Appellate

  • September 03, 2025

    ND Tribes Ask Supreme Court To Protect Voting Rights Act

    Two North Dakota tribes are asking the Supreme Court to undo an Eighth Circuit decision that prohibits lawsuits against states for violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, arguing that if not overturned, the ruling would kneecap the main federal protection against racial discrimination in voting.

  • September 03, 2025

    Pick For Del.'s 3rd Circ Seat Questioned On Ties To The State

    Jennifer L. Mascott, nominee for a Delaware seat on the Third Circuit who is currently serving in the White House Counsel's Office, came under questioning from Democrats on Wednesday regarding her lack of connections to the state and her qualifications for the judgeship.

  • September 03, 2025

    Sullivan & Cromwell Hires Ex-Asst. To The Solicitor General

    Sullivan & Cromwell LLP announced Wednesday that it has hired a former assistant to the solicitor general whose wealth of appellate experience includes six arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • September 03, 2025

    Software Co. Founder Fights $100M Tax Bill At 11th Circ.

    A software company founder facing more than $100 million in tax debt from his participation in an illegal tax shelter should have been allowed to settle with the Internal Revenue Service for $1.5 million because he can't pay the whole bill, he told the Eleventh Circuit.

  • September 03, 2025

    Ohio Panel Says Judge Can't Thwart Inmate Credit Programs

    A split Ohio appeals court on Tuesday ruled an incarcerated man should be allowed to participate in prison programs that can earn him credit toward his release, adding a state trial judge cannot bar access to the programs.

  • September 03, 2025

    Claim Mistake Dooms Flutist's Benefits Suit, 7th Circ. Says

    The Seventh Circuit backed the dismissal of a musician's suit alleging an insurer wrongfully denied her long-term disability benefits claim after a COVID-19 infection caused chronic ear ringing, ruling she needs to file a new claim because she made an error in her first application.

  • September 03, 2025

    5th Circ. Rules Trump's Use Of Wartime Removal Law Illegal

    A split Fifth Circuit panel ruled that President Donald Trump's March proclamation invoking the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members likely ran afoul of the wartime law and blocked removals in the Northern District of Texas.

  • September 02, 2025

    DC Circ. Refuses To Block Fired FTC Dem's Reinstatement

    A split D.C. Circuit panel Tuesday refused to stay a lower court's order reinstating a Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission, finding that the government has "no likelihood of success" fighting her reinstatement because President Donald Trump broke the law when he fired her without cause.

  • September 02, 2025

    Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action

    For appellate attorneys feeling sad summer's over, September's circuit calendars are here to help with argument topics — including the former Meghan Markle, an ex-Jones Day lawyer's religious liberty suit and $17 million in fees after "a vigorous litigation battle" between BigLaw firms — offering enough intrigue to vanquish any autumn ennui.

  • September 02, 2025

    5th Circ. Judge Says Reimbursement Drop 'Not Chicken Feed'

    A U.S. Circuit judge pushed the government to explain the policy rationale behind lowering how much hospitals can recoup in Medicare reimbursements for treating low-income patients who use state-specific programs, saying Tuesday the rule was seemingly aimed at "screwing these hospitals out of reimbursements."

  • September 02, 2025

    DC Circ. Says EPA Can Freeze Climate Grant Funds

    A D.C. Circuit panel vacated an injunction on Tuesday ordering Citibank to relinquish grant funding frozen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, finding green groups are not likely to succeed on the merits of their "essentially contractual" claims.

  • September 02, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Told PTAB Ineligibility Rule Flouts Due Process

    Marketing software company HighLevel Inc. has urged the Federal Circuit to prohibit the Patent Trial and Appeal Board from retroactively applying a decision barring patent reviews after a district court has found the patent invalid on eligibility grounds, saying the practice violates due process.

  • September 02, 2025

    9th Circ. Rejects Unvaxxed Firefighters' Discrimination Appeal

    A Ninth Circuit panel declined on Tuesday to revive a group of Washington firefighters' suit against their employer for refusing them religious exemptions from a state COVID-19 vaccination mandate, concluding the fire agency would've faced "substantial costs" had it allowed them to continue working without the shot in 2021.

