Appellate

  • October 08, 2025

    Trump Admin Cites Shutdown In Bid For CFPB Case Delay

    Amid growing calls for the full D.C. Circuit to revisit a recent panel ruling that would allow mass layoffs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Trump administration is asking for a pause in the case until after the government shutdown is over.

  • October 08, 2025

    Power Cos. Want In On Challenge To W.Va. Regional Haze Plan

    American Electric Power Co. Inc. and FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiaries are asking the Fourth Circuit to uphold a federally approved air quality plan for West Virginia that spared their facilities from some potentially expensive upgrades.

  • October 08, 2025

    NBA Video Privacy Law Review Premature, Plaintiff Tells Justices

    A website user urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to weigh in on the Second Circuit's decision last year that revived his lawsuit accusing the NBA of illegally sharing his viewing activity with Meta, arguing that the suit's second dismissal this week and his planned appeal "might complicate the court's review."

  • October 08, 2025

    Justices Probe Standing In Suit Over Ill. Ballot Counting

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared open to reviving an Illinois congressman's suit challenging the state's policy of counting certain ballots after Election Day, with several justices pressing counsel for the state to address whether its position would require courts to analyze a candidate's potential success in an election to determine their standing to sue.

  • October 08, 2025

    Ind. Justices Toss Tax Challenge Over Homestead's Scope

    Indiana homeowners who claim that the 1-acre limit for the state's reduced homestead tax rate is unconstitutional failed to show that property beyond that limit is used as part of their primary residence, which undercuts their case, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

  • October 08, 2025

    Army Finds Support At Fed. Circ. In Fight Over COVID Delays

    A Federal Circuit judge appeared skeptical that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should compensate a contractor for fees incurred during the 2020 COVID-19 shutdown, saying it likely falls under protected government activity.

  • October 08, 2025

    State Farm Unit Needn't Pay For $2.5M Assault Judgment

    A State Farm unit has no obligation to pay a $2.5 million judgment entered against a homeowners insurance policyholder after he attacked his housemate, a California state appeals court affirmed, finding that the victim's injuries were not the result of an accident for purposes of the policy.

  • October 08, 2025

    3rd Circ. Clarifies Good Conduct Credits For Prison Terms

    In a precedential ruling Wednesday, the Third Circuit clarified how good conduct credits for inmates serving time can be applied, finding that the credit of 54 days per year can be prorated to 28 days for the last six months of a man's 17-and-a-half-year sentence.

  • October 08, 2025

    NJ US Atty Appointment Was 'Shell Game,' 3rd Circ. Told

    Two New Jersey criminal defendants this week blasted the Trump administration's attempt to name Alina Habba as U.S. attorney for the state after her interim term ended, telling the Third Circuit that the government's plan was a "shell game."

  • October 08, 2025

    2nd Circ. Skeptical Of Reviving NY Teamsters Pension Suit

    The Second Circuit appeared unlikely Wednesday to revive a New York Teamsters worker's proposed class action alleging mismanagement by the caretakers of his multiemployer pension plan, as multiple judges seemed to doubt that the complaint contained enough evidence of a deficient process to manage fees and investments.

  • October 08, 2025

    Conn. High Court OKs DNA Taken From Trash Sans Warrant

    In a decision setting standards for privacy, Connecticut's highest court upheld the conviction of a man sentenced to 72 years in prison for a series of 1984 home invasion sexual assaults, finding that police were allowed to take his trash to obtain DNA without a warrant.

  • October 08, 2025

    Black NC Voters Take Redistricting Case To 4th Circ. Again

    Two Black voters have urged the Fourth Circuit to hear as soon as possible their case alleging the North Carolina General Assembly unlawfully redrew state senate districts in a way that diluted the voting power of Black residents.

  • October 08, 2025

    Colo. Justices Rule Newspaper Is 'Citizen,' Can Get Atty Fees

    The Colorado Supreme Court weighed in on a local newspaper's battle against the city of Aurora, ruling for the first time that a corporation is a "citizen" under the state's open meetings law and can recover litigation costs.

