Appellate

  • July 27, 2026

    Railroads, Feds Spar Over Train Crew Size Rule In 11th Circ.

    Railroads have told the Eleventh Circuit that the Federal Railroad Administration failed to properly justify its 2024 two-person train crew rule, saying the agency flip-flopped from its previous determination that such a rule was unnecessary.

  • July 27, 2026

    4th Circ. Says Inmate Can Represent Himself At Sentencing

    The Fourth Circuit held Monday that the Sixth Amendment rights of a South Carolina man were violated when a judge denied him the ability to represent himself during sentencing because he did not make the request prior to the start of his drug-trafficking trial.

  • July 27, 2026

    Mich. Justices Reject Federal Double Jeopardy Rule

    The Michigan Supreme Court has significantly expanded the state's constitutional protection against double jeopardy, finding prosecutors can be barred from retrying a criminal defendant following a mistrial, even if they did not specifically intend to provoke the defense into requesting one. 

  • July 27, 2026

    Conn. Panel Says Bad Atty Advice Warrants New Murder Trial

    A Connecticut appeals court granted a new trial to a man convicted of murder after finding that during initial plea negotiations, an attorney representing him gave him bad advice on whether his codefendant would testify in his case.

  • July 27, 2026

    11th Circ. Nixes Disinfectant-Spraying Worker's ADA Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit refused Monday to reopen a now-deceased Georgia county employee's lawsuit alleging she was fired for taking precautions to protect herself during the COVID-19 pandemic due to her health problems, concluding she was let go for spraying co-workers with disinfectant rather than her disabilities.

  • July 27, 2026

    Conn. Justices Clarify Guilt-Inference Jury Instructions

    The Connecticut Supreme Court placed new guardrails around consciousness-of-guilt jury charges in criminal trials, refusing Monday to rewrite model instructions or toss a conviction but cautioning trial judges to convey the positions of both prosecutors and defendants in a "neutral and balanced" manner.

  • July 27, 2026

    DC Circ. Overturns Its Own Holocaust Art Ruling

    The D.C. Circuit has substantially vacated its ruling ending long-running litigation brought by the descendants of a Hungarian Jewish art collector seeking the return of a priceless art collection looted by the Nazis, citing the passage of a new law.

  • July 27, 2026

    Google Can't Get 2nd Try At Eliminating Network-1 Patent

    A New York federal judge has denied Google's request for a second attempt at invalidating a patent asserted by a patent licensing company, rejecting its arguments that a Federal Circuit decision from last month made another try necessary.

  • July 27, 2026

    Fertilizer Biz Asks Justices To Reverse Idaho Tribal Land Swap

    An Idaho agribusiness is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to undo a Ninth Circuit decision that invalidated a U.S. Department of the Interior land transfer over tribal concerns of contamination from a planned fertilizer plant expansion, arguing the ruling undermines the country's food security, thousands of jobs and millions in economic activity.

  • July 27, 2026

    NJ Justices Set 3rd-Party Legal Fee Rules In Criminal Cases

    The New Jersey Supreme Court on Monday set forth parameters for third-party legal fee arrangements in criminal cases, upholding a murder conviction on the grounds that no conflict of interest resulted from a state witness paying his lawyer and finding that third‑party payments don't create per se conflicts of interest.

  • July 27, 2026

    Ga. Gov. Appoints Attys To Judgeship, DA Roles

    Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has appointed a Dodd & Burnham partner and the managing partner of Walker Hulbert Gray and Moore LLP to serve as Superior Court judges and two attorneys as district attorneys.

  • July 27, 2026

    10th Circ. Upholds Colo.'s $3-A-Day Rental Car Fee

    The Tenth Circuit upheld Colorado's up-to-$3-a-day congestion impact fee on short-term vehicle rentals Monday, ruling that the charge falls on consumers rather than airport rental car companies.

  • July 27, 2026

    Hemp Co. Says DEA Defied Farm Bill By Banning HHC

    A North Carolina hemp company challenging the legality of a recent U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration rule designating a psychoactive hemp-derived compound as a Schedule I substance has told the Fourth Circuit that the agency defied Congress when it issued the rule.

