Appellate

  • February 18, 2026

    Ga. Railroad Defends Land Seizures In Eminent Domain Fight

    A small Georgia railroad operation urged a state appellate court Wednesday to uphold successive rulings by the state's utility commission and a trial court to allow condemnation of landowners' property to build a new spur in its network and to lift the stay that's currently holding up construction.

  • February 18, 2026

    Trump Opposes Stay In Mar-A-Lago Case During Appeal

    President Donald Trump and his former co-defendants in the criminal case over his handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago registered their opposition Wednesday in Florida federal court to pausing the case while two nonprofit groups appeal the denial of their request to release the final report from former special counsel Jack Smith.

  • February 18, 2026

    Florida Court Revives Homeowner Suit Against Insurer

    A Florida appeals court on Wednesday revived a suit by two homeowners against their insurer after finding that the lawsuit was wrongly tossed because the homeowners' counsel failed to appear at trial.

  • February 18, 2026

    5th Circ. Affirms Staffing Co.'s Pay Plan Doesn't Exempt OT

    A staffing company's retainer pay plan guaranteeing a set amount of pay for any work in a workweek did not represent a salary under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Fifth Circuit affirmed Wednesday.

  • February 18, 2026

    Pa. Court Permits Officers' Biased Remarks In Murder Case

    Pennsylvania's highest court affirmed a life sentence for murder on Wednesday, finding that police interrogation video shown to a jury in which detectives made accusatory statements and opined on the suspect's guilt was admissible.

  • February 18, 2026

    11th Circ. Says No Sanctions In Capitol Riot Defamation Case

    An American Airlines flight attendant won't face sanctions for suing a co-worker for defamation after he posted statements online about her participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed.

  • February 18, 2026

    State High Court Chiefs To Review Law School Accreditation

    State supreme court leaders said Wednesday they will conduct a thorough review of law school accreditation practices this year, a move that comes after state justices in Texas and Florida recently ended the American Bar Association's longstanding accreditation monopoly in those states.

  • February 18, 2026

    9th Circ. Affirms Tracy Anderson's Workout Copyright Loss

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday affirmed a ruling that invalidated copyrights to celebrity fitness trainer Tracy Anderson's "Tracy Anderson Method" workout routines in 19 DVDs, finding that the routines are unprotectable methods designed to improve health, similar to yoga poses at issue in the Ninth Circuit's Bikram ruling.

  • February 18, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Backs More Samsung PTAB Wins Over Audio Tech

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday backed most of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's decisions to invalidate claims in a duo of earpiece technology patents challenged by Samsung, though it agreed to revive two claims the electronics giant didn't ask the board to ax.

  • February 18, 2026

    Feds Ask High Court To Reject Chinook Tribe Recognition

    The U.S. Department of the Interior is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a petition by the Chinook Indian Nation that looks to undo a Ninth Circuit order that denied it federal recognition, arguing that the case is a poor vehicle for resolving questions under the 1994 List Act.

  • February 18, 2026

    Talc Claimants Tell 2nd Circ. Revlon Must Allow Late Claims

    A group of talc liability claimants on Wednesday asked the Second Circuit to find reorganized cosmetics company Revlon has to pay out for their injury claims despite those claims being filed past the deadline in the company's Chapter 11 case.

  • February 18, 2026

    States, Unions Urge DC Circ. To Block Haiti TPS Termination

    California-led states and a coalition of unions urged the D.C. Circuit to deny the Trump administration's push to end temporary protected status for Haiti during an ongoing legal challenge, arguing it would harm families, communities and the economy.

  • February 18, 2026

    Mass. Police Union Head, Lobbyist Get Prison For Kickbacks

    A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced the former head of the Massachusetts State Police union and a Boston lobbyist to two years and 15 months in prison, respectively, after the pair were convicted of orchestrating a kickback scheme.

  • February 17, 2026

    Democrats Fight Asylum Turn-Back Policy At Supreme Court

    A group of 26 congressional Democrats urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to find that a currently rescinded policy to physically block asylum-seekers at the southern border violates federal immigration law, arguing Congress never intended such a statutory interpretation.