  • October 08, 2025

    Biz Groups Back Ariz. Land Swap Amid 9th Circ. Appeal

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a slew of mining associations are backing the federal government's efforts to nix a Ninth Circuit appeal that looks to block the transfer of more than 2,500 acres within Arizona's Tonto National Forest to a copper mining company.

  • October 08, 2025

    7th Circ. Won't Rethink Reviving Christian Teacher's Bias Suit

    The Seventh Circuit declined a school district's invitation to revisit a panel opinion that reinstated a religious bias suit from a Christian teacher who said he was forced to quit because he wouldn't refer to transgender students by their preferred names.

  • October 07, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Talks Judge Denzel Washington, AI Susan Sarandon

    More than half of the Federal Circuit's judges were in Boston on Tuesday conducting out-of-town oral arguments, and afterward they discussed the most concerning and most promising elements of artificial intelligence, how to write a good brief, why en banc hearings are rare and which celebrities they'd love to see on a panel.

  • October 07, 2025

    Panel Said Congress Was 'Feckless,' 6th Circ. Told In FCC Row

    The Sixth Circuit should agree to a full court reconsideration of a panel's decision to back the Federal Communications Commission's expanded data breach notifications for telecom carriers, says a conservative legal organization that believes the panel assumed Congress was legislating "fecklessly."

  • October 07, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Focuses On Breadth Of UPenn IP In Eligibility Fight

    The University of Pennsylvania and Regenxbio Inc. on Tuesday tried to persuade a Federal Circuit panel that their gene therapy patent should be revived, but at least one judge repeatedly said it's too broad.

  • October 07, 2025

    11th Circ. Wary Of IRS Procedure In FBAR Penalty Appeal

    An Eleventh Circuit panel Tuesday appeared concerned about IRS procedures that could keep a man from recouping $419,000 he paid to resolve his failure to disclose funds held in foreign bank accounts as he appeals a district court determination that he actually owes $2.2 million.

  • October 07, 2025

    5th Circ. Queries If ChampionX Covered In $40M Oil Spill Suit

    A Fifth Circuit panel Tuesday pressed ChampionX Corp. to explain how it can pursue a lawsuit in Texas seeking to make multiple insurers pay for its defense in a $40 million oil spill lawsuit if the underlying policies don't name it.

  • October 07, 2025

    Urologist Provider Must Face Data Leak Claims, Panel Says

    The Georgia Court of Appeals has largely revived a proposed class action against a urology provider over a 2021 data breach that allegedly compromised the personal information of more than 79,000 patients, ruling Monday that the clinic could be liable for negligence and breach of contract.

  • October 07, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives Ex-Service Members' Antimalarial Drug Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday breathed new life into a lawsuit by four former U.S. military service members who claim drugmakers Hoffman-La Roche Inc. and Genentech Inc. failed to warn them about permanent psychiatric side effects allegedly caused by the antimalarial drug mefloquine.

  • October 07, 2025

    11th Circ. Rules Atty Privacy Invasion Suit Can't Be Arbitrated

    The Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday denied two Florida attorneys' request for the out-of-court resolution of a lawsuit brought by former clients alleging their private legal information was disclosed in public court dockets, ruling that the claims against the lawyers aren't covered by a retainer agreement's arbitration clause.

  • October 07, 2025

    Chamber Asks 9th Circ. For Clarity In Trade Secrets Cases

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce backed Boeing's bid for the Ninth Circuit to reconsider a panel's decision to reinstate a $72 million jury verdict against the company, saying the panel's "swift treatment" of such a complex issue threatens creating confusion.

  • October 07, 2025

    Goldstein's $968K Border Cash Claim To Be Admitted At Trial

    A Maryland federal jury will hear claims from prosecutors that SCOTUSblog publisher Tom Goldstein told Dulles International Airport border guards that the $968,000 in cash he brought into the country in 2018 had been gambling winnings, after a judge shot down his efforts to suppress his alleged statements Tuesday.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From ATF Director To BigLaw

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    As a two-time boomerang partner, returning to BigLaw after stints as a U.S. attorney and the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, people ask me how I know when to move on, but there’s no single answer — just clearly set your priorities, says Steven Dettelbach at BakerHostetler.

