Appellate

  • January 14, 2026

    DHS Can Axe '11th Hour' Venezuelan Protections, 9th Circ. Told

    The Trump administration urged the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday to vacate its summary judgment loss so that the government can continue to unwind temporary protected status for 600,000 Venezuelans, arguing that U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had the authority to terminate the Biden administration's "eleventh hour" protections.

  • January 14, 2026

    Full 5th Circ. Will Revisit PWFA's Constitutionality

    The Fifth Circuit late Wednesday vacated a split panel opinion allowing enforcement of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act against the state of Texas, granting an en banc rehearing to consider whether the U.S. Constitution required House lawmakers' physical presence to have a quorum when the statute was approved.

  • January 14, 2026

    Colo. Ex-Clerk Asks Appeals Court To Overturn Convictions

    The former clerk and recorder of Mesa County, Colorado, asked the state's appellate court to overturn her convictions for a 2020 election-related scheme, arguing immunity during Wednesday's oral arguments that pressed the state on evidentiary and sentencing issues.

  • January 14, 2026

    Calif. Again Asks 9th Circ. To Unleash Kids' Privacy Law

    California's attorney general was back before the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday, urging the court to vacate a new preliminary injunction blocking a landmark law requiring tech giants to bolster privacy protections for children, and arguing the lower court wrongly found the entire statute likely implicates the First Amendment.

  • January 14, 2026

    Fla. Tribe Urges 11th Circ. To Uphold Detention Center Block

    A federally recognized Florida tribe has asked the 11th Circuit to uphold a lower court's preliminary injunction halting operations of an immigrant detention center in the Everglades, arguing that environmental safeguards are at stake rather than immigration policy.

  • January 14, 2026

    Tort Report: Los Angeles Tops Annual 'Judicial Hellhole' List

    Los Angeles' designation by a tort reform group as a top "judicial hellhole," and the latest in a suit over a Kentucky judge shot to death in his own chambers lead Law360's Tort Report, which compiles recent personal injury and medical malpractice news that may have flown under the radar.

  • January 14, 2026

    6th Circ. Skips Rethink, But Still Spars Over Indirect Buyer Bar

    A decision by the full Sixth Circuit not to rehear a lawsuit over an alleged allergy testing and treatment provider boycott has turned into an internal dustup about the limits of who can seek damages under federal antitrust law, with one judge calling for U.S. Supreme Court intervention.

  • January 14, 2026

    Mich. Panel Revives Man's Goose Attack Injury Claim

    A Michigan state appeals court revived premises liability claims against a hospital accused of not warning a contractor about a known risk of a dangerous goose frequenting the area.

  • January 14, 2026

    Court Debates Developer's Immunity In PUD District Dispute

    An attorney representing the city of Telluride, Colorado, argued in front of the state Supreme Court on Wednesday that an appellate panel was wrong to reverse a lower court's ruling prohibiting a development company from amending a parcel of land in a Planned Unit Development district.

  • January 14, 2026

    Freight Broker Tells Justices Negligence Claims Preempted

    Broker and logistics giant C.H. Robinson told the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday that federal law unequivocally shields freight brokers from state-based negligence and personal injury claims, saying the plaintiffs bar is pushing for patchwork liability standards that would upend interstate commerce and the supply chain.

  • January 14, 2026

    Jury Seated In Goldstein Trial, Arguments To Start Thursday

    A federal jury was seated in Thomas Goldstein's felony tax and mortgage fraud case Wednesday, but the government will wait until Thursday to begin making its case.

  • January 14, 2026

    SEC To Lean On Congress As Defense In High Court Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court is once again stepping into the debate over when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission can demand that alleged fraudsters give up ill-gotten gains, but this time the agency plans to argue a 2021 government spending bill should save it from further limits to its disgorgement powers.

  • January 14, 2026

    Exasperated Judge Won't Expand Opioid Film Injunction

    BioDelivery Sciences International needed to pursue a contempt order, not an enforcement action, when alleging a 2022 injunction blocking Alvogen's generic version of its Belbuca opioid film should be applied to a new generic application, a Delaware federal judge held in a case where he was already "frustrated (and exhausted)."

