Appellate

  • September 08, 2026

    5th Circ. Backs Ax Of $125M Judgment Over Judge Friendship

    A split Fifth Circuit panel Tuesday affirmed the vacatur of a trial by magistrate judge that resulted in a $125 million judgment against Port of Lake Charles, finding the district court correctly found that the magistrate judge didn't fully disclose her 40-year, "close, multifaceted, and personal friendship" with IFG Port Holdings LLC's attorney.

  • September 08, 2026

    Fla. Court Misread Complex's Mural Rights Claim, Panel Told

    A Miami apartment complex on Tuesday urged a Florida state appellate panel to remand its case for a new trial on damages over hosting exterior advertisements, arguing that a lower court misapplied the law when it found the complex couldn't establish liability after the city excluded it from a mural district.

  • September 08, 2026

    Motorola Tells DC Circ. That Google Search Payments 'Vital'

    Motorola on Friday backed Google with a D.C. Circuit amicus brief arguing the U.S. Department of Justice is wrong to call for a complete ban on Google paying cellphone-makers like Motorola to incorporate Google search into their devices.

  • September 08, 2026

    2nd Circ. Revives Suit Over NYC Murder Faked Evidence Case

    The Second Circuit has partially revived a civil lawsuit from a New York City man wrongly convicted of a 1989 murder, giving the man another shot to hold the city accountable for violating his civil rights, and ruling that the cold case investigation of the killing fabricated evidence that affected the outcome of his trial.

  • September 08, 2026

    Conn. Justice Says $87M Telecom Bid 'Hard To Take Seriously'

    A once-bankrupt telecommunications company's bid for more than $80 million in interest on top of a $3.6 million judgment seemed "absurd" to one Connecticut Supreme Court justice hearing a 16-year-old contract dispute Tuesday, though he later said the party that hasn't paid shouldn't escape entirely unscathed.

  • September 08, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Urged To Overturn Natera's Cancer Test Patent Win

    ArcherDX is asking the Federal Circuit to fully free it from a Delaware federal jury's $19 million verdict for infringing Natera cancer diagnostic patents, saying the district court judge was wrong to only remove $10 million from that total.

  • September 08, 2026

    NC Supreme Court Considers Reviving 'Cardiac Pack' NIL Suit

    The North Carolina Supreme Court pointedly questioned the NCAA over its refusal to compensate members of the 1983 North Carolina State University championship basketball team Tuesday, expressing skepticism that the dispute was entirely snuffed out over late claims.

  • September 08, 2026

    Idaho Supreme Court OKs Revised Abortion Ballot Language

    The Idaho Supreme Court has agreed to revised ballot language for an abortion amendment scheduled to be in front of voters this November. 

  • September 08, 2026

    DC Circ. Seems To Back SEC FOIA Withholding In Data Breach

    A D.C. Circuit panel appeared skeptical Tuesday that a civil liberties group should get access to the identities and internal documents of Securities and Exchange Commission officials involved in a 2022 "control deficiency" that resulted in the dismissals of over 40 administrative cases.

  • September 08, 2026

    5th Circ. Nixes Bulk Of NLRB Order In Starbucks Threats Case

    The Fifth Circuit has declined to enforce the bulk of a National Labor Relations Board decision finding Starbucks unlawfully threatened workers with reduced store hours and a hiring freeze in response to a unionization campaign but said one manager unlawfully threatened workers' health and leave benefits.

  • September 08, 2026

    Womble Bond Says No Need To Share Rift Details In Exit Bid

    Attorneys from Womble Bond Dickinson, seeking to withdraw as counsel of record for a Dutch software company embroiled in a trademark dispute with an American rival, told a North Carolina federal judge that they are not obligated under professional conduct rules to disclose the "substance of a confidential disagreement" underlying their withdrawal request.

  • September 08, 2026

    3rd Circ. Revives Firearm Group's Challenge To NJ Gun Law

    The Third Circuit on Tuesday held that the National Shooting Sports Foundation can challenge New Jersey's law allowing the state to sue firearms manufacturers for endangering public safety, also reversing a lower court's decision to put the case on hold.

  • September 08, 2026

    5th Circ. Partially Backs NLRB Ruling In Starbucks Union Row

    The Fifth Circuit backed most of a National Labor Relations Board decision finding that Starbucks engaged in a host of federal labor law violations to suppress a union campaign in upstate New York, ruling that the board's findings are supported by "substantial evidence" presented in the case.

