Appellate

  • May 06, 2026

    10th Circ. To Revisit Proving Native Status In Sex Abuse Cases

    Two men who were found guilty of sexually assaulting Native American children, but whose convictions were vacated over questions surrounding their Native American status, will have their cases reconsidered by the full Tenth Circuit, the court ruled.

  • May 06, 2026

    9th Circ. Won't Revive Hospital Workers' Vaccine Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit refused Wednesday to reopen a religious bias lawsuit accusing a Washington hospital of unlawfully denying employees' requests to avoid a COVID-19 vaccination mandate, finding that the medical center demonstrated that exemptions would've been too burdensome under a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision.

  • May 06, 2026

    ACLU Seeks Full DC Circ. Review Of CECOT Contempt Halt

    The American Civil Liberties Union is asking for the full D.C. Circuit to review a panel's 2-1 decision halting U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg's criminal contempt inquiry into U.S. Department of Homeland Security flights that took 250 immigrants to El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison last year.

  • May 06, 2026

    4th Circ. Appears Unpersuaded By $22M Tax Fraud Appeal

    Two attorneys and an insurance agent faced a Fourth Circuit panel Wednesday that seemed hard-pressed to overturn their convictions for orchestrating a $22 million tax avoidance scheme, with the judges casting doubt on their venue objections and claims that the false tax returns contained truthful information.

  • May 06, 2026

    Chubb Units Must Cover Environmental Contamination Claim

    Two Chubb insurers must defend an upstate New York town against a state environmental department's claim concerning a regional airport's contamination by so-called forever chemicals unless and until they can establish the claim falls outside an exception to a pollution exclusion, the Second Circuit affirmed.

  • May 06, 2026

    4th Circ. Frees Noncitizen From Deportation, Faulting Judges

    The Fourth Circuit vacated the final removal order for a man the federal government wants to deport to Liberia despite his never living there and his fear of persecution due to his sexuality, finding that he didn't get a fair immigration hearing.

  • May 06, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Backs Atty Fees In Bicycle Design Patent Case

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday agreed with a Massachusetts federal judge that a case related to a set of design patents for a bicycle warranted attorney fees being awarded to Hyper Bicycles Inc., saying the judge's finding that the case was weak and unnecessarily dragged out was supported by the evidence.

  • May 06, 2026

    Asbestos Trusts Fight Data Preservation Suit In Delaware

    Asbestos bankruptcy trusts told the Delaware Supreme Court on Wednesday that Johnson & Johnson, Dow Chemical and other repeat asbestos defendants are trying to turn an old equitable remedy into a sweeping, indefinite preservation order for more than 1.1 million victims' private claims files.

  • May 06, 2026

    DC Circ. Fast-Tracks DOT Immigrant Truck Driver Rule Review

    The D.C. Circuit will expedite its review of challenges to the U.S. Department of Transportation's new restrictions on commercial licenses for foreign truck drivers, but has already expressed skepticism about the petitioners' claims that the restrictions are pretext for an anti-immigrant agenda of the Trump administration.

  • May 06, 2026

    Justices Asked To Review 'More Than An Athlete' TM Fight

    A Maryland youth nonprofit has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Federal Circuit decision that allowed a company affiliated with LeBron James to cancel its trademark registration for "I Am More Than An Athlete" based on common-law rights.

  • May 06, 2026

    Pa. 'Cruel Punishments' Ruling Sets Up Sentence Challenges

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's recent ruling that struck down mandatory life sentences for second-degree murder marked the justices' clearest message yet that the state's constitution and history bar "cruel" punishments, which legal experts tell Law360 could tee up challenges to "three-strikes" laws or the death penalty.

  • May 06, 2026

    7th Circ. Won't Revive Ex-DHS Officer's Disability Bias Suit

    The Seventh Circuit has declined to reinstate a fired immigration officer's suit claiming the Department of Homeland Security failed to accommodate his medical issues, saying that his claims were "meritless" and that he hadn't properly attempted to resolve them within the agency before filing suit.

  • May 06, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Affirms DraftKings' PTAB Loss Wasn't 'Clerical Error'

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday backed the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's decision to uphold one claim of an online gaming patent challenged by DraftKings, rejecting the company's argument about making a "clerical error."

