Appellate

  • May 28, 2026

    Justices Say 'Last-Mile' Drivers Can Skip Arbitration

    An exemption to federal arbitration requirements for workers engaged in interstate commerce can extend to what are known as last-mile drivers who locally deliver goods that travel interstate, the U.S. Supreme Court held Thursday, resolving an issue that lingered after previous high court decisions.

  • May 27, 2026

    PacifiCorp Link Should DQ Appeal Judge, Plaintiffs Say

    Counsel for a class of Oregon property owners asked an appeals court Tuesday to disqualify the judge who authored a decision overturning classwide liability against PacifiCorp for wildfire damage, saying the judge's alleged work for the utility in prior private practice would cause a reasonable person to question her impartiality.

  • May 27, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Alaska Can Release ConocoPhillips Well Data

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday reversed a lower court's ruling that kept ConocoPhillips' Alaskan well data confidential, saying in a published opinion that federal law and regulations did not preempt an Alaska statute requiring the data's release.

  • May 27, 2026

    3rd Circ. Affirms Toss Of Spirit Airlines Site Tracking Suit

    The Third Circuit has refused to revive a proposed class action accusing the now-defunct Spirit Airlines of recording communications by visitors to its website, finding the plaintiffs voluntarily provided information to look for flights and that, at any rate, many understand "'that what we do on the Internet is not completely private.'"

  • May 27, 2026

    DOJ Urges Justices To Skip $400M Spain Award Cases

    The Trump administration is urging the U.S. Supreme Court not to disturb a D.C. Circuit decision laying a path to enforce more than $400 million in arbitral awards against Spain, arguing that the decision, while flawed, does not warrant further review because the asserted circuit conflict is "shallow."

  • May 27, 2026

    National Trust Asks DC Circ. To Back Trump Ballroom Block

    The National Trust for Historic Preservation on Wednesday urged the D.C. Circuit to affirm a district court injunction that halted President Donald Trump's construction of a White House ballroom, arguing there's no justification for the project to proceed without Congress' approval.

  • May 27, 2026

    Chicago US Atty Revamps Grand Jury Rules After Misconduct

    Chicago's top federal prosecutor announced on Wednesday a new suite of rules for how grand jury investigations are handled after an Illinois federal judge accused the prosecutor's office of misconduct in a case against six immigration activists.

  • May 27, 2026

    Colo. Group Says $66M Flood Bonds Needed TABOR Vote

    A group of Boulder residents told a Colorado Court of Appeals panel Wednesday at oral arguments that the city's stormwater and flood management fees, which will be used in part to repay $66 million in bonds, are actually a tax under Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, or TABOR.

  • May 27, 2026

    NFL's High Court Loss Is Lesson For Fair Employee Contracts

    The NFL's failed bid at the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve a former coach's racial discrimination claims via arbitration serves as a warning to businesses seeking to draft employment contracts with few options and limited rights for workers.

  • May 27, 2026

    Fla. Panel Says Confederate Tag Didn't Bias Crash Case Jury

    A man sentenced for seven crimes in connection with crashing his car into another vehicle was not unfairly prejudiced when the trial court admitted into evidence photos from the crash showing the Confederate flag tag he had affixed to his car, a Florida state appeals court said Wednesday.

  • May 27, 2026

    DOL Gets To Argue In 11th Circ. ESOP En Banc Appeal

    The Eleventh Circuit Wednesday granted the U.S. Department of Labor permission to argue as amicus in support of a seafood company in a worker-side appeal seeking to revive allegations of mismanagement of an employee stock ownership plan, which the full appellate court has agreed to consider in September.

  • May 27, 2026

    Colo. Panel Questions Trial Court's Reading Of Wage Laws

    The Colorado Court of Appeals appeared poised Wednesday to revive the retaliation claims of a former human services caseworker against the county department she had worked for, pushing back on a lower court's interpretation of statutes meant to close gender pay gaps.

  • May 27, 2026

    3rd Circ. Asks If Denny's Must Notify Servers Of Notification

    The Third Circuit appeared startled Wednesday at the notion that the Fair Labor Standards Act requires employers to notify workers that they're required to notify them of various aspects of the wage law, as Denny's seeks to overturn certification of a server's suit accusing it of violating the act's disclosure requirement.

  • May 27, 2026

    2nd Circ. Says Creditor Agent Could Be Served In Ch. 11 Suit

    The Second Circuit has found that when a Chinese textile company authorized an insurer to fully collect on a $3 million bankruptcy claim, it authorized the insurer's agent to accept service for a suit that would reduce the amount of the claim.