  • February 17, 2026

    6th Circ. Refuses To Pause CDC's Puppy Import Requirements

    The Sixth Circuit has refused to block a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rule requiring dogs to be at least six months old and microchipped before they can be imported, holding that a hunting and fishing alliance likely won't be able to show that the CDC lacked the authority to issue the rule.

  • February 17, 2026

    Goldstein Tax Trial Heads To Closing Args As Defense Rests

    Jurors in SCOTUSblog founder Thomas Goldstein's tax fraud trial will hear closing arguments Wednesday, after the final two witnesses in the monthlong proceeding took the stand, and new emails regarding Goldstein's efforts to conceal poker debts came to light Tuesday.

  • February 17, 2026

    4th Circ. Vacates Prison Officers' Immunity In Violent Assault

    A split Fourth Circuit revived the lawsuit of an incarcerated North Carolina man alleging correctional officers failed to prevent a violent attack by an incarcerated "safekeeper" after leaving open sallyport doors separating the two, ruling Tuesday risks could've been abated had they simply kept doors closed, as required under prison policy.

  • February 17, 2026

    CFTC Backs Prediction Markets In 9th Circ. Fight With Nevada

    U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Michael Selig told state gaming regulators Tuesday that he intends to defend his agency's "exclusive jurisdiction" over prediction markets, starting with a brief to the Ninth Circuit backing Crypto.com in an ongoing brawl with Nevada regulators over its sports wagers.

  • February 17, 2026

    4th Circ. Won't Revive Advance Auto Parts Fraud Suit

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday declined to revive a suit by investors claiming Advance Auto Parts and its top brass misled them about the failure of a new pricing strategy and about accounting errors, ruling they failed to allege the auto parts retailer had wrongful intent.

  • February 17, 2026

    10th Circ. Won't Revive Dish Investors' 5G Rollout Suit

    The Tenth Circuit on Tuesday declined to revive a proposed class action brought by Dish Network investors claiming the company misled shareholders about the success of its 5G network rollout, finding the district court correctly analyzed the suit's claims and its ruling.

  • February 17, 2026

    DOJ Cites Gun Ban For Mentally Ill In Cannabis User Case

    The U.S. Department of Justice told the Eighth Circuit not to excuse a man's conviction for possessing a firearm while being an unlawful cannabis user, arguing federal law limiting his rights is constitutional since it's analogous to historical laws preventing the mentally ill or dangerous drunkards from owning guns.

  • February 17, 2026

    Supreme Court Adopts Rule To Suss Out Stock Conflicts

    The U.S. Supreme Court announced Tuesday that litigants will soon be required to include companies' stock ticker symbols in court documents as part of new rules aimed at helping the justices identify potential conflicts of interest.

  • February 17, 2026

    Atty Can't Both Lead And Rep Class In Lawsuit, NJ Court Says

    An attorney can't be both the lead plaintiff and class counsel in a class action, a New Jersey appeals court ruled Tuesday, leaning on a more than 40-year-old state supreme court decision in denying class certification in a lawsuit accusing an electric bike maker of selling defective products.

  • February 17, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Greenlights $71M Christmas Tree Patent Verdict

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday affirmed a $71.4 million judgment against Polygroup Ltd. for infringing rival Willis Electric Co. Ltd.'s artificial prelit Christmas tree patent, rejecting Polygroup's arguments that the patent was invalid and Willis' damages expert should have been excluded.

  • February 17, 2026

    Judge Rips Drugmakers' Borderline 'Disingenuous' Appeal Bid

    A Connecticut federal judge has rejected generic-drug makers' request for a quick appeal of his ruling denying them summary judgment on states' claims they engaged in an "overarching conspiracy" to fix prices, slamming the request for being borderline "disingenuous," mischaracterizing his reasoning and ignoring direct evidence of alleged wrongdoing.

Expert Analysis

  • False Ad Suit Shows Need For Clear, Conspicuous Disclosure

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    The Eleventh Circuit's recent false advertising decision in Federal Trade Commission v. Corpay reiterated the FTC's guidance imploring advertisers to ensure that any disclosures are clear and conspicuous to consumers, providing companies with numerous lessons about truthful advertising and highlighting some common disclosure pitfalls to avoid, says Michael Justus at Carlton Fields.

