Appellate

  • October 16, 2025

    5th Circ. Calls For Narrow Sanctions In Southwest Bias Fight

    The Fifth Circuit stood by its decision to scuttle a contempt order mandating religious bias training for attorneys representing Southwest Airlines in a flight attendant's discrimination suit, but tweaked a May panel ruling to instruct a trial court to impose "narrowly tailored" sanctions.

  • October 16, 2025

    3rd Circ. Says FLSA Doesn't Limit Class Member Settlements

    The Fair Labor Standards Act tackles only who can litigate claims and is silent on whether settlement class members who have not opted into a collective can release their claims under the federal law, the Third Circuit found Thursday.

  • October 16, 2025

    Music Giants Say Cox Case Isn't About Grandma Losing Wi-Fi

    Leading music publishers have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm that internet service providers can be contributorily liable for their customers' piracy if they fail to take action, saying a jury verdict against Cox Communications that led to a $1 billion award showed that the company "made a deliberate and egregious decision" to put profits first.

  • October 16, 2025

    3rd Circ. Denies DOL's Bid For 2nd Look At H-2A Fine Powers

    The full Third Circuit won't weigh whether the U.S. Department of Labor had the authority to use in-house administrative proceedings to impose more than $580,000 in fines on a New Jersey farm for what the department said were violations of the H-2A visa program.

  • October 15, 2025

    5th Circ. Upholds Bargaining Order Against Nexstar

    A Fifth Circuit panel affirmed a bargaining order issued by the National Labor Relations Board against Nexstar on Wednesday, rejecting the media company's attempt to shed an obligation to negotiate with a newly installed Communications Workers of America affiliate at two of its Denver television stations.

  • October 15, 2025

    Monster Energy Gets Another Shot At Camping Gear IP Claims

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday found that a lower court erred in throwing out Monster Energy's trademark infringement suit against the manufacturers of 4Monster camping gear, finding that a reasonable juror could find that the marks are confusingly similar.

  • October 15, 2025

    Fla. Bar Can't Escape $1.6M Default Judgment In Injury Case

    A split Florida appellate panel Wednesday affirmed a $1.6 million default judgment against a bar that had been sued over a woman's injuries, saying the drinking establishment's arguments about the lawsuit being served on a mystery woman named "Georgia" were meritless.

  • October 15, 2025

    Justices Allow Federal Gov't To Argue In Army Vet Injury Suit

    The federal government has been allowed to weigh in on whether a U.S. Army veteran can revive his state-based injury claims against a military defense contractor in connection with a 2016 suicide bombing in Afghanistan, the U.S. Supreme Court announced.

  • October 15, 2025

    Goldstein Can't Dismiss 2016 Tax Charges As Time-Barred

    A Maryland federal judge denied SCOTUSblog co-founder Tom Goldstein's motion to dismiss four of the 22 federal tax charges brought against him in January, ruling that his defense that the counts stemming from the 2016 tax year should be time-barred will have to be raised at trial.

  • October 15, 2025

    Justices Told PTAB Has No Business Reviewing Expired IP

    Gesture Technology Partners LLC urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to consider whether the Patent Trial and Appeal Board can review expired patents, pushing back on arguments from the government and several tech giants that the justices have already ruled it can't.

  • October 15, 2025

    Texas Panel Asks Why $12M Verdict Higher Than Project Cost

    A Texas appeals panel pushed a developer to justify a roughly $12 million verdict against a construction company given the developer paid around that amount to build the apartment at the center of the suit, asking Wednesday why the developer was entitled to that sum.

  • October 15, 2025

    3rd Circ. Clears Cannabis REIT In Investor Fraud Suit

    The Third Circuit on Wednesday affirmed the dismissal of a securities fraud class action against a cannabis-focused real estate investment trust that alleged the trust violated securities laws by ignoring red flags about a tenant, with the panel finding that investors failed to show they were intentionally misled.

