Appellate

  • April 28, 2026

    Texas Panel Probes $557M Union Pacific Train Injury Verdict

    A Texas appeals panel Tuesday considered whether jurors were given the wrong liability standard before issuing a $557 million verdict against Union Pacific Railroad Co. over a woman who was hit by one of its trains, putting into question a roughly $73 million judgment.

  • April 28, 2026

    4th Circ. Says Ch. 13 Plan Keeping 3 Cars Lacks Good Faith

    A panel of the Fourth Circuit upheld the rejection of a North Carolina resident's Chapter 13 plan, saying Tuesday the plan complied with the letter of the Bankruptcy Code but was not an "honest effort" to pay his debts.

  • April 28, 2026

    Pipeline Violations Trouble 4th Circ. As Gas Co. Fights Stay

    A Fourth Circuit panel repeatedly pressed state enforcers and counsel for Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC during oral arguments Tuesday, questioning how language baked into water quality certifications would protect local streams and wetlands given the company's history of permit violations.

  • April 28, 2026

    5th Circ. Judge 'Hung Up' On FDA Vape Denial Reasoning

    A Fifth Circuit judge on Tuesday pressed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on how it reviews applications from flavored vape manufacturers, asking why repeatedly denying applicants on similar grounds should not be treated as a rule requiring notice-and-comment.

  • April 28, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Invalidates IP Without Touching LG's $1.7M Jury Loss

    LG Electronics Inc. won an invalidation of claims of Constellation Designs LLC's digital communications patents at the Federal Circuit on Tuesday but couldn't escape a jury's infringement finding based on broadcast standards, nor the subsequent $1.68 million verdict.

  • April 28, 2026

    EPA Creates A Legal Haze With Emissions Plan Rejections

    The Trump administration is advancing a novel constitutional argument in its efforts to keep fossil fuel-fired power plants open, which, if sustained in court, could pose new challenges for states trying to hold up their end of the Clean Air Act.

  • April 28, 2026

    New IEX Options Exchange Is Anticompetitive, 11th Circ. Told

    Citadel Securities LLC urged the Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday to block the federal approval of a new options exchange, arguing that the platform's delay mechanism promotes anticompetitive and discriminatory trading practices. 

  • April 28, 2026

    FCC's Carr Orders ABC Station Probes Amid Kimmel Dispute

    The Federal Communications Commission's staff ordered an early license review of Disney-owned ABC stations Tuesday, a controversial move made just days after President Donald Trump demanded the network fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.

  • April 28, 2026

    Genworth Says 4th Circ. Panel Right To Decertify 401(k) Class

    An insurance company urged the Fourth Circuit not to review a panel's earlier decision unraveling certification for more than 4,000 of the insurance company's 401(k) plan participants on claims they lost millions from underperforming BlackRock Inc. target date funds, arguing against two ex-workers' bid for en banc review.

  • April 28, 2026

    DOJ Says Sen. Kelly Not Immune From Military Discipline

    The Trump administration urged the D.C. Circuit to lift an injunction blocking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from reducing Sen. Mark Kelly's U.S. Navy rank, arguing there's no reason retired officers should be exempt from military discipline. 

  • April 28, 2026

    Orrick Lands Senior IP Atty From USPTO

    Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP has boosted its intellectual property bench with the addition of a former attorney at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

  • April 28, 2026

    Justices Wary Of Cisco's Bid To Avoid Aiding Torture Claims

    The U.S. Supreme Court seemed skeptical Tuesday of Cisco Systems Inc.'s argument that the Alien Tort Statute categorically bars claims for aiding and abetting alleged human rights violations, with several justices suggesting the viability of such claims should turn on the facts of each specific case. 

  • April 28, 2026

    2nd Circ. Splits With 5th, 8th On Migrant Bond Detention

    A unanimous Second Circuit panel on Tuesday rejected the Trump administration's argument that noncitizens who entered the U.S. unlawfully, regardless of their length of stay, aren't eligible for bond, diverging from the Fifth and Eighth circuits.

  • April 28, 2026

    10th Circ. Says Colo. Suit Against Officer On Leave Fell Short

    A Colorado woman did not plausibly allege an Aurora policeman who attacked her had actual authority to use force or conduct arrests as a sworn officer on administrative leave, the Tenth Circuit held.

  • April 28, 2026

    Oncor Wins Long-Running Union Firing Fight At DC Circ.