  • September 08, 2026

    9th Circ. Reopens Immigration Case After Flat-Tire Delay

    A split panel of the Ninth Circuit has found immigration officials erred by not reconsidering the case of a Guatemalan man facing removal after he was five minutes late to his hearing, saying documentation was not required to prove a flat tire caused the delay.

  • September 08, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Backs Atty Fees In 3D Motion Sensor Patent Case

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday turned down network testing company Viavi Solutions Inc.'s challenge to a lower court's decision ordering it to pay another company's attorney fees after Viavi unsuccessfully brought suit alleging patent infringement.

  • September 08, 2026

    DC Circ. Affirms Injunction Against IRS-ICE Data Sharing

    The D.C. Circuit affirmed a lower court's preliminary injunction Tuesday barring the IRS from sharing taxpayer data with immigration authorities, finding that the coalition challenging the deal has standing and that the arrangement likely violates the law.

  • September 07, 2026

    Missouri Asks Justices To Prevent Election 'Disaster'

    Missouri has implored the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the state high court's ruling prohibiting the use of a new congressional map drawn to help Republicans in this year's midterms and requiring the map be submitted for voter approval, claiming the decision will create an unconstitutional "disaster." 

  • September 07, 2026

    USPS Asks High Court To Allow 'Modest' Mail Ballot Rules

    The Trump administration has once again asked the U.S. Supreme Court to lift a Massachusetts federal judge's order barring the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing new mail-in ballot regulations ahead of this year's midterms, arguing the "modest" changes are well within USPS' authority and don't affect election administration. 

  • September 04, 2026

    Making Up For Lost Timepiece: FedEx Wins $250K Watch Row

    The disappearance of a $250,000 watch purchased for a major GOP donor will cost FedEx less than it charged to ship the wristwear, according to a new Eighth Circuit decision backing broad immunity for alleged negligence or theft by the delivery giant's workers.

  • September 04, 2026

    Tribes Urge ND Court To Keep Voting Map Claims Alive

    The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and the Spirit Lake Nation asked a federal court Friday to reject the North Dakota secretary of state's bid to throw out their claims that the state's 2021 legislative map dilutes Native American voting power.

  • September 04, 2026

    4th Circ. Tosses Conviction Over Axed Closing Argument

    The Fourth Circuit has tossed an MS-13 gang member's murder conviction, saying a judge's decision to instruct the jury to disregard his attorney's closing argument was a "prejudicial abuse of discretion."

  • September 04, 2026

    9th Circ. Tosses Conviction Over Hand Tattoo Testimony

    The Ninth Circuit has ordered a new trial for a man convicted of robbing a store in Washington, finding that he was not testifying in his own defense when he showed jurors that he had tattoos on his hand, unlike the hand of the man seen committing the robbery in security camera footage.

  • September 04, 2026

    Ohio Justices Tee Up Data Center Vote In Another City

    The Ohio Supreme Court will allow the residents of Trenton, Ohio, to vote in a special election for a proposed city charter amendment that will ban the construction of data centers in the city, which is similar to a recent Ohio high court decision that set up a potential data center vote.

  • September 04, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Backs Double Dismissals, But Dodges Preclusion

    The Federal Circuit has expressly allowed district court judges to dismiss patent cases on multiple grounds at once, but attorneys say they're left guessing how that impacts future litigation on the same patent.

  • September 04, 2026

    Divided 5th Circ. Backs Toss Of Jackson Water Suit

    A split en banc Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit Jackson, Mississippi, residents filed over lead in city drinking water, with the majority holding that the residents asserted rights to uncontaminated water and accurate information from public officials that the U.S. Constitution doesn't grant.

Expert Analysis

  • Fed. Circ. Dental IP Ruling Reinforces Prior Art Framework

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Dental Monitoring v. Align Technology reaffirms the necessity of substantive written description support for establishing an earlier effective prior art date under the America Invents Act, and aligns Patent Trial and Appeal Board practice with district court litigation, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Justices' Hikma Reasoning May Extend Well Beyond Pharma

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    The active steps framework announced by the U.S. Supreme Court in its Hikma v. Amarin decision, finding that Amarin failed to plausibly allege inducement of infringement, has the potential to reshape how courts evaluate inducement claims across patent, copyright and other doctrines, say attorneys at BCLP.