  • July 27, 2026

    Cannabis In The Courts: A Midyear Litigation Review

    In the first half of 2026, lawsuits taking aim at recent federal shifts in cannabis policy, a federal ban on marijuana users owning firearms and purported residency criteria in state cannabis licensure programs were argued in multiple courts across the country.

  • July 27, 2026

    Trump Admin Appeals Partial Block On Mail Ballot Order

    The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to step in after the First Circuit declined on Saturday to lift a lower court's order prohibiting the administration from enforcing restrictions on mail-in balloting in 23 states and the District of Columbia in this year's general election.

  • July 27, 2026

    Pa. Felony Murder Bill Deadline Expires With No New Rules

    The deadline for Pennsylvania lawmakers to pass new sentencing rules for second-degree murder has passed, after the state Supreme Court didn't act Friday on a request to extend the delay on their ruling that mandatory life sentences for second-degree murder are unconstitutional.

  • July 24, 2026

    2nd Circ. Partly Revives NYC Employee's Disability Case

    The Second Circuit Friday vacated a lower court's dismissal of a New York City employee's suit claiming the city failed to accommodate his disability, although it said the trial court was correct in tossing the employee's discrimination and retaliation claims.

  • July 24, 2026

    1st Circ. Won't Stay Decision Blocking $100K H-1B Visa Fee

    The First Circuit on Friday refused to stay a Massachusetts federal court's order throwing out President Donald Trump's $100,000 fee for certain skilled-worker visas while the administration appeals the ruling.

  • July 24, 2026

    Abbott Wins 7th Circ. Fight Over Baby Formula Warning

    The Seventh Circuit on Friday refused to revive a woman's claims that Abbott Laboratories failed to warn about the dangers of a Similac-brand infant formula her baby drank before dying of a serious gastrointestinal disease, saying she failed to show that her suggested alternative warning would have saved her baby.

  • July 24, 2026

    'False Innuendo': Sanctioned Davis Wright Atty Rips Fee Bid

    A Davis Wright Tremaine LLP partner sanctioned for subpoena tactics is fiercely contesting a plaintiffs firm's six-figure fee bid, telling a California federal court that the request misleadingly cites alleged misconduct in separate litigation, reflecting a "naked attempt to prejudice the court's view of counsel."

  • July 24, 2026

    5th Circ. Partly Upholds Block On Texas Content Filtering Law

    A Fifth Circuit panel on Friday affirmed in part a lower court's injunction blocking Texas' new law forcing companies to filter content for underage users, though it said other portions of the law, including an age-verification requirement, were permissible.

  • July 24, 2026

    Panel Asks Fla. Justices To Clarify Right-To-Counsel Rule

    A Florida appeals court has concluded that while a man's sexual battery conviction should remain in place, the state's highest court should determine whether the Florida Constitution allows attorney-client conversations during a recess when barred by a trial judge.

  • July 24, 2026

    4th Circ. Backs Parental Limits Under Juvenile Visa Program

    The Fourth Circuit affirmed Friday that the parents of immigrant children who receive visas through a special classification for kids who have been abused, neglected or abandoned cannot seek a path to legal residency through their children.

  • July 24, 2026

    Apple Beats Bid To Revive COVID App Antitrust Suit

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday refused to revive an antitrust lawsuit that accuses Apple of unlawfully tying its iPhone to its App Store and monopolizing access to COVID-19 tracing apps, saying an app developer that sued the tech giant failed to plausibly allege relevant product markets for its claims.

  • July 24, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives Ex-Kaiser Worker's Vaccine Bias Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel Friday revived a former Kaiser Permanente employee's discrimination suit accusing The Permanente Medical Group Inc. of unlawfully firing her for refusing a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine, ruling that the worker adequately informed the company of the vaccine's conflict with her sincerely held religious beliefs.

Expert Analysis

  • Trump Admin's Agency Records Purge Tests Judicial Notice

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    While courts commonly take judicial notice of data in government websites and reports, the Trump administration's recent modification or wholesale deletion of these sources means that litigants must look elsewhere to support trial admission of this information, says Jon Gryskiewicz at Lewis Baach.

  • Series

    Cow Horse Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Moving an unwilling 800-pound cow while riding a horse at high speed is exhilarating, a little unhinged and, at least for me, a surprisingly effective training ground for litigation — both demand focus, preparation over rigid planning and the willingness to act despite fear, says Ashley Zitrin at Glenn Agre.

