Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Appellate
-
July 01, 2024
Supreme Court Gives Trump Immunity For Official Acts
Former presidents are entitled to absolute immunity from prosecution related to an indefinite list of official acts, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday, partially releasing Donald Trump from liability for allegedly interfering with the 2020 presidential election, but ultimately tasking lower courts with sussing out the full extent of his immunity.
-
July 01, 2024
Supreme Court Widens Window To Challenge Federal Regs
Legal challenges to federal regulations can be brought outside the normal statute of limitations if someone isn't adversely affected until after the six-year window of time to file suit, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday.
-
June 28, 2024
Chevron's End Is Just The Start For Energized Agency Foes
By knocking down a powerful precedent that has towered over administrative law for 40 years, the U.S. Supreme Court's right wing Friday gave a crowning achievement to anti-agency attorneys. But for those attorneys, the achievement is merely a means to an end, and experts expect a litigation blitzkrieg to materialize quickly in the aftermath.
-
June 28, 2024
Paxton 5th Circ. Doc. Signals 'Unprecedented' Move By AG
The recent publication of a Fifth Circuit opinion indicating that federal agencies are moving forward with a corruption investigation against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, while not unusual, suggests an "unprecedented" attempt from the state's chief legal officer to block witnesses from having to give grand jury testimony, experts told Law360.
-
June 28, 2024
Will 'Moral Victory' In Purdue Ruling Help Plaintiffs?
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision that the Sackler family members who own Purdue Pharma LP cannot be shielded by the bankruptcy code from lawsuits over the opioid crisis reflects the widespread public outrage over their role in the epidemic, but experts say it remains unclear what will happen next for the individuals and governments that have sued the company.
-
June 28, 2024
Quinn Slammed By Columbia For Its 'Continuing Audacity'
Columbia University shot back Friday against arguments from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP that Federal Circuit judges should disregard arguments made by the firm's former client, who says the firm lied to a federal court in Virginia to avoid damaging testimony in a $600 million patent case.
-
June 28, 2024
Split SCOTX Revives Judge's Same-Sex Wedding Challenge
A split Texas Supreme Court revived a judge's lawsuit against the state judicial ethics commission over sanctions for her refusal to officiate same-sex marriages, with the majority finding the judge's claims are not barred because she did not go through the administrative process.
-
June 28, 2024
Texas Justices Back Ban On Gender Affirming Care For Minors
The Texas Supreme Court upheld a state ban on medical treatments that affirm the gender identity of transgender youths, saying Friday that the legislature "made a permissible, rational policy choice," though a dissenting justice said the court allowed the state "to legislate away fundamental parental rights."
-
June 28, 2024
Stock Clearing Orgs Slam Firm's 'Bizarre' Constitutional Attack
Two of the nation's largest securities clearing agencies are fighting an attempt to declare their in-house disciplinary procedures unconstitutional, telling the Tenth Circuit that brokerage firm Alpine Securities Corp.'s attack on the private entities is unprecedented and threatens the stability of the capital markets.
-
June 28, 2024
Custodia Bank Asks 10th Circ. For Fed Master Account Win
Crypto-focused Custodia Bank has argued in an opening brief before the Tenth Circuit that it is entitled to a Federal Reserve master account and should be given approval to open one, kicking off its appeal of a Wyoming federal judge's decision that said otherwise.
-
June 28, 2024
In Chevron Case, Justices Trade One Unknown For Another
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overrule a decades-old judicial deference doctrine may cause the "eternal fog of uncertainty" surrounding federal agency actions to dissipate and level the playing field in challenges of government policies, but lawyers warn it raises new questions over what rules courts must follow and how judges will implement them.
-
June 28, 2024
Chevron's End May Put Target On ITC And Patent Office Policy
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Friday striking down precedent that gave deference to the legal interpretations of government agencies could spur new attacks on patent office rules and decisions governing U.S. International Trade Commission patent disputes, attorneys said.
-
June 28, 2024
Justices' SEC Ruling Unlikely To Bear On Immigration Actions
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision reining in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's use of administrative courts is unlikely to help Walmart and SpaceX escape proceedings for alleged immigration-related violations, with the justices punting on the authority of administrative law judges.
-
June 28, 2024
Split 9th Circ. Revives Part Of Sprout Baby Food Label Suit
A California couple suing Sprout Foods over nutrient statements on its baby food pouches can pursue a Golden State law claim but not fraud-based claims, a split Ninth Circuit panel ruled Friday, saying federal law doesn't preempt the state's labeling standards, but the parents haven't shown the products were misleading.
-
June 28, 2024
Conn. Court Shouldn't Hear Anti-Dispensary Appeal, City Says
A Connecticut appeals court should not hear a case brought by an anti-cannabis organization in Stamford that is trying to undo a court-approved settlement that allowed for the opening of a dispensary, the city's Zoning Board has argued.
-
June 28, 2024
FCC Subsidy Opponents File New 5th Circ. Challenge
A free-market group and others seeking to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's telecom subsidy system has again filed suit in the Fifth Circuit to oppose the industry fees that fund the programs.
-
June 28, 2024
Shkreli Asks High Court To Toss $64M Disgorgement Order
Former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli, who gained notoriety for hiking the price of HIV/AIDS medication before serving more than four years in prison for securities fraud, is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to toss a disgorgement order requiring him to pay $64 million for monopolistic price-gouging.
-
June 28, 2024
6th Circ. Won't Move Net Neutrality Challenges To DC
The Sixth Circuit on Friday denied a bid to transfer challenges to the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules to the D.C. Circuit.
