Appellate

  • November 05, 2026

    Full 5th Circ. Won't Hear Challenge To Machine Gun Ban

    The Fifth Circuit has denied a petition for an en banc hearing of a challenge by a Texas shooting club to the federal ban on machine guns, with nine of the judges voting against the hearing and eight voting for.

  • November 04, 2026

    5th Circ. Orders Fresh Look At Tequila Brands' TM Confusion

    A split Fifth Circuit on Wednesday revived a trademark dispute between Mexican brand "Clase Azul" and U.S. startup "Casa Azul," finding that because the Texas district court made some errors in its underlying findings, it needs to reassess the likelihood of confusion between the two companies' marks.

  • November 04, 2026

    Investors Say Internet Letter Should Support Ill. Fraud Claims

    A securities short seller that ditched fraud claims over a letter it allegedly posted online to manipulate a stock's value urged the Seventh Circuit on Wednesday to leave its dismissal win intact, saying reversal could invite a "slippery slope" of future plaintiffs satisfying venue requirements with even less sufficient claims.

  • November 04, 2026

    1st Circ. Revives Temu Suit Against IP Atty, Citing Jurisdiction

    The First Circuit has revived Chinese e-commerce company Temu's lawsuit accusing an intellectual property attorney of lying to secure settlements with a pair of clients, finding that the lower court failed to consider jurisdictional questions.

  • November 04, 2026

    Woman Tells 11th Circ. Sexual Assault Gag Clause Is Invalid

    A woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted by her former intimate partner asked the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday to overturn a $2.7 million judgment against her for breaching a confidential agreement with the ex-partner, arguing the question of the contract's validity is one for a jury.

  • November 04, 2026

    Justices Hear Texas Challenge Of 'Unavailable' Habeas Claim

    The Texas solicitor general urged the U.S. Supreme Court during oral arguments Wednesday to overturn a decision allowing a death row prisoner's successive habeas claim for intellectual disability under new diagnostic standards, saying the challenge did not qualify for a rare exception under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996.

  • November 04, 2026

    Nike Scores Quick OK For Appeal In Wash. Spam Class Action

    A Washington state judge greenlighted Nike Inc.'s bid for a quick appeal Tuesday in a case accusing the apparel giant of sending customers misleading advertising emails, clearing the way for appellate review of whether alleging violations of Washington's antispam statute automatically establishes economic injury under the state's consumer protection law.

  • November 04, 2026

    Westlaw AI Fight Warrants Full Court Review, 3rd Circ. Told

    Ross Intelligence urged the full Third Circuit to revisit a copyright decision concluding that it wasn't protected by fair use when it trained its artificial intelligence legal research platform on Thomson Reuters' Westlaw headnotes, arguing that "at every turn, the panel asked the wrong question."

  • November 04, 2026

    5th Circ. Backs 'Geek Therapy' Co. In Roleplay Game IP Battle

    The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday sided with a "geek therapy" company in a suit claiming it infringed the intellectual property rights of a role-playing game developer after their partnership soured, saying a licensing agreement allowed the company to use the content of the game.

  • November 04, 2026

    2nd Circ. Told To Not Expand Antitrust Patent Fraud Standing

    A pharmaceutical industry trade group has backed Bristol-Myers Squibb and its Celgene subsidiary in the Second Circuit, warning that health plans asking the appeals court to reinstate a proposed class action against the companies are seeking to expand who can bring antitrust cases alleging fraudulently obtained patents.

  • November 04, 2026

    Guo Daughter Says Ch. 11 Trustee Misreads Powers

    The daughter of Chinese exile Miles Guo said that the Chapter 11 trustee who controls her father's bankruptcy estate is conflating two separate sections of the Bankruptcy Code, and she again urged the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve an alleged circuit split and reverse orders that placed $23 million in yacht sale proceeds plus a $37 million escrow into her father's estate.

  • November 04, 2026

    NY Panel Tosses Challenge To Rollout Of NYC 2nd-Home Tax

    A New York state appeals court threw out a challenge lodged by homeowners to the rollout of New York City's tax on high-value second homes, saying they lacked standing to bring the suit.

  • November 04, 2026

    Wash. Justices Won't Hear Concrete Co.'s $649K Wage Appeal

    Washington's highest court declined to review a concrete company's challenge to a state agency's finding that it underpaid workers who used radar and X-ray imaging to scan concrete on a Seattle-area light rail bridge project, leaving the company on the hook for nearly $649,000 in unpaid wages and interest.