  • September 02, 2025

    4th Circ. Says Cooking For Terrorists Doesn't Bar Asylum

    The Fourth Circuit revived a deported Nigerian man's immigration case Tuesday, ruling a brief stint as a cook for a terrorist group did not rise to a level of "material support" to make him ineligible for asylum.

  • September 02, 2025

    Defamation Litigation Roundup: Patel's GF, Dershowitz, Nunes

    In this month's review of defamation fights, Law360 reports on a new suit by the girlfriend of the current FBI director over a podcaster's claims that she was an Israeli intelligence agent, as well as the latest settlement between a voting machine company and a conservative news organization over 2020 election claims. 

  • September 02, 2025

    Harley-Davidson Riders Want Another Look At Warranty Case

    Customers targeting Harley-Davidson's motorcycle warranties are asking the Seventh Circuit for a rehearing, arguing that an appeals panel misconstrued language in the warranties and was wrong to reject claims that the company competes in a market for American motorcycles.

  • September 02, 2025

    5th Circ. Says Firm Is Making 'Circular Problem' In Doc Dispute

    A Fifth Circuit panel pushed back Tuesday on a law firm's assertion that it gets to keep documents associated with a $30 million settlement with Ocwen Financial Corp. even though those documents were allegedly used to breach the settlement agreement, saying they were making a circular argument.

  • September 02, 2025

    2nd Circ. Affirms Arizona Iced Tea's Audit Expense Coverage

    Hanover Insurance Co. must cover the maker of Arizona Iced Tea for additional audit expenses from a power surge that erased years of financial data, the Second Circuit determined Tuesday, finding that delays and additional costs were directly traced to the surge and therefore covered.

  • September 02, 2025

    VLSI Wants Chance To Defend Patent At Stewart's PTAB

    VLSI Technology LLC is asking the Federal Circuit for another chance to stop OpenSky Industries LLC from challenging its patent after being sanctioned, saying Tuesday that the inter partes review was only allowed based on guidance that has since been withdrawn.

  • September 02, 2025

    Progressive Owes No Coverage For Truck Transport Mishap

    A Progressive Insurance unit has no duty to defend or indemnify a transportation company facing an injury lawsuit alleging that a disabled truck rolled into oncoming interstate traffic while a worker was loading it onto a trailer, an Alabama federal court ruled Tuesday.

  • September 02, 2025

    11th Circ. Upholds 15-Year Sentence In Armed Career Case

    The Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday ruled that a man's 15-year prison sentence in a federal firearms case did not violate the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution, even though a federal judge used a previous marijuana conviction to enhance the sentence.

  • September 02, 2025

    EchoStar Challenges FCC's New Auction Rules In 10th Circ.

    Dish owner EchoStar has sued in the Tenth Circuit to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's recently passed rules to sell spectrum, claiming the plan will result in major penalties stemming from defaults on winning bids in an earlier auction.

  • September 02, 2025

    Confusion Over Slashed Patent Verdict Vexes Fed. Circ. Judge

    An attorney for Rex Medical butted heads with a Federal Circuit judge Tuesday over what a lower court actually did when it reduced a $10 million patent infringement verdict against Intuitive Surgical Inc. to $1, with the judge appearing frustrated by the confusion.

  • September 02, 2025

    Girardi Co-Attys Can't Revive Elder Abuse, Fiduciary Claims

    A California state appeals court has found that claims of financial elder abuse and aiding and abetting a breach of fiduciary duty brought by two of Tom Girardi's co-counsel against his son-in-law were correctly dismissed, as was an aiding and abetting claim against a company run by Girardi's estranged wife.

  • September 02, 2025

    Freddie Mac Beats Investor Suit Over Subprime Exposure

    An Ohio federal judge has tossed a nearly two-decade-old lawsuit accusing Freddie Mac of failing to warn investors about its exposure to the flagging subprime market, ruling that the lawsuit hadn't identified any material misleading statements made by the company in the lead-up to the housing crisis.

Expert Analysis

  • Maryland High Court Ruling Clarifies Claim Assignment

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    In its recent opinion in Featherfall Restoration, the Maryland Supreme Court reemphasized a policyholder's ability to assign a claim despite the presence of general liability policy language requiring an insurer's written consent, nevertheless highlighting the importance of specific wording, say attorneys at Bradley Arant.

