Appellate

  • March 20, 2025

    Ill. Justices End Cities' Dispute Over Cooper's Hawk Sales Tax

    The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a suit brought by an Illinois village against a neighboring city that allegedly pocketed over $1 million in sales tax revenue owed to the village, saying the Illinois Department of Revenue has exclusive jurisdiction over such disputes between municipalities and an intermediate appellate panel wrongly revived the case.

  • March 20, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs PTAB Decision That Upheld Lighting IP Claim

    The Federal Circuit has backed a Patent Trial and Appeal Board finding that ELCO Lighting did not show that one claim of a DMF Inc. LED lighting system patent is invalid, calling one of ELCO's arguments "meritless."

  • March 20, 2025

    4th Circ. Seems Open To Reviving Pregnant Worker's Bias Suit

    The Fourth Circuit seemed receptive Thursday to a former hospital worker's argument that she was unlawfully fired for a pregnancy-related disability, pondering whether the lower court had relied on an outdated interpretation of disability bias law when it tossed her case.

  • March 20, 2025

    6th Circ. Judge Skeptical Of Mich. Newborn Screening Ruling

    A Sixth Circuit panel questioned Thursday if Michigan's practice of holding onto blood samples collected through a newborn health screening program violates parents' rights to make medical decisions for their children, with one judge saying he didn't see evidence for that proposition.

  • March 20, 2025

    Ga. Judge Defends 'Daddy Issues' Detention In Divorce Case

    An Atlanta trial judge facing allegations that she intervened on behalf of her uncle in a legal proceeding and had a woman locked in a cell during her parents' divorce hearing called Wednesday for the ethics charges against her to be dismissed, arguing her due process rights were violated by a watchdog commission.

  • March 20, 2025

    2nd Circ. Tosses ID Theft Conviction, Citing Justices' Ruling

    The Second Circuit on Thursday reversed the aggravated identity theft conviction of a man accused of participating in an international fraud scheme, citing the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 finding in Dubin v. U.S. that such charges must be "at the crux" of a criminal enterprise.

  • March 20, 2025

    Absent Co-Owners Not 'Indispensable' For Negligence In Pa.

    An absent co-owner of a property who doesn't share any responsibility for it isn't an "indispensable party" to negligence litigation against another co-owner, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ruled Thursday in reviving a woman's slip-and-fall suit against her landlord.

  • March 20, 2025

    7th Circ. Backs Chicago Rail In Canine Officer's ADA Suit

    The Seventh Circuit said Thursday it won't revive a Chicago rail officer's suit claiming he was removed from his canine handler role after testing positive for drugs he had been prescribed, faulting him for failing to respond to the agency's requests to clarify the results.

  • March 20, 2025

    4th Circ. Leery Of Reviving Class Claims In Lending Bias Suit

    A group of borrowers faced an uphill battle Thursday trying to convince the Fourth Circuit to revive their class claims accusing Navy Federal Credit Union of discriminatory lending practices, with one judge chastising what he said were attempts to rewrite the complaint.

  • March 20, 2025

    NJ Firm Can't Force Arbitration Of Ex-Leader's Firing Suit

    New Jersey personal injury firm Ginarte Gonzalez & Winograd LLP cannot steer a former managing partner who claims the firm retaliated against him for protected activity into arbitration after it waived the right to arbitrate his claims before a judge, a state appellate court ruled Thursday.

  • March 20, 2025

    7th Circ. Chief Judge Diane Sykes To Take Senior Status

    Chief U.S. Circuit Judge Diane Sykes of the Seventh Circuit will take semiretired status on Oct. 1.

  • March 20, 2025

    Hawley To Introduce Bill To Restrict Nationwide Injunctions

    Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced on Thursday he would be introducing legislation to prevent district court judges from issuing nationwide injunctions.

