Appellate

  • March 04, 2025

    3 Takeaways From The High Court's SF Water Permit Ruling

    The U.S. Supreme Court's Tuesday ruling siding with San Francisco to strike down parts of a federal water pollution permit demonstrated a majority of justices' reluctance to force permit holders to interpret gray areas that could get them in trouble.

  • March 04, 2025

    Justices Asked To Uphold Ruling Against Anti-Terror Law

    The Palestine Liberation Organization is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm a ruling striking down a 2019 law nixing a jurisdictional hurdle for lawsuits stemming from terrorist attacks in Israel and the Palestinian territories, arguing that the law "attempts an end-run around settled constitutional analysis."

  • March 04, 2025

    PTAB Orders Mostly Backing Apple, Others Upheld On Appeal

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday affirmed Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions that Apple and others had shown most claims of a patent on using cameras to sense gestures by users are invalid, but said the board correctly upheld two claims.

  • March 04, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Affirms PTAB Decision Backing Stem Cell Patent

    A biotech research outfit failed Tuesday to persuade Federal Circuit judges to rethink an administrative board ruling that rejected a challenge mounted against a stem cell patent.

  • March 04, 2025

    House GOP Push WH Right To Send State Cases To Fed. Court

    House Republicans on Tuesday rallied behind a bill that would let current and former presidents move state cases against them to federal court, calling the legislation a response to weaponized prosecutions of President Donald Trump.

  • March 04, 2025

    10th Circ. Upholds EPA Approval Of Colo. Smog Plan Changes

    A Tenth Circuit panel on Tuesday affirmed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's approval of two changes to Colorado's plan to bring Denver and the northern Front Range into compliance with ozone pollution standards, rejecting a challenge brought by conservation groups.

  • March 04, 2025

    Judge Stays Osage Wind Farm Order, Requires $10M Bond

    An Oklahoma federal judge stayed a $4.2 million judgment and order requiring an energy company to remove 84 wind turbines from the Osage Nation's reservation pending the outcome of a Tenth Circuit appeal, ordering the company to pay a $10 million bond in the interim.

  • March 04, 2025

    Construction Co. Slams Iraq Attys' Appearance In $120M Suit

    Archirodon Construction (Overseas) Co. has asked the D.C. Circuit to block a law firm from representing Iraq as the country fights efforts by the company to enforce a $120 million arbitral award in a dispute over a major port project.

  • March 04, 2025

    ACC, Clemson And FSU End Legal Fight Over Revenues, Fees

    Florida State University and Clemson University will stay in the Atlantic Coast Conference under a new athletic revenue distribution model that would resolve the multistate court battles over media rights and exit fees, the parties said Tuesday in announcing a settlement of their disputes.

  • March 04, 2025

    4th Circ. Finds No Harm In Facebook Ads For Young Renters

    The Fourth Circuit affirmed a Maryland federal court's dismissal of a would-be renter's proposed class action alleging age discrimination by the D.C. area's largest real estate firms Tuesday, finding that the plaintiff failed to show that she was harmed by the company's targeting of younger renters in Facebook ads.

  • March 04, 2025

    Calif. PBM Opioid Suit Belongs In Federal Court, 9th Circ. Told

    Pharmacy benefit managers Express Scripts Inc. and OptumRx Inc. urged the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday to require California to litigate its public nuisance claims over their opioid dispensing practices in federal court, arguing that allowing the state to litigate in state court would create a circuit split.

  • March 04, 2025

    DC Circ. Doubts FERC Was Wrong To OK Tennessee Pipeline

    The D.C. Circuit struggled to understand just where environmentalists think FERC messed up when approving a Tennessee pipeline project that would serve a gas-fired power plant that's set to replace a coal-fired one, expressing varying degrees of doubt Monday during arguments.

  • March 04, 2025

    AG Asks Mich. High Court To Preserve Anti-Terrorism Law

    Michigan's attorney general asked the state Supreme Court to put on hold a ruling striking down the state's anti-terrorist threat law as unconstitutional, saying the ruling threatens to unravel ongoing prosecutions and hamper future responses to threats of violence.

