Appellate

  • July 03, 2025

    Biggest Decisions Of Mich. Supreme Court So Far This Year

    The Michigan Supreme Court so far this year has handed down a number of decisions marking important changes to criminal law, including reshaping how late adolescents are sentenced for serious crimes and declaring that the smell of marijuana alone cannot justify a warrantless vehicle search.

  • July 03, 2025

    High Court Passes On Mont. Abortion, Parental Consent Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Thursday to hear a case focused on parental consent and abortion in Montana, as two conservative justices said the decision shouldn't be seen as a rejection by the justices of the parental-rights question itself.

  • July 03, 2025

    What Judges Might Ponder In Judicial Safety Law Challenge

    A Third Circuit panel set to examine the constitutionality of a judicial safety law born out of the murder of a New Jersey federal judge's son is tasked with what experts are viewing as a lesser-of-two-evils choice: chilling free speech or chilling public service.

  • July 03, 2025

    Mich. Justices Turn Down Challenge To Med Mal Damage Cap

    Michigan's highest court won't weigh in on the constitutionality of the state's caps on medical malpractice awards, rejecting a federal district court's certified question Thursday.

  • July 03, 2025

    What To Watch In Mass. Courts In The Second Half Of 2025

    Massachusetts courts should be busy through the second half of 2025, with litigation against the Trump administration playing a starring role at both the state and federal level. Here are some of the key cases and issues that attorneys are monitoring.

  • July 03, 2025

    7th Circ. Backs Firing Of Counselor Over Anti-Trans Speech

    The Seventh Circuit upheld the Milwaukee public school district's win over a former counselor's suit claiming she was unlawfully fired for speaking at an anti-trans rally, saying the district reasonably concluded that her expletive-laden public remarks didn't mesh with her professional responsibilities.

  • July 03, 2025

    The Firms That Won Big At The Supreme Court

    The number of law firms juggling three or more arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court this past term nearly doubled from the number of firms that could make that claim last term.

  • July 03, 2025

    Breaking Down The Vote: The High Court Term In Review

    The U.S. Supreme Court once again waited until the term's closing weeks — and even hours — to issue some of its most anticipated and divided decisions.

  • July 03, 2025

    5th Circ. Won't Revive Singer's TM Claims Against Bandmates

    The Fifth Circuit has declined to revive a case between the former members of the R&B group Jade, saying the Lanham Act claims brought by one member aren't supported when they are against co-owners of a trademark.

  • July 03, 2025

    The Biggest Rulings From Mass. High Court So Far In 2025

    Massachusetts' top court has tackled a controversial housing initiative, the thorny issue of qualified immunity for public employees and even a high-profile murder case in the first six months of 2025.

  • July 03, 2025

    Justices To Probe NJ Transit Cases Over Sovereign Immunity

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to consider whether New Jersey Transit Corp. is entitled to sovereign immunity from private lawsuits, taking an opportunity to smooth out conflicting state court rulings concerning the scope of the public transportation operator's liability for accidents.

  • July 03, 2025

    Justices Clarify Question Underlying Withdrawal Liability Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court clarified the question presented in a case it recently agreed to take up over the methodology for calculating businesses' liability for pulling out of multiemployer pension plans.

  • July 03, 2025

    Supreme Court Takes Up Transgender Sports Bans

    The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Thursday to hear challenges to West Virginia and Idaho laws barring transgender athletes from competing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity, putting yet more anti-trans legislation to the test after upholding Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors this term. 

  • July 02, 2025

    NCAA, NASCAR Antitrust Challenges Permeate 2025's 1st Half

    The first half of 2025 saw the dispute between NASCAR and two of its teams become supercharged and a judge give final approval to the disputed settlement for the NCAA name, image and likeness antitrust litigation.

  • July 02, 2025

    The Biggest Patent Rulings Of 2025: A Midyear Report

    A ruling by the full Federal Circuit invited greater scrutiny of patent damages testimony, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's acting director established new criteria for rejecting patent challenges. Here's a look at the top patent decisions from the first half of 2025.