  • March 20, 2025

    No 1st Circ. Appeal For 'Varsity Blues' Guilty Plea, Judge Says

    A judge in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions case won't allow a former attorney and television executive to seek First Circuit review of his order rejecting claims that a U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidates the legal underpinnings of the former executive's guilty plea, according to a Thursday decision.

  • March 20, 2025

    8th Circ. Won't Nix Deportation Of Woman For Pot Offense

    The Eighth Circuit declined to review a Board of Immigration Appeals finding that a Mexican national is removable for her conviction of possession of cannabis with intent to deliver, and that the conviction makes her ineligible for cancellation of removal.

  • March 19, 2025

    Full 9th Circ. Quizzes BNSF On Reasons For Conductor Firing

    The en banc Ninth Circuit hinted Wednesday it might stand by a panel's earlier ruling overturning BNSF Railway Co.'s win in an ex-conductor's retaliation suit, with several judges expressing skepticism the railway had shown he would've been fired for dishonesty and insubordination even if he hadn't refused to stop conducting a brake test.

  • March 19, 2025

    GM Seeks Full 6th Circ. Guidance Amid Class Action Surge

    Sixth Circuit judges on Wednesday dug into whether they should undo a panel's ruling upholding class certification for consumers who allege General Motors sold vehicles with defective transmissions, as the automaker urged the judges to give courts guidance on class certification at a time the circuit has been "inundated" with class actions.

  • March 19, 2025

    Texas Justices OK With Venue Appeal Despite 'Politics' Involved

    A Texas Supreme Court justice lamented Wednesday that venue choice has become "a matter of politics," but told counsel for the family of a girl killed when a bus ran into her that the law seemingly gives the opposing party the right to appeal a venue decision from the trial court.

  • March 19, 2025

    DC Circ.'s Copyright Denial Of AI Art Is A Sign Of Future Fights

    A computer scientist's quest to register artwork made by his artificial intelligence system hit another roadblock this week when the D.C. Circuit concluded that only human authors qualify for copyright protection, but his case foreshadows complex questions that courts and perhaps Congress will have to grapple with as the technology evolves.

  • March 19, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Says Lacking License Dooms DOD Fuel Deal Protest

    The Federal Circuit refused Wednesday to revive a case challenging a $134 million sole-source fuel supply contract for the U.S. military in Djibouti, saying the challenger wasn't eligible for the deal even if the Defense Logistics Agency had opened it up to competition.

  • March 19, 2025

    Ex-U.S. Rep. Loses 2nd Circ. Appeal In Insider Trading Case

    Former Indiana Rep. Stephen Buyer has failed to convince the Second Circuit to overturn his insider trading conviction or to grant him a new trial, with the appellate court ruling Wednesday to keep his 22-month sentence intact.

  • March 19, 2025

    Ga. Justices Consider Election Board's Rulemaking Authority

    Georgia's Supreme Court justices on Wednesday considered whether a trial court judge correctly blocked the enforcement of controversial State Election Board rules put in place before last year's general election, weighing arguments about whether the rulemaking aligned with the constitution's separation of powers.

  • March 19, 2025

    Retirees' Discovery Bid Rejected In Hilton Pension Suit

    A D.C. federal judge on Wednesday refused to reopen discovery in a decades-old suit against Hilton Hotels Corp. filed by retirees who won on claims that the company violated federal benefits law by shortchanging their pensions, citing a lack of evidence in the record that Hilton wasn't complying with the court's judgment.

  • March 19, 2025

    Fla. Court Affirms Boardwalk Easement, Despite Defunct Law

    Florida's First District Court of Appeal confirmed Wednesday that Walton County, Florida, had a right to a public easement on a beach, finding it need not have exercised that right before the federal government repealed the law under which the land was conveyed to private owners.

  • March 19, 2025

    Ill. Justices Probe Wholesalers' Knowledge Of Tainted Cilantro

    Justices on Illinois' top court on Wednesday pressed attorneys in a case over allegedly contaminated cilantro to address when two wholesalers had actual knowledge the product may have made people sick, and what moment triggered a duty by a distributor to give notice for an implied warranty of merchantability claim.

