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Featured
After Rahimi Win, Feds Set Sights On Felon Gun Ban
In a bid to capitalize on last week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding a federal law that prohibits domestic abusers from possessing firearms, the U.S. solicitor general has called on the justices to next tackle a slew of constitutional challenges to the separate, sweeping ban on people convicted of felonies owning guns.
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June 28, 2024
FCC Subsidy Opponents File New 5th Circ. Challenge
A free-market group and others seeking to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's telecom subsidy system has again filed suit in the Fifth Circuit to oppose the industry fees that fund the programs.
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June 28, 2024
Shkreli Asks High Court To Toss $64M Disgorgement Order
Former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli, who became infamous for hiking the price of HIV/AIDS medication before serving over four years in prison for securities fraud, is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to toss a disgorgement order requiring him to pay $64 million for monopolistic price-gouging.
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June 28, 2024
6th Circ. Won't Move Net Neutrality Challenges To DC
The Sixth Circuit on Friday denied a bid to transfer challenges to the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules to the D.C. Circuit.
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June 28, 2024
Texas Justices Back Union Leave Clause's Constitutionality
A clause in a firefighters union's collective bargaining agreement that permits taking paid leave for negotiations does not violate the Lone Star state's constitution, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday while reversing an award of attorney fees and sanctions against some of the plaintiffs.
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June 28, 2024
High Court Bends, But Doesn't Break, FERC Enforcement
The U.S. Supreme Court's new limits on administrative law judge powers has injected fresh uncertainty into how the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission conducts its enforcement process, but the justices haven't upended the agency's reliance on its in-house court system, FERC watchers say.
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June 28, 2024
Calif. Panel Won't Toss Trial Win By AT&T's Cricket
Cricket Communications Inc. won't have to worry about a 2018 jury trial win being kiboshed after a California appeals court ruled that when it overturned a pretrial ruling because a previous judge failed to disclose that he owned AT&T stock, it didn't mean the entire trial should be undone.
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June 28, 2024
Inventor Group Backs High Court Bid In Patent Eligibility Case
A trade group that represents inventors is throwing its hat into the ring to support the latest petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on patent eligibility.
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June 28, 2024
2nd Circ. Puts Heat On Internet Archive Over E-Book Lending
A Second Circuit panel had tough questions Friday for counsel defending the Internet Archive's argument that its free e-book lending program is fair use, questioning the assertion that its system of scanning physical books to convert them to digital form does not harm the market of the four publishers who sued for copyright infringement.
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June 28, 2024
Shifting Legal Positions Behind High Court Abortion Punt
Rapid developments in Idaho abortion law paved the way for a fractured U.S. Supreme Court decision that leaves doctors in the state in murky legal waters around providing abortions to patients in medical crisis.
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June 28, 2024
Top Delaware Court Tosses Voting Law Challenge
Delaware's Supreme Court on Friday reversed a Superior Court strike-down of two state statutes on voting procedures, finding that the plaintiffs had no standing to sue because they hadn't shown any "imminent, particularized" harm.
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June 28, 2024
High Court OKs Anti-Camping Ban, Homeless Advocates Balk
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that an Oregon city's anti-camping ban doesn't amount to cruel and unusual punishment amid a challenge brought by a class of homeless residents, a move that residents' counsel says paves the way for municipalities to criminalize homelessness.
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June 28, 2024
NC Justices Revive Black Property Owners' Bias Suit
The North Carolina Supreme Court vacated a lower court's dismissal of discrimination claims brought by Black property owners against the city of Kinston alleging that the city targeted Black-owned buildings for condemnation while preserving white-owned buildings as historical, ruling Friday that the lower court applied the wrong legal standard.
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June 28, 2024
4th Circ. Backs Bank's Win In Black Worker's Bias Suit
The Fourth Circuit on Friday declined to reinstate a lawsuit that a Black former manager brought against a bank accusing it of firing her because she complained about racial bias, saying she failed to rebut the company's argument that she was let go because of her poor performance.
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June 28, 2024
Chevron Reversal's Impact In Trade Cases Likely Limited
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision on Friday overturning Chevron deference is expected to have wide-ranging impacts, but its effect may be less harsh on international trade litigation where the field is virtually clear of cases invoking the now-defunct standard.
