Appellate

  • March 11, 2025

    Threats Against Judges 'Top Priority,' Fed. Judiciary Says

    Protecting federal judges is a "top priority" as violent threats spike against a polarized political backdrop, making congressional funding for additional security measures more important than ever, the U.S. Judicial Conference said Tuesday.

  • March 11, 2025

    Publix's Suit Over Ga. County's Private Attys 'Beyond Reason'

    Publix can't sue a metro Atlanta county to force it to drop its private attorneys who filed an opioid suit against the supermarket chain, the Georgia Court of Appeals has said, ruling that the company "fails to show what right the county has violated by its choice of counsel."

  • March 11, 2025

    Trump's Special Counsel Firing Seems OK, DC Circ. Says

    The president appears to have the power to remove the feds' internal unfair firing watchdog because he's the sole head of an agency with executive power, a D.C. Circuit panel said, explaining its decision last week to stay a trial court's reinstatement order.

  • March 11, 2025

    Full Fed. Circ. Won't Rehear $95M Altria Patent Suit Win

    The Federal Circuit won't hold an en banc review of a $95 million judgment against R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. that ended a suit from Altria Client Services LLC alleging that R.J. Reynolds infringed three of its patents.

  • March 11, 2025

    6th Circ. Backs Motorola In Fired Tech's Disability Bias Suit

    A split Sixth Circuit panel upheld the dismissal of a Motorola worker's suit claiming he was fired after he requested a schedule change due to his nocturnal epilepsy, ruling his case fell flat because he never filed a formal accommodation request with the company.

  • March 11, 2025

    Mass. High Court Says Paying Full Judgment Freezes Interest

    Paying off a judgment in full, even when an appeal is planned, stops additional interest from accruing against the amount, Massachusetts' highest court said Tuesday in a long-running dispute between an auto dealership and its landlord.

  • March 11, 2025

    1st Circ. Upholds Block On Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order

    The First Circuit on Tuesday refused to disturb a Massachusetts federal judge's ruling that blocked the Trump administration's move to end birthright citizenship, rejecting the government's claim that states suing over the policy lacked standing.

  • March 10, 2025

    Split 4th Circ. Says Video Privacy Suit Belongs In Arbitration

    A divided Fourth Circuit panel ruled Monday that a pair of subscribers pressing a putative class action accusing streaming service CuriosityStream Inc. of unlawfully sharing their video-viewing information must arbitrate their claims, with the majority finding that registered users had "reasonable notice" of the arbitration agreement. 

  • March 10, 2025

    Justices Seen Resolving Circuit Split Over Med Mal Law

    The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it will decide whether a Delaware medical malpractice statute requiring an expert affidavit can apply in federal court, which experts said will give the justices the opportunity to reassess the so-called Erie doctrine and the relationship between state and federal courts.

  • March 10, 2025

    Starbucks Faces Suit Over Fatal Patio Crash After Panel Flip

    Starbucks owed a duty of reasonable care to a patron who was struck by a rogue pickup truck while sitting on the patio of a Salt Lake City area store, the Utah Court of Appeals has ruled, reviving her family's lawsuit against the Seattle-based coffee company.

  • March 10, 2025

    EPA Says It Wants To Redo Biden-Era Chemical Risk Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday told the D.C. Circuit it wants to reconsider a Biden-era rule that strengthened regulations to assess chemicals' health and environmental risks.

  • March 10, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Vacates PTAB Decision Partly Axing 4G Patent

    The Federal Circuit on Monday vacated a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision partly invalidating a Sisvel patent that the company says is essential to the 4G standard and has asserted against other businesses in infringement litigation.

  • March 10, 2025

    Viacom And NAI Can Continue Shareholder Coverage Dispute

    A Delaware Superior Court judge ruled in companion cases that Shari Redstone, National Amusements Inc. and Viacom Inc. can still seek coverage for millions after underlying shareholder litigation in the wake of Viacom's 2019 CBS merger, determining prior actions were unrelated to the underlying disputes at hand.

  • March 10, 2025

    11th Circ. Urged To Find Qui Tam Cases Unconstitutional

    A group of defendants accused of Medicare Advantage fraud urged the Eleventh Circuit on Monday to uphold a decision finding the False Claims Act's whistleblower provision unconstitutional, saying the statutory clause violates the Constitution in multiple ways. 

  • March 10, 2025

    Colo. Justices To Review Insurers' Noncooperation Defense

    The Colorado Supreme Court will consider whether a pair of insurance companies can defeat a man's bad-faith lawsuit by arguing his failure to turn over medical information about a surgery before his auto accident breached a contractual duty, according to an order Monday granting two petitions for review.

  • March 10, 2025

    FTC Wants Pause On Noncompete Appeals, Pending Decision

    The Federal Trade Commission is asking two circuit courts to pause their reviews of its ban on noncompete clauses, saying it needs time to reconsider whether it actually wants to defend the rule.

  • March 10, 2025

    DOJ Wants In On Invisalign Monopoly Arguments At 9th Circ.

    The U.S. Department of Justice wants to be there when orthodontists and consumers who purchased clear teeth aligners face off with the company behind Invisalign at the Ninth Circuit next month, so it can tell the appellate judges where the lower court went wrong in killing their monopoly suits.

  • March 10, 2025

    2nd Circ. Won't Free Ex-JPMorgan Banker From Industry Ban

    The Second Circuit on Monday upheld a lifetime investment advising ban against a former JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Perella Weinberg Partners investment banker convicted of insider trading, saying that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission presented substantial evidence demonstrating that the ban was appropriate.