  • Why EpicentRx Ruling Is A Major Win For Business Certainty

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    The California Supreme Court's recent decision in EpicentRx v. Superior Court removes a significant source of uncertainty that plagued commercial litigation in California by clarifying that forum selection clauses shouldn't be invalidated solely because the selected forum lacks the right to a jury trial, say attorneys at Clark Hill.

  • 9th Circ. Finding That NFTs Are Goods Will Change TM Law

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent ruling in Yuga Labs v. Ripps establishes that NFTs have real, commercial value under U.S. federal trademark law, a new legal precedent that may significantly influence intellectual property enforcement and marketplace policies regarding digital assets going forward, say attorneys at Wilson Elser.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From Texas AUSA To BigLaw

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    As I learned when I transitioned from an assistant U.S. attorney to a BigLaw partner, the move from government to private practice is not without its hurdles, but it offers immense potential for growth and the opportunity to use highly transferable skills developed in public service, says Jeffery Vaden at Bracewell.

  • Union Interference Lessons From 5th Circ. Apple Ruling

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    The Fifth Circuit's recent holding that Apple did not violate the National Labor Relations Act during a store's union organizing drive provides guidance on what constitutes coercive interrogation and clarifies how consistently enforced workplace policies may be applied to union literature, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • 3 Rulings Show Hurdles To Proving Market Manipulation Fraud

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    Three recent conviction reversals from New York federal courts highlight the challenges that prosecutors face in establishing fraud and market manipulation allegations, suggesting that courts are increasingly reluctant to find criminal liability when novel theories are advanced, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Drafting M&A Docs After Delaware Corp. Law Amendments

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    Attorneys at Greenberg Traurig discuss how the March and June amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law affect the drafting of corporate and M&A documents, including board resolutions, governing documents, and books and records demands.

  • Advice For 1st-Gen Lawyers Entering The Legal Profession

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    Nikki Hurtado at The Ferraro Law Firm tells her story of being a first-generation lawyer and how others who begin their professional journeys without the benefit of playbooks handed down by relatives can turn this disadvantage into their greatest strength.

  • High Court E-Cig Ruling Opens Door For FDA Challenges

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    There will likely be more challenges to marketing denial orders brought before the Fifth Circuit following the Supreme Court's recent ruling in U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co., where litigants have generally had greater success, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • NY Ruling Eases Admission Of Medical Record Evidence

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    A New York appellate court’s recent ruling in Pillco v. 160 Dikeman clarifies the standard for evaluating accident-related entries from medical records, likely making it easier to admit these statements into evidence at trial, says Shawn Schatzle at Lewis Brisbois.

  • How 9th Circ. Customs Ruling Is Affecting FCA Litigation

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    The Ninth Circuit’s recent Island Industries decision holding that the U.S. Court of International Trade doesn’t have exclusive jurisdiction over whistleblower suits involving import duties has set the stage for the False Claims Act to be a key weapon on the customs enforcement battlefield, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • 2nd Circ. Ruling Gives Banks Shield From Terrorism Liability

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    A recent Second Circuit dismissal strengthens the position of international banks facing claims they indirectly helped terrorist organizations and provides clearer guidance on the boundaries of secondary liability, but doesn't provide absolute immunity, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Fed. Circ. In July: Instability In IPR Requirements

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    The Federal Circuit's decision in Shockwave v. Cardiovascular last month provided an important, albeit short-lived, clarification to the type of evidence that can be used in an inter partes review challenge, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • 9th Circ. Qualified Immunity Ruling May Limit Phone Searches

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    Though the Ninth Circuit affirmed police officers’ qualified immunity claims in Olson v. County of Grant earlier this year, it also established important Fourth Amendment precedent on the use of cellphone extractions that will apply more broadly in criminal investigations and prosecutions, say attorneys at The Norton Law Firm.

  • Series

    Coaching Cheerleading Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    At first glance, cheerleading and litigation may seem like worlds apart, but both require precision, adaptability, leadership and the ability to stay composed under pressure — all of which have sharpened how I approach my work in the emotionally complex world of mass torts and personal injury, says Rashanda Bruce at Robins Kaplan.

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