Washington

  • October 05, 2026

    Supreme Court Won't Hear Tribal Card Check Order Challenge

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied a Native American tribe's challenge to an arbitrator's decision requiring it to follow election rules in an agreement with a UNITE HERE local that the tribe said violated tribal law.

  • October 05, 2026

    Justices Seek Solicitor General's Views On Tribal River Claims

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday sought the solicitor general's views on whether Washington tribes can pursue damages against a Canadian mining company for alleged pollution to the Columbia River.

  • October 05, 2026

    Justices Won't Wade Into Netflix ERISA Document Fight

    The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to take up a Netflix employee health plan participant's challenge to a Ninth Circuit ruling that said contracts between Netflix and its health plan administrators weren't subject to disclosure under federal benefits law.

  • October 05, 2026

    Justices Skip 2 Patent Cases, 1 Trade Secret Dispute

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a trio of petitions concerning patent and trade secret litigation, declining to review questions about damages apportionment and patent eligibility.

  • October 05, 2026

    Justices Vacate 9th Circ. Ruling On Noem's TPS Authority

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday granted the Trump administration's request to wipe out a Ninth Circuit decision that found former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem lacked the authority to vacate a temporary protected status extension for Venezuela.

  • October 05, 2026

    Justices Deny Zillow's Bid To Revisit Goldman Ruling

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined Zillow's invitation to revisit a 5-year-old ruling on class certification, allowing Zillow investors to proceed as a class on claims that they were duped about the company's now-shuttered home-buying business.

  • October 05, 2026

    ​​​​​​​High Court Won't Revisit Groff Religious Accommodation Test

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined an invitation by a group of Washington firefighters to clarify whether the court's landmark 2023 decision in Groff v. DeJoy requires employers accused of illegally denying religious accommodations to show that the workplace adjustments present an actual hardship.

  • October 03, 2026

    Up First At High Court: Climate Torts & Munitions Disposal

    The U.S. Supreme Court will begin its new term on Monday, when the justices consider whether state courts have the authority to hear climate change lawsuits that seek to hold fossil fuel companies liable for local damages caused by greenhouse-gas emissions and whether federal courts can hear constitutional challenges to veterans benefits laws.

  • October 02, 2026

    Amazon E-Book Readers Near Cert. Of 30M Antitrust Class

    A New York federal magistrate judge recommended certifying a class of more than 30 million readers accusing Amazon of monopolizing the e-book market, according to a report unsealed Thursday.

  • October 02, 2026

    Amazon Seeks Records Around Lawyer's USPTO Suspension

    An attorney Amazon has accused of furthering a scheme to fraudulently register thousands of trademarks and use them to report infringement by rival Amazon merchants must hand over documents related to her discipline in California and Washington, the retail giant argued in a Washington federal court filing Thursday.

  • October 02, 2026

    PACCAR Can't Nix Drivers' Faulty Diesel Engine Warranty Suit

    A Washington federal judge ordered PACCAR Inc. to face a proposed class action alleging it sold faulty diesel engines, rejecting its Clean Air Act preemption defense and ruling that the suit plausibly pleads claims that the alleged defects breached the engine warranty. 

  • October 02, 2026

    Real Estate Recap: FAA Grants, DC Rent, REIT Merger Reax

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including a look at the top FAA grants for real estate projects last month, a potential apartment rent freeze in Washington, D.C., and activist objections to the IRT-Centerspace merger.

  • October 02, 2026

    Trump Asks 9th Circ. To Pause Seattle US Atty Reinstatement

    The Trump administration called on the Ninth Circuit Friday to suspend a federal judge's Thursday order reinstating Roger Rogoff as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington, seeking to keep Charles Neil Floyd as acting head of the Seattle office pending the government's appeal.

  • October 02, 2026

    Costco 'Health Washing' Electrolyte Drink Mix, Customer Says

    Costco has been accused in Washington federal court of illegally "health-washing" its variety pack of Kirkland brand electrolyte drink mix by labeling the product as though it's sugar-free despite containing an ingredient federal and state labeling standards consider a sugar.

  • October 02, 2026

    Live Nation Fights States' Latest Bid For Insight Into DOJ Deal

    Live Nation has fired back against the latest request in New York federal court by some state attorneys general seeking material related to Live Nation's midtrial antitrust settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, arguing the states are seeking burdensome discovery, including communications between third parties and outside counsel.

  • October 02, 2026

    AGs, Enviros Sue Over Rollback Of Biden-Era Fuel Standards

    The Trump administration was hit with multiple suits by a coalition of 27 attorneys general and environmental groups Friday challenging the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's recent decision to roll back Biden-era fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks.

  • October 02, 2026

    Chemical Co. Secures $1.25M In Fees In Trade Secrets Case

    A chemical distributor was awarded nearly $1.25 million in attorney fees by a Seattle federal judge but was denied exemplary damages after winning $1.9 million in a trial against former employees accused of lifting trade secrets as they left the company.

  • October 02, 2026

    Rivian Accused Of Denying Wash. Workers Breaks, OT Pay

    Electric vehicle maker Rivian broke multiple employment laws in Washington state and Seattle by failing to provide mandated meal and rest breaks, shorting workers on pay and failing to reimburse business expenses, according to a former employee's proposed class action filed Tuesday.

  • October 02, 2026

    Starbucks Can't Exit Fight Over Union Trademarks

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Friday denied Starbucks Corp.'s bid to escape a lawsuit from a union representing over 12,000 Starbucks workers seeking a declaration the union can continue using Starbucks' logo and name, saying the union had done enough to show an actual controversy exists to be litigated.