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June 28, 2024
DC Circ. Panel Rejects Mich. Tribe's Casino Land Trust Bid
A D.C. appellate court panel on Friday rejected a Michigan tribe's bid to compel the federal government to take land into trust for a casino venture outside Detroit, saying the court is not convinced that the tribe's proposal to channel a portion of the profits into the tribal community's unmet needs is lawful.
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June 28, 2024
Tulsa Fights Inmates' Bids To Join Jurisdiction Row
The city of Tulsa is fighting bids by nearly a dozen inmates within the Oklahoma Department of Corrections to intervene in a challenge by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation over tribal jurisdiction, arguing that the federal district court first must consider the municipality's motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
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June 28, 2024
Legal Tech Co. Seeks Arbitration Of ESOP Row At 11th Circ.
A legal technology company urged the Eleventh Circuit to back arbitration of workers' claims that they lost $35.4 million when their employee stock ownership plan bought under-valued company shares, arguing the lower court misstepped by finding that the agreement flouted rights under federal benefits law.
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June 28, 2024
Jan. 6 Ruling May Help Accused Rioters, But Not Trump
Experts said Friday that while the U.S. Supreme Court's decision narrowing the use of obstruction of Congress charges could have implications for hundreds of people accused of storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the same count against former president Donald Trump remains buoyed by facts alleged in his election interference indictment.
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June 28, 2024
Texas Justices Scrap $26M Verdict In Honda Seat Belt Suit
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday handed American Honda Motor Co. Inc. a post-trial win, vacating a $26 million verdict for a woman who was paralyzed after a crash in 2015, saying the evidence she presented was not enough to rebut a presumption of nonliability under Texas law.
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June 28, 2024
EPA Coal Ash Rules Are Nothing New, DC Circ. Rules
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was enforcing existing rules rather than illegally issuing new ones when it rejected requests by power companies to extend a deadline to comply with regulations governing the cleanup of coal-ash waste facilities, a D.C. Circuit panel ruled Friday.
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June 28, 2024
9th Circ. Backs Mining Co.'s Defeat Of Driver's FMLA Suit
The Ninth Circuit upheld a mining company's jury win over a truck driver's lawsuit claiming he was fired because he took time off after a workplace injury, saying Friday that employers don't have to rely on medical evidence to challenge a doctor's diagnosis under federal medical leave law.
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June 28, 2024
Mich. EMTs Did Not Prove Immunity Over False Death Declaration
A Michigan Court of Appeals panel says first responders who declared a 20-year-old woman with cerebral palsy dead only for a funeral home embalmer to discover she was still breathing after having been placed in a body bag have not yet proven they are immune from liability, restoring a dismissed lawsuit.
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June 28, 2024
Buchanan Ingersoll Can't Dump Harrisburg Incinerator Row
A Pennsylvania appellate court won't let Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC exit long-running litigation over a trash incinerator project that sent the state's capital city into financial distress, ruling Friday that there was still ambiguity about whether the law firm's advice had been correct.
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June 28, 2024
Firm Asks $460K In Fees After $8K Awarded In Copyright Case
A Seattle-based intellectual property firm is seeking $460,000 in attorney fees for its defense of a software company client battling copyright and patent infringement allegations brought by a leadership consultant, despite the client's losing an $8,000 judgment on one claim.
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June 28, 2024
5th Circ. Tosses Texas Health System's COVID-19 Suit
The largest nonprofit health system in Texas cannot get coverage for COVID-19-related business interruption losses it said totaled over $192 million, the Fifth Circuit affirmed, highlighting previous circuit precedent establishing that COVID-19 does not cause "physical loss or damage."
Editor's Picks
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Thomas' Long Quest To Undo A 'Grave Constitutional Error'
A quarter-century after Justice Clarence Thomas cast a pivotal vote against jury trial rights and rapidly regretted it, his relentless campaign to undo the controversial precedent is suddenly center stage with a serious shot at succeeding, as judges and lawyers increasingly deem the decision dubious and the U.S. Supreme Court chips away at its edges.
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DC Circuit Cases To Watch In 2024
As the D.C. Circuit heads into 2024, its judges are poised to answer hotly anticipated political questions about former President Donald Trump and his allies, as well as a number of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission cases that could determine the future of certain natural gas projects.
