Appellate

  • April 09, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Chief Feels 'Bright-Line Rule Coming' For IP Marking

    As a Federal Circuit panel reprimanded embattled attorney William Ramey on Thursday for the "disrespect" shown in his failed 3D glasses patent litigation against Volkswagen, the Federal Circuit's chief judge suggested precedent may be needed to define the role of marking in admissionless settlements.

  • April 09, 2026

    11th Circ. Affirms Dish Network's Copyright Win, $600K Award

    The Eleventh Circuit Thursday refused to disturb a $600,000 copyright win for Dish Network in long-running litigation over Arabic pay-TV programming distribution, ruling that the lower court was correct in finding that Dish's copyrights were infringed.

  • April 09, 2026

    7th Circ. Judge Questions Madigan Jury's Intent Instruction

    A Seventh Circuit judge appeared skeptical Thursday that jurors received a proper intent instruction before they ultimately convicted former Illinois House speaker Michael Madigan of participating in bribery schemes involving Exelon Corp. subsidiary Commonwealth Edison and a former Chicago alderman.

  • April 09, 2026

    Combs Takes Sentencing Argument To Flummoxed 2nd Circ.

    A Second Circuit panel struggled Thursday with Sean "Diddy" Combs' argument that he was penalized too severely for transporting women for prostitution, saying it is the first appeals court nationwide to attempt to interpret new sentencing protocols on acquitted conduct.

  • April 09, 2026

    Trump Picks Ohio Ex-Solicitor General For 6th Circ.

    President Donald Trump announced Thursday evening that he is tapping Benjamin Flowers, former solicitor general of Ohio, to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

  • April 09, 2026

    9th Circ. Axes Kids' 'Sprawling And Speculative' Climate Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel affirmed Thursday tossing youths' lawsuit alleging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's greenhouse gas "discount" program discriminates against children by favoring present-day consumption over future consumption, finding the kids' "sprawling and speculative causal theory" of alleged environmental harms aren't traceable to the government's policies.

  • April 09, 2026

    Irish Mallinckrodt Unit Stuck In Drug Price-Fixing Suit

    An Irish entity of drugmaker Mallinckrodt waited too long to seek dismissal of a price-fixing lawsuit brought by states based on a lack of personal jurisdiction or proper service, a Connecticut federal judge has ruled, finding that the company first raised that argument more than five years after the complaint was filed.

  • April 09, 2026

    6th Circ. Backs NLRB In Fight Over Paving Co. Lockout

    A Midwest paving and road construction company violated federal labor law by blocking a group of Michigan employees from working for three weeks in an attempt to force their union's hand in a bargaining dispute, the Sixth Circuit has ruled, upholding a National Labor Relations Board decision.

  • April 09, 2026

    Conn. Justices Hint Town's Cannabis Oil Stance Is Hazy

    A Connecticut Supreme Court justice said Thursday that he was "struggling" with a town board's argument that it can block a hemp cultivator from using a zoning exemption to expand its product selection simply because the General Assembly has established a recreational marijuana licensing process.

  • April 09, 2026

    Mich. Panel Clarifies Role Of Intent In Miranda Waiver Rules

    A Michigan state appellate panel said Wednesday that intent matters when police officers read suspects their Miranda rights in the midst of questioning them, then seek to use information gathered during the post-Miranda interview to build a case against them.

  • April 09, 2026

    9th Circ. Upholds NCAA Eligibility Limit, Ends Player's Season

    The Ninth Circuit has ended a University of Nevada baseball player's sixth season of competition, reversing a district court order that allowed him to start the season and upholding the NCAA's five-year eligibility limit.

  • April 09, 2026

    Ex-Law Officer Urges 4th Circ. To Uphold W.Va. Privacy Law

    The plaintiff in a lawsuit accusing data brokers of violating a West Virginia state law barring the dissemination of public officials' addresses and phone numbers defended the law's constitutionality Wednesday, arguing to the Fourth Circuit that it regulates speech "integral" to criminal conduct and shouldn't be subjected to strict scrutiny.

  • April 09, 2026

    Mich. Justices Revisit Med Mal Wrongful Death Filing Limits

    The Michigan Supreme Court on Thursday heard arguments revisiting its 2004 decision that narrowed the window for filing certain medical malpractice suits, with attorneys for a patient's estate urging the justices to overturn the ruling and extend the limit for wrongful death claims during the statutory notice period.