  • May 06, 2026

    Mass. Justices Debate Rent Control Religious Carveout

    Massachusetts' highest court appeared divided Wednesday as it considered whether a proposed ballot question to reenact rent control in the state should be struck down because it contains a carveout that includes religious properties.

  • May 06, 2026

    Mass. Justices Push For An End To AG-Auditor Deadlock

    Massachusetts' top court on Wednesday seemed to agree that an ongoing dispute between the state attorney general and auditor over a voter-backed audit of the legislature needs to come to an end, even as justices dinged both sides for the stalemate.

  • May 06, 2026

    'Varsity Blues' Coach 'Not Close' In New Trial Bid, Judge Says

    A former University of Southern California water polo coach convicted in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions case missed the goal by a wide margin in his bid to secure a new trial, a Massachusetts federal judge said.

  • May 05, 2026

    7th Circ. Panel Split On Due Process For Ill. ICE Detainees

    A split Seventh Circuit panel on Tuesday rejected the Trump administration's argument that immigrants unlawfully in the United States have no due process rights, though every member of the panel had a different take on the issue.

  • May 05, 2026

    DC Circ. Judge Jabs Pharma Atty For 10 Minutes In Price Fight

    The first D.C. Circuit showdown in widespread drug pricing litigation Tuesday appeared unlikely to deliver a badly needed win to the pharmaceutical industry, as a top manufacturer's attorney faced a cool reception generally and an extended barrage of skepticism from one judge.

  • May 05, 2026

    Sanofi Unit Gets Backup In Fed. Circ. Double Patenting Appeal

    Canon, Sonos and several other tech and biopharma companies have thrown their weight behind a Sanofi subsidiary's appeal challenging how the Patent Trial and Appeal Board handles obviousness-type double patenting.

  • May 05, 2026

    Ga. Panel Seems Chilly To Adjusting Liability For Assault

    A Georgia appellate panel appeared skeptical Tuesday of an assault victim's bid to make the apartment complex where she was attacked shoulder more of a $5 million verdict she won, saying apportioning responsibility differently would likely lead to a reversal at the state supreme court.

  • May 05, 2026

    Feds Urge DC Circ. To Undo Iraqi, Afghan Visa Class Cert.

    The Trump administration has asked the D.C. Circuit to undo class certification for thousands of Afghan and Iraqi citizens seeking special immigrant visas after aiding U.S. forces overseas, as well as a revised plan to tackle a backlog of their delayed applications.

  • May 05, 2026

    Worker Fights 2nd Circ.'s Toss Of Teamsters Fund ERISA Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court should revive claims that the New York State Teamsters Conference Pension and Retirement Fund was mismanaged, a Teamsters-represented worker argued, asking the justices to breathe new life into his twice-dismissed Employee Retirement Income Security Act lawsuit.

  • May 05, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Doubts It Can Hear T-Mobile Settlement Scuffle

    A Federal Circuit panel on Tuesday appeared skeptical that it can weigh an appeal stemming from a settlement agreement between T-Mobile and a company that accused it of infringing a Wi-Fi calling patent, even though both sides argued there were grounds for jurisdiction.

  • May 05, 2026

    ERISA Recap: 5 Litigation Developments From April

    The U.S. Supreme Court turned down a bakery company's bid for review of a union multiemployer pension withdrawal bill, the Fourth Circuit held a bonus plan was exempt from federal benefits law, and the Sixth Circuit ruled federal law preempted Arkansas pharmacy benefit manager laws and regulations. Here's more on those and two other major decisions from April that benefits attorneys may want to know.

  • May 05, 2026

    Apple Urges Full Fed. Circ. To Undo Original Watch Import Ban

    A Federal Circuit panel erred when finding the U.S. International Trade Commission properly banned imports of Apple Watches with blood oxygen-monitoring features, the tech giant behind the devices said in a plea for rehearing by the full court.

Expert Analysis

  • What Kalshi Cases Reveal About State Authority, Regulation

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    Prediction markets like Kalshi have ignited complex legal battles that get to the heart of how novel financial products intersect with traditional state enforcement authority, and courts are already beginning to divide over whether federal law preempts state enforcement authority restricting these offerings, say attorneys at Holtzman Vogel.