  • Justices' BDO Denial May Allow For Increased Auditor Liability

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    The Supreme Court's recent denial of certiorari in BDO v. New England Carpenters could lead to more actions filed against accounting firms, as it lets stand a 2024 Second Circuit ruling that provided a road map for pleading falsity with respect to audit certifications, says Dean Conway at Carlton Fields.

  • What To Expect From Justices' 401(k) Ruling, DOL Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming ruling in Anderson v. Intel, addressing alternative assets in defined contribution plans, coupled with the U.S. Department of Labor's recently proposed regulation on fiduciary duties in selecting alternative investments, could alleviate the litigation risk that has impeded wider consideration of such investments, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: January Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses five rulings from October and November, and identifies practice tips from cases involving consumer fraud, oil and gas leases, toxic torts, and wage and hour issues.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Judicial Use Informs Guardrails

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    U.S. Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell at the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado discusses why having a sense of how generative AI tools behave, where they add value, where they introduce risk and how they are reshaping the practice of law is key for today's judges.

  • Evenflo IP Ruling Shows Evidence Is Still Key For Injunctions

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    Notwithstanding renewed policy and doctrinal attention to patent injunctions, the Federal Circuit's December decision in Wonderland v. Evenflo signals that the era of easily obtained patent injunctions has not yet arrived, say attorneys at King & Wood.

  • Justices' Med Mal Ruling May Spur Huge Shift For Litigators

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in the medical malpractice suit Berk v. Choy, holding that a Florida procedural requirement does not apply to medical malpractice claims filed in federal court, is likely to encourage eligible parties to file claims in federal court, speed the adjudicatory process and create both opportunities and challenges for litigators, says Thomas Kroeger at Colson Hicks.

  • Challenging Restitution Orders After Supreme Court Decision

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s Ellingburg v. U.S. decision from last week, holding that mandatory restitution is a criminal punishment subject to the Sixth Amendment, means that all challenges to restitution are now fair game if the amount is not alleged in the indictment, say Mark Allenbaugh at SentencingStats.com and Doug Passon at Doug Passon Law.

  • State Of Insurance: Q4 Notes From Pennsylvania

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    Last quarter in Pennsylvania, a Superior Court ruling underscored the centrality of careful policy drafting and judicial scrutiny of exclusionary language, and another provided practical guidance on the calculation of attorney fees and interest in bad faith cases, while a proposed bill endeavored to cover insurance gaps for homeowners, says Todd Leon at Marshall Dennehey.

  • Justices' Double Jeopardy Ruling May Limit Charge-Stacking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent holding in Barrett v. U.S. that the double jeopardy clause bars separate convictions for the same act under two related firearms laws places meaningful limits on the broader practice of stacking charges, a reminder that overlapping statutes present prosecutors with a menu, not a buffet, says attorney David Tarras.

  • How 2025 Recalibrated Fair Use For The AI Era

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    Although the Second Circuit's decision last year in Romanova v. Amilus Inc. did not involve artificial intelligence, its formulation of relevant fair use factors provides a useful guide for lower courts examining AI cases in 2026, demanding close attention from legal practitioners on both sides of these disputes, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: 5 Tips From Ex-SEC Unit Chief

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    My move to private practice has reaffirmed my belief in the value of adaptability, collaboration and strategic thinking — qualities that are essential not only for successful client outcomes, but also for sustained professional satisfaction, says Dabney O’Riordan at Fried Frank.

  • 5 Drug Pricing Policy Developments To Watch In 2026

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    2026 may prove to be a critical year for drug pricing in the U.S., with potential major shifts including several legislative initiatives moving forward after being in the works for years, and more experimentation on the horizon concerning GLP-1s and Section 340B pricing, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • 2026 Int'l Arbitration Trends: Awards Against Sovereign States

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    The enforcement of arbitral awards against sovereign states is one of the most contentious and rapidly evolving areas in international arbitration, with three defining issues on the 2026 horizon: the scope of sovereign immunity, assignability of rights, and availability of fraud and corruption defenses, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Start A Law Firm

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    Launching and sustaining a law firm requires skills most law schools don't teach, but every lawyer should understand a few core principles that can make the leap calculated rather than reckless, says Sam Katz at Athlaw.

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