Appellate

  • July 21, 2026

    NJ High Court Affirms No Arbitration For PIP Fraud Suits

    The New Jersey Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed that insurance fraud and racketeering claims can't be forced into the state's personal injury protection arbitration system, finding the process too narrow for complex fraud litigation.

  • July 21, 2026

    Canon Notches Another Fed. Circ. Win In Inkjet Patent Fight

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday declined to reboot claims in a Slingshot Printing patent covering a printhead for an inkjet printer challenged by Canon at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, less than a week after the appeals court backed decisions invalidating claims in three similar patents.

  • July 21, 2026

    High Court To Hear Alaskan Pilot Plane Forfeiture Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review a case in which the Alaska Supreme Court held that a pilot must forfeit his $95,000 plane to the state for transporting a six-pack of beer in a dry village.

  • July 21, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Restarts Treadmill Patent Infringement Case

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday revived a case in which treadmill maker Woodway USA Inc. sued exercise equipment company Lifecore Fitness Inc., saying Lifecore was granted a win based on an overly narrow claim construction.

  • July 21, 2026

    Wyeth's Patent Loss Has Attys Focusing On Dosage

    The Federal Circuit's holding that a Pfizer unit's cancer treatment patents are invalid highlights the risk of including dosages in patents without sufficient proof that those dosages work, attorneys say.

  • July 21, 2026

    DC Circ. Affirms Argentina Must Pay $391M Arbitral Award

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday affirmed the enforcement of a $391 million arbitral award issued against Argentina in a 17-year-old dispute over the renationalization of its state-owned airline, rejecting arguments that the petition was filed too late.

  • July 21, 2026

    Humana 401(k) Forfeiture Suit Will Wait For 6th Circ. Appeal

    A proposed class action against health insurance provider Humana alleging the company misallocated millions from employee 401(k) forfeitures was paused by a Kentucky federal judge on Tuesday to wait for the outcome of a similar suit against regional grocery giant Meijer currently awaiting a ruling in the Sixth Circuit.

  • July 21, 2026

    Centripetal IP Survives Fed. Circ. Despite 'Ghost In The Room'

    A Federal Circuit panel on Tuesday backed a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision that declined to strike some claims in a cybersecurity patent owned by Centripetal Networks LLC, even if a "ghost in the room" suggests that it's preserving unpatentable claims.

  • July 21, 2026

    Apple's Bid To Invalidate Speech Patent Revived On Appeal

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday gave Apple Inc. another opportunity to show that claims in a Zentian Ltd. speech recognition patent are invalid, faulting the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's decision to uphold the patent, which is at issue in a California infringement suit.

  • July 21, 2026

    2nd Circ. Bars Student's Habeas Case In Removal Fight

    A Second Circuit panel ruled Tuesday that a Vermont federal judge should not have ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release Palestinian green-card holder Mohsen Mahdawi because his claims should have been funneled through the immigration court process.

  • July 21, 2026

    7th Circ. Probes Offset Restitution In Hytera-Motorola Dispute

    Seventh Circuit judges appeared amenable Tuesday to Motorola's argument that an Illinois federal judge wrongly refused to order Hytera to pay restitution for stealing trade secrets and improperly treated Hytera's payments in parallel civil litigation as offsets in the criminal case, effectively nullifying Motorola's punitive damages award.

  • July 21, 2026

    Pa. Justices Reverse Joint Fee Liability For Custody Atty

    An attorney representing a mother in a contentious child custody dispute does not owe the father and his attorney more than $10,000 in fees, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, finding the Superior Court misapplied a previous opinion.

  • July 21, 2026

    NJ's First Solicitor General Stepping Down In September

    New Jersey's first-ever solicitor general, Jeremy Feigenbaum, is stepping down in September after having represented the Garden State in a number of high-profile cases, including a series of arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court, the state attorney general's office announced Tuesday.

  • July 21, 2026

    Mich. Panel Revives Forklift Injury Suit Against Meijer

    A warehouse worker whose leg was crushed between a forklift and a metal desk at a Meijer Inc. distribution center can proceed with his negligence suit after a Michigan appellate panel ruled a jury must decide whether faulty brakes, inadequate maintenance or his own actions caused the accident. 

  • July 21, 2026

    Reagan-Appointed NC Federal Judge To Take Senior Status

    U.S. District Judge Terrence William Boyle of the Eastern District of North Carolina plans to take senior status — a form of semi-retirement that gives federal judges a reduced caseload — at a date yet to be determined, according to a recent update from the federal judiciary.

  • July 21, 2026

    Reed Smith Loses Bid To Pause Ex-Worker's Gender Bias Suit

    A New Jersey judge on Tuesday rejected Reed Smith LLP's motion to pause discovery in a gender discrimination lawsuit brought by a former employee, finding that the firm had not proved irreparable harm if the case advanced while an interlocutory appeal on the scope of damages proceeds.

  • July 21, 2026

    Pa. Justices Deny Insurance Exclusion In Sex Trafficking Law

    Pennsylvania's laws against human trafficking don't translate into a "public policy" that justifies insurers denying coverage to a Philadelphia hotel accused of turning a blind eye to trafficking, the state's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

  • July 21, 2026

    Ex-Justice Screened From Vik's $65M Deutsche Bank Suit

    Former Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson has been screened from participating in billionaire Alexander Vik and his daughter's vexatious litigation and $65 million stock sale turnover lawsuit against Deutsche Bank, according to the financial institution's lawyers at Day Pitney LLP.

