Appellate

  • May 06, 2026

    Pa. Panel Greenlights NJ Transit Injury Suit, Citing Galette

    A Pennsylvania appellate panel on Tuesday affirmed the denial of New Jersey Transit Corp.'s bid to exit a passenger injury lawsuit, holding that the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Galette retroactively invalidates the agency's sovereign immunity defense.

  • May 06, 2026

    J&J, Tolmar Settle Patent Case Over Antipsychotic Drug

    A federal court Wednesday signed off on a consent judgment in a patent case brought by a Johnson & Johnson unit that prevents Tolmar Inc. from selling a generic version of the blockbuster schizophrenia drug Invega Sustenna.

  • May 06, 2026

    Calif. Tribe Can't Get ATF's Cigarette Sales Decision Tossed

    A Ninth Circuit panel determined Wednesday that federal tobacco regulators acted appropriately when placing the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians on a noncompliance list, concluding the tribe's remote cigarette sales to retailers of other tribes count as "off-reservation" activities covered by California state tax and licensing laws.

  • May 06, 2026

    Know 'The Record Below': Appellate Pros Talk Argument Prep

    A panel of appellate lawyers gave tips Wednesday on preparing for oral arguments at the 2026 Third Circuit Bench and Bar Conference in Hershey, Pennsylvania, encouraging lawyers to build an encyclopedic knowledge of their case and the relevant law, and to practice in front of others.

  • May 06, 2026

    Colo. Appeals Court Mulls POA's Authority On Arbitration

    A Colorado state appeals court considered Wednesday a nursing home's request for the court to find that a person holding a medical power of attorney could agree to arbitration, focusing counsel on the relationship between an arbitration agreement and healthcare.

  • May 06, 2026

    Roberts Says High Court's Job Is To Make Unpopular Rulings

    Chief Justice John Roberts said Wednesday that the U.S. Supreme Court often must issue "unpopular" opinions, as the high court faces widespread backlash over its recent ruling limiting the Voting Rights Act's use in challenging racial discrimination in congressional redistricting.

  • May 06, 2026

    Texas Panel Weighs Highland Sanctions After $1B Judgment

    A Texas appeals court on Wednesday pressed counsel for several former Highland Capital Management LLP executives to explain why they should get out of a contempt finding, asking what to do with an order compelling each of the executives to pay $500 in sanctions.

  • May 06, 2026

    NC Court No Place For Smoothie-Shop Stroke Suit, Panel Says

    A smoothie shop manager's negligence suit should leave North Carolina's state court system, an appellate panel ruled Wednesday, finding that injuries from a stroke that left him on a bathroom floor for hours occurred during the course of employment and that the North Carolina Industrial Commission has exclusive jurisdiction.

  • May 06, 2026

    4th Circ. Says 'Solvent Traps' Are Silencers Under NFA

    The Fourth Circuit has upheld the jury conviction of a Virginia man for possession of three unregistered firearm silencers, rejecting the man's arguments that the devices were actually used for cleaning guns and finding they were illegal under federal law.

  • May 06, 2026

    Igloo's Ads 'Uncool' But Not Unlawful, Split 9th Circ. Says

    It may have been "uncool" for ice chest company Igloo to wrongfully take credit for the first biodegradable cooler, but its claims are not unlawful under the Lanham Act, a split Ninth Circuit ruled Wednesday.

  • May 06, 2026

    Battery Patent Award Has Fed. Circ. Perusing Remand Options

    A Federal Circuit panel wrestled Wednesday with a Chinese battery cell manufacturer's challenge to the damages model supporting a competitor's award in a patent infringement case, with one judge asking if alternative calculations would even be available if the appeals court ordered a do-over.

  • May 06, 2026

    6th Circ. Says Michigan Man Can't Block Future Charge

    The Sixth Circuit has ruled that a Michigan man cannot receive an injunction to stop prosecutors from charging him with making terroristic threats in the future after he made remarks related to an elections official he believed was incorrectly conducting an election recount.

  • May 06, 2026

    OpenSky Appeal In VLSI Dispute Postponed At Fed. Circ.

    The Federal Circuit has rescheduled arguments in OpenSky's challenge to an attorney fee award that was part of a wide-ranging patent dispute with VLSI Technology after OpenSky's attorney asked for a delay because of the sudden onset of an illness and the death of a family member.

