Appellate

  • January 06, 2026

    6 Key Rulings From Outgoing Del. Justice Karen L. Valihura

    Soon-to-be-retiring Delaware Supreme Court Justice Karen L. Valihura carved her name deeply into First State corporate law jurisprudence over her dozen years on the bench, at a time of surging caseloads and intensifying political scrutiny of the business court where many of the country's largest corporate battles are waged.

  • January 06, 2026

    Judge Hints Conn. Dentist's Press Release Claims Lack Teeth

    A Connecticut appellate judge seemed to doubt Tuesday that a dentist had asserted clear constitutional claims against state officials who issued a press release about his $300,000 False Claims Act settlement, suggesting the case might actually sound in defamation.

  • January 06, 2026

    Vape Interests Look To 5th Circ. To Halt Miss. E-Cig Law

    A coalition of vaping interests is asking the Fifth Circuit to revive its lawsuit seeking to end a Mississippi law that blocks the sale of synthetic nicotine products, the same parties that are also moving forward with similar efforts at the Sixth Circuit.

  • January 06, 2026

    Georgia Justices Uphold Murder Verdict, Merge Assault Count

    The Georgia Supreme Court has largely upheld the murder conviction of a man found guilty of killing his mother in 2018, finding that his attorney didn't need to assert an insanity defense and that the man cannot also face a separate aggravated assault charge.

  • January 06, 2026

    DOJ Wants Time During Door Maker Divestiture Argument

    The U.S. Department of Justice is asking to appear at an upcoming Fourth Circuit argument to support a door manufacturer defending the first court-ordered divestiture in a private merger challenge.

  • January 06, 2026

    4th Circ. Revives Black Ex-Baltimore Cop's Race Bias Suit

    A divided Fourth Circuit on Tuesday revived a Black former Baltimore police officer's suit alleging she was treated less favorably than non-Black officers by being pushed out, saying she offered adequate examples of other officers who received more leniency than she did for alleged misconduct for her race discrimination claim to survive.

  • January 06, 2026

    'Get Over' Yourself, Ho Says To Judges' Independence Worry

    U.S. Circuit Judge James C. Ho snapped back at colleagues on the bench who have raised the alarm over threats to judicial independence, writing in an article that those complaining judges "need to get over themselves" and stop bowing to the "cultural elites" who oppose the Trump administration.

  • January 06, 2026

    NJ Justices Reinstate Conviction For Drug Dealer Killing

    The New Jersey Supreme Court reinstated a man's murder conviction Tuesday, finding he was not entitled to a special jury instruction about crimes of passion at his trial over charges that he shot and killed a man who sold drugs to his girlfriend.

  • January 06, 2026

    Trump Announces First Judicial Picks Of 2026

    President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday evening his first judicial nominees of 2026, a slate of four district court picks for Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.

  • January 06, 2026

    Wilcox Asks DC Circ. To Protect NLRB's Independence

    The D.C. Circuit should reverse a decision by two of its judges that would end the National Labor Relations Board's independence if allowed to stand, former board member Gwynne Wilcox argued, seeking to nix a ruling that lets President Donald Trump remove and replace NLRB members at will.

  • January 06, 2026

    Ramey Blocked As Atty In Image Patent Fight In NY

    Intellectual property attorney William Ramey was prevented from representing the owner of image processing and modifying patents used in special eyeglasses in an infringement suit in New York federal court, leading the company to abandon the case.

  • January 06, 2026

    10th Circ. Denies Immunity For Colo. Search Before Pat-Down

    A Colorado police officer who reached inside a man's pockets before conducting a pat-down search at a Walmart store is not entitled to qualified immunity, the Tenth Circuit ruled Tuesday, finding the officer's actions violated the Fourth Amendment.

  • January 06, 2026

    1st Circ. Questions Feds' Mootness Claim In NIH Grant Suits

    The First Circuit appeared to push back Tuesday on assertions by the government that new guidance for terminating medical research grants over supposed links to issues like DEI, gender identity and vaccines — along with a partial settlement last week — moot a pair of lawsuits challenging the directives.

