Appellate

  • May 18, 2026

    Marlboro Smoker Was Victim Of Ubiquitous Ads, Jury Hears

    A Florida jury heard opening arguments Monday in a trial over the lung cancer death of a woman who started smoking at a time when Philip Morris was "wallpapering" the nation with pro-smoking messages, her family's lawyer said.

  • May 18, 2026

    Unsafe Carriers Seem Doomed After Freight Broker Ruling

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent holding that freight brokers can be held liable under state law for the negligent hiring of motor carriers that cause auto collisions is a "monumental" win for highway safety, plaintiffs attorneys said, as dangerous "fly-by-night" trucking companies could be put out of business.

  • May 18, 2026

    7th Circ. Considers Reviving Claims In Wind Farm Contract Row

    A Seventh Circuit panel seemed unconvinced Monday that a jury improperly awarded an Illinois wind farm contractor nominal damages in a subcontractor termination dispute, but suggested the $1 award may still be unwound if the court decides the subcontractor's claims were improperly kept from trial.

  • May 18, 2026

    Madigan Ruling May Offer High Court New Bribery Test

    The Seventh Circuit found enough "overwhelming" evidence last month to sustain the conviction of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, but a U.S. Supreme Court that's spent years narrowing the reach of public corruption laws may be interested in whether prosecutors proved a sufficiently specific quid pro quo.

  • May 18, 2026

    1st Circ. Keeps Union's Contract With VA Intact During Appeal

    The First Circuit denied a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs request to shelve its contract with a union representing government workers during an appeal, while also pausing a lower court's order that the VA must abide by grievance procedures in the contract. 

  • May 18, 2026

    3rd Circ. Revives Webuild Asset Bid In $140M Award Feud

    The Third Circuit revived a Chilean construction company's bid to enforce a $140 million arbitral award against Italian construction giant Webuild, alleged successor to award debtor Astaldi SpA, ruling Monday in a precedential opinion that a lower court was wrong to nix the suit on jurisdictional grounds.

  • May 18, 2026

    BofA Can Arbitrate Overdraft Fee Claims, 9th Circ. Says

    Bank of America can arbitrate proposed class action claims over overdraft fees it charges its business checking account customers instead of fighting the allegations before a judicial referee, the Ninth Circuit has determined.

  • May 18, 2026

    Judge Won't Apply Foreign Court Orders To NY Stoli TM Fight

    A Manhattan federal judge has ruled that a Russian state-owned company fighting with U.S.-based distributors over the trademark rights to Stolichnaya vodka cannot stop the distributors from repeating arguments that had been rejected by Dutch and Russian courts.

  • May 18, 2026

    Aspiring Ga. Justices Flagged For Possible Ethics Violations

    A pair of plaintiffs attorneys running to unseat Republican-appointed justices on the Georgia Supreme Court in Tuesday's election may have violated state ethics rules, an oversight commission said Sunday in public statements after securing an Eleventh Circuit ruling.

  • May 18, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Says USPS Contractor Too Late To Counter Rival

    A company that lost its U.S. Postal Service contract after a rival accused it of impropriety in a lawsuit aimed at the agency was too late to rebut those allegations, the Federal Circuit ruled despite the rival's failure to notify the contractor.

  • May 18, 2026

    8th Circ. Upholds Sentence In Fentanyl-Laced Pill Case

    The Eighth Circuit has ruled that while a Missouri man's nearly 20-year prison sentence for gun and drug possession should remain in place, a federal court cannot ban him from receiving federal assistance as a result of his convictions.

  • May 18, 2026

    5th Circ. Revives Stabbing Victim's Suit Over Officer's Delay

    The Fifth Circuit, in a published opinion issued Monday, revived a civil lawsuit from a Texas woman claiming a federal probation officer did not take steps necessary to protect her from her ex-boyfriend who ultimately stabbed her, leaving her with near full-body paralysis.

  • May 18, 2026

    P-Funk Founder Sues UMG For $1.1M In Frozen Royalties

    Parliament-Funkadelic frontman George Clinton filed suit Friday in Michigan federal court alleging that music industry giant UMG has illegally withheld more than $1.1 million in royalty payments because of a separate lawsuit pending between Clinton and the estate of Clinton's keyboardist in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

  • May 18, 2026

    Feds Say BIA Ruling Doesn't Undercut Quick Removal Policies

    The Trump administration told the D.C. Circuit that a recent precedential Board of Immigration Appeals ruling interpreting the meaning of "arrival" and "arrived" should have no bearing on its policies seeking to increase the number of expedited removals.