  • October 15, 2025

    'Lapse In Judgment' Didn't Merit Atty DQ, Ga. Panel Rules

    The Georgia Court of Appeals reversed a trial court's disqualification of an attorney from a property dispute over discussions the lawyer had that initiated property damage central to the case, ruling that while the talks showed a "lapse in judgment," they did not warrant his removal.

  • October 15, 2025

    Justices Doubt Need For Probable Cause In Emergency Entry

    U.S. Supreme Court justices on Wednesday seemed reluctant to raise the standard police must meet to enter a home without a warrant during a potential emergency, with several saying they did not see a reason to disturb past rulings on the subject.

  • October 15, 2025

    Smart Thermostat Makers Keep PTAB, ITC Wins At Fed. Circ.

    Causam Enterprises owns the electrical utilities control patent it has accused ecobee and others of infringing with smart thermostats, but the patent is not valid, the Federal Circuit concluded Wednesday in a pair of precedential opinions.

  • October 15, 2025

    Texas Appeals Court Pushes Cigna On Payments To Hospitals

    A Texas appeals court seemed skeptical of Cigna Healthcare of Texas Inc.'s claim that once a patient gets hospitalized, any subsequent treatment should be classified as emergency care, asking Wednesday why Cigna should get to escape a lawsuit claiming it underpaid multiple hospitals.

  • October 15, 2025

    Professor Takes 'Rapunzel' TM Case To Supreme Court

    A law professor seeking to challenge a "Rapunzel" trademark as a consumer of fairy-tale toy characters has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear her out after the Federal Circuit upheld a finding that she lacked standing because her alleged injury wasn't commercial in nature.

  • October 15, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Halt Magistrate Trial In Google Patent Case

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday denied a request from a location tracking patent owner to prevent a magistrate judge from holding a bench trial on Google's equitable defenses to his infringement claims, saying the patent owner had not shown that proceeding with the case and filing an appeal after a judgment would be inadequate.

  • October 15, 2025

    High Court Leans Toward Limiting Voting Rights Act Suits

    The U.S. Supreme Court's conservative supermajority seemed ready Wednesday to further limit the use of the Voting Rights Act in challenging alleged racial discrimination in legislative redistricting, but appeared divided over how to accomplish that.

  • October 15, 2025

    Parents Urge 9th Circ. To Reject Meta's Section 230 Appeal

    Parents and school districts are urging the Ninth Circuit to reject Meta Platforms Inc.'s bid for immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, saying the company behind Facebook and Instagram can't use the measure for vaguely defined publishing-related activity.

  • October 15, 2025

    Ga. Justices Revive Suit Over L'Oréal Hair Relaxer Health Risks

    The Georgia Supreme Court reversed a decision by the state's Court of Appeals that barred a woman's suit alleging that chemicals in hair relaxers made by L'Oreal USA Inc. and Strength of Nature Global LLC caused her to develop uterine fibroids.

  • October 15, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Says Anti-SLAPP Motion Wrongly Denied In IP Case

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday said a California district court wrongly denied several semiconductor manufacturers' anti-SLAPP motion in a case where they are accused of stealing trade secrets, saying in a precedential opinion that filing a patent application is protected activity under the state's law.

  • October 15, 2025

    11th Circ. Leaves Hope For ESOP Suit Against Seafood Co.

    The Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday backed the dismissal of a proposed class action from ex-seafood company workers who claimed their employee stock ownership plan had been mismanaged, but left open the possibility that the former workers could resuscitate their suit at the trial court.

  • October 15, 2025

    11th Circ. Sides With Insurer In Fla. Gas Station Pollution Fight

    An insurer for an owner and operator of Florida gas stations owes no coverage for pollution costs stemming from an underground fuel tank leak, the Eleventh Circuit ruled Wednesday, finding the owner failed to properly notify its insurer of a "pollution condition" that could result in an insurance claim.

  • October 15, 2025

    Meat Industry Fights To Defend Nix Of Slaughterhouse Rules

    A meat and poultry industry group has told the Ninth Circuit it opposes green groups' challenge to the federal government's decision to rescind a Biden-era proposal that would have imposed stricter water discharge regulations on slaughtering, processing and rendering facilities.

