Appellate

  • September 05, 2025

    DC Circ. Won't Halt Order Releasing Billions In Foreign Aid

    Both a divided D.C. Circuit panel and a district court judge Friday refused to hit pause on the judge's recent order requiring the Trump administration to release billions of dollars in frozen foreign aid.

  • September 05, 2025

    8th Circ. Vacates Biden-Era, Updated EV Fuel Economy Rules

    The Eighth Circuit Friday vacated the U.S. Department of Energy's updated method of calculating the fuel economy equivalent estimates for electric vehicles, finding that the DOE didn't have the authority to enact the 2024 rule, nor did it comply with the Administrative Procedures Act.

  • September 05, 2025

    Feds Say Supreme Court Trumps 9th Circ.'s UC Grant Ruling

    The Trump administration has urged the Ninth Circuit to reconsider a panel decision that upheld an order to reinstate University of California research grants terminated by the White House, saying the U.S. Supreme Court subsequently contradicted the panel's holding in a "materially identical" case.

  • September 05, 2025

    7th Circ. Probes Colleague, Timing In DePaul Firing Bias Suit

    A Seventh Circuit panel on Friday dove into the timeline of a former DePaul University professor's firing and the details surrounding a colleague who allegedly received comparatively lighter treatment amid sexual misconduct allegations as the judges considered reviving claims that the university decided against rehiring him because of his race.

  • September 05, 2025

    DC Circ. Enforces NLRB Order Against Puerto Rico Beer Co.

    A Puerto Rico beer company must bargain in good faith with its workers' union and give six months of back pay to an employee union leader whom it placed on unpaid leave, a split D.C. Circuit said Friday, upholding a decision of the National Labor Relations Board.

  • September 05, 2025

    Democrat Slaughter Asks Justices To Let Her Stay On FTC

    Democratic Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday not to pause her reinstatement while the Trump administration challenges lower court decisions holding that her firing was illegal, saying those decisions were plainly correct and she's in no danger of sowing "chaos."

  • September 05, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Pause $26M Fraud Ruling For Co.'s Appeal

    The Ninth Circuit has denied a New Jersey pipe importer's request to pause a decision affirming a $26 million fraud judgment while it appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • September 05, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives Ex-DLA Worker's Disability Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit revived a suspended Defense Logistics Agency employee's lawsuit that accused the agency of disability discrimination, saying in a published opinion that the agency's "numerous errors" warranted pushing back the former employee's deadline for filing suit.

  • September 05, 2025

    2nd Circ. Backs Ex-Pfizer Worker's Insider Trading Conviction

    The Second Circuit on Friday affirmed a former Pfizer Inc. statistician's insider trading conviction for making $272,000 in options trades from nonpublic news about the success of trials for the COVID-19 therapy drug Paxlovid, rejecting his arguments that prosecutors improperly shifted their legal theory at trial and pursued the case in the wrong venue.

  • September 05, 2025

    FTC Drops Appeal For Rule Banning Noncompetes

    The Federal Trade Commission officially abandoned its appeal Friday in a case that set aside a Biden administration rule banning the use of most employee noncompete clauses, but the agency said it plans to bring enforcement actions on a case-by-case basis instead.

  • September 05, 2025

    DOJ, Others Push High Court To Undo Cox Copyright Ruling

    The U.S. solicitor general and a host of groups and businesses have thrown their support behind Cox Communications' U.S. Supreme Court appeal of a finding that telecom companies can be liable for copyright infringement for providing an internet connection that leads to music piracy online.

  • September 05, 2025

    NJ Court Won't Push Affordable Housing Project Through

    A New Jersey state appeals court affirmed Friday that a developer can't bypass a municipality's zoning rules and obtain approvals for an affordable housing project, even though the development is part of the municipality's plan to meet its affordable housing obligations.

  • September 05, 2025

    9th Circ. Deems COVID Jobless Pay Constitutionally Protected

    A Ninth Circuit panel has ruled a Washington state resident has standing to bring a proposed class action against the Washington State Employment Security Department for allegedly underpaying COVID-era benefits, declaring the plaintiff's property interest in the benefits is constitutionally protected.