  • October 02, 2026

    Nurse Can't Get 9th Circ. To Reopen COVID-19 Vax Bias Suit

    A split Ninth Circuit panel refused Friday to reinstate a lawsuit alleging an Oregon healthcare system violated the First Amendment when it refused to excuse a nurse from its COVID-19 vaccination mandate, concluding the hospital had demonstrated it would've been too difficult to let her skip the jab.

  • October 02, 2026

    States Seek OK Of $400M Sandoz Generic Price-Fixing Deal

    A coalition of 43 states and territories is seeking court approval of a $400 million settlement that would resolve allegations Sandoz Inc. and its subsidiary Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc. participated in a widespread price-fixing and market allocation conspiracy that raised the prices of generic drugs in the U.S.

  • October 02, 2026

    Justices Seek Worker's Input On ERISA Arbitration Denial

    The U.S. Supreme Court has asked a 401(k) plan participant to reply to investment management company Capital Group's bid for review of a split Ninth Circuit ruling that refused to kick to arbitration her suit alleging underperforming proprietary offerings in the company's retirement plan.

  • October 02, 2026

    Roberts Wants Less Talk. Supreme Court Attorneys Disagree.

    Near the end of last term, Chief Justice John Roberts voiced his frustration with the U.S. Supreme Court's lengthening oral argument sessions and suggested the justices might tweak their format over the summer. But as the new term begins Monday, the court has yet to announce any changes, and advocates see little need for improvement.

  • October 02, 2026

    Nike Fights Bid For Class Pay Records In Wage Suit

    Nike opposed a Washington retail worker's request for classwide pay and scheduling records in federal court, arguing the demands would require more than 1,400 hours of manual retrieval from computer systems and that he has not shown why 2,000 employees' records are needed for class certification.

  • October 02, 2026

    5 Supreme Court Cases To Watch This Fall

    The U.S. Supreme Court will convene Monday to begin its 2026 October term, which includes several cases that could determine the future of climate change tort litigation, expand religious freedoms and parental rights, and grant states authority to require proof of citizenship when individuals register for presidential elections using state forms. 

Expert Analysis

  • Responding To State Packaging Law Uncertainty

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    As states roll out new packaging and recycling mandates, companies face expanding compliance duties and a growing wave of constitutional challenges that offer key lessons for managing regulatory risk, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Money Transmission Issue Looms For Prediction Markets

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    The circuit split recently created by the Ninth Circuit's ruling in Kalshi v. Assad has implications reaching beyond gaming regulation as, depending on the ultimate characterization of prediction market event contracts, platforms may face differing obligations under federal and state money transmission laws, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • The Deep Split Over Mandatory Detention, And What's Next

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    The government’s mandatory detention policy for noncitizens who entered the U.S. without inspection has led to a spate of decisions this year, with nine circuits rejecting the government's reading of the Immigration and Nationality Act against two that have accepted it, making the issue ripe for U.S. Supreme Court review, says attorney Kemal Hepsen.

  • Attorneys Using AI May Have Ethical Duty To Redact Docs

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    The trajectory of legal ethics guidance in recent years strongly suggests that as redaction technology becomes more accessible, the failure to use it when uploading highly confidential materials into artificial intelligence tools will become increasingly difficult to defend as reasonable, say attorneys at Lewis Brisbois.

  • Minn. Ruling Expands Insureds' Right To Independent Counsel

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    If upheld on appeal, a recent decision by a Minnesota appellate court — Fabyanske Westra Hart & Thomson v. Western National Mutual Insurance — will give Minnesota policyholders a stronger basis to demand independent counsel when an insurer accepts a defense under a reservation of rights, say attorneys at Stoel Rives.

  • Retailers Must Navigate State Innocent-Seller Law Patchwork

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    States' innocent-seller statutes can shield nonmanufacturing retailers from product liability claims to varying degrees, and by building the evidentiary record strategically throughout discovery, companies can improve their chances of obtaining summary judgment — but it is essential to stay abreast of the rapidly evolving policy environment, say attorneys at Chamberlain Hrdlicka.

  • OpenAI Deal Highlights AI Hiring Risks In PERM Process

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent settlement of allegations that OpenAI discriminated against U.S. applicants for positions connected to the permanent labor certification process underscores that employers providing or using artificial intelligence must align their recruitment practices with their overlapping compliance obligations, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

  • State AI Safety Laws Raise New Liabilities For Healthcare Cos.

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    Healthcare and life science companies using third-party artificial intelligence tools should pay particular attention to the changing state-level legal landscape, where the rollout of multiple AI safety laws is introducing both new compliance obligations and potential consumer protection liabilities, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Series

    Juggling And Unicycling Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Because I juggle (sometimes with fire) and ride the unicycle, friends and family used to joke that I should join the circus, but I pursued the practice of law instead and learned that my hobbies benefit my profession in several important ways, says Morgan Eddy at Smith Currie.

  • How 'Swap' Fight Underpins Prediction Market Enforcement

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    As courts around the country grapple with whether, and under what circumstances, event contracts qualify as swaps, federal enforcement authority hangs in the balance, with implications for companies that need to manage compliance risks during this period of legal uncertainty, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • How Texas' Protein Powder Probe Reflects Prop 65's Influence

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    Texas' recently announced investigation into contaminants in protein powder illustrates how California's Proposition 65, with its hundreds of listed chemicals, safe harbor levels and consumer warnings, may have an influence on enforcement and regulation in other states, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • 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.

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