-
June 28, 2024
Texas Justices Back Union Leave Clause's Constitutionality
A clause in a firefighters union's collective bargaining agreement that permits taking paid leave for negotiations does not violate the Lone Star state's constitution, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday while reversing an award of attorney fees and sanctions against some of the plaintiffs.
-
June 28, 2024
High Court Bends, But Doesn't Break, FERC Enforcement
The U.S. Supreme Court's new limits on administrative law judge powers has injected fresh uncertainty into how the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission conducts its enforcement process, but the justices haven't upended the agency's reliance on its in-house court system, FERC watchers say.
-
June 28, 2024
Calif. Panel Won't Toss Trial Win By AT&T's Cricket
Cricket Communications Inc. won't have to worry about a 2018 jury trial win being kiboshed after a California appeals court ruled that when it overturned a pretrial ruling because a previous judge failed to disclose that he owned AT&T stock, it didn't mean the entire trial should be undone.
-
June 28, 2024
Inventor Group Backs High Court Bid In Patent Eligibility Case
A trade group that represents inventors is throwing its hat into the ring to support the latest petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on patent eligibility.
-
June 28, 2024
2nd Circ. Puts Heat On Internet Archive Over E-Book Lending
A Second Circuit panel had tough questions Friday for counsel defending the Internet Archive's argument that its free e-book lending program is fair use, questioning the assertion that its system of scanning physical books to convert them to digital form does not harm the market of the four publishers who sued for copyright infringement.
-
June 28, 2024
Shifting Legal Positions Behind High Court Abortion Punt
Rapid developments in Idaho abortion law paved the way for a fractured U.S. Supreme Court decision that leaves doctors in the state in murky legal waters around providing abortions to patients in medical crisis.
-
June 28, 2024
Top Delaware Court Tosses Voting Law Challenge
Delaware's Supreme Court on Friday reversed a Superior Court strike-down of two state statutes on voting procedures, finding that the plaintiffs had no standing to sue because they hadn't shown any "imminent, particularized" harm.
Expert Analysis
-
9th Circ. Clarifies ERISA Preemption For Healthcare Industry
The Ninth Circuit's recent ruling in Bristol SL Holdings v. Cigna notably clarifies the broad scope of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act's preemption of certain state law causes of action, standing to benefit payors and health plan administrators, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
-
Patent Lessons From 7 Federal Circuit Reversals In May
A look at recent cases where the Federal Circuit reversed or vacated decisions by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board or a federal district court provide guidance on how to succeed on appeal by clarifying the obviousness analysis of design patents, the finality of a judgment, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.
-
Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians
Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
-
What To Know As CFPB Late Fee Rule Hangs In Limbo
Though the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's final credit card late fee rule faces an uncertain future due to litigation involving injunctions, emergency petitions and now a venue dispute, card issuers must understand how to navigate the interim period and what to do if the rule takes effect, say attorneys at Steptoe.
-
Updated Federal Rules Can Improve Product Liability MDLs
The recent amendment of a federal evidence rule regarding expert testimony and the proposal of a civil rule on managing early discovery in multidistrict legislation hold great promise for promoting the uniform and efficient processes that high-stakes product liability cases particularly need, say Alan Klein and William Heaston at Duane Morris.
-
Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent
As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.
-
9th Circ. Ruling Shows Lies Must Go To Nature Of Bargain
The Ninth Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Milheiser decision, vacating six mail fraud convictions, clarifies that the key question in federal fraud cases is not whether lies were told, but what they were told about — thus requiring defense counsel to rethink their strategies, say Charles Kreindler and Krista Landis at Sheppard Mullin.
-
What High Court Ruling Means For Sexual Harassment Claims
In its recent Smith v. Spizzirri decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a district court compelling a case to arbitration is obligated to stay the case rather than dismissing it, but this requirement may result in sexual harassment cases not being heard by appellate courts, says Abe Melamed at Signature Resolution.
-
Trademark In Artistic Works 1 Year After Jack Daniel's
In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court's Jack Daniel's v. VIP Products ruling, courts have applied Jack Daniel's inconsistently to deny First Amendment protection to artistic works, providing guidance for dismissing trademark claims relating to film and TV titles, say Hardy Ehlers and Neema Sahni at Covington.
-
9th Circ. Ruling Broadens Sweep Of Securities 'Solicitation'
The Ninth Circuit's recent revival of a putative securities fraud class action against Genius Brands for hiring a stock promoter to write favorable articles about it shows that companies should view "solicitation" broadly in considering whether they may have paid someone to urge an investor to purchase a security, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
-
Why Jurors Balk At 'I Don't Recall' — And How To Respond
Jurors often react negatively to a witness who responds “I don’t remember” because they tend to hold erroneous beliefs about the nature of human memory, but attorneys can adopt a few strategies to mitigate the impact of these biases, say Steve Wood and Ava Hernández at Courtroom Sciences.
-
Series
Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge at Robinson Bradshaw.
-
5th Circ. Venue-Transfer Cases Highlight Mandamus Limits
Three ongoing cases filed within the Fifth Circuit highlight an odd procedural wrinkle that may let district courts defy an appellate writ: orders granting transfer to out-of-circuit districts, but parties opposing intercircuit transfer can work around this hurdle to effective appellate review, says Charles Fowler at McKool Smith.
-
A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence
The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.
-
PTAB Rulings Shed Light On Quantum Computing Patents
Recent Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions on enablement rejections against quantum computing patent claims provide patent practitioners with valuable guidance on best practices for avoiding and overcoming enablement, say Fred Qiu and Alex Nie at Sheppard Mullin.