Appellate

  • August 20, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives Can-Am Fuel Claims Against Sinclair, Glovis

    A unanimous Ninth Circuit panel on Thursday revived Can-Am Fuel Distribution LLC's federal franchise claims against Sinclair Oil LLC and Glovis America Inc., holding the companies' licensing agreements are covered by the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act despite an "unusual variation" in the parties' relationship.

  • August 20, 2026

    11th Circ. Saves Delta-Aeromexico Joint Venture

    The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday handed Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico a decisive win by vacating a U.S. Department of Transportation order directing them to dismantle their nearly decadelong joint venture, saying the DOT applied a skewed standard and made unsupported findings about the partnership's purported anticompetitive effects.

  • August 20, 2026

    Colo. Panel OKs Suspect's DNA Collection From Trash

    A divided Colorado state appeals court panel Thursday ruled that investigators did not need a warrant to collect a cold-case murder suspect's DNA from garbage he left in a publicly shared dumpster, saying abandoned property is not subject to privacy protections.

  • August 20, 2026

    9th Circ. Sides With NLRB In Wash. Terminal Union Work Fight

    The full Ninth Circuit Thursday backed the National Labor Relations Board's decision in a union battle for work on a Seattle marine cargo terminal, ruling the International Longshore and Warehouse Union can't use the "work-preservation defense" to defeat accusations that it illegally pressured an employer for disputed work.

  • August 20, 2026

    11th Circ. Denies YouTube Bid For Atty Fees In Copyright Fight

    The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday upheld a Florida federal judge's refusal to award attorney fees to YouTube after the platform defeated copyright claims accusing it of failing to remove pirated films, finding no abuse of discretion in the lower court's analysis.

  • August 20, 2026

    Mich. Appeals Court Bars Hearing Testimony At Murder Retrial

    A Michigan state appeals court has ruled that testimony provided by witnesses at a hearing where a defendant argued he had ineffective counsel at his murder trial cannot be used in an upcoming new trial, even though the hearing witnesses are not available to testify again.

  • August 20, 2026

    Ticket Buyers Ask 2nd Circ. To Nix Live Nation Arbitration

    Concertgoers who purchased tickets on the secondary market are asking the Second Circuit to vacate a lower court's decision forcing them to arbitrate their antitrust claims against Live Nation and its Ticketmaster unit.

  • August 20, 2026

    Binance Can't Arbitrate Crypto-Laundering Claims After All

    A Florida federal judge on Thursday vacated a ruling that compelled arbitration for proposed class claims alleging that Binance laundered stolen cryptocurrency, after a decision came down from the Eleventh Circuit finding that the individuals who filed their actions didn't have contractual relationships with the exchange.

  • August 20, 2026

    Ga. Panel Revives Man's Suit Over Accidental Shooting

    Georgia appellate judges reinstated a personal injury suit by a man whose leg was amputated after being accidentally shot by a teenager, ruling Wednesday the defendants failed to show no other insurance coverage was available for the injuries under a commercial auto policy the teen's father had through his business. 

  • August 20, 2026

    USPTO Tells Fed. Circ. 'Settled Expectations' Is Constitutional

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has urged the Federal Circuit to reject Google's constitutional challenge to the office's "settled expectations" policy of taking the age of patents into account when deciding whether to review them, saying the rule is "eminently rational."

  • August 20, 2026

    Colo. Court Affirms Boulder Stormwater Fees Aren't Taxes

    Stormwater fees in Boulder, Colorado, that were used in part to repay $66 million in bonds are not taxes subject to voter approval under the state's Taxpayer Bill of Rights, an appeals court said Thursday, affirming a state district court.

  • August 20, 2026

    Nintendo Customer Fights To Keep Tariff Refund Suit Alive

    A Washington federal court should deny Nintendo's attempt to escape a proposed class action seeking reimbursement of costs that customers paid toward President Donald Trump's since-invalidated global tariff regime now that the company is pursuing refunds, a customer told the court.

  • August 20, 2026

    Colo. Panel Says Pretrial Meeting Didn't Affect Med Mal Trial

    A Colorado state appeals court on Thursday rejected a man's bid for a new trial in his medical malpractice lawsuit in which jurors sided with his physicians, finding the man did not show that an ex parte meeting between defense counsel and his own surgeon affected the trial's outcome.