  • March 04, 2025

    9th Circ. Questions UPS' Teamster Election Challenge

    A Ninth Circuit panel appeared skeptical Tuesday of UPS' argument that Teamsters representatives tainted a union representation election by chatting with workers in a warehouse parking lot while a union vote went on inside.

  • March 04, 2025

    3rd Circ. Says Pa. GOP Can't Challenge Biden's Voting Order

    The Third Circuit on Tuesday ruled that Republican lawmakers from Pennsylvania lack the standing to challenge former President Joe Biden's executive order expanding "get-out-the-vote" information, reasoning that the individual politicians could not bring a suit claiming an injury on behalf of the state Legislature.

  • March 04, 2025

    IRS Drops Push To Penalize Ex-Braves Players For Fraud

    The federal government dropped its push Tuesday to reinstate civil fraud penalties against a partnership founded by former Atlanta Braves players John Smoltz and Ryan Klesko in their Eleventh Circuit appeal of a decision slashing their $47 million deduction for a conservation easement donation.

  • March 04, 2025

    Pa. Justices Question 'Key' Witness Test For Forum Change

    Members of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court wondered Tuesday if a state appeals panel established an unfair test by requiring parties seeking a new forum to shoulder the difficult burden of proving, very early in litigation, that faraway witnesses would be "key" to their case.

  • March 04, 2025

    Colo. Justices Won't Review Hospital Tax Classification Suit

    The Colorado Supreme Court declined to review an appeals court ruling finding that a rehabilitation hospital should be classified as a commercial property for tax purposes because it was predominantly designed for its services and not for residency.

  • March 04, 2025

    2nd Circ. Mulls Blackmail Case's Effect On Fraud Conviction

    Second Circuit judges looked tempted Tuesday to let Scott Tucker, who is incarcerated on charges that he ran a $2 billion payday lending scam, file a new appeal — after hearing that Tucker's trial counsel faced blackmail from an unrelated client during Tucker's $2 billion fraud trial.

  • March 04, 2025

    PBMs Ask 8th Circ. To Pause FTC's Insulin Pricing Case

    Caremark Rx, Express Scripts and OptumRx have asked the Eighth Circuit to pause the Federal Trade Commission's in-house case accusing the pharmacy benefit managers of artificially inflating insulin prices as they push their constitutional claims against the agency.

  • March 04, 2025

    Dispensary Fights Counties' Extra Pot Tax In Mo. High Court

    A Missouri appellate court correctly found that counties wrongfully imposed a 3% additional sales tax on cannabis sales that were already subject to tax by a local government, a dispensary told the state Supreme Court.

  • March 04, 2025

    Colo. House Committee Advances Bill To Add 15 State Judges

    The Colorado House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday voted to advance a bill that would add 15 state judges over the next two years, after Senate lawmakers scaled back the proposal to address concerns about the bill's cost in a tight budget year.

  • March 04, 2025

    NY Judicial Complaints Hit New High Amid Public 'Anger'

    New York's judicial watchdog on Tuesday reported a record number of complaints against judges in 2024, receiving about as many grievances as the state court system has judges.

  • March 04, 2025

    Pa. Justices Wary Of 'Limitless Liability' Without Damages Cap

    Pennsylvania's $250,000 damages limit on injury claims involving state entities is too low in cases involving catastrophic injuries, the lawyer for a woman hit by a bus told the state Supreme Court on Tuesday, drawing questions from the justices about the potential for state agencies to be crippled by "limitless liability."

  • March 04, 2025

    Trump Asks 2nd Circ. To Take Over Hush Money Appeal

    President Donald Trump asked the Second Circuit to take over his New York state court appeal of his hush money conviction, saying the "extraordinary" case implicated official acts from his first term.

Expert Analysis

  • What To Watch For In The 2025 Benefits Landscape

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    While planning for 2025, retirement plan sponsors and service providers should set their focus on phased implementation deadlines under both Secure 1.0 and 2.0, an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling, and the fate of several U.S. Department of Labor regulations, says Allie Itami at Lathrop GPM.