  • May 18, 2026

    Exxon Tells 9th Circ. Calif.'s Plastic Suit Belongs In Fed. Court

    The state of California's claim that Exxon Mobil Corp. is responsible for plastic pollution belongs in federal court, the petroleum giant told a Ninth Circuit panel during a hearing on Monday, arguing that federal courts have admiralty jurisdiction because the litigation targets pollution in navigable waters, among other alleged injuries.

  • May 18, 2026

    Ill. Panel Sides With AbbVie In Eye-Stent Injury Suit

    An Illinois appeals panel on Monday affirmed summary judgment in favor of AbbVie in a suit alleging one of its eye stents caused a man's eye injuries, finding the patient failed to present any evidence that his symptoms were a result of the product's manufacturing or design.

  • May 18, 2026

    Full Fed. Circ. Won't Touch $71M Christmas Tree Patent Ruling

    The full Federal Circuit on Monday rejected Polygroup Ltd.'s request to rethink a panel decision affirming a $71.4 million judgment against it for infringing competitor Willis Electric Co. Ltd.'s artificial pre-lit Christmas tree patent.

  • May 18, 2026

    NC Says Open-Court Gun Review Didn't Prevent Fair Trial

    A North Carolina trial court did not violate state rules when it allowed jurors, at their request, to view in open court a weapon in connection with a case against a man accused of gun and drug charges, state lawyers have told the North Carolina Supreme Court.

  • May 18, 2026

    Justices Won't Revive LA Schools COVID Vaccine Policy Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review whether the Los Angeles Unified School District's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees passes constitutional muster, keeping in place the Ninth Circuit's ruling that relied on a 121-year-old high court precedent upholding a city's smallpox vaccine policy.

  • May 18, 2026

    Amputee Keeps $55M Verdict Over Freight Cos., Driver's Estate

    A New Jersey appeals court said on Monday it won't disturb a $55 million verdict awarded to a motorist who lost both of her legs in a collision with a tractor-trailer, holding that there was no miscarriage of justice.

  • May 18, 2026

    Pa. High Court Snapshot: Wegmans, PennDot Top May Lineup

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's May session begins Tuesday with an argument whether the state's Department of Transportation can be sued over a tree branch that fell onto a state road, even though the tree itself was growing from Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority property.

  • May 18, 2026

    Fla. Court Revives Child Abuse Case Against YMCA

    A Florida appeals court has revived part of a lawsuit by the parents of a 3-year-old girl who says she was molested by boys on a YMCA playground, ordering the district court to allow the parents to amend two of their claims.

  • May 18, 2026

    Justices Skip Review Of Accountant Strict Liability Standard

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a Ninth Circuit decision holding that legal liability does not extend to auditors who certify a client's financial statements for initial public offerings, even if those statements are later found to contain alleged misstatements.

  • May 18, 2026

    Interest Wrongly Refunded Is Subject To Relief, 4th Circ. Says

    A woman is eligible for innocent spouse relief on interest owed to the IRS after an erroneous refund, the Fourth Circuit held Monday, reversing a 2024 U.S. Tax Court ruling.

  • May 18, 2026

    Conn. Justices Uphold Murder Verdict Despite Juror Fear

    A man sentenced to 40 years in prison for killing a member of a rival group in 2008 should not have a new trial, although one juror told another she was concerned for her safety after interacting with someone attending the proceeding, the Connecticut Supreme Court has affirmed.

Expert Analysis

  • Malpractice Claim Assignability Continues To Divide Courts

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    Recent decisions from courts across the country demonstrate how different jurisdictions balance competing policy interests in determining whether legal malpractice claims can be assigned, providing a framework to identify when and how to challenge any attempted assignment, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin & Lodgen.