  • August 20, 2026

    NC Justices Asked To Limit Bar's Reach Over Former Judges

    A former state court judge has asked the North Carolina Supreme Court to review a Court of Appeals' ruling allowing the state bar to discipline ex-jurists, characterizing the decision as an "attack on an independent judiciary" and calling for the justices to resolve a question of statutory authority they left unanswered a decade ago.

  • August 20, 2026

    DOJ Pot Shift Changes LA Licensing Challenge, 9th Circ. Told

    A California attorney who has challenged state and local cannabis licensing policies across the country on the grounds that they discriminate against out-of-state entrants told the Ninth Circuit that recent federal shifts on medical marijuana mean the dormant commerce clause should apply to the once-federally illicit industry.

  • August 20, 2026

    Trade Groups Back Apple In 9th Circ. Class Decert. Fight

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other trade and advocacy groups backed Apple Wednesday with amicus briefs telling the Ninth Circuit to reject an appeal from consumers looking to undo the decertification of a class of roughly 200 million people in an antitrust case targeting App Store policies.

  • August 20, 2026

    CREXi Drops 9th Circ. Challenge To Quinn Emanuel DQ

    Property listing company Commercial Real Estate Exchange Inc. has moved to dismiss its own Ninth Circuit mandamus petition, which challenged a lower court's disqualification of CREXi's counsel, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP, from a legal battle against rival CoStar.

  • August 20, 2026

    Disbarred Atty Can't Keep Alive Suit Against NJ Ethics Officials

    The Third Circuit has refused to revive a disbarred attorney's suit against two New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics lawyers, finding a district judge who recused herself from the case did not enter any substantive orders after granting the motion to recuse.

  • August 20, 2026

    2nd Circ. Says Justices' Remand Can't Save Immigrant's Case

    The Second Circuit rejected a Chinese citizen's bid to avoid removal after he pleaded guilty to theft by deception under New Jersey law and forgery under New York law, analyzing what "conviction" means after the U.S. Supreme Court remanded the case.

  • August 20, 2026

    Mich. Panel Rejects $2.5M Malpractice Suit Over Bank Debt

    An attorney failed to show a law firm and two lawyers derailed his efforts to settle a PNC Bank debt and caused him to ultimately pay more than $2.5 million, a Michigan appellate court has ruled, upholding the dismissal of his malpractice suit. 

  • August 20, 2026

    Under Armour Fights Ex-Supplier's Bid For Antitrust Appeal

    Under Armour wants to keep moving toward a November trial for an ex-supplier's tortious interference claims, arguing that a request to pause the case for an immediate appeal of trimmed antitrust allegations rested on the slim chance the Third Circuit would reverse dismissal of those claims.

  • August 20, 2026

    AmEx Waived Arbitration By Refusing Fees, 1st Circ. Says

    American Express forfeited its right to insist on arbitration in a proposed class action by merchants challenging the company's swipe-fee rules when it failed to pay its share of the arbitrator's fees, estimated to be $17 million, the First Circuit has ruled.

  • August 20, 2026

    Conn. Justices Let Parole Outcomes Impact Resentencing

    Judges at sentence modification hearings can consider the decisions of the state parole board as part of a broader array of evidence, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Thursday in turning down an appeal from an elderly convict who lost his bid for release from prison.

  • August 20, 2026

    9th Circ. Widens Arbitration Split, But Will High Court Step In?

    The Ninth Circuit issued a decision last week foreclosing the use of the legal concept that a dispute over the enforcement of an international arbitral award might be better heard elsewhere, contributing to a circuit split that could result in the U.S. Supreme Court finally addressing an issue it has previously eschewed.

  • August 19, 2026

    Firms Cut From $101M Anthropic Atty Fees Appeal To 9th Circ.

    Two law firms involved in securing artificial intelligence company Anthropic's $1.5 billion copyright settlement with a class of authors and publishers are appealing to the Ninth Circuit an order excluding them from attorney fees awarded to court-appointed class counsel.

Expert Analysis

  • Protecting AI-Driven Innovation In Life Sciences IP

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    Recent developments, including the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's evolving inventorship standards, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the "person of ordinary skill in the art" standard demand that life sciences companies elevate AI patent strategy to a top priority, says Sandra Haberny at Quinn Emanuel.