  • July 21, 2026

    6th Circ. Tests Retroactive Michigan Sex Offender Rules

    Michigan Assistant Attorney General Eric Jamison told a Sixth Circuit panel Tuesday that if it finds the Michigan Sex Offender Registration Act, or SORA, unconstitutional, it must also find its federal counterpart, the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, or SORNA, unconstitutional.

  • July 21, 2026

    NJ Panel Rules Town Board Can Redo Warehouse Review

    A New Jersey appeals court rejected a developer's request for automatic approval of its development plan in a local warehouse district, siding with a trial judge in finding a local planning board correctly sought to scrutinize its own jurisdiction over the project.

  • July 21, 2026

    NJ Panel Backs Big Box Denial Over Traffic Study Gaps

    A New Jersey appellate panel on Tuesday reversed a lower court ruling that vacated a planning board's rejection of a proposed one-story, 161,000-square-foot big box retail project.

  • July 21, 2026

    Guam Group Says Air Force Can't Skip Review Of Detonations

    A nonprofit in Guam asked the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm a ruling that the U.S. Air Force shirked environmental review duties when it applied to renew a permit to detonate expired munitions, as well as reject the agency's attempts to avoid them.

  • July 21, 2026

    Wash. Tribe, Enviro Org. Say FERC Hydro Delay Imperils Sites

    A Washington tribe and an environmental group are asking the Ninth Circuit to deny a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission bid to hold a challenge against the agency's issuance of a hydroelectric license in abeyance, arguing that it won't stop the project from moving toward construction that will destroy resources.

  • July 21, 2026

    Minn. County Urges State Justices Review School Tax Break

    A Minnesota childcare center that missed a filing deadline related to a property tax exemption for educational institutions should not have been allowed to appeal the matter to the state tax court, a county told the state Supreme Court, urging it to review the case.

  • July 21, 2026

    4th Circ. Asks SC Justices To Weigh In On Heater Death Suit

    The Fourth Circuit has certified a question to the South Carolina Supreme Court in a suit alleging the defective design of a propane heater led to the death of a man using it, asking the justices to determine if adequate labeling precludes a defect claim under state law.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Similar-Looking Designs May Not Always Prove Infringement

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Range of Motion Products v. Armaid is a reminder that even a strikingly similar design might not be found to infringe upon a patented design once design features driven by functionality are filtered out from consideration, say attorneys at BCLP.

  • Series

    Mich. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    Michigan's financial services sector saw several significant developments in 2026's first quarter, including the state Department of Insurance and Financial Services' issuance of a bulletin on the use of artificial intelligence and the Michigan House's introduction of a bill based on the Model Money Transmission Modernization Act, say attorneys at Dykema.

  • Pension Case Offers Entertainment Work Exception Insights

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    A recent Ninth Circuit decision clarified that any amount of entertainment work can satisfy the entertainment industry exception under the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act, reinforcing that statutory language, rather than evolving business models, dictates withdrawal liability outcomes, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Justices' Ruling Stresses Quick Action Against Absconders

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    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent holding in Rico v. U.S. that a supervised release term is not automatically extended when a defendant absconds, probation officers and prosecutors risk being unable to address later violations if they don't act promptly to secure warrants, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • Justices May Hesitate To Limit Courts' Arbitration Review

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    Based on Monday's argument in Jules v. Andre Balazs, the U.S. Supreme Court seems poised to preserve federal jurisdiction over arbitral award enforcement stemming from actions originated in federal court, a holding that would markedly limit the court's 2022 Walters v. Badgerow decision, says Ashwini Jayaratnam at DarrowEverett.

  • Series

    Ultramarathons Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Completing a 100-mile ultramarathon was tougher, more humbling and more rewarding than I ever imagined, and the experience highlighted how long-distance running has sharpened my ability to adapt to the evolving nature of antitrust law and strengthened my resolve to handle demanding, unforeseen challenges, says Dan Oakes at Axinn.

  • State FARA Laws Pose Unique Constitutional Challenges

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    Several states have recently enacted foreign agent registration and disclosure regimes that were modeled after the Foreign Agents Registration Act, but these state laws raise several constitutional questions, including concerns about preemption, speech and petition, and vagueness, says Alexandra Langton at Covington.

  • Series

    Pa. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    The first quarter of 2026 brought several consequential developments for Pennsylvania financial institutions, including the state banking department's first assessment overhaul in 10 years, a bill prohibiting interchange fees on card transaction sales taxes and a federal appeals court's upholding of a $52 million enforcement action, say attorneys at Gross McGinley.

  • Determining When Engineered Biologics May Be Patentable

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Regenxbio v. Sarepta, concluding that engineered cells with DNA from different organisms are not patent-ineligible natural phenomena, raises questions surrounding what framework courts will use to evaluate the patent eligibility of engineered biologics moving forward, says Robert Frederickson at Goodwin.

  • In First For DOJ, Action Signals New CFIUS Enforcement Era

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    The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking judicial enforcement of a divestment order, an unprecedented action for the agency that ushers in a new phase for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, one in which judicial proceedings complement administrative oversight and presidential divestment orders may be enforced through litigation, says attorney Sohan Dasgupta.

  • 6th Circ. Can Extend Insurance Valuation Clarity Beyond Auto

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    In rehearing Clippinger v. State Farm, the Sixth Circuit can align itself with the recent drumbeat of other circuits rejecting class certification of auto total loss claims and set standards that apply to similar claims brought under homeowners and other types of insurance policies, say attorneys at Jackson Walker.

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