  • July 02, 2025

    9th Circ. Upholds Sutter Health's Win In Doc's Kickback Suit

    The Ninth Circuit refused to revive a gastroenterologist's constitutional challenge against Sutter Health alleging the nonprofit paid kickbacks to its physicians to refer low-income patients to other hospitals, ruling Wednesday the appellant lacks evidence of purported kickbacks and doesn't address how the alleged injury to those patients harmed him. 

  • July 02, 2025

    Charter Company On The Hook For Bruce Willis Flight Mishap

    A Texas appeals court panel on Wednesday mostly kept intact a decision finding a private jet company tasked with transporting Bruce Willis on the hook for repairs after the plane had problems starting, saying that contract language made the company responsible for repairs.

  • July 02, 2025

    Trump Asks Justices To Pause CPSC Members' Reinstatement

    The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday to stay a Maryland federal court's ruling that the president's removal of three U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission members was unlawful, while the commissioners argue they should be allowed to continue serving through the government's appeal.

  • July 02, 2025

    Pa. Court Rejects Concealed Carry Constitutional Challenge

    In yet another decision clarifying the state's gun laws, the Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled that although a 19-year-old convicted of having a firearm in his car illegally couldn't obtain a concealed carry license due to his age, state licensing requirements did not violate his Second Amendment rights.

  • July 02, 2025

    Vax Maker Ends Appeal After Stewart Halts Patent Ax Sanction

    After the acting director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last month undid her predecessor's decision canceling all the claims of five Longhorn Vaccines & Diagnostics LLC patents as a sanction for misconduct, the company dropped its appeal in the case Wednesday.

  • July 02, 2025

    11th Circ. Won't Revive Disney Workers' COVID Vax Bias Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit refused to revive a discrimination suit by former Disney employees over the company's COVID-19 vaccine mandate and augmented protocols requiring unvaccinated workers to socially distance and wear masks, ruling Wednesday the appellants never made religious objections to those protocols and never sought religious-based accommodations. 

  • July 02, 2025

    2nd Circ. Affirms NY Court Can't Nix Swiss Arbitration Loss

    The Second Circuit on Wednesday affirmed that an arbitral award issued by a Swiss tribunal to a Singapore company in a dispute over a medical imaging joint venture cannot be vacated in New York, concluding in a published opinion that the court lacks the power to do so.

  • July 02, 2025

    2nd Circ. Reinstates FIFA Bribery Convictions

    The Second Circuit on Wednesday reinstated two conspiracy convictions linked to the FIFA bribery scandal, saying a former 21st Century Fox executive and a company that brokers media rights for major tournaments weren't absolved by new U.S. Supreme Court rulings.

  • July 02, 2025

    Drugmaker Escapes Suit As Deceased Found To Be Negligent

    A medication manufacturer can't be held liable for the death of a woman who suffered a heart attack after using a drug designed only for those with asthma and potentially fatal to those without, a North Carolina appeals court ruled Wednesday in a published opinion, saying the death was caused by the failure of the woman and her boyfriend to read the label.

  • July 02, 2025

    Fla. Man Gets $1.7M For 34-Yr Wrongful Incarceration

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Tuesday that will provide $1.7 million in compensation to a man wrongfully convicted of armed robbery who served 34 years in prison before his release in 2023.

Expert Analysis

  • A Recurring Atty Fee Question Returns To Texas High Court

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    As the Texas Supreme Court is poised to decide if it will once again address — in Maciejack v. City of Oak Point — when a party must segregate attorney fees it seeks to recover, litigators would be wise to contemporaneously classify fees as either recoverable or unrecoverable, say attorneys at Munck Wilson.

  • Alien Enemies Act Case Could Reshape Executive Power

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    President Donald Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan nationals raises fundamental questions about statutory interpretation, executive power and constitutional structure, which now lay on the U.S. Supreme Court's doorstep, says Mauni Jalali at Quinn Emanuel.

