Appellate

  • May 06, 2026

    10th Circ. To Revisit Proving Native Status In Sex Abuse Cases

    Two men who were found guilty of sexually assaulting Native American children, but whose convictions were vacated over questions surrounding their Native American status, will have their cases reconsidered by the full Tenth Circuit, the court ruled.

  • May 06, 2026

    9th Circ. Won't Revive Hospital Workers' Vaccine Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit refused Wednesday to reopen a religious bias lawsuit accusing a Washington hospital of unlawfully denying employees' requests to avoid a COVID-19 vaccination mandate, finding that the medical center demonstrated that exemptions would've been too burdensome under a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision.

  • May 06, 2026

    ACLU Seeks Full DC Circ. Review Of CECOT Contempt Halt

    The American Civil Liberties Union is asking for the full D.C. Circuit to review a panel's 2-1 decision halting U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg's criminal contempt inquiry into U.S. Department of Homeland Security flights that took 250 immigrants to El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison last year.

  • May 06, 2026

    4th Circ. Appears Unpersuaded By $22M Tax Fraud Appeal

    Two attorneys and an insurance agent faced a Fourth Circuit panel Wednesday that seemed hard-pressed to overturn their convictions for orchestrating a $22 million tax avoidance scheme, with the judges casting doubt on their venue objections and claims that the false tax returns contained truthful information.

  • May 06, 2026

    Chubb Units Must Cover Environmental Contamination Claim

    Two Chubb insurers must defend an upstate New York town against a state environmental department's claim concerning a regional airport's contamination by so-called forever chemicals unless and until they can establish the claim falls outside an exception to a pollution exclusion, the Second Circuit affirmed.

  • May 06, 2026

    4th Circ. Frees Noncitizen From Deportation, Faulting Judges

    The Fourth Circuit vacated the final removal order for a man the federal government wants to deport to Liberia despite his never living there and his fear of persecution due to his sexuality, finding that he didn't get a fair immigration hearing.

  • May 06, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Backs Atty Fees In Bicycle Design Patent Case

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday agreed with a Massachusetts federal judge that a case related to a set of design patents for a bicycle warranted attorney fees being awarded to Hyper Bicycles Inc., saying the judge's finding that the case was weak and unnecessarily dragged out was supported by the evidence.

  • May 06, 2026

    Asbestos Trusts Fight Data Preservation Suit In Delaware

    Asbestos bankruptcy trusts told the Delaware Supreme Court on Wednesday that Johnson & Johnson, Dow Chemical and other repeat asbestos defendants are trying to turn an old equitable remedy into a sweeping, indefinite preservation order for more than 1.1 million victims' private claims files.

  • May 06, 2026

    DC Circ. Fast-Tracks DOT Immigrant Truck Driver Rule Review

    The D.C. Circuit will expedite its review of challenges to the U.S. Department of Transportation's new restrictions on commercial licenses for foreign truck drivers, but has already expressed skepticism about the petitioners' claims that the restrictions are pretext for an anti-immigrant agenda of the Trump administration.

  • May 06, 2026

    Justices Asked To Review 'More Than An Athlete' TM Fight

    A Maryland youth nonprofit has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Federal Circuit decision that allowed a company affiliated with LeBron James to cancel its trademark registration for "I Am More Than An Athlete" based on common-law rights.

  • May 06, 2026

    Pa. 'Cruel Punishments' Ruling Sets Up Sentence Challenges

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's recent ruling that struck down mandatory life sentences for second-degree murder marked the justices' clearest message yet that the state's constitution and history bar "cruel" punishments, which legal experts tell Law360 could tee up challenges to "three-strikes" laws or the death penalty.

  • May 06, 2026

    7th Circ. Won't Revive Ex-DHS Officer's Disability Bias Suit

    The Seventh Circuit has declined to reinstate a fired immigration officer's suit claiming the Department of Homeland Security failed to accommodate his medical issues, saying that his claims were "meritless" and that he hadn't properly attempted to resolve them within the agency before filing suit.

  • May 06, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Affirms DraftKings' PTAB Loss Wasn't 'Clerical Error'

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday backed the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's decision to uphold one claim of an online gaming patent challenged by DraftKings, rejecting the company's argument about making a "clerical error."

