Appellate

  • May 08, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Kidnapping By Deception Counts, Orders Retrial

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday ordered a new trial for a man convicted of kidnapping and suffocating his girlfriend, saying a judge improperly coerced the jury, while also establishing for the first time that deception can satisfy the "holding" element of federal kidnapping charges.

  • May 08, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Debates If Alice Dooms $673M Amazon Patent Loss

    Amazon urged a Federal Circuit panel on Friday to wipe out a $673 million judgment against it over data storage technology by arguing that the patents underlying the case are invalid for covering only abstract ideas, which led the judges to debate how the inventions differ from a library card catalog.

  • May 08, 2026

    Venezuela Oil Co. Seeks Redo On Rig Seizure Claims

    Venezuela's state-owned oil company is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit a D.C. Circuit opinion ordering the company to face long-pending allegations of unlawfully seizing an Oklahoma-based oil drilling company's rigs, arguing the ruling upends decades of precedent on the act of state doctrine.

  • May 08, 2026

    Feds To Challenge Nix Of Fast-Track Immigration Appeals Rule

    The Trump administration will ask the D.C. Circuit to revive new rules that would reshape how the Board of Immigration Appeals hears challenges to immigration court removal orders.

  • May 08, 2026

    Mich. Panel Says Renewable Energy Siting Order Too Limiting

    The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that the state's energy regulatory body unlawfully limited which local governments can participate in the siting process for large renewable energy projects.

  • May 08, 2026

    Poland Tells DC Circ. Trader Can't Revive Annulled Award

    Poland has asked the D.C. Circuit to affirm a lower court's decision denying confirmation of Mercuria Energy Group's annulled $40 million arbitral award, saying the Cypriot commodities trading firm's disappointment with the annulment doesn't mean the appeals court should deviate from controlling precedent.

  • May 08, 2026

    Disbarred Atty Can't Escape Tax Evasion Case, 2nd Circ. Says

    A disbarred English attorney who assisted the heirs of an American businessman in evading taxation on their inheritance cannot use an "extraordinary" post-conviction remedy to overturn part of the verdict and a $4 million restitution bill, the Second Circuit ruled Friday.

  • May 08, 2026

    Texas Atty Cleared Of Claims She Misled Client

    The Texas Supreme Court on Friday sided with an attorney in a dispute with an ex-client who claimed the attorney misled him, saying the client accepted the attorney's condition to settle their dispute when he cashed a check.

  • May 08, 2026

    OCC Rules Spur 7th Circ. Remand In Ill. Swipe-Fee Fight

    The Seventh Circuit hit reset Friday in a closely watched legal challenge to a pending Illinois law that bans swipe fees on taxes and tips, directing a lower court to take another look at the case in light of new federal rules declaring the restrictions preempted for many banks.

  • May 08, 2026

    Minnesota Foster Parents Ask Justices To Revisit ICWA Fight

    Two foster parents are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act after the Minnesota Supreme Court determined they don't have standing to take on the bedrock law on claims of constitutional equal protection rights, telling the justices that the case "cries out for certiorari."

  • May 08, 2026

    TTAB's 'Selective' Approach Spurs Drop In Precedents

    The precedential decision the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board issued late last month upholding the cancellation of a credit union's trademark registration was noteworthy not only for the binding authority it created, but also for its rarity: it was only the sixth such ruling from the board this fiscal year.

  • May 08, 2026

    Sports Tech Co. Says Judge Made Own Patent Eligibility Case

    Finnish sports tech company Polar Electro has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revive its infringement case against a rival over a heart monitoring patent, saying a district judge made up his own case for patent eligibility when he ruled the patent was invalid.

  • May 08, 2026

    Why Trump's 2nd Global Tariff May Fare Better On Appeal

    President Donald Trump's administration on Friday appealed the U.S. Court of International Trade's ruling deeming his temporary global tariff unlawful to the Federal Circuit, where judges may view the executive action with more deference than the measures it immediately replaced.