  • May 06, 2026

    'You're In The Weeds!' Fed. Circ. Grapples With Gun IP Decision

    A Federal Circuit panel on Wednesday appeared perplexed by a Wyoming judge's decisions finding a firearm patent invalid as indefinite and dissolving a preliminary injunction against an accused infringer, saying the invalidity holding seemed to be at odds with precedent.

  • May 06, 2026

    Ga. Panel Won't Overturn Verdict In HOA Pool Dispute

    The Georgia Court of Appeals on Wednesday refused to overturn a jury verdict in favor of a homeowners' association in a case it brought against a couple who built an outdoor kitchen and pool pavilion that were noncompliant with the association's design guidelines.

  • May 06, 2026

    NC Insurance Dept. Properly Revoked Appraiser's License

    A North Carolina state appeals court on Wednesday affirmed the state Department of Insurance's revocation of the license of a motor vehicle damage appraiser, finding he violated ethical standards by disparaging other appraisers.

  • May 06, 2026

    Full 11th Circ. Denies Medical Act Remedy In Discharge Suit

    The full Eleventh Circuit concluded that the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act does not provide a remedy for a woman's claims that she was improperly discharged from a Florida hospital without being treated for malnutrition.

  • May 06, 2026

    Unauthorized Immigrant Can Face Gun Charge, 1st Circ. Says

    The First Circuit has reversed the dismissal of an indictment against an unauthorized immigrant charged with firearm possession, holding that the federal ban on unauthorized immigrants possessing firearms is consistent with the nation's tradition of firearm regulation.

  • May 06, 2026

    Police Union Group Gets Ch. 11 OK To Pursue Fla. Appeal

    The International Union of Police Associations AFL-CIO received approval Wednesday in Florida bankruptcy court to modify the automatic stay in its Chapter 11 case to pursue its appeal of an adverse state court judgment in a sexual harassment case that drove it into bankruptcy last month.

  • May 06, 2026

    NJ Panel Frees Homeowner From 'Forced Arbitration' Contract

    A New Jersey state appeals court on Wednesday released a homeowner from an arbitration clause that Florida-based MV Realty had agreed not to enforce as part of a deal last year with authorities who sued over the company's allegedly predatory cash-advance agreements.

  • May 06, 2026

    Mass. Justices Uphold Jailing Despite Incompetency Finding

    The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled on Tuesday that under state precedent, a man who was accused of a violent home invasion and other crimes but found to be incompetent to stand trial was not improperly kept incarcerated when he could not post bail.

  • May 06, 2026

    Judge Won't Certify Minn. Fraud Question In Cancer Drug MDL

    A New Jersey federal judge won't ask the Supreme Court of Minnesota to weigh in on whether an insurer can pursue claims using a state law typically reserved for the attorney general in litigation alleging drugmaker Celgene used charitable donations to manipulate the price of cancer drugs.

  • May 06, 2026

    10th Circ. Orders Class Cert. In Kansas Gas Royalty Fight

    The Tenth Circuit has ordered the certification of a class action accusing driller Merit Energy Co. of underpaying Kansas gas royalty owners in violation of a previous settlement with Oxy USA Inc., reversing a lower court decision.

  • May 06, 2026

    Mich. Justices Weigh If House Must Send Stalled Bills To Gov.

    Michigan Supreme Court justices heard arguments Wednesday over whether the Republican-controlled House can refuse to present bills passed by the previous Democratic majority in the chamber to the governor, as attorneys for the House and Senate clashed over whether this presentment is a constitutional duty or a legislative process beyond judicial control.

  • May 06, 2026

    High Court Rejects Apple's Bid To Pause App Store Ruling

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected Apple's request to pause a mandate in the case from Epic Games that directs a lower court to determine what commission Apple can charge developers for purchases made outside of its app store through links.

Expert Analysis

  • 2 Strands Of Patent Law In High Court's 'Skinny Label' Case

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    Amarin v. Hikma, which is set for oral argument in the U.S. Supreme Court this month, highlights the distinction between two different strands of intellectual property law — analogizing a patent to either a property deed or a home, says Jonas McDavit at Spencer West.