  • Tips For Financial Advisers Facing TRO From Former Firm

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    The Eighth Circuit's recent decision in Choreo v. Lors, overturning a lower court's sweeping injunction after financial advisers moved to a new firm, gives advisers new strategies to fight restraining orders from their old firms, such as focusing on whether the alleged irreparable harm is calculable, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Closure Highlights Labor Law Stakes

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    The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's recently announced closure, after the U.S. Supreme Court denied relief from an injunction mandating that the newspaper restore terms from its previous collective bargaining agreement, illustrates that prematurely declaring an impasse and implementing unilateral changes carries risk, says Sunshine Fellows at Freeman Mathis.

  • Unpacking Dormant Commerce Clause Cannabis Circuit Split

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    Federal courts have reached differing conclusions as to whether state-legal cannabis is subject to the dormant commerce clause, with four opinions across three circuit courts in the last year demonstrating the continued salience of the dormant commerce clause debate to the nation's cannabis industry, regulators and policymakers, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Texas AG Wields Consumer Protection Law Against Tech Cos.

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    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has targeted technology companies using the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, a broadly worded statute that gives the attorney general wide latitude to pursue claims beyond traditional consumer protection, creating unique litigation risks, say attorneys at Yetter Coleman.

  • Emerging Themes In Nevada High Court Civil Litigation

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    The Nevada Supreme Court issued a series of significant civil rulings in 2025 that reflect recurring themes: a restrained approach to personal jurisdiction, heightened expectations of professionalism, close scrutiny of trial conduct, and a willingness to enforce contractual provisions that other jurisdictions might reject, says Michael Lowry at Wilson Elser.

  • What To Know As Courts Rethink McDonnell-Douglas

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    Although the U.S. Supreme Court declined the latest opportunity to address the viability of the McDonnell-Douglas burden-shifting framework used in employment discrimination and retaliation claims, two justices and courts around the country are increasingly seeking to abandon it, which could potentially lead to more trials and higher litigation budgets, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • A Primer On Law Enforcement Self-Defense Doctrine

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    In the wake of several shootings by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, misconceptions persist about what the laws governing police use of force actually permit, and it’s essential for legal practitioners to understand the contours of the underlying constitutional doctrine, says Markus Funk at White & Case.

  • Series

    Teaching Logic Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Teaching middle and high school students the skills to untangle complicated arguments and identify faulty reasoning has made me reacquaint myself with the defined structure of thought, reminding me why logic should remain foundational in the practice of law, says Tom Barrow at Woods Rogers.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Resilience

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    Resilience is a skill acquired through daily practices that focus on learning from missteps, recovering quickly without internalizing defeat and moving forward with intention, says Nicholas Meza at Quarles & Brady.

  • How Specificity, Self-Dealing Are Shaping ERISA Litigation

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    Several recent cases, including the U.S. Supreme Court's forthcoming ruling in Anderson v. Intel, illustrate the competing forces shaping excessive fee litigation, with plaintiffs seeking flexibility, courts demanding specificity, fiduciaries facing increased scrutiny for conflicts of interest, and self-dealing amplifying exposure, says James Beall at Willig Williams.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Terminations Galore

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    Three recent decisions from the Federal Circuit and the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals provide valuable insights about sticking to a contract's plain language, navigating breach of contract claims, and jurisdictional limits on reinstatement of a canceled contract, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Opinion

    Minn. Can Still Bring State Charges In Absence Of Fed Action

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    After two fatal shootings by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota's role isn't waiting to see if the federal government brings criminal charges, but independently weighing state homicide charges and allowing the judiciary to decide whether the subject conduct falls within the narrow protections of supremacy clause immunity, says Sheila Tendy at Tendy Law.

  • State Of Insurance: Q4 Notes From Illinois

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    In 2025's last quarter, Illinois’ appellate courts weighed in on overlapping homeowners coverages for water-related damages, contractual suit limitation provisions in uninsured motorist policies, and protections for genetic health information in life insurance underwriting, while the Department of Insurance sought nationwide homeowners' insurance data from State Farm, says Matthew Fortin at BatesCarey.

  • How 2 Tech Statutes Are Being Applied To Agentic AI

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    The application of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the California Invasion of Privacy Act to agentic artificial intelligence is still developing, but recent case law, like Amazon's lawsuit against Perplexity in California federal court, provides some initial guidance for companies developing or deploying these technologies, say attorneys at Weil.

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