  • Reviewing 2024's Crucial Patent Law Developments

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    As 2024 draws to a close, significant rulings and policies aimed at modernizing long-standing legal practices or addressing emerging challenges have reached patent law, says Michael Ellenberger at Rothwell Figg.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Adjustments, Preclusion, Waivers

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    Ken Kanzawa at Seyfarth examines three recent decisions from the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals that examine distinctions between requests for equitable adjustments and claims, forum selection and res judicata, and the waiver of penalties for expressly unallowable costs.

  • The Justices' Securities Rulings, Dismissals That Defined '24

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 securities rulings led to increased success for defendants' price impact arguments, but the justices' decisions not to weigh in on important issues relating to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act's pleading requirements may be just as significant, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • 10 Noteworthy CFPB Developments From 2024

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    In a banner year for consumer finance regulation, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau made significant strides in its efforts to rein in Big Tech and nonbank financial firms, including via rules regarding open banking, credit card late fees, and buy now, pay later products, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Series

    Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • 2024 Has Been A Momentous Year For ESG

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    Significant developments in the environmental, social and governance landscape this year include new legislation, evolving global frameworks, continued litigation and enforcement actions, and a U.S. Supreme Court decision that has already affected how lower courts have viewed some ESG challenges, say attorneys at Katten.

  • Making The Pitch To Grow Your Company's Legal Team

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    In a compressed economy, convincing the C-suite to invest in additional legal talent can be a herculean task, but a convincing pitch — supported by metrics and cost analyses — may help in-house counsel justify the growth of their team, say Elizabeth Smith and Roger Garceau at Major Lindsey.

  • Justices May Find Gov't Can Keep Fraudulent Transfer Benefit

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    Based on the justices' questions at the recently argued U.S. v. Miller, the Supreme Court appears prepared to hold that the U.S. — unlike any other creditor — is permitted to retain the benefits of a fraudulent transfer to the detriment of other bankruptcy creditors, says Kevin Morse at Clark Hill.

  • Why Letters Of Protection Are Discoverable In Texas PI Suits

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    Recent Texas Supreme Court opinions and key provisions of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure make letters of protection, in which plaintiff attorneys promise payment to healthcare providers based on jury awards, discoverable — good news for defendants fighting exorbitant damage claims in personal injury cases, says Nathan Vrazel at Munsch Hardt.

  • 4 Trade Secret Pointers From 2024's Key IP Law Developments

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    Four significant 2024 developments in trade secret law yield practical tips about defending trade secrets overseas, proving unjust enrichment claims, forcing compliance with posttrial orders and using restrictive covenants to prevent employee leaks of confidential intellectual property, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Data Privacy Landscape After Mass. Justices' Wiretap Ruling

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    In Vita v. New England Baptist Hospital, Massachusetts’ highest court recently ruled that the state’s wiretap law doesn’t prohibit all tracking of website user activity, but major financial and reputational risks remain for businesses that aren't transparent about customer’s web data, says Seth Berman at Nutter.

  • Ledbetter's Legacy Shines In 2024 Equal Pay Law Updates

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    The federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act turned 15 this year, and its namesake's legacy is likely to endure in 2025 and beyond, as demonstrated by 2024's state- and local-level progress on pay equity, as well as several rulings from federal appellate courts, say attorneys at Fisher Phillips.

  • Opinion

    Justices Rightly Corrected Course In Nvidia And Facebook

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    By dismissing both the Nvidia and Facebook class actions, over investors' ability to hold corporations accountable for fraud, the U.S. Supreme Court was right in refusing to favor corporations over transparency, and reaffirmed its commitment to corporate accountability, investor protection and the rule of law, says Laura Posner at Cohen Milstein.

  • Top 10 Whistleblowing And Retaliation Events Of 2024

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    From a Florida federal court’s ruling that the False Claims Act’s qui tam provision is unconstitutional to a record-breaking number of whistleblower tips filed with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, employers saw significant developments in the federal and state whistleblower landscapes this year, say attorneys at Proskauer.

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