Appellate

  • January 14, 2026

    SEC To Lean On Congress As Defense In High Court Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court is once again stepping into the debate over when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission can demand that alleged fraudsters give up ill-gotten gains, but this time the agency plans to argue a 2021 government spending bill should save it from further limits to its disgorgement powers.

  • January 14, 2026

    Exasperated Judge Won't Expand Opioid Film Injunction

    BioDelivery Sciences International needed to pursue a contempt order, not an enforcement action, when alleging a 2022 injunction blocking Alvogen's generic version of its Belbuca opioid film should be applied to a new generic application, a Delaware federal judge held in a case where he was already "frustrated (and exhausted)."

  • January 14, 2026

    Texas Justices Seem Open To Judicial Review Of Hemp Rule

    The Texas Supreme Court seemed skeptical of the Texas Department of State Health Services' argument that the judiciary lacks authority to review a decision to make delta-8 THC a controlled substance, asking Wednesday why the court should not have authority to enforce an existing law.

  • January 14, 2026

    Door Maker Says Birthright Ruling Doesn't Impact Divestiture

    Steves & Sons Inc. told the Fourth Circuit that the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling dealing with the reach of nationwide injunctions has no bearing on the door manufacturer's landmark win in a private merger challenge.

  • January 14, 2026

    House Blocks GOP Bid To Cut Funds For DC Judges, Courts

    The House on Wednesday failed to approve a Republican-led amendment to a government funding bill that would decrease the funding for D.C. courts and take aim at two federal judges Republicans are looking to impeach.

  • January 14, 2026

    Justices Wary Of NJ's Immunity Defense In Transit Injury Suits

    The U.S. Supreme Court signaled skepticism Wednesday toward New Jersey's bid to cloak its public transit system in sovereign immunity, repeatedly questioning why the state chose the corporate form and rejected liability for the agency's debts but now insists the entity functions as an arm of the state.

  • January 14, 2026

    USPTO Tells Fed. Circ. To Reject Assignor Estoppel Case

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has urged the Federal Circuit to reject a mandamus petition by Tessell Inc. that claimed the office flouted precedent by using assignor estoppel to reject patent challenges, saying the decisions were based on discretion, not that legal doctrine.

  • January 14, 2026

    FAA Worker's Suspension Not Race-Based, 11th Circ. Affirms

    The Eleventh Circuit backed an early win Wednesday for the Federal Aviation Administration in a discrimination suit from an air traffic controller, ruling that "all evidence in the record" supports the conclusion that he was disciplined for failing to complete workplace training on time.

  • January 14, 2026

    Judicial Misconduct Prompts New Assault Trial In New York

    A man who was convicted of assault, disorderly conduct and criminal possession of a weapon will get a new trial, a New York appeals court ruled Wednesday, finding that a judge improperly inserted himself into the proceedings, appearing to favor the prosecution.

  • January 14, 2026

    Duke Energy Fights To Recover Over $17M In Fuel Costs

    In an effort to secure recovery of over $17 million in fuel costs, counsel for Duke Energy's electric utilities serving the Carolinas told a state appeals court Wednesday that lawmakers have always intended for utilities to recover or return fuel costs "dollar for dollar."

  • January 14, 2026

    3rd Circ. Nixes Engineer's Plea For Sharing Navy Contract Info

    In a precedential opinion Wednesday, a split Third Circuit panel ruled that a lower court should not have accepted the guilty plea of a Navy engineer charged with disclosing bid information related to a contract for submarine propeller machinery, holding that prosecutors based the plea deal on shaky legal ground.

  • January 14, 2026

    DOJ Asks To Drop Hung Counts In Ex-Gas Co. CFO's Tax Case

    Federal prosecutors asked to drop most of the remaining charges against a Russian gas company's former chief financial officer who was convicted of other tax crimes after failing to secure unanimous support from a jury, according to documents filed in a Florida federal court.