  • March 19, 2025

    8th Circuit Rejects Minn. Tribe's Jurisdiction Rehearing Bid

    The Eighth Circuit on Wednesday denied a Minnesota tribe's request for a panel or en banc rehearing on a decision to remand and vacate its challenge over law enforcement jurisdiction on its reservation after it told the court last month that its assessment of the case conflicts with precedent.

Expert Analysis

  • Foreclosing Lenders Still Floating In Murky Legal Waters In NY

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    The New York foreclosure landscape remains in disarray after the state's highest court last month declined to weigh in on whether legal changes from 2022 that severely curtailed lenders' ability to bring successive foreclosure cases were retroactive, says Brian Rich at Barclay Damon.

  • In Terror Case, DC Circ. Must Weigh Justices' Twitter Ruling

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    When the D.C. Circuit hears oral argument in AstraZeneca UK v. Atchley, how the court interprets the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 ruling in Twitter v. Taamneh will have a significant impact on future claims brought under the Anti-Terrorism Act and Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, say attorneys at Lewis Baach.

  • Series

    Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving this country in uniform has not only been one of the greatest honors of my life, but it has also provided me with opportunities to broaden my legal acumen and interpersonal skills in ways that have indelibly contributed to my civilian practice, says Phillip Smith at Weinberg Wheeler.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • 3 Policyholder Lessons From NY Bad Faith Ruling

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    A New York appellate court's recent decision finding that Rockefeller University alleged viable bad faith claims against its insurers reinforces the principle that insurers may not elevate their own economic interests over those of their insureds, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • In SF Water Case, Justices Signal How Loper May Be Applied

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    Skeptical questions from U.S. Supreme Court justices during oral argument in San Francisco v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offer hints of how the court intends to apply limits on agency regulatory autonomy established last term in Loper Bright, says Karen Cullinane at Goldberg Segalla.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: November Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses six federal court decisions that touch on Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and when individual inquiries are needed to prove economic loss.

  • Notable Q3 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    Total loss valuation cases and labor depreciation cases dominated the past quarter of insurance class actions, with courts continuing to reject challenges to condition adjustments in the former, and a pro-insured trend persisting in the latter, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • 2nd Circ. Halkbank Ruling Shifts Foreign Immunity Landscape

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    Following the Second Circuit’s recent common law immunity ruling in U.S. v. Halkbank, foreign state-owned banks, wealth funds and other entities now must seriously consider the risk of criminal liability for commercial activity that violates U.S. laws, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Justices Must Weigh Reach Of Civil RICO In Cannabis Case

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    Oral arguments in Medical Marijuana Inc. v. Horn suggest that a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court may agree that a truck driver's losing his job after unknowingly ingesting THC and failing a drug test does not merit a racketeering claim — but the court may not buy the other side's theory of the case either, say attorneys at Lewis Baach.

  • Patent Marking Steps After Fed. Circ. Opens Lanham Act Door

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    Following the Federal Circuit’s recent ruling in Crocs v. Effervescent, which seemingly revives private actors’ ability to bring false patent marking claims under the Lanham Act, marketing and legal teams should be careful to avoid advertisement language that implies nonexistent patent rights, says Jeffrey Ratinoff at Spencer Fane.

  • Litigation Strategies In View Of New Double Patenting Rulings

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    Recent Federal Circuit decisions, including in Allergan v. MSN, raise several issues that patent owners should understand and consider addressing proactively regarding obviousness-type double patenting, at least in their prosecution strategies, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron. 

  • High Court 'Violent Crimes' Case Tangled Up In Hypotheticals

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    In Delligatti v. U.S., the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments next week on whether attempted murder constitutes a crime of violence, and because the court’s interpretive approach thus far has relied on hairsplitting legal hypotheticals with absurd results, Congress should repeal the underlying statute, say attorneys at Patterson Belknap.

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