Appellate

  • January 26, 2026

    3rd Circ. Finds NJ Officials Shielded From COVID Deaths Suit

    A proposed class action on behalf of the families of roughly 10,000 nursing home residents who died early in the COVID-19 pandemic cannot proceed against New Jersey officials over their response, the Third Circuit has ruled, finding the officials are protected through qualified immunity.

  • January 26, 2026

    11th Circ. Backs MetLife's Death Benefits Denial

    The Eleventh Circuit on Monday upheld MetLife's denial of accidental death benefits to a federal government worker who died days after she broke her leg and ankle exiting a vehicle, finding the insurer's exercise of an exclusion for contributing underlying physical illnesses wasn't arbitrary or capricious.

  • January 26, 2026

    DOJ Urges 6th Circ. To Uphold IRS Jet Fee Excise Tax

    A fractional aircraft ownership company is liable for federal excise taxes, the U.S. Department of Justice told the Sixth Circuit, arguing that the company failed to establish any statutory or equitable defense while urging the appellate judges to affirm a lower court's ruling.

  • January 26, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Won't Revisit 'More Than An Athlete' TM Suit

    The Federal Circuit on Monday declined to reconsider its decision affirming a trademark tribunal's finding that NBA star LeBron James and his company own the rights to the phrase "More Than An Athlete."

  • January 26, 2026

    Fla. Panel Sides With State Over Signatures For Pot Initiative

    A Florida state appeals court sided with officials over invalidating more than 70,000 signatures collected for a potential ballot initiative that would legalize recreational cannabis in the Sunshine State, saying emailed directives handed down to county election supervisors regarding petition verification weren't unlawful. 

  • January 26, 2026

    NJ Court Says Security Co.'s Harassment Suit Needs 2nd Look

    A New Jersey state appeals panel ruled Monday that despite a valid arbitration pact, a worker who said security logistics company Brink's failed to take action when colleagues called her gendered slurs may still be entitled to her day in court.

  • January 26, 2026

    Bankrupt Biz Can't Avoid Pension Obligations, 4th Circ. Says

    A defunct construction business owes the International Painters and Allied Trades Industry Pension Fund about $1.6 million, a Fourth Circuit panel said Monday, affirming a lower court's decision that the fund's lawsuit seeking payment was filed on time.

  • January 26, 2026

    Disarming Cannabis Users Is Unconstitutional, Justices Told

    A Texas man charged with illegally possessing a gun as a regular cannabis user told the U.S. Supreme Court that the government had no more right to disarm him than it had to restrict the gun use of people who drank on the weekends.

  • January 26, 2026

    Full 3rd Circ. Passes On Alina Habba DQ Challenge

    The Third Circuit on Monday declined to reconsider its decision blocking Alina Habba from serving as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey, denying the Justice Department's petition for rehearing and leaving intact a decision that sharply curtailed the government's use of creative maneuvers to install interim federal prosecutors.

  • January 26, 2026

    3rd Circ. Won't Revive Challenge To Fund For Bilked Clients

    A suspended attorney who was previously disbarred and jailed for a job-selling scheme within the Pennsylvania auditor general's office in the 1980s can't sue a state fund for compensating his clients after he allegedly siphoned money from their trust account, the Third Circuit ruled Monday.

  • January 26, 2026

    AI Image Is Not Copyrightable, Gov't Tells High Court

    The U.S. government has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject an appeal from a computer scientist over whether an image created by an artificial intelligence system he developed can qualify for copyright protection, arguing that existing law clearly limits copyrights to human authors.

  • January 26, 2026

    Radio Co. Says Letting Nielsen Resume Data Tying Hurts Biz

    Cumulus Media has urged the Second Circuit not to lift a New York federal judge's order blocking Nielsen from conditioning access to its nationwide radio ratings data on the purchase of local market data while the ratings company appeals the ruling.

  • January 26, 2026

    Suit Over Fatal Fire Can Go To Philippines, Conn. Justices Say

    The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Monday that a trial court conducted the right assessment in deciding that a wrongful death suit over a devastating call center fire belonged in the Philippines, in a defeat for the estate administrator for 29 people who were killed.