Expert Analysis

  • Justices Rethink Minimum Contacts For Foreign Entities

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    Two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Devas v. Antrix and Fuld v. Palestine Liberation Organization, suggest that federal statutes may confer personal jurisdiction over foreign entities that have little to no contact with the U.S. — a significant departure from traditional due process principles, says Gary Shaw at Pillsbury.

  • Opinion

    High Court Must Overrule Outdated Patent Eligibility Doctrine

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    A certiorari petition should directly ask the U.S. Supreme Court to correct its 1972 patent decision in Gottschalk v. Benson, the critical point where patent eligibility law veered from the statutory text toward judicial policymaking, says Robert Greenspoon at Dunlap Bennett.

  • Examining TCPA Jurisprudence A Year After Loper Bright

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    One year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Chevron deference in Loper Bright v. Raimondo, lower court decisions demonstrate that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act will continue to evolve as long-standing interpretations of the act are analyzed with a fresh lens, says Aaron Gallardo at Kilpatrick.

  • Gauging The Risky Business Of Business Risk Disclosures

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    With the recent rise of securities fraud actions based on external events — like a data breach or environmental disaster — that drive down stock prices, risk disclosures have become more of a sword for the plaintiffs bar than a shield for public companies, now the subject of a growing circuit split, say attorneys at A&O Shearman.

  • How Justices' Ruling Limits Options To Challenge DHS Orders

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    In Riley v. Bondi, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that a 30-day deadline for challenging deportation orders begins when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issues a final administrative review order, opening the door for the government to effectively bar circuit court review in future similar cases, says Kevin Gregg at Kurzban Kurzban.

  • Series

    Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.

  • Purdue Case Could Transform Patent Obviousness Analyses

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    If accepted for review by the U.S. Supreme Court, Purdue Pharma v. Accord Healthcare — concerning whether Purdue's abuse-deterrent opioid formulation patents were invalid as obvious — could significantly shift how courts weigh secondary considerations in patent obviousness analyses, say attorneys at Lathrop.

  • NM Cyber Ruling Will Spur Litigation As Coverage Remedy

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    In Kane v. Beazley, the New Mexico Court of Appeals recently found that a cyber liability provision insuring security breaches included coverage for funds transfer fraud, implicitly and incorrectly motivating policyholders to commence litigation to avoid contractual limitations on cyber coverages, say attorneys at Zelle.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care

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    Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.

  • Texas' Cactus Ruling Clarifies 'Produced Water' Rules

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    The Texas Supreme Court's decision in Cactus Water Services v. COG Operating, holding that mineral interest lessees have the rights to water extracted alongside oil and gas, should benefit industry players by clarifying the rules — but it leaves important questions about royalties unresolved, say attorneys at Yetter Coleman.

  • ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'

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    The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • How Political Divisions Are Stalling Pa. Energy Development

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    Despite possessing the nation's second-largest natural gas reserves and a legacy of energy infrastructure, Pennsylvania faces a fragmented and politically charged path to developing the energy resources it will need in the future, thanks to legislative gridlock, divided public opinion and competing energy interests, says Andrew Levine at Stradley Ronon.

  • How High Court Ruling Can Aid Judgment Enforcement In US

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    In CC/Devas (Mauritius) v. Antrix, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that only two steps are required to keep a foreign sovereign in federal court, making it a little easier for investors to successfully bring foreign states and sovereign-owned and -controlled entities into U.S. courts, says Kristie Blase at Felicello Law.

  • What High Court's Tenn. Trans Care Ruling Means Nationally

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in U.S. v. Skrmetti, upholding a Tennessee ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors, is fairly limited in scope and closely tailored to the specific language of Tennessee's law, but it may have implications for challenges to similar laws in other states, say attorneys at Hall Render.

  • Justices Rewrite Rules For Challenging Enviro Agency Actions

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    Three recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings — Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas, Oklahoma v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and EPA v. Calumet Shreveport Refining — form a jurisprudential watershed in administrative and environmental law, affirming statutory standing and venue provisions as the backbone of coherent judicial review, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

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