  • 10th Circ. Ruling Propels Emerging 'Occurrence' Consensus

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    The Tenth Circuit recently revived the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' bid for insurance coverage in a sexual abuse case, continuing a trend as the second circuit court to find that, where ambiguous, the definition of "occurrence" must be interpreted in favor of coverage, say attorneys at Anderson Kill.

  • The State Of Prediction Market Litigation After 9th Circ. Ruling

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Kalshi v. Assad gives state regulators significant appellate backing to enforce state gaming laws over prediction markets, creating a direct split with the Third Circuit that will likely lead to Supreme Court review of the question, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • 11th Circ. FCA Qui Tam Revival Queues Up Next Challenges

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    Though the Eleventh Circuit on Sept. 1 upheld the constitutionality of the False Claims Act's qui tam provision, it will probably face continued litigation since the appellate court declined to rule on other constitutional challenges and the decision will likely be petitioned to the U.S. Supreme Court, say attorneys at Sheppard.

  • Series

    Ballet Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    A lifetime of learning and performing ballet taught me that success — whether in dance or practicing law — comes only through hours of thorough preparation, boundless energy and relentless effort, says Sharon Katz-Pearlman at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Rejection Of NLRB Successor Bar Renews An Employer Tool

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    Although the D.C. Circuit's recent ruling in Hospital Menonita v. National Labor Relations Board does not allow purchasers to disregard incumbent unions, employers acquiring a unionized business have regained a tool to challenge a union's majority support, say attorneys at Bass Berry.

  • NY Ethics Opinion Warns Attys On Qui Tam Deception

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    A recent New York State Bar Association ethics opinion cautions that counsel representing whistleblowers may not induce, supervise or facilitate a client's deceptive prefiling investigations, creating a potential vulnerability for qui tam complaints built on questionable evidence-gathering methods, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Pa. Anti-SLAPP Ruling Shows Risks Of Atty Defamation Suits

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    A Pennsylvania federal court’s recent Lento Law Group v. Estrada ruling addressed an unsettled question about mandatory fee-shifting provisions in the state’s anti-SLAPP law — and illustrates why attorneys should think twice before suing former clients over negative online reviews, say attorneys at Pietragallo Gordon.

  • 9th Circ. 'Bad Spaniels' Ruling Rewrites TM Dilution Playbook

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    The Ninth Circuit’s recent ruling that each element of the Jack Daniel's packaging parodied by the Bad Spaniels dog toy must be independently assessed for fame narrows trademark owners' ability to use a flagship mark's halo effect to protect the entire brand from tarnishment, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Fed. Circ. In July: Meeting The Enablement Requirement

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    The Federal Circuit's decision in Wyeth v. AstraZeneca last month exemplifies when a generalized conception of an invention is insufficient to enable the full scope of asserted patent infringement claims, and may lead to more enablement challenges, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • Calif. Ruling Opens Del. Cos. Up To Stockholder Inspection

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    A California appellate court's recent decision in Salamon v. Orchid Global underscores that despite last year's amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law, Delaware companies with principal operations in California remain subject to California's broader and more stockholder-protective inspection regime, say attorneys at Sheppard.

  • What 9th Circ. Devas Ruling Means For AI Infrastructure Deals

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent confirmation of a $2 billion arbitration award in Devas Multimedia's arbitration against a state-owned commercial arm of India’s space agency creates a cross-border enforcement road map for disputes that are bound to arise from the current generation of artificial intelligence infrastructure deals, says Fernanda Merouco at Davis Wright.

  • 9th Circ. Wage Ruling Shows Arbitration Pacts Are Still Useful

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    After years of uncertainty for California employers, the Ninth Circuit’s recent Cocom v. ABM Aviation decision signals that workplace arbitration agreements remain a powerful and enforceable tool — if thoughtfully drafted and employment-focused, says Benjamin Runge at Thompson Coburn.

  • Series

    Taekwondo Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Taekwondo has taught me to recognize when to fight for a position and when to focus on finding a solution, and that the best outcomes are often achieved by solving problems — all of which has improved my work as a bankruptcy lawyer, mediator and Subchapter V trustee, says Amy Denton Mayer at Berger Singerman.

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