  • 2nd Circ. Ruling Notably Limits Sentencing Courts' Discretion

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    The Second Circuit’s recent decision in U.S. v. Dralle clarifies the bounds of sentencing courts’ ability to consider uncharged or co-defendant conduct without tying it to statutory sentencing factors, and it may have broader implications for limiting loss attribution in white collar and other criminal cases, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • High Court's Hikma Decision Reshapes 'Skinny Label' Suits

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Hikma v. Amarin marks a significant victory for generic drug manufacturers, but rather than putting an end to so-called skinny label inducement claims, it narrows and refocuses them, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.

  • Opinion

    At High Court, Oil Cos.' Suncor Preemption Claims Fall Short

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    In Suncor Energy v. Boulder County, pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, oil and gas companies argue that municipalities' climate deception claims are equivalent to emissions standards for their industry — but the suit is ultimately incapable of imposing such standards, say Thomas McGarity at the University of Texas School of Law and James Goodwin at the Center for Progressive Reform.

  • 3 Disgorgement Questions Linger After Justices' SEC Ruling

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Sripetch v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission avoided placing new limits on the SEC’s disgorgement powers, it passed over several questions, including whether the commission can seek disgorgement when returning the money to investors isn't possible, says David Slovick at Kopecky Schumacher.

  • Checking For AI Errors Is Now A Two-Way Street

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    A handful of recent federal and state cases demonstrate the importance of checking for errors generated by artificial intelligence not only in your own court submissions, but also your opponent's, as well as when catching opposing counsel's AI mistakes could result in an award for attorney fees, says Tamara Barago at Hollingsworth.

  • Opinion

    Federal Circuit Should Implement Mini En Banc Process

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    To fulfill its mission of uniformity in patent law while avoiding the challenges of en banc hearings, the Federal Circuit should institute mini en bancs — allowing regular three-judge panels to exercise en banc powers unless a majority of the court says otherwise, says Joshua Sohn at the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • What's Next After Justices' Last-Mile Driver Arbitration Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Flowers Foods v. Brock, refusing to narrow the scope of a Federal Arbitration Act exemption for workers engaged in interstate commerce, gives previously unprotected workers access to litigation, but preserves two potentially powerful arguments for future proceedings, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Shoring Up Corporate Law In Maryland

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    Launched more than 20 years ago to improve complex corporate adjudication, Maryland's Business and Technology Case Management Program has been a solid success in some areas, but there always is room for improvement, says Bill Krulak at Miles & Stockbridge.

  • How End Of SEC 'Gag Rule' Affects Free Speech Certiorari Bid

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    The Securities and Exchange Commission's recent rescission of the so-called gag rule, which forbade defendants in settlements from denying the SEC’s allegations, may sway the outcome of a petition to the Supreme Court in a case challenging the rule on First Amendment grounds, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • 2nd Circ.'s Embedded Video Ruling May Protect Publishers

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    The Second Circuit's recent decision in Richardson v. Townsquare, dismissing an infringement claim arising from an embedding of a YouTube-hosted interview, reaffirms a potent defense for publishers who regularly use social media platforms' embed functionality, says Amanda Harris at Jassy Vick.

  • Federal Officer Removal After Justices' La. Pollution Ruling

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    In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Chevron USA v. Plaquemines Parish, companies seeking to use federal officer removal to move litigation out of state court should ask three questions, focusing on government contract language, federally directed activity and related conduct, say attorneys at Hollingsworth.

  • Series

    Competing At Poker Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing poker in male-dominated rooms taught me to treat skepticism as background noise when my opponents seem to underestimate me, to apply pressure when it matters and to adapt without losing strategic discipline — skills that are all indispensable in restructuring and insolvency matters, says Alexis Gambale at Pashman Stein.

  • Revisiting TransUnion's Underused Standing Rule, 5 Years On

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    The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' recent use of the U.S. Supreme Court’s now five-year-old TransUnion v. Ramirez rule specifying that the "mere risk of future harm" isn't concrete enough to support a damages claim presents an opportunity to revisit this underutilized standing rule, say attorneys at Horvitz & Levy.

  • 5 Things Associates Must Ask About Their Firm's Merger Plan

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    The associates who navigate law firm mergers best ask the right questions early, such as inquiring about partners' plans, to assess how the merger could affect their workflow and career path, says Jackie Bokser-LeFebvre at Major Lindsey.

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