  • Justices' Geofence Ruling May Test 4th Amendment's Future

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    When the U.S. Supreme Court decides in Chatrie v. U.S. whether law enforcement may use geofence warrants to compel Google to disclose location history data, the ruling is likely to become an important statement about the future of Fourth Amendment law in data-driven investigations, says Duncan Levin at Levin & Associates.

  • Series

    NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    In the first quarter of 2026, New York's banking developments were headlined by initiatives to expand oversight of financial institutions and strengthen consumer protection laws, including a new framework for buy now, pay later lenders, a sweeping debt collection rule and a revised corporate self-disclosure program for financial crimes, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Seeking A Policy Fix As Merger Reporting Fight Continues

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    A recently announced request by the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice for public comment on the Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger reporting requirements, as litigation challenging the commission's updated requirements continues, suggests the government's willingness to address how best to support modern merger enforcement without unduly burdening filing parties, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • Opinion

    Wash. Amazon Ruling Should Reshape Suicide Liability

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    The Washington Supreme Court's reinstatement of negligence claims in Scott v. Amazon.com, brought by the families of people who died by suicide after purchasing chemicals online, signals a reckoning for digital commerce and the rejection of the defense that online marketplaces are merely passive technology platforms, says Donald Fountain at Clark Fountain.

  • Axed Trade Secret Award Cautions Against Bundling Damages

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    The Fifth Circuit's recent ruling in Trinseo v. Harper, vacating a $75 million jury verdict for trade secret misappropriation due to a bundled damages model, offers a strong reminder to apportion damages so a jury can award a nonspeculative figure when it credits only some alleged secrets, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • 2 Rulings Poke Holes In Mandatory Restitution Framework

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Ellingburg v. U.S., as well as the Third Circuit’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Abrams, provide criminal defense practitioners with new tools to challenge Mandatory Victims Restitution Act orders, and highlight several restitution-related issues that converged in the recent prosecution of former Frank CEO Charlie Javice, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • Pivotal 6th Circ. Ruling Threatens Decades Of NLRB Decisions

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    The Sixth Circuit's recent decision in Brown-Forman v. National Labor Relations Board fundamentally challenged the NLRB's long-standing practice of establishing policies through adjudication rather than formal rulemaking, giving employers and unions a new avenue to procedurally attack the vast majority of its rules, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • What A Court Doc Audit Reveals About Erroneous Filings

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    My audit of 1,522 court documents from last month found that over 95% contained at least one verifiable error, with fewer than 1% showing clear indicators of artificial intelligence use — highlighting above all else that lawyers may want to focus most on strengthening their review processes, says Elliott Ash at ETH Zurich.

  • Exploring When Fraud Asset Freezes Limit Right To Pick Atty

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    The defendant’s claim in the Seventh Circuit’s pending U.S. v. Shah case that the government restrained his assets until he couldn’t afford his chosen counsel presents a useful case study in how criminal forfeiture procedure interacts with U.S. Supreme Court rulings on Sixth Amendment rights and appealing complex fraud convictions, says Elisha Kobre at Sheppard.

  • How Justices' GEO Ruling Resets Gov't Contractor Litigation

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent GEO Group v. Menocal decision, holding that government contractors cannot immediately exit cases via interlocutory appeals, may increase litigation costs, strengthen plaintiffs' leverage in settlement negotiations and dampen the government's ability to attract bids on high-risk or sensitive projects, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Appellate Strategy Lessons From Pa. Excess Coverage Ruling

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    In FedEx v. National Union Fire Insurance, a Pennsylvania state court recently set forth a clear holding that policyholders may recover postjudgment interest under excess liability insurance policies only when the policy language expressly allows, offering important takeaways for planning appeals, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Defense Counsel Options Widen As No-Bill Rate Increases

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    Citizens impaneled on grand juries in politically motivated cases who are reasserting their role as a critical check on state power could provide criminal defense attorneys an opportunity to pursue seldom-used preindictment strategies, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • How Cos. Can Prepare For 'Made In America' Ad Scrutiny

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    The Trump administration's executive order to combat fraudulent "Made in America" claims in consumer-facing advertising, along with actions by the Federal Trade Commission, suggest a potential increased focus on consumer protection and pricing-related matters, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Similar-Looking Designs May Not Always Prove Infringement

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Range of Motion Products v. Armaid is a reminder that even a strikingly similar design might not be found to infringe upon a patented design once design features driven by functionality are filtered out from consideration, say attorneys at BCLP.

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