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Law360's Guide To Biden's Judicial Picks
UPDATED June 28, 2024 | President Joe Biden is shaping the federal judiciary by adding to the courts' professional and demographic diversity — a sharp break from former President Donald Trump, who made the judiciary more homogeneous as the judges confirmed under him were 84% white and 76% male.
Expert Analysis
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What 2 Rulings On Standing Mean For DEI Litigation
Recent federal court decisions in the Fearless Fund and Hello Alice cases shed new light on the ongoing wave of challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, with opposite conclusions on whether the plaintiffs had standing to sue, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.
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Perspectives
High Court Ruling Leaves Chance For Civil Forfeiture Reform
Though advocates for civil forfeiture reform did not prevail in Culley v. Marshall last month, concerns voiced by a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court justices potentially leave the door open to consider stricter limits in future cases, say attorneys at Dykema.
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4 Important Events In Bank Regulation: A Midyear Review
The first six months of 2024 have been fairly stable for the banking industry, though U.S. Supreme Court decisions and proposals from regulators have significantly affected the regulatory standards applicable to insured depository institutions, says Christina Grigorian at Katten.
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Perspectives
NY Chief Judge Spotlights Need To Strengthen Public Defense
In a recent concurrence in People v. Watkins, New York Chief Judge Rowan Wilson called attention to the necessity for greater investment in public defense services, highlighting not only the urgency of current crises, but the need to embrace a more ambitious vision of equal right to counsel, says Corey Stoughton at Selendy Gay.
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The Fed. Circ. In May: A Major Shift In Design Patent Law
The Federal Circuit's recent en banc decision in LKQ v. GM overruled three decades of precedent and adopted a new standard for assessing the obviousness of design patents, leaving many questions unanswered, say Sean Murray and Jeremiah Helm at Knobbe Martens.
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Series
Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer
The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.
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Justices' Removal Ruling Presents Hurdles, But Offers Clarity
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Campos-Chaves v. Garland and two other consolidated cases endorses a multistep notice practice that could impair noncitizens' access to adequate judicial notice, but its resolution of a longstanding circuit split also provides much-needed clarity, says Devin Connolly at Reeves Immigration Law Group.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: June Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers two recent decisions from the Third and Tenth Circuits, and identifies practice tips around class action settlements and standing in securities litigation.
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Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule
Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles at Finnegan.
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Justices' 'Blind Mule' Ruling Won't Change Defense Strategy
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week in Diaz v. U.S., holding that expert witnesses can testify broadly about the mental state of “most people” in a group, simply affirms the status quo for the majority of defendants, and is unlikely to change defense counsel’s strategy at trial, says Walter Gonçalves at the Arizona Federal Public Defender's Office.
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NJ Justices Clarify First-Party Indemnification Availability
In Boyle v. Huff, the New Jersey Supreme Court recently held that indemnification can be available in first-party claims, resolving an open question and setting up contracting parties for careful negotiations around indemnity clauses, says Todd Leon at Marshall Dennehey.
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Takeaways From Justices' Redemption Insurance Decision
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Connelly v. U.S. examines how to determine the fair market value of shares in a closely held company for estate tax purposes, and clarifies how life insurance held by the company to enable redemption of a decedent’s shares affects that calculation, says Evelyn Haralampu at Burns & Levinson.
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Arbitration Implications Of High Court Coinbase Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent Coinbase v. Suski ruling not only reaffirmed the long-standing principle that arbitration is a matter of contract, but also established new and more general principles concerning the courts' jurisdiction to decide challenges to delegation clauses and the severability rule, say Tamar Meshel at the University of Alberta.
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Fair Use Doctrine Faces Challenges In The Generative AI Era
As courts struggle to apply existing copyright principles to new, digital contexts, the evolving capabilities of AI technologies are testing the limits of traditional frameworks, with the fair use doctrine being met with significant challenges, says John Poulos at Norton Rose.
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Opinion
No Matter The Purdue Ruling, Mass Tort Reform Is Needed
The U.S. Supreme Court will soon issue its opinion in the bankruptcy of Purdue Pharma LP, and regardless of the outcome, it’s clear legal and policy reforms are needed to address the next mass tort, says William Organek at Baruch College.