analysis of predominance that courts might require for class certification, and insights into how defendants might oppose or narrow potential class actions, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

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