Appellate

  • 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.

  • February 17, 2026

    Ga. Panel Says Union Shorted Cop's Defense Over Shooting

    A Georgia appellate panel on Tuesday upheld a trial court's ruling that a police union breached its contract with a former Atlanta officer by failing to furnish him with legal representation after a high-profile shooting, clearing the way for the case to proceed to trial.

  • February 17, 2026

    9th Circ. Upholds Utah Bomb Threat Sentencing Enhancement

    The Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday that a sentence enhancement for disrupting government functions can be given to a former businessman convicted of sending bomb threats to a Salt Lake City courthouse and other city and state office buildings.

  • February 17, 2026

    NC Justices Asked To Undo Earth Fare Founder's $195K Award

    Organic supermarket chain Earth Fare and its post-bankruptcy owner told North Carolina's top court on Tuesday that its founder can't recover damages for work he was salaried to do while revitalizing the brand, saying the justices should unravel a $195,000 unjust enrichment verdict in his favor.

  • February 17, 2026

    County's Tourism Tax Use Was Reasonable, NC Justices Told

    Counsel for a coastal North Carolina county told the state's Supreme Court justices Tuesday that commissioners' decision to spend occupancy tax dollars on public safety and infrastructure wasn't arbitrary and capricious, while opining that buying carnival equipment for their own pleasure might be.

Expert Analysis

  • What To Know As Rulings Limit NLRB's Expanded Remedies

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    Two recent appellate decisions strongly rebuke the National Labor Relations Board's expansion of remedies beyond reinstatement and back pay under Thryv, which compensated employees for all direct or foreseeable pecuniary harms, signaling increased judicial skepticism toward the board's broadened remedial authority, says Shay Billington at CDF Labor.

  • Opinion

    Despite Deputy AG Remarks, DOJ Can't Sideline DC Bar

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    Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s recent suggestion that the D.C. Bar would be prevented from reviewing misconduct complaints about U.S. Department of Justice attorneys runs contrary to federal statutes, local rules and decades of case law, and sends the troubling message that federal prosecutors are subject to different rules, say attorneys at HWG.

  • Workers' Comp Ruling May Expand Ohio Employer Liability

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    The Ohio Supreme Court's recent decision in State ex rel. Berry v. Industrial Commission marks a shift in Ohio workers' compensation law by reducing judicial deference to the Industrial Commission's interpretations of the state's specific safety requirements and potentially expanding employer exposure, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • 10th Circ. Debtor Ruling May Expand Wire Fraud Law Scope

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    The Tenth Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Baker decision, holding that federal fraud law can reach deceptive schemes designed to prevent a creditor from collecting on a debt, may represent an expansive new theory of wire fraud — even as the ruling reaffirmed the requirements of the interstate commerce element, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • 8th Circ. Decision Shipwrecks IRS On Shoals Of Loper Bright

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    The Eighth Circuit’s recent decision invalidating transfer pricing regulations in 3M Co. v. Commissioner may be the most significant tax case implementing Loper Bright's rejection of agency deference as a judicial tool in statutory construction, says Edward Froelich at McDermott.

  • Rule Amendments Pave Path For A Privilege Claim 'Offensive'

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    Litigators should consider leveraging forthcoming amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which will require early negotiations of privilege-related discovery claims, by taking an offensive posture toward privilege logs at the outset of discovery, says David Ben-Meir at Ben-Meir Law.

  • Series

    My Miniature Livestock Farm Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Raising miniature livestock on my farm, where I am fully present with the animals, is an almost meditative time that allows me to return to work invigorated, ready to juggle numerous responsibilities and motivated to tackle hard issues in new ways, says Ted Kobus at BakerHostetler.

  • Justices' Ruling Will Ease Foreign Arbitral Award Enforcement

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Fuld v. Palestine Liberation Organization suggests that U.S. courts can constitutionally decide whether to recognize and enforce foreign arbitral awards in accordance with U.S. treaty obligations, regardless of the award debtor's connections to the U.S., says David Cinotti at Pashman Stein.

  • Litigation Funding Could Create Ethics Issues For Attorneys

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    A litigation investor’s recent complaint claiming a New York mass torts lawyer effectively ran a Ponzi scheme illustrates how litigation funding arrangements can subject attorneys to legal ethics dilemmas and potential liability, so engagement letters must have very clear terms, says Matthew Feinberg at Goldberg Segalla.

  • How To Prepare If Justices Curb Gov't Contractor Immunity

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    Given the very real possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court will determine in GEO v. Menocal that government contractors do not have collateral immunity, contractors should prepare by building the costs of potential litigation, from discovery through trial, into their contracts and considering other pathways to interlocutory appeals, says Lisa Himes at Rogers Joseph.

  • What To Mull After 9th Circ. Ruling On NLRB Constitutionality

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    The Ninth Circuit recently rejected three constitutional attacks on the National Labor Relations Board in NLRB v. North Mountain Foothills Apartments, leaving open a debate about what remedies the NLRB can award employees and creating a circuit split that could foretell a U.S. Supreme Court resolution, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: November Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses five recent rulings and identifies practice tips from cases involving claims related to oil and gas royalty payments, consumer fraud, life insurance, automobile insurance, and securities violations.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Dynamic Databases

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    Several recent federal court decisions illustrate how parties continue to grapple with the discovery of data in dynamic databases, so counsel involved in these disputes must consider how structured data should be produced consistent with the requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Comey Case Highlights Complex Speedy Trial Rights Calculus

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    Former FBI Director James Comey’s decision to waive his Speedy Trial Act rights in the false statement prosecution against him serves as a reminder that the benefits of invoking these rights are usually outweighed by the risks of inadequate preparation, but it can be an effective strategy in the right case, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.

  • Wash. Email Subject Line Ruling Puts Retailers On The Hook

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    The Washington state Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Old Navy, finding that a state law prohibits misleading email subject lines, has opened the door to nationwide copycat litigation, introducing potential exposure measured not in thousands, but in millions or even billions of dollars for retailers, say attorneys at Benesch.

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