  • May 08, 2026

    Mich. Panel Backs School In Ex-Coach's Race Bias Suit

    A Michigan appellate panel affirmed the dismissal of a former Saginaw Township girls basketball coach's race discrimination suit, ruling that he failed to show a school district's investigation into alleged improper recruiting served as a pretext for racial bias. 

  • May 08, 2026

    Tort Report: Tesla's Legal Exposure Seen As High As $14.5B

    A new report stating that Tesla faces billions in legal liabilities and a $140 million football brain injury verdict against the NCAA lead Law360's Tort Report, which compiles recent personal injury and medical malpractice news that may have flown under the radar.

  • May 08, 2026

    Transpo Tracker: Boeing 737 Max, John Deere Deal

    In our latest Law360 Transportation Tracker, Boeing is still contending with litigation associated with the 737 Max 8 jets, while a proposed $99 million class settlement could end farmers' right-to-repair claims against agricultural equipment maker John Deere and an appeals court decertified a class of 90,000 State Farm policyholders accusing the insurer of systematically undervaluing totaled vehicles.

  • May 08, 2026

    Fla. Panel Revives Homeowners' Storm Damage Suit

    A Florida appeals court on Friday revived a couple's suit claiming their home insurer wrongfully refused to fully pay a claim for storm damage, saying the lower court erroneously disposed of the case based on the insurer's pretrial motion to exclude the couple's evidence of damages.

  • May 08, 2026

    Vartabedian Katz Sanctioned Over Atty Privilege Violation

    A Texas state court has leveled $120,000 in sanctions against Vartabedian Katz Hester & Haynes LLP for wrongfully obtaining privileged information through discussions with a former in-house counsel of Pioneer Natural Resources in connection with a dispute over oil and gas leases.

  • May 08, 2026

    3rd Circ. Rejects NJ Man's Bid To Revisit $40M Tax Conviction

    The Third Circuit has declined to reconsider upholding the conviction of a man who raked in $40 million from filing false tax returns.

  • May 08, 2026

    Cop Testimony In Pot Case Wasn't 'Harmless,' Fla. Panel Says

    A man sentenced to four years for drug possession with an intent to sell after an officer testified that the intent was shown by the amount of marijuana he possessed, along with baggies and a scale, must have his conviction connected to selling reversed, a Florida appeals court said on Friday.

  • May 08, 2026

    Panel Revives Fight Over Late Burrito Chain Founder's IRA

    Massachusetts' intermediate-level appeals court Friday revived a dispute over who is entitled to the Charles Schwab individual retirement account of the late founder of Anna's Taqueria, a popular Boston-area Mexican restaurant chain.

  • May 08, 2026

    Top Atty In DOJ Appeal Over Law Firm Exec Orders To Depart

    The lead federal prosecutor on the Trump administration's appeal to reinstate executive orders targeting four law firms is stepping down from his government role at the end of May, he publicly announced this week.

  • May 08, 2026

    4th Circ. Backs Toss Of Fired Worker's Whistleblower Suit

    The Fourth Circuit upheld the dismissal Friday of a home health salesperson's suit claiming he was fired out of retaliation for complaining about sexual comments made at a company picnic, ruling the lower court used the correct legal standard to throw out his case.

  • May 08, 2026

    Texas Justices Say Nicotine Pouches Taxable As Tobacco

    The Texas Supreme Court on Friday found that oral nicotine pouches are taxable as tobacco products under state law, as they are made from "tobacco substitutes" through a combination of nicotine extracted from tobacco leaves and plant compounds.

  • May 08, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Weighs Timing Concerns In Tariff Exclusion Denials

    A Federal Circuit panel on Friday largely let attorneys do the talking while attempting to suss out whether the U.S. Department of Commerce properly justified blocking the country's largest vegetable canner from securing tariff exclusions for its imported tin.

Expert Analysis

  • Texas AG Wields Consumer Protection Law Against Tech Cos.

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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.

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.