  • January 06, 2026

    7th Circ. Blocks Satanic Temple's Ind. Abortion Law Challenge

    The Seventh Circuit ruled Tuesday the Satanic Temple doesn't have standing to challenge Indiana's abortion ban, saying it has no ties to an in-person abortion clinic in the state and its argument it could be prosecuted for providing telehealth appointments to those seeking the procedure isn't enough to show injury.

  • January 06, 2026

    3rd Circ. Backs DOL In Home Healthcare Wage Case

    The Third Circuit upheld a $1 million judgment against home health company WiCare Home Care Agency LLC Tuesday, finding it was within the secretary of labor's power to write regulations keeping "third-party employers" subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act and not exempt under a provision for "companionship services."

  • January 06, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Asks If Wrong Autel Was Sued In Nixed $6.6M IP Row

    A Federal Circuit panel grappled Tuesday with a Texas federal judge's disposing of a $6.6 million infringement verdict against Autel over Orange Electronic Co.'s tire pressure monitoring patent, with one judge questioning Orange's choice of defendant in the case.

  • January 06, 2026

    5th Circ. Mulls If ERISA Claims Subject To Arbitration Clause

    A Fifth Circuit panel wanted a former employee at International Bancshares Corp. to explain how his benefits class action could evade an arbitration clause adopted by the plan that he never consented to, saying Tuesday that other courts seemingly have not adopted a theory that would allow that.

  • January 06, 2026

    Drugmakers Fight Multifront Legal Battles Over GLP-1s

    In the wake of U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, surging public demand and massive profits have inspired a broad range of drugmaker litigation against competitors, alleged counterfeits and telehealth providers.

  • January 06, 2026

    NC Top Court May Hear Case In Murder Of NBA Star's Grandpa

    North Carolina prosecutors have asked the state's top court to review a trial court order vacating the convictions of two men found guilty of murdering NBA star Chris Paul's grandfather in 2002, before the state appeals court rules on the order, court documents show.

  • January 06, 2026

    Wyo. High Court Strikes Down 2 Laws Restricting Abortion

    The Wyoming Supreme Court struck down the state's near-total abortion ban and a first-of-its-kind prohibition on abortion pills on Tuesday, saying the laws violated the state constitution.

  • January 06, 2026

    11th Circ. Backs Deportation Of Armenian Murder Witness

    The Eleventh Circuit declined Tuesday to halt deportation proceedings against an Armenian man who fled the country after witnessing a "brutal" murder, ruling he couldn't show he was likely to face state-sanctioned reprisals back home.

  • January 06, 2026

    4th Circ. Asked To Revive Experian Credit Investigation Suit

    Experian Information Solutions Inc. violated its statutory duty by failing to reinvestigate and later approving a clearly erroneous credit report that resulted in a refused mortgage application, the report's subject told the Fourth Circuit in an attempt to revive his class action lawsuit.

  • January 06, 2026

    Russian Asks Supreme Court To Reverse Fugitive Label

    A Russian woman accused of helping an oligarch evade sanctions imposed by former President Barack Obama against people who contributed to the 2014 national emergency in Ukraine told the U.S. Supreme Court she is wrongly being labeled a fugitive and denied the ability to contest her indictment.

  • January 06, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Christian Ministry Can Reject Gay Applicants

    The Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday that a Christian ministry is constitutionally clear to refuse employment to people based on their sexual orientation, explaining that the First Amendment allows religious ministries to prefer candidates who share their beliefs about marriage and sexuality.

  • January 06, 2026

    Groups Again Push Fed. Circ. To Eye 'Settled Expectations'

    The latest petition challenging the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's use of "settled expectations" based on a patent's age to deny reviews has gotten support from several industry groups, which told the Federal Circuit the policy will cause "severe damage" to the patent system.

