Appellate

  • March 20, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Revives Patent Infringement Suit Over Paint Tech

    The Federal Circuit on Friday threw out a lower court's finding that a spray paint equipment supplier didn't infringe patents covering a part used in paint applications, saying the district court judge misinterpreted certain elements of the patents.

  • March 20, 2026

    New FTC Merger Form On Ice During 5th Circ. Appeal

    Merging companies are free to use the Federal Trade Commission's older, less onerous merger notice after the Fifth Circuit rejected a bid to keep the agency's overhaul of the filing requirements in place while enforcers appeal a case challenging the changes.

  • March 20, 2026

    4th Circ. Dubious Of Undoing Execs' Payroll Tax Convictions

    Two former software executives in North Carolina challenging their conviction for failing to pay employment taxes seemed unlikely to get a reversal in the Fourth Circuit on Friday, with at least one judge hearkening back to his days as a prosecutor as he opined that the pair had essentially been "stealing."

  • March 20, 2026

    Eye On ERISA: A Chat With King & Spalding's Darren Shuler

    Increased scrutiny of health plans and the high costs of care are fueling a litigation uptick that's coming not just from plan participants but also from employers frustrated with their third-party administrators, said Darren Shuler, a partner at King & Spalding LLP. Here, Shuler speaks with Law360 about litigation trends involving the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

  • March 20, 2026

    Justices Clarify Heck In Street Preacher's Free Speech Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday unanimously found that a street preacher convicted of violating a Mississippi city's rule governing public protests can use a federal civil rights lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of the law used to convict him, saying the man's conviction does not bar him from seeking "forward-looking relief." 

  • March 19, 2026

    4th Circ. Backs T-Mobile In Signal Interference Suit

    The Federal Communications Act dooms every bit of an internet and phone service provider's suit accusing T-Mobile of interfering with and slowing down its signals, the Fourth Circuit said Thursday, declining to revive the litigation.

  • March 19, 2026

    Consumers' Research Objects To Latest FCC Fees

    The conservative group that sued the Federal Communications Commission to have the Universal Service Fund declared unlawful wants the agency to set the percentage that phone companies have to contribute next quarter at zero, arguing that the program is not legal.

  • March 19, 2026

    4th Circ. Leery Of W.Va. Opioid Towns' Abatement Arguments

    During a heated hourlong oral argument Thursday, two Fourth Circuit judges interrogated an attorney for West Virginia municipalities stricken by the opioid crisis about whether the public nuisance of overly available drugs had already been abated, leaving only redress of resulting harms.

  • March 19, 2026

    5th Circ. Weighs Release Of Apple IP Agreements To Xiaomi

    A Fifth Circuit panel on Thursday asked why patent licensing agreements between Apple Inc. and Blackberry Corp. should be circulated beyond outside counsel of a Chinese rival to Apple involved in overseas litigation, questioning the parties on why they "can't live" with an exclusion preventing in-house counsel from seeing the records.

  • March 19, 2026

    Courts Must Hold Anti-SLAPP Dismissal Hearings, Panel Rules

    A district court must hold a hearing when considering a special motion to dismiss under Colorado's anti-SLAPP law, the Colorado Court of Appeals held Thursday for the first time in sending a defamation lawsuit between parents back to the lower court.

  • March 19, 2026

    Ex-Judges Say Anthropic Case Doesn't Merit Court Deference

    Nearly 150 former judges are backing Anthropic's fight against its designation as a "supply chain risk" by the U.S. Department of Defense, telling the D.C. Circuit in an amicus brief that the judiciary shouldn't simply defer to the executive just because it invokes national security.

  • March 19, 2026

    Ga. Court Upholds $3M Judgment In Sibling Trust Dispute

    A Georgia appeals court upheld a more than $3 million judgment against a man who allegedly slow-walked his late mother's trust administration in an attempt to help his daughter get need-based financial aid for college, finding that his malicious conduct justified putting him on the hook for damages and attorney fees. 

  • March 19, 2026

    States Join Push To Revive EPA Climate Danger Finding

    A coalition of state and local governments on Thursday became the latest group to ask that the D.C. Circuit overrule the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rescission last month of its long-held position on the danger greenhouse gases pose to public health.

  • March 19, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Rejects Last Challenge To Squires' Discretion

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday shot down Volkswagen's mandamus petition claiming that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director shouldn't have "unfettered discretion" to deny Patent Trial and Appeal Board challenges, closing the last of 14 related appeals.