  • Reverse Bias Rulings Offer Warning About DEI Quotas

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    Several recent holdings confirm that targeted or quota-based diversity programs can substantiate reverse discrimination claims, especially when coupled with an adverse action, so employers should exercise caution before implementing such policies in order to mitigate litigation risk, says Noah Bunzl at Tarter Krinsky.

  • 4th Circ. Favors Plain Meaning In Bump-Up D&O Ruling

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    The Fourth Circuit's latest denial of indemnity coverage in Towers Watson v. National Union Fire Insurance and its previous ruling in this case lay out a pragmatic approach to bump-up provisions that avoids hypertechnical constructions to limit the effect of a policy's plain meaning, say attorneys at Kennedys.

  • A Look At Key 5th Circ. White Collar Rulings So Far This Year

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    In the first half of 2025, the Fifth Circuit has decided numerous cases of particular import to white collar practitioners, which collectively underscore the critical importance of meticulous recordbuilding, procedural compliance and strategic litigation choices at every stage of a case, says Joe Magliolo at Jackson Walker.

  • High Court Cert Spotlights Varying Tests For Federal Removal

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    A recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to review Chevron v. Plaquemines Parish, a case involving the federal officer removal statute, highlights three other recent circuit court decisions raising federal removal questions, and serves as a reminder that defendants are the masters of removal actions, says Varun Aery at Hollingsworth.

  • Rule 23 Class Certification Matters In Settlements, Too

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Trump v. CASA Inc. highlighted requirements for certifying classes for litigation in federal court, but counsel must also understand how Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure may affect certifying classes for settlement purposes, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Privity, Pressure, Procedural Traps

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    Three recent decisions from the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims offer fresh lessons for contractors navigating the procedural edge of Contract Disputes Act litigation, says Zachary Jacobson at Seyfarth.

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • 3rd Circ. Bias Ruling Offers Safety Policy Exception Lessons

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    The Third Circuit's decision in Smith v. City of Atlantic City, partially reinstating a religious bias suit over a policy requiring firefighters to be clean-shaven, cautions employers on the legal risk of including practical or discretionary exceptions in safety procedures, say Joseph Quinn and Mark Schaeffer at Cozen O'Connor.

  • APA Relief May Blunt Justices' Universal Injunction Ruling

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    The Administrative Procedure Act’s avenue for universal preliminary relief seems to hold the most promise for neutralizing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. CASA to limit federal district courts' nationally applicable orders, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • Opinion

    Prosecutors' Duty To Justice Sometimes Demands Mea Culpa

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    Two recent cases — U.S. v. Lucas and U.S. v. Echavarria — demonstrate that prosecutors’ special ethical duty to seek justice can sometimes be in tension with other obligations and incentives, but it nonetheless requires them to concede their mistakes in the interests of justice, say Eastern District of Texas law clerk Ian Stephens and Texas A&M University law professor Jemila Lea.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • How NY Appeals Ruling Alters Employers' Sex Abuse Liability

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    In Nellenback v. Madison County, the New York Court of Appeals arguably reset the evidentiary threshold in sexual abuse cases involving employer liability, countering lower court decisions that allowed evidence of the length of the undiscovered abuse to substitute as notice of an employee's dangerous propensity, say attorneys at Hurwitz Fine.

  • Fed. Circ. Ingenico Ruling Pivotal For IPR Estoppel Landscape

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Ingenico v. Ioengine brings long-awaited clarity to the scope of inter partes review estoppel, confirming that a patent challenger is not precluded from relying on the same or substantially similar prior art in both IPR and district court proceedings, so long as it is used to support a different invalidity theory, say attorneys at Irwin IP.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

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