  • April 09, 2026

    Cigna 401(k) Suit Won't Wait For Intel Supreme Court Decision

    A Pennsylvania federal court turned down Cigna's bid to stay a proposed class action alleging the insurance company misspent forfeitures from its employee 401(k) plan and offered an underperforming investment fund while the U.S. Supreme Court considers a 401(k) suit against Intel, finding the request unjustified.

  • April 09, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Affirms Army Refund Over $73M Hangar Contract

    A contractor must refund the U.S. Army roughly $494,000 under a nearly $73 million hangar contract after the Army deleted certain requirements, the Federal Circuit ruled Thursday, rejecting the contractor's position that performing the contract was already impossible.

  • April 09, 2026

    Judge Says Poultry Enviro Deals In 20-Year Suits Fall Short

    An Oklahoma federal judge has rejected a bid by the state and several poultry companies to enter consent decrees in their two-decade-old dispute, finding the agreements did not go far enough to address pollution of the Illinois River Watershed.

  • April 09, 2026

    Split 4th Circ. Backs West Virginia Schoolchildren Vax Law

    A split Fourth Circuit panel struck down an order barring West Virginia from applying a compulsory vaccination law to a student whose parents alleged the law violates her religious rights, ruling the law serves the state's interest in reducing the spread of infectious diseases.

  • April 09, 2026

    Texas Panel Nixes $7.9M Pipe Award Over 'Meager' Evidence

    A Texas state appeals court on Thursday erased a $7.9 million judgment tied to defective pipe work on natural gas liquefaction projects, finding there wasn't enough evidence that the company the jurors ruled liable was the one that actually made the deal.

  • April 09, 2026

    Colo. Appeals Court Upholds State Sanctuary Law

    A Colorado law that prohibits counties from entering into immigration detention agreements with the federal government does not violate the state's constitution, the Colorado Court of Appeals held Thursday in rejecting Douglas County's challenge to the law.

  • April 09, 2026

    Miami Police Chief's Firing Was Justified, 11th Circ. Told

    Former Miami officials urged the Eleventh Circuit on Thursday to dismiss retaliation claims against them, arguing they're immune from a lawsuit brought by a police chief who alleged he was wrongfully terminated after informing the FBI and state law enforcement officials that corruption was occurring within the city.

  • April 09, 2026

    1st Circ. Sees Rationale For Puerto Rico 'X' Birth Marker Ban

    A First Circuit panel floated a possible legal pathway for Puerto Rico to refuse to add a neutral gender option on birth certificates Thursday as the commonwealth appealed a mandate to permit nonbinary people to change their gender to "x."

  • April 09, 2026

    Wash. Justices Oust Judge Pro Tem Over Forged Parking Doc

    Washington's highest court voted unanimously Thursday to remove a substitute judge from his King County District Court post for forging a court document in an effort to save $10 on daily parking costs.

  • April 09, 2026

    Philip Morris, RJR Keep Win In Widower's Death Suit

    A Massachusetts appeals panel Thursday refused to reinstate a suit from a widower against Philip Morris USA Inc. and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. over the death of his wife from COPD, saying he hadn't properly preserved his arguments for tolling the statute of limitations.

  • April 09, 2026

    Ex-Player Asks NC Justices To Revive School Negligence Suit

    A former college football player is urging North Carolina justices to take up his appeal and rule that a lower court was wrong to hand a pretrial win to Gardner-Webb University, arguing a jury should decide if the school took reasonable care to protect him from "attempted murder."

  • April 09, 2026

    9th Circ. Nixes Tribe's Bid To Vacate Union Card Check Award

    A California Native American tribe can't undo an arbitration award requiring it to follow the guidelines for union representation elections outlined in its 2017 agreement with UNITE HERE, the Ninth Circuit has ruled.

Expert Analysis

  • Tips For Financial Advisers Facing TRO From Former Firm

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    The Eighth Circuit's recent decision in Choreo v. Lors, overturning a lower court's sweeping injunction after financial advisers moved to a new firm, gives advisers new strategies to fight restraining orders from their old firms, such as focusing on whether the alleged irreparable harm is calculable, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Closure Highlights Labor Law Stakes

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    The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's recently announced closure, after the U.S. Supreme Court denied relief from an injunction mandating that the newspaper restore terms from its previous collective bargaining agreement, illustrates that prematurely declaring an impasse and implementing unilateral changes carries risk, says Sunshine Fellows at Freeman Mathis.

