Appellate

  • April 09, 2026

    PNC Tells Justices $233M Patent Win Was Rightly Axed

    PNC Bank told the U.S. Supreme Court to leave untouched a Federal Circuit ruling that nixed a set of $233 million patent infringement verdicts in suits brought by the United Services Automobile Association, saying USAA's patents were "plainly directed to an abstract idea" not eligible for patent protection.

  • April 09, 2026

    US Again Urges High Court To Back Drug Price Program

    The administration of President Donald Trump again urged the Supreme Court not to hear a challenge to the Medicare drug price negotiation program, arguing against a constitutional challenge brought by Boehringer Ingelheim that drug companies aren't forced to accept lower prices because they can choose not to participate. 

  • April 09, 2026

    5th Circ. Revives Reinsurance Broker Row Over Credit Mishap

    The Fifth Circuit revived a suit by an insurer's owner alleging that its broker failed to administer its reinsurance program properly, leading to over $100 million in losses when it discovered the program lacked a valid line of credit.

  • April 08, 2026

    3rd Circ. Asked To Undo Atty Fees For ICE Cooperation Suit

    A former Bucks County, Pennsylvania, sheriff asked the Third Circuit on Wednesday to undo a $35,000 attorney fee award granted to groups that remanded their case over his cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arguing the case belonged in district court because he'd effectively become a federal officer.

  • April 08, 2026

    Fla. Panel Told New Proposals Don't Protect Natural Springs

    A nonprofit urged a Florida state appellate panel Wednesday to overturn an administrative judge's decision siding with an agency's proposed rules for protecting natural springs, arguing the permitting measures are essentially the same as existing ones and do nothing to prevent overconsumption. 

  • April 08, 2026

    DC Circ. Allows DOD To Ax Anthropic Contracts Amid Review

    The D.C. Circuit Wednesday shot down Anthropic's request for an emergency order temporarily barring the U.S. Department of Defense from designating the artificial intelligence company as a national security risk while Anthropic's appeal plays out, although it agreed to expedite the appeal.

  • April 08, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Questions Specificity Needed In Oxy IP Invalidation

    A Federal Circuit panel expressed frustration with attorneys from both Purdue Pharma LP and generic-drug maker Accord Healthcare Inc. Wednesday as it tried to navigate whether the Delaware district court order invalidating Purdue's abuse-deterrence patent was explicit enough.

  • April 08, 2026

    NY Panel Skeptical Of TikTok Bid To Ax AG's Addiction Suit

    A five-judge appellate panel Wednesday voiced doubts about TikTok's bid to dismiss the New York attorney general's claims that the social media platform is an addictive product that targets and harms children, pushing back on the company's free speech defense.

  • April 08, 2026

    NJ Bank Can't Get Conversion Plan Revived On Appeal

    A New Jersey appellate court panel on Wednesday affirmed a ruling that the board of a savings-and-loan bank improperly adopted a plan to convert into a mutual savings bank to block an activist investor from gaining board seats.

  • April 08, 2026

    Juror Nondisclosure Can't Trigger Crash Retrial, Panel Says

    A car crash plaintiff who sought $1 million in damages but was awarded only $20,000 can't get a new trial because of juror misconduct, a Florida state appeals court ruled Wednesday, saying a juror's lengthy legal history could have been easily uncovered online.

  • April 08, 2026

    7th Circ. Questions Internet Scammer's Phone Search Appeal

    A Seventh Circuit judge seemed skeptical Wednesday of a Chicago area fraudster's argument that federal border protection agents needed a warrant before searching his cell phones for evidence of romance, mystery shopper and other scams that he received a nine-year prison sentence for leading.

  • April 08, 2026

    Trump Asks NY's Top Court To Toss AG's 'Flawed' Fraud Case

    President Donald Trump on Wednesday asked New York's highest court to throw out New York Attorney General Letitia James' "deeply flawed" civil fraud judgment entirely after a lower appellate court tossed what it called an "excessive" $489 million penalty against the president, his sons and his real estate companies.

  • April 08, 2026

    Mich. Panel Sides With Disabled Man In City Council Dispute

    A disabled Michigan man can submit his comments to the Inkster City Council via email and have them read into the official record, a Michigan court affirmed Wednesday.