  • May 27, 2026

    DC Circ. Backs Fired Employee In Salary Spreadsheet Case

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday partially upheld a National Labor Relations Board decision finding that a Vermont software company illegally fired an employee for creating a spreadsheet to help coworkers compare salaries, but found the board relied on protected activity unrelated to the subject of the complaint in the case to find the company illegally fired three other workers.

  • May 27, 2026

    Pot Co. Urges 9th Circ. To Weigh Labor Law Constitutionality

    A cannabis retailer challenging the constitutionality of a California law that requires marijuana businesses to have labor peace agreements with unions is urging the Ninth Circuit to consider its claims against the state on the merits rather than remanding the issue to a lower court.

  • May 27, 2026

    Ill. Panel Won't Rethink 45-Year Sentence For Teen Murder

    An Illinois appeals court has ruled that a man convicted of a first-degree murder he committed in 2008 when he was a teenager is not eligible for a sentence reduction despite dramatic changes in state and federal law surrounding sentencing for juvenile offenders.

  • May 27, 2026

    NJ Justices Revive Eye Injury Suit For 'Gatekeeping' Test

    The Supreme Court of New Jersey revived a woman's suit alleging she suffered serious eye injuries because of a defect in Allergan USA Inc.'s product Ozurdex, ruling Wednesday that the trial court failed to conduct the gatekeeping inquiry required when there is a dispute over the reliability of expert testimony.

  • May 27, 2026

    10th Circ. Affirms Dentist's 3½-Year Sentence For Tax Evasion

    A dentist's sentence of almost 3½ years for evading over $1.6 million in personal taxes through an abusive-trust tax scheme was affirmed by the Tenth Circuit on Wednesday, as the appellate court rejected his argument that his sentence is both procedurally and substantively unreasonable.

  • May 27, 2026

    Ga. Panel Orders New Trial In Highway Collision Case

    A Georgia appeals panel has ordered a new trial for a woman who was injured when her stopped vehicle was struck by a speeding Ford F-150 truck on a Georgia highway, finding that the jury was improperly instructed on the "sudden emergency" doctrine.

  • May 27, 2026

    6th Circ. Backs Insurer In Michigan Jewelry Store Flood Fight

    A Michigan jewelry store's insurer does not have to cover water damage from a historic rainstorm that overwhelmed a Detroit area sewer system, the Sixth Circuit said, finding that the policy's flood exclusion barred coverage. 

  • May 27, 2026

    Conn. Justices Fault Bank In Lost Mortgage Note Dispute

    The Connecticut Supreme Court on Wednesday reversed Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB's appellate and trial court wins in a foreclosure case surrounding a lost $751,000 mortgage note, finding officials at a mortgage servicing firm submitted deficient and contradictory affidavits to support the bank's right to collect money.

  • May 27, 2026

    US Tells Justices To Hold 'Lightning Rod' Health Ministry Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court should hold out on deciding whether a New Mexico insurance law violates the religious rights of nonprofit healthcare-sharing ministries that provide cheap, Christian-focused health insurance options while the justices decide a similar case, the U.S. solicitor general told the court. 

  • May 27, 2026

    6th Circ. Upholds Prison Term Despite Sentencing Amendment

    A Sixth Circuit panel on Tuesday affirmed that a Michigan man's 103-month prison sentence should not be shortened, despite a recent change to sentencing guidelines, because his modest rehabilitation was not enough to justify a reduction.

  • May 27, 2026

    11th Circ. Told YouTube Copyright Win Doesn't Merit Fees

    A Spanish film production company has urged the Eleventh Circuit to uphold a Florida federal judge's refusal to award YouTube attorney fees after the video platform prevailed in a dispute over pirated movies, arguing that the unsuccessful copyright claims raised a novel legal issue and were brought in good faith.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Time To Fix The Accountability Gap In Freight Logistics

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    In Montgomery v. Caribe Transport, the U.S. Supreme Court must resolve an urgent question: whether freight broker selection in trucking accidents is categorically protected — meaning unreasonable safety decisions are insulated from liability — or subject to accountability under traditional negligence principles, says Amanda Demanda at Amanda Demanda Injury Lawyers.

