Washington

  • July 23, 2025

    9th Circ. Upholds Birthright Citizenship EO Injunction

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a lower court's preliminary injunction blocking President Donald Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship in a legal challenge by four states, ruling in a published opinion that Trump's order contradicts the "plain language" of the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause.

  • July 23, 2025

    Apple Beats Consumer Suit Over ICloud Storage At 9th Circ.

    A Ninth Circuit panel affirmed Wednesday the dismissal of a proposed class action claiming Apple misled consumers about how much iCloud storage they were getting, finding that no reasonable person would expect the 200GB plan she bought would stack on top of Apple's free 5GB and that Apple's conduct wasn't deceptive.

  • July 23, 2025

    9th Circ. Clarifies Bored Ape NFTs Are Trademarkable Goods

    The Ninth Circuit issued a significant ruling for digital asset creators Wednesday finding that Yuga Labs' Bored Ape Yacht Club nonfungible tokens are protectable "goods" under federal law, while also reversing Yuga Labs' $8 million summary judgment win and ruling that a jury must decide whether rival NFTs confuse consumers.

  • July 23, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives Barrett Business Services' Secrets Case

    The Ninth Circuit has reinstated Barrett Business Services Inc.'s claims of trade secret theft against two former employees, their wives and a competing company they started.

  • July 23, 2025

    Eye-Control Wheelchair Tech Targeted In Wash. Co.'s IP Suit

    A Washington-based firm that makes devices for individuals with disabilities has launched a lawsuit in federal court claiming a German company exploited its patented technology that allows users to control powered wheelchairs by looking at a screen.

  • July 23, 2025

    Trump Wins 9th Circ. Block On Order Providing Reorg Plans

    The Ninth Circuit greenlighted the Trump administration's request to pause a lower court ruling requiring the government to turn over its layoff and reorganization plans in the case disputing whether the president can lawfully reshape federal agencies without congressional approval.

  • July 23, 2025

    Amazon Shoppers Protest Proposed 'Mini-Trial' On Class Cert.

    Consumers are fighting Amazon's bid for an evidentiary hearing in parallel antitrust suits before a Washington federal judge decides a pending class certification motion, insisting the company has had plenty of time to vet key opinions from the plaintiffs' economics expert.

  • July 23, 2025

    Alaska Airlines Hit With False Ad Suit Over Reduced Flights

    Alaska Airlines was hit with a putative false advertising class action in California federal court Tuesday alleging its Flight Pass program promised cheap, fixed flight rates in return for monthly subscription payments, while hiding additional taxes, fees and significant premium charges for desirable flights and punishing cancellation policies. 

  • July 23, 2025

    Wash. Counties Can Sue State Over Public Defense Funding

    A Washington state appeals court has ruled that a coalition of counties has standing to sue the state to force it to provide adequate funding for indigent defense services, saying the coalition had shown that it had been harmed by the current funding system.

  • July 23, 2025

    Apple Tells 9th Circ. Birthright Ruling Scraps Epic's Injunction

    Apple Inc. told the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday that the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in litigation challenging President Donald Trump's birthright citizenship executive order means that a nationwide injunction and civil contempt order in Epic Games Inc.'s antitrust case over Apple's App Store policies cannot stand.

  • July 23, 2025

    Feds Launch Forfeiture Suit For $7M In Fraud-Linked Crypto

    The acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington said she is pushing for the forfeiture of about $7 million in cryptocurrency assets seized as part of an investigation into an oil and gas investment fraud scheme.

  • July 22, 2025

    Brandt's Fruit Trees Says Farm Misuses 'Pink Lady' Apple TM

    Brandt's Fruit Trees filed a trademark infringement suit in Washington federal court Monday accusing a Yakima Valley farm of illegally using its Pink Lady apple trademark in connection with approximately 55,000 unlicensed trees that produce Lady in Red apples, in violation of their grower licensing agreement.  

  • July 22, 2025

    9th Circ. OKs Toss Of U-Visa Holder's Status Adjustment Suit

    Federal district courts can't review discretionary denials of nonimmigrant visa holders' bids to adjust to lawful permanent resident status, the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday in a published opinion refusing to revive a Mexican woman's lawsuit that challenged her green card denial.

  • July 22, 2025

    Chime Facing Class Suit In Wash. Over 'Refer-A-Friend' Texts

    Online banking company Chime has been breaking a Washington state ban on unsolicited texts by encouraging customers to send "refer a friend" messages in order to expand its reach, according to a new proposed class action.

  • July 22, 2025

    Wash. Appeals Court Affirms Biz Tax Rule For Drop Shippers

    The Washington Court of Appeals upheld the state's rule on Tuesday that out-of-state wholesalers in drop shipment transactions are subject to a business tax when the customer that ultimately receives the product is within the Evergreen State's borders, rejecting a challenge from California IT distributor Synnex.

  • July 22, 2025

    No Early Release For Former Teen Shooter, 9th Circ. Affirms

    A Ninth Circuit panel declined to grant an early release to a man serving 70 years in prison for a gang-related shooting he committed at age 16, finding that neither the length of his sentence nor his youth at the time of conviction amounted to the type of "extraordinary" circumstances allowing him compassionate relief.

  • July 22, 2025

    Feds Tell 9th Circ. That Judge Misread Trump's Sanctuary Orders

    The U.S. Department of Justice told the Ninth Circuit on Monday that a district court's injunction blocking the Trump administration from withholding federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions like San Francisco rests on the court's misunderstanding of President Donald Trump's executive orders.