  • An Update On IPR Issue Preclusion In District Court Litigation

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    Two recent Federal Circuit rulings have resolved a district court split regarding issue preclusion based on Patent Trial and Appeal Board outcomes, potentially counseling petitioners in favor of challenging not only all the claims of an asserted patent, but also related patents that have not yet been raised in district court, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Leadership To BigLaw

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    The move from government service to private practice can feel like changing one’s identity, but as someone who has left the U.S. Department of Justice twice, I’ve learned that a successful transition requires patience, effort and the realization that the rewards of practicing law don’t come from one particular position, says Richard Donoghue at Pillsbury.

  • Fed. Circ. Ruling Reaffirms Listing Elements Separately Is Key

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    The Federal Circuit's decision last month in Regeneron v. Mylan reaffirms a critical principle in patent law: When a claim lists elements separately, the clear implication is that they are distinct elements, say attorneys at Taft.

  • Nev. Fraud Ruling Raises Stakes For Proxy Battles

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    Though a Nevada federal court’s recent U.S. v. Boruchowitz decision involved unusual facts, the court's ruling that board members can be defrauded of their seat through misrepresentations increases fraud risks in more typical circumstances involving board elections, especially proxy fights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Law Firm Executive Orders Create A Legal Ethics Minefield

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    Recent executive orders targeting BigLaw firms create ethical dilemmas — and raise the specter of civil or criminal liability — for the government attorneys tasked with implementing them and for the law firms that choose to make agreements with the administration, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • NLRB Firing May Need Justices' Input On Removal Power

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    President Donald Trump's unprecedented removal of National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox spurred a lawsuit that is sure to be closely watched, as it may cause the U.S. Supreme Court to reexamine a 1935 precedent that has limited the president's removal powers, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • Firms Must Embrace Alternative Billing Models Or Fall Behind

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    As artificial intelligence tools eliminate inefficiencies and the Big Four accounting firms enter the legal market, law firms that pivot from the entrenched billable hour model to outcomes-based pricing will see a distinct competitive advantage, says attorney William Brewer.

  • Risks Of Today's Proffer Agreements May Outweigh Benefits

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    Modern-day proffer agreements offer fewer protections to individuals as U.S. attorney's offices take different approaches to information-sharing, so counsel must consider pushing for provisions in such agreements that bar the prosecuting office from sharing information with nonparty government agencies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • SDNY Sentencing Ruling Is Boon For White Collar Defendants

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    Defense attorneys should consider how to maximize the impact of a New York federal court’s recent groundbreaking ruling in U.S. v. Tavberidze, which held that a sentencing guidelines provision unconstitutionally penalizes the right to a jury trial, says Sarah Sulkowski at Gelber & Santillo.

  • How Attorneys Can Master The Art Of On-Camera Presence

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    As attorneys are increasingly presented with on-camera opportunities, they can adapt their traditional legal skills for video contexts — such as virtual client meetings, marketing content or media interviews — by understanding the medium and making intentional adjustments, says Kerry Barrett.

  • What Del. Corporate Law Rework Means For Founder-Led Cos.

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    Although the amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law have proven somewhat divisive, they will provide greater clarity and predictability in the rules that apply to founder-led companies navigating transactions concerning controlling stockholders and responding to books-and-records requests, say attorneys at Munger Tolles.

  • Patent Drafting Pointers From Fed. Circ. COVID Test Ruling

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in DNA Genotek v. Spectrum Solutions provides several best practice pointers for drafting and prosecuting patent applications, highlighting how nuances in wording can potentially limit the scope of claims or otherwise affect claim constructions, says Irah Donner at Manatt.

  • Series

    Baseball Fantasy Camp Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    With six baseball fantasy experiences under my belt, I've learned time and again that I didn't make the wrong career choice, but I've also learned that baseball lessons are life lessons, and I'm a better lawyer for my time at St. Louis Cardinals fantasy camp, says Scott Felder at Wiley.

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