  • September 05, 2025

    Debt Relief Co. Appeals CFPB's $43M Win To 7th Circ.

    The former owner of a defunct debt relief provider and the company have filed an appeal to the Seventh Circuit to challenge a ruling ordering them to pay more than $43 million in restitution and penalties to settle claims from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that the firm preyed on student loan borrowers.

  • September 05, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Sees No Issue With Commerce's $1.5B Award Redo

    A Federal Circuit judge on Friday slammed an IT consulting firm's challenge to the U.S. Department of Commerce's reevaluation of a $1.5 billion information technology deal amid ongoing bid protests, saying nothing legally prevented the government from terminating the award.

  • September 05, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Sinks Inventor's Bid To Escape $214K In Sanctions

    The Federal Circuit on Friday denied efforts by the inventor of a patent covering a type of marking tape to escape a nearly $214,000 sanctions order from a lower court, saying it had previously upheld the award for bad faith litigation and won't alter it now.

  • September 05, 2025

    3rd Circ. Affirms Feds' Primacy Over Pa. Grid Project

    The Third Circuit ruled in a precedential decision on Friday that the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission's blocking of a transmission line project in the state was unconstitutional because it hampered federal objectives, affirming a lower court's ruling that the commission lacked the authority to halt construction.

  • September 05, 2025

    Ex-Ill. Speaker Asks 7th Circ. To Stay Prison Term For Appeal

    Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has asked the Seventh Circuit to stay his impending surrender to serve a seven-year prison sentence for bribery and wire fraud as he appeals that conviction to the appellate court, saying his appeal is likely to succeed. 

  • September 05, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs PTAB Axing CAO Lighting Patent Claims

    The Federal Circuit on Friday signed off on Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions that invalidated various claims in a pair of LED patents, mostly handing a win to challengers like General Electric Co. and semiconductor company Wolfspeed Inc.

  • September 05, 2025

    Harper Lee Estate, Publisher Settle 'Mockingbird' Play IP Case

    Harper Lee's estate and a publishing company have settled their dispute over a "To Kill a Mockingbird" play adaptation the estate allegedly licensed without authority, wiping a more than $2.5 million arbitration fee appeal off the books the day before their scheduled arguments at the Seventh Circuit. 

  • September 05, 2025

    3rd Circ. Backs Jailing Supervised Release Violators

    The Third Circuit ruled in a published opinion issued Friday that federal district judges have the power to send criminal defendants back to prison while they await a hearing on whether they violated the terms of their supervised release.

  • September 05, 2025

    Lindberg Challenges Receivership After $524M Arbitral Award

    Insurance mogul Greg Lindberg, who pled guilty to defrauding policyholders and was convicted of attempting to bribe North Carolina's insurance commissioner, urged a state appeals court to overturn the appointment of a receiver over his worldwide assets, after he was hit with a $524 million arbitration award.

  • September 05, 2025

    Ore. Court Finds Claim For Tax Sale Proceeds Untimely

    An Oregon county violated the U.S. Constitution when it retained the surplus proceeds of a tax sale, a state appeals court ruled, but the property owner's claim for the funds was untimely and a lower court was correct to dismiss it.

  • September 05, 2025

    6th Circ. Finds Boss' Pregnancy Remark Supports Bias Claim

    A split Sixth Circuit panel revived part of a lawsuit from a woman who alleges a Michigan hospital system laid her off because she was pregnant, finding that evidence that the worker's supervisor was concerned about the pregnancy's effects on department productivity supports pregnancy discrimination claims.

  • September 05, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Revives Pro Se Inventor's Social Media Patent Bid

    The Federal Circuit on Friday breathed new life into a Florida man's attempt to patent a way of facilitating the flow of information on social media networks, finding the Patent Trial and Appeal Board needs to take another look.

Expert Analysis

  • 7th Circ. FLSA Notice Test Adds Flexibility, Raises Questions

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    In Richards v. Eli Lilly, the Seventh Circuit created a new approach for district courts to determine whether to issue notice to opt-in plaintiffs in Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions, but its road map leaves many unanswered questions, says Rebecca Ojserkis at Cohen Milstein.