  • April 08, 2026

    NY Panel Backs DLA Piper's $482K Fee Win In Malpractice Suit

    A New York appellate court affirmed Tuesday the dismissal of a Chinese software company's legal malpractice suit against DLA Piper, along with a $482,000 sanctions order against the company and its counsel, noting that the company's frivolous claims also drew a $635,000 sanctions ruling in "mirror" federal court litigation.

  • April 08, 2026

    Full 1st Circ. Hesitant To Undo Cop's Suspension For FB Post

    The full First Circuit seemed unmoved Wednesday by a police officer's argument that his free speech rights were trampled when he was suspended for making a private Facebook post critical of George Floyd.

  • April 08, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Zeroes In On Ecobee Jury Instruction Beef

    Judges on the Federal Circuit suggested that a lower court's jury form and instructions could undo at least some of an $11.5 million award against ecobee Technologies in a smart thermostat infringement row with Ollnova Technologies, particularly in light of the Federal Circuit's 2025 decision in a fight between Optis and Apple.

  • April 08, 2026

    Mich. Justices Told Youth Murder Sentence Cruel And Unusual

    An attorney for a man sentenced to 50 to 75 years in prison for second-degree murder told the Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday that the "de facto life sentence" was cruel and unusual because someone convicted of the more serious crime of first-degree murder would be eligible for parole decades earlier.

  • April 08, 2026

    4th Circ. Revives Widow's Sewage Cleanup Clash With NC City

    A split Fourth Circuit panel Wednesday revived a widow's suit alleging she was coerced into giving up her claims against the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, after her home was flooded with raw sewage, finding she had enough evidence to take the case to trial.

  • April 08, 2026

    Judge Says 9th Circ. OK'd 'Annihilation' Of Sacred Lands

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday issued an amended opinion in its ruling to allow a 2,500-acre land exchange within Arizona's Tonto National Forest, which includes a partial dissent from U.S. Circuit Judge Johnnie B. Rawlinson, who said the decision will "completely annihilate sacred Native lands."

  • April 08, 2026

    Mass. Justices Divided Over $325M Pro Soccer Stadium Project

    Justices on Massachusetts' highest court on Wednesday appeared split on whether a $325 million professional women's soccer stadium currently being built on part of Boston's historic Franklin Park is subject to a requirement for legislative approval of plans to convert parks to a new use.

  • April 08, 2026

    Fiat Chrysler Loses 'Absurd' Arb. Bid In Defect Suit At 9th Circ.

    A Ninth Circuit panel has rejected Fiat Chrysler's request to send a certified class action over allegedly defective Jeep and Dodge headrests to arbitration, finding that FCA's theory would lead to "absurd" results in which third parties with "no connection whatsoever to the underlying arbitration agreement" could force arbitration.

  • April 08, 2026

    Fla. Panel Says Pump Station Contract Recitals Aren't Binding

    A Florida state appeals court issued a split opinion Wednesday upholding a lower court decision favoring a commercial developer in a dispute over the construction of a pump station, ruling a city can't rely on the introductory language of a contract to avoid paying cost reimbursements.

  • April 08, 2026

    Mich. Appeals Panel Hears Challenge To School Aid Waiver

    A Michigan appellate panel heard arguments Wednesday over whether a school safety funding provision unlawfully forces districts to waive legal privileges in the event of a mass casualty investigation, with school districts saying the law is unconstitutionally vague and the state countering that it applies only to entities, not individuals. 

  • April 08, 2026

    NC High Court Asked to Review Castle Doctrine Killing Case

    A North Carolina man who was convicted of voluntary manslaughter following a dispute with a friend on his property has asked the state's highest court to review his case, claiming that recently decided precedent about how to instruct juries in castle doctrine cases would have changed the outcome of his trial.

  • April 08, 2026

    TD Bank Beats Whistleblower's Appeal For Shielded Info

    A New Jersey state appeals court on Wednesday backed a lower court's holding that TD Bank does not have to produce information it's seeking to shield from a whistleblower, finding that the disclosure of the information would have violated federal law.

Expert Analysis

  • Texas AG Wields Consumer Protection Law Against Tech Cos.

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    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has targeted technology companies using the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, a broadly worded statute that gives the attorney general wide latitude to pursue claims beyond traditional consumer protection, creating unique litigation risks, say attorneys at Yetter Coleman.