  • May 06, 2026

    Mass. Justices Debate Rent Control Religious Carveout

    Massachusetts' highest court appeared divided Wednesday as it considered whether a proposed ballot question to reenact rent control in the state should be struck down because it contains a carveout that includes religious properties.

  • May 06, 2026

    Mass. Justices Push For An End To AG-Auditor Deadlock

    Massachusetts' top court on Wednesday seemed to agree that an ongoing dispute between the state attorney general and auditor over a voter-backed audit of the legislature needs to come to an end, even as justices dinged both sides for the stalemate.

  • May 06, 2026

    'Varsity Blues' Coach 'Not Close' In New Trial Bid, Judge Says

    A former University of Southern California water polo coach convicted in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions case missed the goal by a wide margin in his bid to secure a new trial, a Massachusetts federal judge said.

  • May 05, 2026

    7th Circ. Panel Split On Due Process For Ill. ICE Detainees

    A split Seventh Circuit panel on Tuesday rejected the Trump administration's argument that immigrants unlawfully in the United States have no due process rights, though every member of the panel had a different take on the issue.

  • May 05, 2026

    DC Circ. Judge Jabs Pharma Atty For 10 Minutes In Price Fight

    The first D.C. Circuit showdown in widespread drug pricing litigation Tuesday appeared unlikely to deliver a badly needed win to the pharmaceutical industry, as a top manufacturer's attorney faced a cool reception generally and an extended barrage of skepticism from one judge.

  • May 05, 2026

    Sanofi Unit Gets Backup In Fed. Circ. Double Patenting Appeal

    Canon, Sonos and several other tech and biopharma companies have thrown their weight behind a Sanofi subsidiary's appeal challenging how the Patent Trial and Appeal Board handles obviousness-type double patenting.

  • May 05, 2026

    Ga. Panel Seems Chilly To Adjusting Liability For Assault

    A Georgia appellate panel appeared skeptical Tuesday of an assault victim's bid to make the apartment complex where she was attacked shoulder more of a $5 million verdict she won, saying apportioning responsibility differently would likely lead to a reversal at the state supreme court.

  • May 05, 2026

    Feds Urge DC Circ. To Undo Iraqi, Afghan Visa Class Cert.

    The Trump administration has asked the D.C. Circuit to undo class certification for thousands of Afghan and Iraqi citizens seeking special immigrant visas after aiding U.S. forces overseas, as well as a revised plan to tackle a backlog of their delayed applications.

  • May 05, 2026

    Worker Fights 2nd Circ.'s Toss Of Teamsters Fund ERISA Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court should revive claims that the New York State Teamsters Conference Pension and Retirement Fund was mismanaged, a Teamsters-represented worker argued, asking the justices to breathe new life into his twice-dismissed Employee Retirement Income Security Act lawsuit.

  • May 05, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Doubts It Can Hear T-Mobile Settlement Scuffle

    A Federal Circuit panel on Tuesday appeared skeptical that it can weigh an appeal stemming from a settlement agreement between T-Mobile and a company that accused it of infringing a Wi-Fi calling patent, even though both sides argued there were grounds for jurisdiction.

  • May 05, 2026

    ERISA Recap: 5 Litigation Developments From April

    The U.S. Supreme Court turned down a bakery company's bid for review of a union multiemployer pension withdrawal bill, the Fourth Circuit held a bonus plan was exempt from federal benefits law, and the Sixth Circuit ruled federal law preempted Arkansas pharmacy benefit manager laws and regulations. Here's more on those and two other major decisions from April that benefits attorneys may want to know.

  • May 05, 2026

    Apple Urges Full Fed. Circ. To Undo Original Watch Import Ban

    A Federal Circuit panel erred when finding the U.S. International Trade Commission properly banned imports of Apple Watches with blood oxygen-monitoring features, the tech giant behind the devices said in a plea for rehearing by the full court.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    BNP Paribas Case Could Upend Global Banking Norms

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    If upheld on appeal, a New York federal jury's multimillion-dollar verdict against BNP Paribas would create an unpredictable liability landscape for global financial institutions in which fully lawful services in foreign countries can give rise to civil liability in U.S. courts, in a manner contrary to federal law, say attorneys at White & Case.