  • January 14, 2026

    Alito Denies Bid To Avoid Depos In Texas Hair Bias Suit

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday shot down a bid from a Texas school district seeking to stave off depositions of two district officials in a case alleging the district discriminated against Black students who wore their hair in locs.

  • January 14, 2026

    EEOC Faces Headwinds In 8th Circ. Bid To Upend Jury Verdict

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission faced an uphill battle at the Eighth Circuit Wednesday as it sought a new trial in a suit accusing a chemical company of failing to stop a Black employee from being harassed, with one judge suggesting the agency's challenge to jury instructions is off-base.  

  • January 14, 2026

    2nd Circ. Suspects Forum Shopping In Credit Suisse Suit

    Two Second Circuit judges Wednesday sounded inclined to uphold the dismissal of a breach of duty claim against Credit Suisse and others tied to its auditing firm, with one saying the decision to bring the stock-plunge case in New York "almost smacks of forum shopping."

  • January 14, 2026

    Conn. Justices Reject Convicted Man's 6th Amendment Claim

    The Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled that a defendant's Sixth Amendment rights were not violated when the jury in his home invasion and assault case received an instruction about a section of state law he was not charged under.

  • January 14, 2026

    DOJ Calls On 3rd Circ. To Rethink Habba DQ Ruling

    In a request for rehearing en banc filed Wednesday, the federal government asked the Third Circuit to reconsider its decision blocking Alina Habba from serving as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey, saying the issue is "of exceptional importance."

  • January 14, 2026

    Vizient Beats Spurned Medical Tape Supplier At 5th Circ.

    A Fifth Circuit panel refused to revive an antitrust suit accusing medical supplies group purchasing giant Vizient of locking in hospital customers, agreeing with a district court that a spurned would-be supplier failed at the threshold question of showing a market in which Vizient could be dominant.

  • January 14, 2026

    Microsoft Calls For Arbitration In Edge Privacy Suit Appeal

    Microsoft told a Washington state appeals court panel Wednesday that a proposed class action claiming secret collection of Edge users' browser data belongs in arbitration, contending a lower state court judge wrongly advanced the litigation after a Washington federal judge sent parallel claims to arbitration.  

  • January 14, 2026

    Fla. Atty Witness In Charity Probe Picked For Appellate Seat

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday nominated John Guard, senior counselor to the attorney general of Florida, to an appellate court seat, after his nomination for a federal judgeship fizzled once he came under scrutiny in a criminal probe regarding a charity connected to the governor.

  • January 14, 2026

    Fla. Panel Rules Stadium Co. Must Face Fall Injury Suit

    A Florida state appeals court on Wednesday reversed a judgment granted in favor of an event services business after it was sued by a woman who alleged she sustained injuries from tripping over a battery case at a baseball stadium, ruling the company had a duty to maintain the premises in a safe condition. 

  • January 14, 2026

    SG Asks High Court To Reshuffle Sides In AT&T Fine Case

    U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday to realign the parties' designations in a combined case over the Federal Communications Commission's penalty powers after the justices recently granted review.

  • January 14, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Won't Revive Phone Security IP Suit Against Apple

    A California federal judge properly freed Apple from claims that its iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches infringe two cellular security patents, the Federal Circuit said Wednesday.

  • January 14, 2026

    Poultry Co. Reaches $5M Deal In Okla. Water Pollution Suit

    A poultry producer found to have polluted waters in Oklahoma reached a settlement with the state Wednesday, agreeing to pay $5 million for remediation and conservation projects, according to Attorney General Gentner Drummond.

  • January 14, 2026

    Idaho Tribes Urge 9th Circ. To Uphold Land Swap Ruling

    The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes are asking the Ninth Circuit to deny a bid by a global agribusiness and the federal government for an en banc panel rehearing on its decision to invalidate an Idaho land transfer, saying the petition doesn't raise any exceptional questions and ignores long-standing Supreme Court precedent.

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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