  • November 04, 2026

    Groups Ask 11th Circ. To Affirm Block Of Trump-IRS Deal

    A consumer advocacy organization and an ethics watchdog group urged the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday to affirm a Florida federal judge's order finding President Donald Trump's $10 billion suit against the IRS and the resulting settlement deal lacked legitimate controversy, saying his suit threatens the judicial branch's integrity.

  • November 04, 2026

    Altria Tells 4th Circ. ITC Patent Cases Are Unconstitutional

    Altria has asked the Fourth Circuit to undo a district court decision allowing a patent case in the U.S. International Trade Commission brought against it by Juul to proceed, saying the Constitution dictates that private patent disputes belong in the courts.

  • November 04, 2026

    NJ Justices Skeptical Court Can Void Jersey City Sewer Pact

    The New Jersey Supreme Court appeared skeptical Wednesday that it had the authority to void a decades-old settlement agreement requiring Jersey City to pay for the water treatment costs of nine municipalities, with justices questioning whether they were being asked to overrule the state's sewage authority law.

  • November 04, 2026

    Insurers Must Face Roofer's Contract Claims, Split Panel Says

    A split North Carolina state appeals court on Wednesday revived 41 lawsuits brought by a commercial roofing contractor accusing insurers of wrongfully refusing to pay out storm damage repair claims that homeowners assigned under their policies, saying the company adequately pled valid assignments of rights.

  • November 04, 2026

    7th Circ. Probes Milwaukee Tool's Forced-Labor Liability

    Seventh Circuit judges grappled Wednesday with whether a federal anti-trafficking law allows a former Chinese prisoner to sue Milwaukee Tool over allegations it sold gloves made with forced prison labor in China, questioning the international consequences of allowing private lawsuits over foreign conduct and probing whether the company's alleged profits from that labor in the United States are sufficient to keep the case alive.

  • November 04, 2026

    Cisco Urges Justices To Reject $2.6B Centripetal Patent Case

    Cisco Systems says the U.S. Supreme Court shouldn't reinstate Centripetal Networks LLC's $2.6 billion patent infringement case, saying a lower court was correct to grant Cisco a win because Centripetal had adequate time to respond to Cisco's interpretation of the asserted patent.

  • November 04, 2026

    Full Fed. Circ. Won't Look At Inventor's Location Patents

    The full Federal Circuit on Wednesday declined to review a decision turning down an inventor's attempt to revive her computer-locating patents that were invalidated by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board after being challenged by Google and Microsoft.

  • November 04, 2026

    Tribunal Largely Backs HMRC Ax Of Port Co.'s £57M Tax Break

    The First-tier Tribunal erred in deciding that HM Revenue & Customs could not deny Liverpool's port operator tax allowances on £57.1 million ($76.9 million) spent building part of a deep-water container terminal, the Upper Tribunal found Wednesday.

  • November 04, 2026

    UK Biz Wins Fresh Look At Collagen Product's VAT Status

    A court must look again at whether a U.K. company's liquid collagen product is a drink for human consumption, and therefore a zero-rated food for value-added tax purposes, in light of an appeals court's ruling in a separate case, a London tribunal said in a decision published Wednesday.

  • November 04, 2026

    Brands Urge 5th Circ. Not To Revive X's Ad Boycott Suit

    Mars, CVS, Nestlé and other brands have told the Fifth Circuit a lower court was right to toss X Corp.'s advertising boycott case, arguing the social media platform sued only because it lost customers to competitors after being acquired by Elon Musk.

  • November 04, 2026

    4 Argument Sessions For Benefits Attys To Watch In Nov.

    JPMorgan Chase & Co. will defend its win in a 401(k) forfeiture suit at the Ninth Circuit, Aetna will ask the Second Circuit to push a multiemployer health plan's suit into arbitration, and the Tenth Circuit hears from pharmacy benefit managers who want an opioid nuisance battle moved to federal court. Here, Law360 looks at four arguments that benefits attorneys may want to keep an eye on in November.

  • November 04, 2026

    6th Circ. Backs UAW, Ford Win In Discrimination Suit

    The Sixth Circuit on Wednesday refused to revive a former Ford employee's lawsuit claiming that the United Auto Workers failed to properly represent him after he was wrongfully terminated, ruling that the claims he lodged against the company and the union are time barred.

Expert Analysis

  • A Defense Attorney Playbook For Challenging Flock Evidence

    Author Photo

    As law enforcement continues to bring charges based on evidence from Flock cameras and other automated license plate readers, defense counsel should consider four key categories for discovery requests and motions to compel such evidence, says Tamar Lerer at the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender.

  • Washington Email Law Still Puts Marketers At Litigation Risk

    Author Photo

    Despite legislative efforts to curtail abusive litigation after the 2025 Brown v. Old Navy decision extending Washington's Commercial Electronic Mail Act to misleading email subject lines, CEMA can still trigger class actions with statutory damages, even for national campaigns run by companies with no physical presence in Washington, say attorneys at Wilson Elser.