  • Series

    Isshin-Ryu Karate Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My involvement in martial arts, specifically Isshin-ryu, which has principles rooted in the eight codes of karate, has been one of the most foundational in the development of my personality, and particularly my approach to challenges — including in my practice of law, says Kaitlyn Stone at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • Opinion

    CBP's $166B Tariff Refund Portal Needs 4 Safeguards

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    Before launching its automated web portal to process tariff-refund disbursements on April 20, U.S. Customs and Border Protection should apply the expensive lessons learned from the pandemic-era employee retention credit, says Peter Gariepy at RubinBrown.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Tracing Paths To Award Recovery

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    Recent subpoenas to Adidas and Hilton deployed in Blasket Renewables v. Spain, pending in D.C. federal court, show arbitration award recovery to be a disciplined exercise in constructing visibility, applying pressure and sequencing procedural advantage, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn Square.

  • 5 Key Questions Attys Should Ask About Statistical Analyses

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    Even attorneys without a background in statistics can effectively vet the general concepts of a statistical analysis by asking targeted questions and can thereby reinforce the credibility and relevance of expert testimony — or expose its weaknesses, say Katrina Schydlower and Christopher Cunio at Hunton and Kevin Cahill at FTI Consulting.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: April Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy identifies practice tips from three recent rulings involving allegations of racial discrimination in mortgage applications, health insurance networks and actual cash value losses.

  • 'Made In America' EO May Not Survive Section 230

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    President Donald Trump's recent executive order to combat fraudulent "Made in America" claims in advertising directs the Federal Trade Commission to deem online marketplaces' failure to verify third-party origin claims as unlawful, but such a rule would likely run into Section 230's publisher immunity doctrine, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

  • Assessing EcoFactor's Impact On Damages Experts' Opinions

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    Though the Federal Circuit's ruling in EcoFactor v. Google gave rise to concerns that damages experts would be forced to rely on undisputed facts, recent case law suggests that those concerns are unwarranted, says Christopher Loh at Venable.

  • High Court Cert Case Would Test Sovereign Award Immunity

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    The D.C. Circuit's July 2025 Amaplat Mauritius v. Zimbabwe Mining Development decision appears to create a circuit split while elevating form over substance in a manner that, if left unreviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court, could bar the courthouse doors for creditors holding arbitration awards against recalcitrant foreign sovereigns, says Jeff Newton at Omni Bridgeway.

  • CFTC Actions Show Prediction Market Insider Trading Risks

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    It is a myth that insider trading law does not apply in prediction markets, as the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recent enforcement actions illustrate that it has full authority to pursue such cases federally — and intends to, says attorney Gregg Goldfarb.

  • 2nd Circ. Clarifies When Prior Good Acts May Be Admissible

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    The Second Circuit's recent ruling in U.S. v. Cardenas, vacating a drug conspiracy conviction over improperly excluded evidence, indicates that evidence of prior good acts may be admissible to corroborate a defendant's testimony about their understanding of events and intent, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Opinion

    Apple Discovery Fight Could Revive DOJ's Antitrust Appetite

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    Winning discovery disputes in the ongoing federal antitrust litigation over Apple’s app store practices is a huge opportunity for the Justice Department to return to its once-vigorous pursuit of product tying by tech monopolies, catch up with foreign competition regulators and establish clear standards for digital markets, says Ediberto Roman at Florida International University.

  • Lockdown To Ledger: COVID Rulings Inform Crypto Coverage

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    As cryptocurrencies move deeper into mainstream financial markets, courts tasked with determining whether traditional insurance policies respond to digital asset losses have been evaluating coverage through the analytical framework of COVID-19 business interruption litigation, with one key recurring theme, say attorneys at Kennedys.

  • Opinion

    State Bars Need To Get Specific About AI Confidentiality

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    Lawyers need to put actual client information into artificial intelligence tools to get their full value, but they cannot confidently do so until state bars offer clear, formal authority on which plan tiers of the three most popular generative AI tools are safe to use when sharing specific client details, says attorney Nick Berk.

  • The Federal Circuit's Evolving View Of Trade Secrets

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    In recent years, the Federal Circuit's approach to defining "readily ascertainable" information and determining sufficiency of trade secret identification has shifted, trending away from other circuits and potentially presenting a higher bar for trade secrets plaintiffs, say attorneys at MoFo.

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