  • 2 Strands Of Patent Law In High Court's 'Skinny Label' Case

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    Amarin v. Hikma, which is set for oral argument in the U.S. Supreme Court this month, highlights the distinction between two different strands of intellectual property law — analogizing a patent to either a property deed or a home, says Jonas McDavit at Spencer West.

  • Justices' Geofence Ruling May Test 4th Amendment's Future

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    When the U.S. Supreme Court decides in Chatrie v. U.S. whether law enforcement may use geofence warrants to compel Google to disclose location history data, the ruling is likely to become an important statement about the future of Fourth Amendment law in data-driven investigations, says Duncan Levin at Levin & Associates.

  • Series

    NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    In the first quarter of 2026, New York's banking developments were headlined by initiatives to expand oversight of financial institutions and strengthen consumer protection laws, including a new framework for buy now, pay later lenders, a sweeping debt collection rule and a revised corporate self-disclosure program for financial crimes, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Seeking A Policy Fix As Merger Reporting Fight Continues

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    A recently announced request by the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice for public comment on the Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger reporting requirements, as litigation challenging the commission's updated requirements continues, suggests the government's willingness to address how best to support modern merger enforcement without unduly burdening filing parties, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • Opinion

    Wash. Amazon Ruling Should Reshape Suicide Liability

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    The Washington Supreme Court's reinstatement of negligence claims in Scott v. Amazon.com, brought by the families of people who died by suicide after purchasing chemicals online, signals a reckoning for digital commerce and the rejection of the defense that online marketplaces are merely passive technology platforms, says Donald Fountain at Clark Fountain.

  • Axed Trade Secret Award Cautions Against Bundling Damages

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    The Fifth Circuit's recent ruling in Trinseo v. Harper, vacating a $75 million jury verdict for trade secret misappropriation due to a bundled damages model, offers a strong reminder to apportion damages so a jury can award a nonspeculative figure when it credits only some alleged secrets, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • 2 Rulings Poke Holes In Mandatory Restitution Framework

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Ellingburg v. U.S., as well as the Third Circuit’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Abrams, provide criminal defense practitioners with new tools to challenge Mandatory Victims Restitution Act orders, and highlight several restitution-related issues that converged in the recent prosecution of former Frank CEO Charlie Javice, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • Pivotal 6th Circ. Ruling Threatens Decades Of NLRB Decisions

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    The Sixth Circuit's recent decision in Brown-Forman v. National Labor Relations Board fundamentally challenged the NLRB's long-standing practice of establishing policies through adjudication rather than formal rulemaking, giving employers and unions a new avenue to procedurally attack the vast majority of its rules, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • What A Court Doc Audit Reveals About Erroneous Filings

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    My audit of 1,522 court documents from last month found that over 95% contained at least one verifiable error, with fewer than 1% showing clear indicators of artificial intelligence use — highlighting above all else that lawyers may want to focus most on strengthening their review processes, says Elliott Ash at ETH Zurich.

  • Exploring When Fraud Asset Freezes Limit Right To Pick Atty

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    The defendant’s claim in the Seventh Circuit’s pending U.S. v. Shah case that the government restrained his assets until he couldn’t afford his chosen counsel presents a useful case study in how criminal forfeiture procedure interacts with U.S. Supreme Court rulings on Sixth Amendment rights and appealing complex fraud convictions, says Elisha Kobre at Sheppard.

  • How Justices' GEO Ruling Resets Gov't Contractor Litigation

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent GEO Group v. Menocal decision, holding that government contractors cannot immediately exit cases via interlocutory appeals, may increase litigation costs, strengthen plaintiffs' leverage in settlement negotiations and dampen the government's ability to attract bids on high-risk or sensitive projects, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Appellate Strategy Lessons From Pa. Excess Coverage Ruling

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    In FedEx v. National Union Fire Insurance, a Pennsylvania state court recently set forth a clear holding that policyholders may recover postjudgment interest under excess liability insurance policies only when the policy language expressly allows, offering important takeaways for planning appeals, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Defense Counsel Options Widen As No-Bill Rate Increases

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    Citizens impaneled on grand juries in politically motivated cases who are reasserting their role as a critical check on state power could provide criminal defense attorneys an opportunity to pursue seldom-used preindictment strategies, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • How Cos. Can Prepare For 'Made In America' Ad Scrutiny

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    The Trump administration's executive order to combat fraudulent "Made in America" claims in consumer-facing advertising, along with actions by the Federal Trade Commission, suggest a potential increased focus on consumer protection and pricing-related matters, say attorneys at Skadden.

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