  • How Recent Del. Rulings Clarify M&A Deal Fraud Carveouts

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    Two recent Delaware decisions have provided clarity regarding when a party can or cannot rely on representations made during the course of an M&A transaction, particularly on the scope and enforceability of antireliance provisions, and on representations they knew or should have known were false, says Anthony Boccamazzo at Olshan Frome.

  • High Court's 'Skinny Label' Case May Tackle Wider Questions

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming decision in Hikma v. Amarin will have important ramifications for broader debates over what defines a generic version of a drug, and the pending case is already altering patent practice, say attorneys at Taft.

  • Aligning Microsoft Tools With NYC Bar AI Recording Guidance

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    The New York City Bar Association’s recently issued formal opinion, providing ethical guidance on artificial intelligence-assisted recording, transcription and summarization, raises immediate questions about data governance and e-discovery for companies that use Microsoft 365 and Copilot, say Staci Kaliner, Martin Tully and John Collins at Redgrave.

  • 11th Circ. NextEra Ruling Broadens Loss Causation Standard

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    The Eleventh Circuit's recent Jastram v. NextEra Energy decision significantly expands the loss causation standard at the motion-to-dismiss stage and may lead to suits predicated on more tenuous connections between company disclosures and alleged misstatements, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: March Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four recent rulings from January and identifies practice tips from cases involving allegations of violations of consumer fraud regulations, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, employment law and breach of contract statutes.

  • Where 5th Circ. Ruling Fits In ERISA Arbitration Landscape

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    The Fifth Circuit's recent decision in Parrott v. International Bancshares, holding that an Employee Retirement Income Security Act plan may consent to arbitration, must be understood against the backdrop of a developing body of appellate authority addressing ERISA arbitration, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • 5 Different AI Systems Raise Distinct Privilege Issues

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    A New York federal court’s recent U.S. v. Heppner decision, holding that a defendant’s use of Claude was not privileged, only addressed one narrow artificial intelligence system, but lawyers must recognize that the spectrum of AI tools raises different confidentiality and privilege questions, says Heidi Nadel at HP.

  • After Learning Resources: A Practical Guide For US Importers

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    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's Feb. 20 decision in Learning Resources v. Trump, U.S. importers and consumers on whom tariffs were imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act can seek relief through existing administrative procedures or a yet-to-be-determined bespoke refund mechanism, and should plan for more changes in the tariff landscape, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • Opinion

    AI-Assisted Arbitration Needs Safeguards To Ensure Fairness

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    As tribunals and arbitral institutions increasingly use artificial intelligence tools in their decision-making processes, ​​​​​​​clear disclosure standards and procedural safeguards are necessary to ensure that efficiency gains do not erode the fairness principles on which arbitration depends, says Alexander Lima at Wesco International.

  • Logistics Update: What Immigrant Driver Rule Means For Cos.

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    The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's new final rule restricting issuance of commerical driver's licenses for nondomiciled drivers will have immediate operational implications for motor carriers, but the broader effects will ripple through relationships between service providers and their sources of freight, including brokers and shippers, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • How Del. High Court's Moelis Reversal Fits Into DExit Debate

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    By declining to decide the facial validity of the provisions at issue in Moelis & Co. v. West Palm Beach Firefighters Pension Fund, the Delaware Supreme Court's recent reversal of the Court of Chancery's 2024 ruling highlights broader implications for the ongoing debate over whether companies should incorporate elsewhere, say attorneys at Akin.

  • What's Next After NLRB Dismissal Of SpaceX Suit

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    Though the National Labor Relations Board’s recent decision to dismiss its long-running unfair labor practice complaint against SpaceX on jurisdictional grounds temporarily resolves a circuit split over injunctions, constitutional and employee-classification questions remain, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Series

    Playing Piano Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing piano and practicing law share many parallels relating to managing complexity: Just as hearing an entire musical passage in my head allows me to reliably deliver the message, thinking about the audience's impression helps me create a legal narrative that keeps the reader engaged, says Michael Shepherd at Fish & Richardson.

  • 11th Circ. May Bring Tectonic Shift To FCA Qui Tam Actions

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    The Eleventh Circuit's upcoming decision in Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates, assessing whether the False Claims Act permits ordinary citizens to stand as officers of the federal government, could significantly limit private relators' ability to bring FCA actions, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

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