  • January 14, 2026

    Texas Justices Seem Open To Judicial Review Of Hemp Rule

    The Texas Supreme Court seemed skeptical of the Texas Department of State Health Services' argument that the judiciary lacks authority to review a decision to make delta-8 THC a controlled substance, asking Wednesday why the court should not have authority to enforce an existing law.

  • January 14, 2026

    Door Maker Says Birthright Ruling Doesn't Impact Divestiture

    Steves & Sons Inc. told the Fourth Circuit that the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling dealing with the reach of nationwide injunctions has no bearing on the door manufacturer's landmark win in a private merger challenge.

  • January 14, 2026

    House Blocks GOP Bid To Cut Funds For DC Judges, Courts

    The House on Wednesday failed to approve a Republican-led amendment to a government funding bill that would decrease the funding for D.C. courts and take aim at two federal judges Republicans are looking to impeach.

  • January 14, 2026

    Justices Wary Of NJ's Immunity Defense In Transit Injury Suits

    The U.S. Supreme Court signaled skepticism Wednesday toward New Jersey's bid to cloak its public transit system in sovereign immunity, repeatedly questioning why the state chose the corporate form and rejected liability for the agency's debts but now insists the entity functions as an arm of the state.

  • January 14, 2026

    USPTO Tells Fed. Circ. To Reject Assignor Estoppel Case

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has urged the Federal Circuit to reject a mandamus petition by Tessell Inc. that claimed the office flouted precedent by using assignor estoppel to reject patent challenges, saying the decisions were based on discretion, not that legal doctrine.

  • January 14, 2026

    FAA Worker's Suspension Not Race-Based, 11th Circ. Affirms

    The Eleventh Circuit backed an early win Wednesday for the Federal Aviation Administration in a discrimination suit from an air traffic controller, ruling that "all evidence in the record" supports the conclusion that he was disciplined for failing to complete workplace training on time.

  • January 14, 2026

    Judicial Misconduct Prompts New Assault Trial In New York

    A man who was convicted of assault, disorderly conduct and criminal possession of a weapon will get a new trial, a New York appeals court ruled Wednesday, finding that a judge improperly inserted himself into the proceedings, appearing to favor the prosecution.

  • January 14, 2026

    Duke Energy Fights To Recover Over $17M In Fuel Costs

    In an effort to secure recovery of over $17 million in fuel costs, counsel for Duke Energy's electric utilities serving the Carolinas told a state appeals court Wednesday that lawmakers have always intended for utilities to recover or return fuel costs "dollar for dollar."

  • January 14, 2026

    3rd Circ. Nixes Engineer's Plea For Sharing Navy Contract Info

    In a precedential opinion Wednesday, a split Third Circuit panel ruled that a lower court should not have accepted the guilty plea of a Navy engineer charged with disclosing bid information related to a contract for submarine propeller machinery, holding that prosecutors based the plea deal on shaky legal ground.

  • January 14, 2026

    DOJ Asks To Drop Hung Counts In Ex-Gas Co. CFO's Tax Case

    Federal prosecutors asked to drop most of the remaining charges against a Russian gas company's former chief financial officer who was convicted of other tax crimes after failing to secure unanimous support from a jury, according to documents filed in a Florida federal court.

  • January 14, 2026

    Alito Denies Bid To Avoid Depos In Texas Hair Bias Suit

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday shot down a bid from a Texas school district seeking to stave off depositions of two district officials in a case alleging the district discriminated against Black students who wore their hair in locs.

  • January 14, 2026

    EEOC Faces Headwinds In 8th Circ. Bid To Upend Jury Verdict

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission faced an uphill battle at the Eighth Circuit Wednesday as it sought a new trial in a suit accusing a chemical company of failing to stop a Black employee from being harassed, with one judge suggesting the agency's challenge to jury instructions is off-base.  