  • How 2nd Circ. Cannabis Ruling Upends NY Licensing

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    A recent Second Circuit decision in Variscite NY Four v. New York, holding that New York's extra-priority cannabis licensing preference for applicants with in-state marijuana convictions violates the dormant commerce clause, underscores that state-legal cannabis markets remain subject to the same constitutional constraints as other economic markets, say attorneys at Harris Beach.

  • Parenting Skills That Can Help Lawyers Thrive Professionally

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    As kids head back to school, the time is ripe for lawyers who are parents to consider how they can incorporate their parenting skills to build a deep, meaningful and sustainable legal practice, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Enablement Standard Insights From Fed. Circ. Agilent Ruling

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    The Federal Circuit's recent enablement standard decision in Agilent v. Synthego underscores three critical takeaways for patent practitioners, including reaffirmation that the enablement inquiry under Section 102 of the Patent Act is distinct from the inquiry under Section 112, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: September Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses seven decisions pertaining to attorney fees in class action settlements, the predominance requirement in automobile insurance cases, how the no mootness exception applies if the named plaintiff is potentially subject to a strong individual defense, and more.

  • Series

    Teaching Trial Advocacy Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    Teaching trial advocacy skills to other lawyers makes us better litigators because it makes us question our default methods, connect to young attorneys with new perspectives and focus on the needs of the real people at the heart of every trial, say Reuben Guttman, Veronica Finkelstein and Joleen Youngers.

  • The Crucial Question Left Unanswered In EpicentRx Decision

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    The California Supreme Court recently issued its long-awaited decision in EpicentRx Inc. v. Superior Court, resolving a dispute regarding the enforceability of forum selection clauses, but the question remains whether private companies can trust that courts will continue to consistently enforce forum selection clauses in corporate charters, says John Yow at Yow PC.

  • 5 Key Steps To Prepare For Oral Arguments

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    Whether presenting oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court or a local county judge, effective preparation includes the same essential ingredients, from organizing arguments in blocks to maximizing the potential of mock exercises, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.

  • Maryland High Court Ruling Clarifies Claim Assignment

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    In its recent opinion in Featherfall Restoration, the Maryland Supreme Court reemphasized a policyholder's ability to assign a claim despite the presence of general liability policy language requiring an insurer's written consent, nevertheless highlighting the importance of specific wording, say attorneys at Bradley Arant.

  • Why EpicentRx Ruling Is A Major Win For Business Certainty

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    The California Supreme Court's recent decision in EpicentRx v. Superior Court removes a significant source of uncertainty that plagued commercial litigation in California by clarifying that forum selection clauses shouldn't be invalidated solely because the selected forum lacks the right to a jury trial, say attorneys at Clark Hill.

  • 9th Circ. Finding That NFTs Are Goods Will Change TM Law

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent ruling in Yuga Labs v. Ripps establishes that NFTs have real, commercial value under U.S. federal trademark law, a new legal precedent that may significantly influence intellectual property enforcement and marketplace policies regarding digital assets going forward, say attorneys at Wilson Elser.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From Texas AUSA To BigLaw

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    As I learned when I transitioned from an assistant U.S. attorney to a BigLaw partner, the move from government to private practice is not without its hurdles, but it offers immense potential for growth and the opportunity to use highly transferable skills developed in public service, says Jeffery Vaden at Bracewell.

  • Union Interference Lessons From 5th Circ. Apple Ruling

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    The Fifth Circuit's recent holding that Apple did not violate the National Labor Relations Act during a store's union organizing drive provides guidance on what constitutes coercive interrogation and clarifies how consistently enforced workplace policies may be applied to union literature, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • 3 Rulings Show Hurdles To Proving Market Manipulation Fraud

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    Three recent conviction reversals from New York federal courts highlight the challenges that prosecutors face in establishing fraud and market manipulation allegations, suggesting that courts are increasingly reluctant to find criminal liability when novel theories are advanced, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Drafting M&A Docs After Delaware Corp. Law Amendments

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    Attorneys at Greenberg Traurig discuss how the March and June amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law affect the drafting of corporate and M&A documents, including board resolutions, governing documents, and books and records demands.

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