  • Emerging Themes In Nevada High Court Civil Litigation

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    The Nevada Supreme Court issued a series of significant civil rulings in 2025 that reflect recurring themes: a restrained approach to personal jurisdiction, heightened expectations of professionalism, close scrutiny of trial conduct, and a willingness to enforce contractual provisions that other jurisdictions might reject, says Michael Lowry at Wilson Elser.

  • What To Know As Courts Rethink McDonnell-Douglas

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    Although the U.S. Supreme Court declined the latest opportunity to address the viability of the McDonnell-Douglas burden-shifting framework used in employment discrimination and retaliation claims, two justices and courts around the country are increasingly seeking to abandon it, which could potentially lead to more trials and higher litigation budgets, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • A Primer On Law Enforcement Self-Defense Doctrine

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    In the wake of several shootings by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, misconceptions persist about what the laws governing police use of force actually permit, and it’s essential for legal practitioners to understand the contours of the underlying constitutional doctrine, says Markus Funk at White & Case.

  • Series

    Teaching Logic Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Teaching middle and high school students the skills to untangle complicated arguments and identify faulty reasoning has made me reacquaint myself with the defined structure of thought, reminding me why logic should remain foundational in the practice of law, says Tom Barrow at Woods Rogers.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Resilience

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    Resilience is a skill acquired through daily practices that focus on learning from missteps, recovering quickly without internalizing defeat and moving forward with intention, says Nicholas Meza at Quarles & Brady.

  • How Specificity, Self-Dealing Are Shaping ERISA Litigation

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    Several recent cases, including the U.S. Supreme Court's forthcoming ruling in Anderson v. Intel, illustrate the competing forces shaping excessive fee litigation, with plaintiffs seeking flexibility, courts demanding specificity, fiduciaries facing increased scrutiny for conflicts of interest, and self-dealing amplifying exposure, says James Beall at Willig Williams.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Terminations Galore

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    Three recent decisions from the Federal Circuit and the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals provide valuable insights about sticking to a contract's plain language, navigating breach of contract claims, and jurisdictional limits on reinstatement of a canceled contract, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Opinion

    Minn. Can Still Bring State Charges In Absence Of Fed Action

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    After two fatal shootings by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota's role isn't waiting to see if the federal government brings criminal charges, but independently weighing state homicide charges and allowing the judiciary to decide whether the subject conduct falls within the narrow protections of supremacy clause immunity, says Sheila Tendy at Tendy Law.

  • State Of Insurance: Q4 Notes From Illinois

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    In 2025's last quarter, Illinois’ appellate courts weighed in on overlapping homeowners coverages for water-related damages, contractual suit limitation provisions in uninsured motorist policies, and protections for genetic health information in life insurance underwriting, while the Department of Insurance sought nationwide homeowners' insurance data from State Farm, says Matthew Fortin at BatesCarey.

  • How 2 Tech Statutes Are Being Applied To Agentic AI

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    The application of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the California Invasion of Privacy Act to agentic artificial intelligence is still developing, but recent case law, like Amazon's lawsuit against Perplexity in California federal court, provides some initial guidance for companies developing or deploying these technologies, say attorneys at Weil.

  • Defense Strategy Takeaways From Recent TCPA Class Actions

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    Although recent Telephone Consumer Protection Act decisions do not establish any bright-line tests for defeating predominance based on an argument that class members provided consent for the calls, certain trends have emerged that should inform defense strategies at class certification, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

  • NYC Bar Opinion Warns Attys On Use Of AI Recording Tools

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    Attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools to record, transcribe and summarize conversations with clients should heed the New York City Bar Association’s recent opinion addressing the legal and ethical risks posed by such tools, and follow several best practices to avoid violating the Rules of Professional Conduct, say attorneys at Smith Gambrell.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Dispatches From Utah's Newest Court

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    While a robust body of law hasn't yet developed since the Utah Business and Chancery Court's founding in October 2024, the number of cases filed there has recently picked up, and its existence illustrates Utah's desire to be top of mind for businesses across the country, says Evan Strassberg at Michael Best.

  • 4 Quick Emotional Resets For Lawyers With Conflict Fatigue

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    Though the emotional wear and tear of legal work can trap attorneys in conflict fatigue — leaving them unable to shake off tense interactions or return to a calm baseline — simple therapeutic techniques for resetting the nervous system can help break the cycle, says Chantel Cohen at CWC Coaching & Therapy.

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