Expert Analysis

  • AI's Role In Google Antitrust Suit May Reshape Tech Markets

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    The evolution of AI in retail has reshaped the U.S.' antitrust case against Google, which could both benefit small business innovators and consumers, and fundamentally alter future antitrust cases, including the Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit against Amazon, says Graham Dufault at ACT.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: How It Works In Massachusetts

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    Since its founding in 2000, the Massachusetts Business Litigation Session's expertise, procedural flexibility and litigant-friendly case management practices have contributed to the development of a robust body of commercial jurisprudence, say James Donnelly at Mirick O’Connell, Felicia Ellsworth at WilmerHale and Lisa Wood at Foley Hoag.

  • Why Appellees Should Write Their Answering Brief First

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    Though counterintuitive, appellees should consider writing their answering briefs before they’ve ever seen their opponent’s opening brief, as this practice confers numerous benefits related to argument structure, time pressures and workflow, says Joshua Sohn at the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • Notable Q3 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    The third quarter of 2025 was another eventful quarter for total loss valuation class actions, with a new circuit split developing courtesy of the Sixth Circuit, while insurers continued to see negative results in cost-of-insurance class actions, says Kevin Zimmerman at BakerHostetler.

  • Strategic Use Of Motions In Limine In Employment Cases

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Because motions in limine can shape the course of employment litigation and ensure that juries decide cases on admissible, relevant evidence, understanding their strategic use is essential to effective advocacy and case management at trial, says Sara Lewenstein at Nilan Johnson.

  • What's At Stake In High Court Compassionate Release Case

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    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Fernandez v. U.S. next week about the overlap between motions to vacate and compassionate release, and its ultimate decision could ultimately limit or expand judicial discretion in sentencing, says Zachary Newland at Evergreen Attorneys.

  • 2nd Circ. Peloton Ruling Emphasizes Disclosure Context

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    The Second Circuit’s recent decision to revive shareholders’ suit alleging that Peloton made materially misleading statements makes clear that public companies must continually review risk disclosures to determine if previous hypotheticals have materialized, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • Series

    Mindfulness Meditation Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Mindful meditation enables me to drop the ego, and in helping me to keep sight of what’s important, permits me to learn from the other side and become a reliable counselor, says Roy Wyman at Bass Berry.

  • Lessons From 7th Circ. Decision Affirming $183M FCA Verdict

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    The Seventh Circuit's decision to uphold a $183 million False Claims Act award against Eli Lilly engages substantively with recurring materiality and scienter questions and provides insights into appellate review of complex trial court judgments, say Ellen London at London & Naor, Li Yu at Bernstein Litowitz and Kimberly Friday at Osborn Maledon.

  • How Calif. High Court Is Rethinking Forum Selection Clauses

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    Two recent cases before the California Supreme Court show that the state is shifting toward greater enforcement of freely negotiated forum selection clauses between sophisticated parties, so litigators need to revisit old assumptions about the breadth of California's public policy exception, says Josh Patashnik at Perkins Coie.

  • AI Litigation Tools Can Enhance Case Assessment, Strategy

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    Civil litigators can use artificial intelligence tools to strengthen case assessment and aid in early strategy development, as long as they address the risks and ethical considerations that accompany these uses, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • Attys Beware: Generative AI Can Also Hallucinate Metadata

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    In addition to the well-known problem of AI-generated hallucinations in legal documents, AI tools can also hallucinate metadata — threatening the integrity of discovery, the reliability of evidence and the ability to definitively identify the provenance of electronic documents, say attorneys at Law & Forensics.

  • How 9th Circ. Ruling Deepens SEC Disgorgement Circuit Split

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Sripetch creates opposing disgorgement rules in the two circuits where the SEC brings a large proportion of enforcement actions — the Second and Ninth — and increases the likelihood that the U.S. Supreme Court will step in, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.

  • Calif. Justices Continued Anti-Arbitration Trend This Term

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    In the 2024-2025 term, the California Supreme Court justices continued to narrow arbitration's reach under state law, despite state courts' extreme caseload backlog and even as they embraced contractual autonomy in other contexts, says Josephine Petrick at The Norton Law Firm.

  • DC Circuit Charts Path On FERC Orders In Loper Bright Era

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    The D.C. Circuit's recent decision in Solar Energy Industries Association v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, upholding the agency's assessment of a power production facility's output, laid out an approach for addressing statutory interpretation in FERC appeals in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's game-changing Loper Bright decision, say attorneys at Bracewell.

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