  • January 26, 2026

    4th Circ. Preview: NCAA Eligibility And E-Cigarette Law

    Notwithstanding the winter storm that slammed several states over the weekend, litigators will clash at the Fourth Circuit this week on whether NCAA eligibility rules violate antitrust law, or federal law preempts North Carolina's ability to regulate e-cigarette sales.

  • January 26, 2026

    Justices Nix 4th Circ. Ruling That Affirmed New Criminal Trial

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ditched a Fourth Circuit ruling that affirmed habeas corpus relief for a Maryland man convicted of attempted murder, saying the appeals court overstepped federal habeas limits by second-guessing a state court's decision.

  • January 26, 2026

    DOL Asks 3rd Circ. To Back Siemens' 401(k) Forfeiture Suit Exit

    The U.S. Labor Department supported Siemens Corp.'s request that the Third Circuit affirm the dismissal of a proposed class action alleging the technology company's use of millions in forfeited 401(k) funds violated federal benefits law, agreeing with a lower federal court that the allegations reached beyond ERISA's scope.

  • January 26, 2026

    SVB Says FDIC Can't Claim Setoff In $1.9B Fight

    The bankrupt parent of the failed Silicon Valley Bank on Monday made its case to the Second Circuit that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. lost the right to assert setoff arguments in a fight over $1.9 billion in bank funds by failing to make the argument in SVB's Chapter 11 case.

  • January 26, 2026

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    The Delaware Chancery Court wrapped up the week with a slate of high-stakes deal challenges, governance rulings and oversight decisions, including an emergency bid to block a $10.9 billion bank merger, a state Supreme Court reversal reshaping stockholder agreement litigation and a major opinion allowing sexual misconduct oversight claims to proceed.

  • January 26, 2026

    High Court Won't Review Social Security Judge's Removal

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to review a Federal Circuit decision upholding the removal of a Georgia-based Social Security judge who was accused of on-the-job misconduct and shoddy work.

  • January 26, 2026

    High Court Kicks Restitution Case Back To Mich. Justices

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Michigan Supreme Court to rethink ordering a man convicted of murder to pay the victim's funeral expenses under a restitution law enacted years after the slaying.

  • January 26, 2026

    Supreme Court To Define 'Consumer' Under Privacy Law

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider what criteria consumers need to meet in order to sue under the federal Video Privacy Protection Act, accepting a challenge to a ruling that said a Paramount digital newsletter subscriber could not bring a lawsuit.

  • January 23, 2026

    Ill. High Court OKs Police Force Evidence In Defense Cases

    The Illinois Supreme Court on Friday ordered state trial courts to consider allegations of police use of excessive force when deciding whether to provide a self-defense jury instruction in police battery cases.

  • January 23, 2026

    Kenvue Unit Asks Justices To Clarify Class Cert. Expert Rules

    A unit of consumer health products company Kenvue has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its class certification challenge in litigation over Neutrogena's "oil-free" face wash labels, arguing circuit courts are "openly and intractably" divided over whether expert testimony must be admissible for certification and the split has "immense practical consequences."

  • January 23, 2026

    DC Circ. Revives Terrorism Liability Suit Against Pharma Cos.

    A D.C. Circuit panel revived a lawsuit Friday accusing pharmaceutical companies of aiding a Hezbollah-linked militia's terrorism in Iraq, saying the victims behind the case have adequately alleged that the companies' participation was conscious and voluntary. 

  • January 23, 2026

    High Court Unlikely To Walk Back MLB's Antitrust Privilege

    Baseball's status as the lone sport exempt from federal antitrust laws is likely to evade U.S. Supreme Court scrutiny, with legal experts saying that only an extraordinary challenge could make justices even consider it.

Expert Analysis

  • What To Know As Rulings Limit NLRB's Expanded Remedies

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    Two recent appellate decisions strongly rebuke the National Labor Relations Board's expansion of remedies beyond reinstatement and back pay under Thryv, which compensated employees for all direct or foreseeable pecuniary harms, signaling increased judicial skepticism toward the board's broadened remedial authority, says Shay Billington at CDF Labor.