  • Fla. Driver Ruling Shows Renewed Focus On Privacy Standing

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    A Florida federal court's recent dismissal of a class action alleging that private driving records had been improperly used in violation of the Driver's Privacy Protection Act suggests that companies defending against privacy class actions in Florida may reconsider Article III challenges at the dismissal stage, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Vax Ruling Offers Employer Tips For Handling Political Speech

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    A California appeals court's recent decision in Rademacher v. ABC, rejecting a "General Hospital" actor's suit alleging he was terminated for opposing a vaccine policy, demonstrates the importance of the employer's process, including neutral policies, documentation, and evidence of who knew what and when, say attorneys at Krevolin Horst.

  • O Brother, Where Art DAO? Jurisdiction Issues Abound

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    While there is a dearth of decisions examining a decentralized autonomous organization's citizenship for diversity jurisdiction purposes, Second Circuit case law has defined citizenship for other unincorporated entities, which may guide how courts evaluate an increasing number of cases involving DAOs, says Michael Mix at Morrison Cohen.

  • Protecting AI-Driven Innovation In Life Sciences IP

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    Recent developments, including the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's evolving inventorship standards, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the "person of ordinary skill in the art" standard demand that life sciences companies elevate AI patent strategy to a top priority, says Sandra Haberny at Quinn Emanuel.

  • 2nd Circ. Ruling Notably Limits Sentencing Courts' Discretion

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    The Second Circuit’s recent decision in U.S. v. Dralle clarifies the bounds of sentencing courts’ ability to consider uncharged or co-defendant conduct without tying it to statutory sentencing factors, and it may have broader implications for limiting loss attribution in white collar and other criminal cases, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • High Court's Hikma Decision Reshapes 'Skinny Label' Suits

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Hikma v. Amarin marks a significant victory for generic drug manufacturers, but rather than putting an end to so-called skinny label inducement claims, it narrows and refocuses them, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.

  • Opinion

    At High Court, Oil Cos.' Suncor Preemption Claims Fall Short

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    In Suncor Energy v. Boulder County, pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, oil and gas companies argue that municipalities' climate deception claims are equivalent to emissions standards for their industry — but the suit is ultimately incapable of imposing such standards, say Thomas McGarity at the University of Texas School of Law and James Goodwin at the Center for Progressive Reform.

  • 3 Disgorgement Questions Linger After Justices' SEC Ruling

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Sripetch v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission avoided placing new limits on the SEC’s disgorgement powers, it passed over several questions, including whether the commission can seek disgorgement when returning the money to investors isn't possible, says David Slovick at Kopecky Schumacher.

  • Checking For AI Errors Is Now A Two-Way Street

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    A handful of recent federal and state cases demonstrate the importance of checking for errors generated by artificial intelligence not only in your own court submissions, but also your opponent's, as well as when catching opposing counsel's AI mistakes could result in an award for attorney fees, says Tamara Barago at Hollingsworth.

  • Opinion

    Federal Circuit Should Implement Mini En Banc Process

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    To fulfill its mission of uniformity in patent law while avoiding the challenges of en banc hearings, the Federal Circuit should institute mini en bancs — allowing regular three-judge panels to exercise en banc powers unless a majority of the court says otherwise, says Joshua Sohn at the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • What's Next After Justices' Last-Mile Driver Arbitration Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Flowers Foods v. Brock, refusing to narrow the scope of a Federal Arbitration Act exemption for workers engaged in interstate commerce, gives previously unprotected workers access to litigation, but preserves two potentially powerful arguments for future proceedings, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Shoring Up Corporate Law In Maryland

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    Launched more than 20 years ago to improve complex corporate adjudication, Maryland's Business and Technology Case Management Program has been a solid success in some areas, but there always is room for improvement, says Bill Krulak at Miles & Stockbridge.

  • How End Of SEC 'Gag Rule' Affects Free Speech Certiorari Bid

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    The Securities and Exchange Commission's recent rescission of the so-called gag rule, which forbade defendants in settlements from denying the SEC’s allegations, may sway the outcome of a petition to the Supreme Court in a case challenging the rule on First Amendment grounds, say attorneys at Troutman.

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