  • March 19, 2026

    Colo. Appeals Court Clarifies, Limits Insurer Defense Rule

    An insurer is not required to provide a defense for an insured on claims "arguably" covered by the policy in the context of title insurance, the Colorado Court of Appeals held Thursday for the first time in ruling for an insurer in an insurance coverage dispute.

  • March 19, 2026

    9th Circ. Upholds Gun Ban For Domestic Violence Offenders

    Three men who were found to have used violence against their female partners in separate incidents were correctly convicted under a federal law prohibiting domestic abusers from possessing guns, the Ninth Circuit said, agreeing with other circuits that such restrictions were legal.

  • March 19, 2026

    Del. Supreme Court Revives Payscale's Noncompete Suit

    The Delaware Supreme Court on Thursday revived Payscale Inc.'s lawsuit seeking to enforce an 18-month noncompete agreement and related restrictive covenants against a former sales executive, ruling that a lower court dismissed the case too early by improperly weighing facts and drawing inferences against the company.

  • March 19, 2026

    7th Circ. Dissenters: Due Process Row Deserved Rehearing

    A trio of judges on the Seventh Circuit accused the full appeals court of cementing a circuit split with its sister courts by refusing to rehear a case about whether incarcerated people moved into disciplinary housing are entitled to formal due process hearings.

  • March 19, 2026

    Apple Watch Redesign Gets Early OK As Patent Loss Upheld

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday affirmed a U.S. International Trade Commission decision that found a previous version of the Apple Watch infringes two Masimo blood oxygen monitor patents, but the ruling came one day after an ITC judge said Apple's redesigned version does not infringe those patents.

  • March 19, 2026

    11th Circ. Partially Reopens Aetna Twin Birth Coverage Fight

    The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday undid Aetna's escape from a worker's coverage dispute over an extended hospital stay for her newborn twins, agreeing with the lower court that allegations failed to state a claim for violating federal benefits law but holding that an amended complaint should have been allowed.

  • March 19, 2026

    Justice Kagan Denies Apache Bid To Block Ariz. Land Transfer

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan on Thursday declined to block a federal government land transfer in Arizona after four Apache women looked to stop the exchange on behalf of their daughters, arguing that the area contains a site used for a coming of age ceremony that will be destroyed.

  • March 19, 2026

    Still No Shenanigans: Fed. Circ. Keeps Review Bar High

    The Federal Circuit's rejection of all mandamus petitions asking it to rein in the way U.S. Patent and Trademark Office leadership is ​evaluating patent challenges cements the appeals court's near-impossible standard for reviewing institution decisions, attorneys say.

  • March 19, 2026

    Ex-Uber Exec Takes Data Breach Conviction To High Court

    A former Uber security executive has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review his conviction for attempting to cover up a data breach from government investigators, saying the Ninth Circuit's decision affirming his conviction entrenched a circuit split over what kind of conduct actually rises to criminal liability.

  • March 19, 2026

    NC Justices Shouldn't Ax Severance Fight, Ex-CEO Says

    North Carolina's long-arm statute means its business court had jurisdiction to decide a lawsuit filed by the former CEO of a cybersecurity and IT firm over its alleged failure to buy out his equity interest as part of a severance agreement, he has argued to the state's high court in opposition to the company's appeal of a ruling keeping the case in the Tar Heel State.

  • March 19, 2026

    Zimbabwe Urges Justices To Pass On $50M Award Suit

    Zimbabwe urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday not to review a D.C. Circuit decision from last summer ending litigation seeking to enforce an 11-year-old, $50 million arbitral award against that African country, arguing that the question presented is "narrow and unimportant."

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • NYC Bar Opinion Warns Attys On Use Of AI Recording Tools

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    Attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools to record, transcribe and summarize conversations with clients should heed the New York City Bar Association’s recent opinion addressing the legal and ethical risks posed by such tools, and follow several best practices to avoid violating the Rules of Professional Conduct, say attorneys at Smith Gambrell.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Dispatches From Utah's Newest Court

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    While a robust body of law hasn't yet developed since the Utah Business and Chancery Court's founding in October 2024, the number of cases filed there has recently picked up, and its existence illustrates Utah's desire to be top of mind for businesses across the country, says Evan Strassberg at Michael Best.

  • 4 Quick Emotional Resets For Lawyers With Conflict Fatigue

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    Though the emotional wear and tear of legal work can trap attorneys in conflict fatigue — leaving them unable to shake off tense interactions or return to a calm baseline — simple therapeutic techniques for resetting the nervous system can help break the cycle, says Chantel Cohen at CWC Coaching & Therapy.

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