  • How AI Could Help Judges Spot Their Own Biases

    Author Photo

    In close cases where there’s room for discretion, artificial intelligence could challenge judges’ implicit biases by running counterfactual tests at scale — but any judicial use of such tools would need guardrails, say Arnold Peter at Peter Law and Nancy Rapoport at University of Nevada.

  • State Of Insurance: Q3 Notes From Pennsylvania

    Author Photo

    Pennsylvania courts issued several noteworthy insurance decisions last quarter, offering practical guidance for insurers evaluating public policy coverage disputes, drafting umbrella policy language and defending litigation involving claim file discoverability, says Todd Leon at Marshall Dennehey.

  • How Shift In Ohio Foreclosure Appeals Alters Lenders' Risk

    Author Photo

    In a series of recent decisions, the Ohio Supreme Court changed who bears the risk of an erroneous foreclosure judgment while an appeal is pending, which means lenders should now budget for merits briefing, and underwriters should expect indemnity and escrow demands, says Terry Posey at Porter Wright.

  • 3 Eligibility Rulings Show Risks Of Broad Claim Constructions

    Author Photo

    Several recent decisions from the Federal Circuit, including its ruling in Berkeley v. W.W. Grainger, highlight the importance of identifying the inventive aspects of a patent early in the case so that patentees do not inadvertently read the inventive features out of their own claims, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Mass. High Court Raises Bar For Trade Secret Injunctions

    Author Photo

    The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's recent decision in Daikin v. Russo confirms that trade secret plaintiffs must prove irreparable harm under ordinary equitable principles when seeking a preliminary injunction, putting an end to potential theories of automatic presumption, says Gregory Bombard at Greenberg Traurig.

  • 3 Strategies To Reduce AI Sycophancy In Legal Work

    Author Photo

    The tendency of generative artificial intelligence models to tell users what they want to hear can reinforce attorneys’ confirmation bias when testing the strength of arguments, and it can’t simply be prompted away — but a few practices can help mitigate it, says Michael Ott at Ice Miller.

  • Opinion

    Justices' Climate Ruling Should Preserve State Tort Claims

    Author Photo

    As recent oral arguments in Suncor Energy v. Boulder County demonstrated, the case hinges on long-standing principles of federalism that allow state and local governments to protect their resources and citizens — and if the justices rule based on precedent, Suncor should lose, says William Buzbee at Georgetown University Law Center.

  • Open Issues After 2nd Circ.'s Airport Phone Search Ruling

    Author Photo

    While the Second Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Alisigwe decision confirms border agents' broad authority to conduct routine manual cellphone searches at ports of entry, significant questions remain about more wide-ranging forensic searches at the border, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • NFL Coverage Ruling Sets Limits On Long-Tail Claim Defenses

    Author Photo

    A New York appellate court's recent decision — holding that National Football League players who sustained neurological injuries had suffered multiple occurrences for insurance coverage purposes — may also be used to limit insurers' efforts to declaim coverage for other long-tail injury cases, including sexual abuse claims, say attorneys at SDV Fenchurch.

  • 2nd Circ. EFAA Ruling Shifts Employer Litigation Strategy

    Author Photo

    In Diaz-Roa v. Hermes Law, the Second Circuit recently held that, under the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, employers can't carve out nonharassment claims and send them to arbitration, which has implications for discovery, litigation costs and resolution strategy in EFAA-covered disputes, say attorneys at Krevolin Horst.

  • DC Circ. Ruling Clarifies Standards For Buy America Waivers

    Author Photo

    The D.C. Circuit's recent decision to uphold a Federal Railroad Administration Buy America waiver offers clarifying guidance about assessing domestic availability, distinguishing manufacturing capabilities from future production plans and creating a well-supported administrative record, says Todd Overman at Bass Berry.

  • 3rd Circ. Ruling Opens Door For Fraud-On-The-Market Rethink

    Author Photo

    The Third Circuit's recent decision in Ocugen, holding that a stable stock price after publication of restated financials does not prove immateriality, could be a vehicle for the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the doctrine undergirding certification of securities class actions, says Jonathan Richman at Brown Rudnick.

  • 5 Issues To Watch As Fed. Circ. Hears Moderna Vax IP Case

    Author Photo

    Upcoming oral arguments before the Federal Circuit in Arbutus v. Moderna will test whether patent liability protections for government contractors extend to vaccines distributed to the public, and the resolution of certain questions, such as how to define “for the government,” may be key to the outcome, say attorneys at Honigman.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Appellate archive.