  • July 22, 2025

    Ex-Boeing Engineer's Racial Bias Appeal Divides Wash. Panel

    A Washington state appellate judge appeared doubtful on Tuesday of an ex-Boeing engineer's claims that he was targeted for his Middle Eastern background, citing an internal probe purportedly justifying his firing, while another panelist suggested that the company is missing "linchpin" evidence to preserve its trial court win in the case.

  • July 22, 2025

    Judge OK To Make Own ID Of Bank Robber, 9th Circ. Rules

    A San Diego bank robber did not have his right to a fair trial violated when the judge trying his case used her own judgment to identify him as the person shown committing the crimes in surveillance video, the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday.

  • July 22, 2025

    Amazon Pushes Back On FTC's Trial Time Extension Bid

    Amazon has urged a Washington federal court to reject the Federal Trade Commission's bid to extend the agency's trial time in a lawsuit over automatically recurring Prime subscriptions, calling the proposal both unfair and baseless.

  • July 22, 2025

    9th Circ. Rejects Gun Club's Bid For Permitting Cost Coverage

    An insurer for a Washington shooting club had no duty to cover roughly $400,000 in costs to secure proper site development permits after county officials won a public nuisance lawsuit against the club, the Ninth Circuit ruled, finding the club can't be covered for its deliberate actions.

  • July 22, 2025

    Ex-Boeing Atty's 'Toxic Leadership Style' Sinks Race Bias Suit

    A Washington federal judge tossed a lawsuit from a former Boeing in-house attorney who said the company fired her because she is Asian and spoke up about compliance concerns, ruling she couldn't overcome testimony from colleagues who said she was "volatile" and had a "toxic leadership style."

  • July 22, 2025

    Boeing Says Calif. Ties Not Related To 737 Max Midair Blowout

    The Boeing Co. is asking a California federal court to throw out claims against it stemming from the midair blowout of a door plug on one of its 737 Max 9 jets, saying the plaintiffs have failed to show that the incident had anything to do with the company's ties to California.

  • July 21, 2025

    Revived Effort To Break Up 9th Circ. Makes Its Way To Senate

    Idaho Republicans have reintroduced a U.S. Senate bill that looks to split up the Ninth Circuit and create a new Twelfth Circuit, according to an announcement made Monday, roughly nearly seven months after a similar bill was introduced in the House.

  • July 21, 2025

    9th Circ. Narrows 'Remain In Mexico' Block During Appeal

    A split Ninth Circuit panel ruled that a California federal judge's nationwide block of the Remain in Mexico program can only apply to the clients of the nonprofit that brought the underlying challenge while the Trump administration's appeal proceeds.

Expert Analysis

  • APA Relief May Blunt Justices' Universal Injunction Ruling

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    The Administrative Procedure Act’s avenue for universal preliminary relief seems to hold the most promise for neutralizing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. CASA to limit federal district courts' nationally applicable orders, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • Managing Risks As State AGs Seek To Fill Enforcement Gap

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    Given an unprecedented surge in state attorney general activity resulting from significant shifts in federal enforcement priorities, companies must consider tailored strategies for navigating the ever-evolving risk landscape, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Wash. Law Highlights Debate Over Unemployment For Strikers

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    A new Washington state law that will allow strikers to receive unemployment benefits during work stoppages raises questions about whether such laws subsidize disruptions to the economy or whether they are preempted by federal labor law, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O'Connor.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • What 9th Circ. Ruling Shows About Rebutting SEC Comments

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    The Ninth Circuit's June opinion in Pino v. Cardone Capital suggests that a company's lack of pushback to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission comment may be evidence of its state of mind for evaluating potential liability, meaning companies should consider including additional disclosure in SEC response letters, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • 9th Circ. Decisions Help Clarify Scope Of Legal Lab Marketing

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    Two Ninth Circuit decisions last week provide a welcome development in clarifying the line between laboratories' legal marketing efforts and undue influence that violates the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act, and offer useful guidance for labs seeking to mitigate enforcement risk, says Joshua Robbins at Buchalter.

  • What 9th Circ. Cracker Barrel Ruling Means For FLSA Cert.

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    The Ninth Circuit's decision in Harrington v. Cracker Barrel suggests a settling of two procedural trends in Fair Labor Standards Act jurisprudence — when to issue notice and where nationwide collectives can be filed — rather than deepening circuit splits, says Rebecca Ojserkis at Cohen Milstein.

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • Calif. Air Waivers Fight Fuels Automakers', States' Uncertainty

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    The unprecedented attempt by Congress and the Trump administration to kill the Clean Air Act waivers supporting California's vehicle emissions standards will eventually end up in the U.S. Supreme Court — but meanwhile, vehicle manufacturers, and states following California's standards, are left in limbo, says John Watson at Spencer Fane.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • 9th Circ. Customs Ruling A Limited Win For FCA Plaintiffs

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    While the decision last month in Island Industries v. Sigma may be welcome news for False Claims Act relators, under binding precedent courts within the Ninth Circuit still do not have jurisdiction to adjudicate customs-based FCA claims pursued by the government, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding

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    As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • Preparing For Trump Pushback Against State Climate Laws

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    An April executive order from President Donald Trump mandated a report from the U.S. attorney general on countering so-called state overreach in climate policy, and while that report has yet to appear, companies can expect that it will likely call for using litigation, legislation and funding to actively reshape energy policy, say attorneys at Bracewell.

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