  • March 10, 2025

    Ex-Package Co. Worker Wants 6th Circ. Redo In ADA Suit

    A former mill utility worker is urging the Sixth Circuit to rehear his suit claiming a packaging manufacturer wouldn't let him return to work because he asked for a medical accommodation, arguing an appellate panel's ruling ignored key evidence at trial, including that he could have worked in a lighter-duty role.

  • March 10, 2025

    Tribe Says BNSF Can't Derail $400M Trespass Judgment

    A Washington tribe is urging the Ninth Circuit to uphold a lower court's finding that BNSF Railway Co. must pay nearly $400 million for years of illegally running oil cars across tribal territory, saying the railroad's claim that it strips away lawfully earned profits "makes little sense."

  • March 10, 2025

    GOP Sens. Escalate Fight With ABA Over 'Leftist' Statements

    A group of Senate Republicans are once again going after the American Bar Association, which they claim has become a "leftist" organization, and announced Monday they will disregard ABA ratings on judicial nominees and encouraged the Trump administration and their colleagues to do the same.

  • March 10, 2025

    Trump Asks For Stay Of NLRB Member's Reinstatement

    The Trump administration asked the D.C. Circuit on Monday to stay a federal judge's order reinstating fired National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox, saying the order steps on the president's authority to control the workings of the executive branch.

  • March 10, 2025

    Ariz. Power Co. Asks Justices To Review Tax On Tribal Plant

    An energy company asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review Arizona court decisions that said a power plant it owns on tribal land is subject to property taxes, arguing that privately owned improvements located on Native American reservations are exempt from state and local taxes.

  • March 10, 2025

    Split 5th Circ. Vacates Death Sentence Over Brady Violations

    A split Fifth Circuit has reversed and vacated a Texas woman's murder conviction and death sentence after 27 years, having determined that prosecutors failed to properly disclose evidence in accordance with U.S. Supreme Court precedent, and remanded the case to Amarillo, Texas, federal court.

  • March 10, 2025

    Sig Sauer To Appeal $2.3M Accidental Fire Verdict

    Sig Sauer said Monday that it plans to appeal a $2.35 million verdict it lost to a Georgia man who claimed that a defect in its popular P320 pistol caused him to accidentally shoot himself after a federal judge declined the company's bid for a new trial.

Expert Analysis

  • Curious Case Of FTC's Amicus Brief In Teva Fed. Circ. Appeal

    Author Photo

    Attorneys at BCLP explore the Federal Trade Commission's backing of Amneal's Orange Book-delisting efforts on Teva ahead of a key Federal Circuit hearing in a case between the two pharmaceutical companies, and wonder if the FTC amicus brief indicates a future trend, especially in the next administration.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

    Author Photo

    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • When 'Patented' Goes Beyond Inventorship In False Ad Cases

    Author Photo

    The Federal Circuit's recent false advertising holding in Crocs v. Effervescent is significant because it offers a nuanced yet realistic understanding of what false claims about a product's status as "patented" can mean, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • 2nd Circ. Hostile Workplace Ruling Widens Arbitration Pitfalls

    Author Photo

    The Second Circuit’s recent decision, affirming the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act applies to a worker whose workplace hostility claims arose before the law’s 2022 enactment, widens the scope of the law — and the risks of unenforceable arbitration agreements for employers, say attorneys at Hinshaw.

  • 2nd Circ. Maxwell Ruling Adds To Confusion Over NPA Reach

    Author Photo

    The Second Circuit’s recent decision upholding Ghislaine Maxwell’s conviction made an analytical leap in applying plea agreement precedent to a nonprosecution agreement, compounding a circuit split and providing lessons for defense counsel, say attorneys at Kropf Moseley.

  • The Fed. Circ. In October: Aetna And License-Term Review

    Author Photo

    The Federal Circuit's recent decision that Aetna's credit card licensing agreement with AlexSam did not give the insurer immunity from patent infringement claims serves to warn licensees to read their contracts carefully, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • Recent Developments In Insurance Coverage For FCA Claims

    Author Photo

    As the U.S. Department of Justice continues its vigorous False Claims Act enforcement, companies looking to their insurers to help defray the costs of an investigation or settlement should note recent decisions on which types of policies cover FCA claims, which policy periods apply and which portions of FCA-related losses are covered, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

    Author Photo

    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

  • Boosting Confidence In Pennsylvania's Election System

    Author Photo

    As Election Day nears, Pennsylvania is facing an intense flurry of litigation, including an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court centered on mail-in and provisional ballots, but the state's election system is robust, and attorneys from all practice areas have an important role to play in ensuring confidence in and access to our election system, says Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie.

  • Takeaways From The IRS' Crypto Doc Summons Win

    Author Photo

    A recent First Circuit decision holding that taxpayers do not have a Fourth Amendment reasonable expectation of privacy in cryptocurrency transaction records should prompt both taxpayers and exchanges to take stock of past transactions and future plans, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • A Novel Expansion Of Alien Tort Statute In 9th Circ.

    Author Photo

    The Ninth Circuit's Doe v. Cisco rehearing denial allows a new invocation of the Alien Tort Statute to proceed, which could capture the U.S. Supreme Court's attention, and has potentially dramatic consequences for U.S. companies doing business with foreign governments, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes

    Author Photo

    Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.

  • Series

    Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • Reading Tea Leaves In Fed. Circ. Deep Dive On Review Scope

    Author Photo

    Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer investigates why a recent Federal Circuit opinion spent six pages explaining its unsurprising conclusion on proper scope of review — that no deference need be afforded to the trial court in a case dismissed for failure to state a claim.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

    Author Photo

    Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Appellate archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!