Top Texas Court Upholds Death Sentence For ICU Nurse

By Rae Ann Varona

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Thursday affirmed the death sentence of a former cardiovascular nurse convicted of intentionally murdering patients recovering from operations, finding that Texas prosecutors' accusation that defense counsel engaged in "misdirection and deception" was "mild."

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Texas Panel Unsure Beto O'Rourke's Fundraising Row Is Over

By José Luis Martínez

A Texas appellate court hinted Thursday that a bid by former Democratic U.S. Rep. Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke to erase the remains of Attorney General Ken Paxton's challenge to his political fundraising may be muddled by a contempt request that's still pending despite the state having gotten the substantive relief it sought.

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Texas Criminal Court Rejects 'I Need A Lawyer' Appeal

By Brandon Lowrey

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Thursday rejected the handwritten petition of a defendant who was interviewed after he told police officers, "I need a lawyer," sparking a dissent from two judges who said a lower court erred in finding he did not clearly invoke his right to counsel.

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Texas Panel Probes Regulator's Power In Electric Rate Spat

By Spencer Brewer

A Texas appeals court seemed skeptical of a city utility's view that the state's utility commission cannot control how it spends money it collects from providing services, asking Thursday if the regulator could intervene if the municipality used the funds to, for example, give its mayor a Lamborghini. 

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Orthopedics Co. Investors See Merger Claims Trimmed

By Emilie Ruscoe

Orthofix Medical Inc. must face claims that it failed to tell investors that a company it was merging with recently settled class action discrimination allegations, but will not have to face some securities fraud allegations, a Texas federal judge has ruled.

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Doc's Hands Aren't Property, Texas Panel Rules In Death Suit

By Mark Payne

A state-employed doctor's hands are not "tangible personal property," a Texas appeals court ruled Thursday, dismissing a wrongful death suit from the family of a patient who contracted a fatal infection during her hospital stay. 

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Ill. Man Charged With Sending Threatening Letters To Judges

By Celeste Bott

A suburban Chicago man is facing charges in Illinois federal court for mailing threatening letters to two federal judges in Texas and Florida, prosecutors announced Thursday.

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Chevron Fined $1M For Double-Counting Renewable Fuels

By Gautama Mehta

Chevron agreed to pay a $1.07 million penalty for double-counting renewable fuel credits, settling a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice accusing it of violating the Clean Air Act.

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First Brands Must Return $25M To Cover Ch. 11 Factor Claims

By Vince Sullivan

A Texas bankruptcy judge directed auto parts supplier First Brands Group on Thursday to transfer $25.7 million back into a segregated account set aside for third-party factoring lender claims to provide those lenders with adequate protection of their collateral.

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Texas Judge Largely Keeps 'Maida's' Family TM Dispute Alive

By Elliot Weld

A Texas federal judge has allowed all but one count of unjust enrichment to move forward in an intrafamily suit alleging a company has been infringing trademarks associated with Maida's Belts & Buckles brand.

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Analysis

IP Notebook: TM Use Fight, Popeye, Kurt Cobain

By Ivan Moreno

This edition of emerging copyright and trademark cases and trends looks at an appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court that questions the definition of trademark "use in commerce" under the Lanham Act and a battle over the use of "Popeye" as a trademark.

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Gordon Rees Grows In Texas With Martin Disiere Team

By Lynn LaRowe

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP has added an Austin-based, four-attorney litigation team from Martin Disiere Jefferson & Wisdom LLP, strengthening the firm's bench in a growing market.

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In Hain, Justices Increase Stakes For Jurisdictional Errors

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Hain Celestial Group v. Palmquist, addressing the consequences of a district court's erroneous dismissal of a nondiverse party before final judgment, has amplified the risk that a mistaken jurisdictional ruling in district court will render moot everything that comes after, says Steven Boranian at Reed Smith.

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Series

Podcasting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Podcasting has changed how I ask questions and connect with people, sharpening my ability to listen without interrupting or prejudging, and bringing me closer to what law is meant to be: a human profession grounded in understanding, judgment and trust, says Donna DiMaggio Berger at Becker.

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4th Circ. Scolds Atty Suspected Of Using AI In Race Bias Suit

By Patrick Hoff

The Fourth Circuit has reprimanded an attorney suspected of using generative artificial intelligence to draft briefs in a race discrimination lawsuit against Baltimore Gas and Electric Co., warning that courts need to grapple with the technology as it "may soon become the norm."

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Democrats Seek Review Of Bondi's Role In Brother's Cases

By Alison Knezevich

Two Democratic lawmakers have asked the U.S. Department of Justice's inspector general to review whether Attorney General Pam Bondi "adequately recused herself" from cases involving clients represented by her brother Brad Bondi, who is a partner at Paul Hastings LLP.

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Sinema Says Tryst With Ex-Guard Not In NC Court's Reach

By Abigail Harrison

Former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, now a Hogan Lovells attorney, told a North Carolina federal court Thursday that a lawsuit alleging her cross-country affair with a former member of her security detail ended a 14-year marriage must be dismissed because the trysts occurred outside state borders.

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Ex-Judge Testifies About Alleged Forgeries In Amazon Case

By Kelcey Caulder

The former chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia testified Thursday about the alleged forging of court documents, signatures and court stamps in a criminal case against a woman accused of defrauding Amazon out of $9.4 million through fraudulent invoices. 

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Judge Newman Takes Suspension Battle To Supreme Court

By Ryan Davis

Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman brought her fight against a suspension imposed on her by her colleagues to the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, arguing that a lower court wrongly held that her challenges to the order are not subject to judicial review.

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Calif. Bar Says Internal Docs Bolster Claims Against Exam Co.

By Emily Sawicki

The State Bar of California has bulked up its breach of contract and fraud suit against the administrator of its "disastrous" February 2025 bar exam, filing an amended complaint in light of information it says it learned from internal communications unearthed amid discovery.

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Holyoak's US Attorney Nomination Advances

By Courtney Bublé

The nomination of Melissa Holyoak, former commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission, to be U.S. attorney for the District of Utah was sent to the full Senate on Thursday.

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CFTC Takes 1st Steps Toward Prediction Market Regulations

By Jessica Corso

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission opened the door Thursday to promised prediction market regulation, calling for public feedback on what such rules might look like while laying out the staff's view on the current rules that the platforms should follow in order to offer betting on sports and other events.

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