  • Opinion

    Despite Deputy AG Remarks, DOJ Can't Sideline DC Bar

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    Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s recent suggestion that the D.C. Bar would be prevented from reviewing misconduct complaints about U.S. Department of Justice attorneys runs contrary to federal statutes, local rules and decades of case law, and sends the troubling message that federal prosecutors are subject to different rules, say attorneys at HWG.

  • Workers' Comp Ruling May Expand Ohio Employer Liability

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    The Ohio Supreme Court's recent decision in State ex rel. Berry v. Industrial Commission marks a shift in Ohio workers' compensation law by reducing judicial deference to the Industrial Commission's interpretations of the state's specific safety requirements and potentially expanding employer exposure, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • 10th Circ. Debtor Ruling May Expand Wire Fraud Law Scope

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    The Tenth Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Baker decision, holding that federal fraud law can reach deceptive schemes designed to prevent a creditor from collecting on a debt, may represent an expansive new theory of wire fraud — even as the ruling reaffirmed the requirements of the interstate commerce element, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • 8th Circ. Decision Shipwrecks IRS On Shoals Of Loper Bright

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    The Eighth Circuit’s recent decision invalidating transfer pricing regulations in 3M Co. v. Commissioner may be the most significant tax case implementing Loper Bright's rejection of agency deference as a judicial tool in statutory construction, says Edward Froelich at McDermott.

  • Rule Amendments Pave Path For A Privilege Claim 'Offensive'

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    Litigators should consider leveraging forthcoming amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which will require early negotiations of privilege-related discovery claims, by taking an offensive posture toward privilege logs at the outset of discovery, says David Ben-Meir at Ben-Meir Law.

  • Series

    My Miniature Livestock Farm Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Raising miniature livestock on my farm, where I am fully present with the animals, is an almost meditative time that allows me to return to work invigorated, ready to juggle numerous responsibilities and motivated to tackle hard issues in new ways, says Ted Kobus at BakerHostetler.

  • Justices' Ruling Will Ease Foreign Arbitral Award Enforcement

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Fuld v. Palestine Liberation Organization suggests that U.S. courts can constitutionally decide whether to recognize and enforce foreign arbitral awards in accordance with U.S. treaty obligations, regardless of the award debtor's connections to the U.S., says David Cinotti at Pashman Stein.

  • Litigation Funding Could Create Ethics Issues For Attorneys

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    A litigation investor’s recent complaint claiming a New York mass torts lawyer effectively ran a Ponzi scheme illustrates how litigation funding arrangements can subject attorneys to legal ethics dilemmas and potential liability, so engagement letters must have very clear terms, says Matthew Feinberg at Goldberg Segalla.

  • How To Prepare If Justices Curb Gov't Contractor Immunity

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    Given the very real possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court will determine in GEO v. Menocal that government contractors do not have collateral immunity, contractors should prepare by building the costs of potential litigation, from discovery through trial, into their contracts and considering other pathways to interlocutory appeals, says Lisa Himes at Rogers Joseph.

  • What To Mull After 9th Circ. Ruling On NLRB Constitutionality

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    The Ninth Circuit recently rejected three constitutional attacks on the National Labor Relations Board in NLRB v. North Mountain Foothills Apartments, leaving open a debate about what remedies the NLRB can award employees and creating a circuit split that could foretell a U.S. Supreme Court resolution, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: November Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses five recent rulings and identifies practice tips from cases involving claims related to oil and gas royalty payments, consumer fraud, life insurance, automobile insurance, and securities violations.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Dynamic Databases

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    Several recent federal court decisions illustrate how parties continue to grapple with the discovery of data in dynamic databases, so counsel involved in these disputes must consider how structured data should be produced consistent with the requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Comey Case Highlights Complex Speedy Trial Rights Calculus

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    Former FBI Director James Comey’s decision to waive his Speedy Trial Act rights in the false statement prosecution against him serves as a reminder that the benefits of invoking these rights are usually outweighed by the risks of inadequate preparation, but it can be an effective strategy in the right case, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.

  • Wash. Email Subject Line Ruling Puts Retailers On The Hook

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    The Washington state Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Old Navy, finding that a state law prohibits misleading email subject lines, has opened the door to nationwide copycat litigation, introducing potential exposure measured not in thousands, but in millions or even billions of dollars for retailers, say attorneys at Benesch.

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