    A major Texas electric company was allowed to fire a union-represented worker for testifying that the company's smart meters were damaging people's homes, a D.C. Circuit panel ruled Tuesday, finding the worker's 2012 testimony at a Texas Senate committee hearing wasn't protected by the National Labor Relations Act.

  • April 28, 2026

    Teleflex Settles Catheter Patent Case Against Medtronic

    Medical device company Teleflex and Medtronic have reached a settlement to end a catheter patent dispute from which a judge recused himself after explaining he was "at a loss" on how to proceed.

  • April 28, 2026

    7th Circ. Backs $7M Loan Fraudster's 6-Year Sentence

    The Seventh Circuit has upheld a six-year prison sentence for a financial controller on charges he defrauded two banks and caused more than $7 million in losses, backing a sentencing enhancement for his supervisory role in the scheme because he was "more than a conduit or middleman" and "actively planned, coordinated and concealed the fraud."

  • April 28, 2026

    4th Circ. Reverses, Says Bag Search Evidence Was Inevitable

    A North Carolina man charged with drug and gun violations when he was arrested for interfering with a police investigation after riding his bike in and out of an active crime scene, cannot have evidence against him suppressed, a Fourth Circuit appeals panel ruled Tuesday.

  • April 28, 2026

    Uber, Drivers Drop Appeal In Yearslong Misclassification Fight

    A group of Uber Black drivers and the ride-hailing company agreed Tuesday to dismiss the drivers' appeal before the Third Circuit in a protracted worker classification dispute that has spanned a decade, according to a federal court filing.

  • April 28, 2026

    4th Circ. Backs SC City's Win Over Short-Term Rentals Suit

    The Fourth Circuit backed a South Carolina city's summary judgment win over a local property owner's suit challenging the city's short-term rentals regulations, ruling that the owner lacks standing to sue.

  • April 28, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Constitution 'Not A NIMBY Charter' In Portland

    A split Ninth Circuit panel granted the Trump administration's request to stay orders two Oregon federal judges issued to rein in federal agents' use of tear gas and other crowd-control munitions around a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland.

  • April 28, 2026

    Pa. Justices Rule Voting Data Isn't Protected From Sharing

    An electronic database showing the outcome of a Pennsylvania county's vote is a report generated by tabulating equipment, not the "contents" of a ballot box or voting machine protected from public disclosure, the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

  • April 28, 2026

    Death Row Inmate Seeks 10th Circ. Rehearing On Gender Bias

    Brenda Andrew, the only woman on Oklahoma's death row, is again asking the Tenth Circuit to consider whether gender bias and misogyny in her 2004 murder trial violated her constitutional right to a fair trial, her attorneys confirmed on Tuesday.

  • April 28, 2026

    Dems Say Calif. Redistricting Map Isn't Racial Gerrymandering

    The campaign arm of House Democrats has asked a California federal judge to toss a challenge to the state's new voter-backed congressional districts, saying state Republicans had failed to provide direct evidence that it benefits one race more.

  • April 28, 2026

    Federal Inmates Can Earn Credits In State Lockup, 1st Circ. Says

    Federal prisoners may earn First Step Act time credit toward shortening their sentences during state custody before arriving at a federal prison, the First Circuit ruled, deeming a contrary federal policy invalid.

Expert Analysis

  • Resolving The Conflict In 2nd Circ. Foreign Discovery Rulings

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    The Second Circuit recently issued two seemingly inconsistent decisions regarding the federal statute that permits U.S. discovery for purposes of a foreign proceeding, but the unifying feature appears to be the broad scope for district court discretion under Section 1782, say attorneys at Katsky Korins.

  • How 2nd Circ. Gave Loper Bright Real Force In SEC Cases

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    The Second Circuit's recent decision in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Amah offers one of the first clear indications of how courts will operationalize Loper Bright, signaling that long-standing SEC enforcement theories resting on ambiguous definitional provisions are now subject to more rigorous judicial scrutiny, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Alpine Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Skiing has shaped habits I rely on daily as an attorney — focus, resilience and the ability to remain steady when circumstances shift rapidly — and influences the way I approach legal strategy, client counseling and teamwork, says Isaku Begert at Marshall Gerstein.

  • Opinion

    Time To Fix The Accountability Gap In Freight Logistics

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    In Montgomery v. Caribe Transport, the U.S. Supreme Court must resolve an urgent question: whether freight broker selection in trucking accidents is categorically protected — meaning unreasonable safety decisions are insulated from liability — or subject to accountability under traditional negligence principles, says Amanda Demanda at Amanda Demanda Injury Lawyers.

  • 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.

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