Expert Analysis

  • 2nd Circ. Ruling Shows Procedural Perils Of Civil Forfeiture

    Author Photo

    The Second Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Ross decision, partially denying the return of an attorney's seized funds based on rigid standing requirements, underscores the unforgiving technical complexities of civil asset forfeiture law, and provides several lessons for practitioners, says Elisha Kobre at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Justices' Separation-Of-Powers Revamp May Hit States Next

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 decision in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy quietly laid the groundwork for an expansion of the court's separation-of-powers agenda beyond the federal level, but regulated parties and state and local governments alike can act now to anticipate Jarkesy's eventual wider application, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • 3 Securities Litigation Trends To Watch In 2026

    Author Photo

    Pending federal appellate cases suggest that 2026 will be a significant year for securities litigation, with long-standing debates about class certification, new questions about the risks and value of artificial intelligence features, and private plaintiffs' growing role in cryptocurrency enforcement likely to be major themes, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • 5 Tariff And Trade Developments To Watch In 2026

    Author Photo

    A new trade landscape emerged in 2025, the contours of which will be further defined by developments that will merit close attention this year, including a key ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court and a review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, says Ted Posner at Baker Botts.

  • Funding Haze And Deregulatory Pursuits: The CFPB In 2026

    Author Photo

    In 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau did not seek additional funding from the Federal Reserve and unwound the legacy of former bureau leadership, and this year will bring further efforts to rescind or rewrite bureau regulations, as well as a changed tone to supervision efforts, say attorneys at Covington.

  • 4 Developments That Defined The 2025 Ethics Landscape

    Author Photo

    The legal profession spent 2025 at the edge of its ethical comfort zone as courts, firms and regulators confronted how fast-moving technologies and new business models collide with long-standing professional duties, signaling that the profession is entering a period of sustained disruption that will continue into 2026, says Hilary Gerzhoy at HWG Law.

  • 5 Trade Secret Developments To Follow In 2026

    Author Photo

    Watch for major developments in trade secret law this year, especially as courts clarify the reach of U.S. law internationally, the availability of trade secret damages and more, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Top 10 Employer Resolutions For 2026

    Author Photo

    Heightened regulatory attention, shifting enforcement priorities and increased litigation risk mean that routine workplace decisions in 2026 will require greater discipline and foresight, including in relation to bias and inclusion training, employee resource groups, employee speech, immigration compliance, workplace accommodations, and shadow artificial intelligence, say attorneys at Krevolin & Horst.

  • Navigating AI In The Legal Industry

    Author Photo

    As artificial intelligence becomes an increasingly integral part of legal practice, Law360 guest commentary this year examined evolving ethical obligations, how the plaintiffs bar is using AI to level the playing field against corporate defense teams, and the attendant risks of adoption.

  • 4 California Insurance Law Decisions To Know From 2025

    Author Photo

    California continued to shape the national insurance landscape in 2025, issuing a series of decisions that may recalibrate claims handling, underwriting strategy and policy drafting in areas from property damage claims after a wildfire to automobile coverage for delivery drivers in the gig economy, say attorneys at Nicolaides Fink.

  • The Major Securities Litigation Rulings And Trends Of 2025

    Author Photo

    The past 12 months saw increased regulator focus on disclosures concerning artificial intelligence, signs of growing judicial scrutiny at the class certification stage, and shifting regulatory priorities at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — all major developments that may significantly affect securities litigation strategy in 2026 and beyond, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • A 6th Circ. Snapshot: 3 Cases That Defined 2025

    Author Photo

    With more than a thousand opinions issued this year, three rulings from the Sixth Circuit stood out for the impact they'll have on the practice of civil procedure, including a net neutrality decision, a class certification standards ruling and an opinion about vulgarity in school, say attorneys at Ice Miller.

  • How Fractional GCs Can Manage Risks Of Engagement

    Author Photo

    As more organizations eliminate their in-house legal departments in favor of outsourcing legal work, fractional general counsel roles offer practitioners an engaging and flexible way to practice at a high level, but they can also present legal, ethical and operational risks that must be proactively managed, say attorneys at Boies Schiller.

  • Health, Legal Employers Face Unique Online Speech Hurdles

    Author Photo

    Employers in the legal and healthcare industries must consider distinctive ethical obligations and professional requirements when disciplining employees for social media posts, while anticipating an area of the law in flux as courts seek to balance speech rights and the workplace function, say attorneys at FordHarrison.

  • Opinion

    Justices Should Clarify Loper Bright Doctrine Via Patent Case

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court should use the Lynk Labs v. Samsung patent case to provide urgently needed guidance on how last year’s Loper Bright decision should be applied to real-world questions of agency authority in the post-Chevron world, says Timothy Hsieh at Oklahoma City University School of Law.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here