  • Unpacking Dormant Commerce Clause Cannabis Circuit Split

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    Federal courts have reached differing conclusions as to whether state-legal cannabis is subject to the dormant commerce clause, with four opinions across three circuit courts in the last year demonstrating the continued salience of the dormant commerce clause debate to the nation's cannabis industry, regulators and policymakers, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Texas AG Wields Consumer Protection Law Against Tech Cos.

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    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has targeted technology companies using the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, a broadly worded statute that gives the attorney general wide latitude to pursue claims beyond traditional consumer protection, creating unique litigation risks, say attorneys at Yetter Coleman.

  • Emerging Themes In Nevada High Court Civil Litigation

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    The Nevada Supreme Court issued a series of significant civil rulings in 2025 that reflect recurring themes: a restrained approach to personal jurisdiction, heightened expectations of professionalism, close scrutiny of trial conduct, and a willingness to enforce contractual provisions that other jurisdictions might reject, says Michael Lowry at Wilson Elser.

  • What To Know As Courts Rethink McDonnell-Douglas

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    Although the U.S. Supreme Court declined the latest opportunity to address the viability of the McDonnell-Douglas burden-shifting framework used in employment discrimination and retaliation claims, two justices and courts around the country are increasingly seeking to abandon it, which could potentially lead to more trials and higher litigation budgets, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • A Primer On Law Enforcement Self-Defense Doctrine

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    In the wake of several shootings by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, misconceptions persist about what the laws governing police use of force actually permit, and it’s essential for legal practitioners to understand the contours of the underlying constitutional doctrine, says Markus Funk at White & Case.

  • Series

    Teaching Logic Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Teaching middle and high school students the skills to untangle complicated arguments and identify faulty reasoning has made me reacquaint myself with the defined structure of thought, reminding me why logic should remain foundational in the practice of law, says Tom Barrow at Woods Rogers.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Resilience

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    Resilience is a skill acquired through daily practices that focus on learning from missteps, recovering quickly without internalizing defeat and moving forward with intention, says Nicholas Meza at Quarles & Brady.

  • How Specificity, Self-Dealing Are Shaping ERISA Litigation

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    Several recent cases, including the U.S. Supreme Court's forthcoming ruling in Anderson v. Intel, illustrate the competing forces shaping excessive fee litigation, with plaintiffs seeking flexibility, courts demanding specificity, fiduciaries facing increased scrutiny for conflicts of interest, and self-dealing amplifying exposure, says James Beall at Willig Williams.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Terminations Galore

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    Three recent decisions from the Federal Circuit and the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals provide valuable insights about sticking to a contract's plain language, navigating breach of contract claims, and jurisdictional limits on reinstatement of a canceled contract, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Opinion

    Minn. Can Still Bring State Charges In Absence Of Fed Action

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    After two fatal shootings by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota's role isn't waiting to see if the federal government brings criminal charges, but independently weighing state homicide charges and allowing the judiciary to decide whether the subject conduct falls within the narrow protections of supremacy clause immunity, says Sheila Tendy at Tendy Law.

  • State Of Insurance: Q4 Notes From Illinois

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    In 2025's last quarter, Illinois’ appellate courts weighed in on overlapping homeowners coverages for water-related damages, contractual suit limitation provisions in uninsured motorist policies, and protections for genetic health information in life insurance underwriting, while the Department of Insurance sought nationwide homeowners' insurance data from State Farm, says Matthew Fortin at BatesCarey.

  • How 2 Tech Statutes Are Being Applied To Agentic AI

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    The application of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the California Invasion of Privacy Act to agentic artificial intelligence is still developing, but recent case law, like Amazon's lawsuit against Perplexity in California federal court, provides some initial guidance for companies developing or deploying these technologies, say attorneys at Weil.

  • Defense Strategy Takeaways From Recent TCPA Class Actions

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    Although recent Telephone Consumer Protection Act decisions do not establish any bright-line tests for defeating predominance based on an argument that class members provided consent for the calls, certain trends have emerged that should inform defense strategies at class certification, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

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