Appellate

  • October 23, 2026

    Copyright Ruling Leaves Worldwide Rights In Legal Limbo

    The U.S. Supreme Court left music publishers, creators and catalog buyers facing potentially different rules for worldwide copyright termination after an unusual quorum failure ended the entertainment industry's bid to overturn a Fifth Circuit ruling allowing authors to recapture foreign rights included in worldwide grants.

  • October 23, 2026

    NC Asks 4th Circ. To Undo Atty Fees In Prison Trans Care Row

    North Carolina urged the Fourth Circuit on Friday to reverse over half a million dollars in legal fees awarded to a formerly incarcerated transgender woman alleging she was wrongly denied gender-affirming surgery at a state prison, arguing the award defies U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

  • October 23, 2026

    NY Panel Orders New Trial After Unrecorded Jury Remarks

    A New York state appeals court has ruled that a man is entitled to a new trial on drug possession charges after it was discovered that a trial judge had an off-the-record conversation with a juror to resolve a dispute about how to decide the case.

  • October 23, 2026

    Tax Court Misread Easement Rules, 4th Circ. Told

    The U.S. Tax Court imposed conservation easement donation requirements beyond what the law allows in evaluating a property's condition and potential mining value, a partnership told the Fourth Circuit, seeking to overturn the 2025 denial of its charitable deduction.

  • October 23, 2026

    Mich. Appeals Court Upholds Indigent Defense Fee

    Criminal defendants can be required to reimburse the full cost of their court-appointed attorneys even when most of those expenses are covered by state indigent defense grants, a Michigan appeals court ruled after rejecting a woman's argument that the arrangement allows counties to recover the same costs twice.

  • October 23, 2026

    DC Circ. Lets 1929 Census Descendants Join Miwok Vote

    The D.C. Circuit allowed descendants of people listed in a 1929 census of local Native Americans to have a say in the California Valley Miwok Tribe's constitution and bylaws Friday, rejecting a rival faction's bid to restrict the process to a smaller group and settling — for now — a decades-long fight tied to state gaming funds.

  • October 23, 2026

    Feds Want Grant Ruling Foiling Priorities Stayed For Appeal

    The Trump administration asked a Massachusetts federal judge to pause a decision declaring that a grant termination clause does not allow agencies to scrap awards not aligned with its new priorities, claiming it is likely to prevail in a First Circuit appeal.

  • October 23, 2026

    Verisk Must Pursue $2.35B AccuLynx Deal, Del. Court Says

    The Delaware Supreme Court on Friday upheld a ruling that Verisk Analytics Inc. improperly abandoned its $2.35 billion acquisition of roofing software company AccuLynx, leaving the data analytics company obligated to keep pursuing federal antitrust clearance and close the deal if regulators approve it.

  • October 23, 2026

    Pa. Panel Finds Delays Doom Demand To Widen Private Road

    A Pennsylvania township can't make a developer spend $1.2 million widening a private access road because it had ignored the road's alleged noncompliance with the town's code for nearly 20 years, a state appellate court panel said Friday.

  • October 23, 2026

    Atty Beats Contempt For Not Identifying Herself In Ga. Court

    The Georgia Court of Appeals has tossed a contempt order against a Fenwick & West LLP attorney for not identifying herself at a hearing she attended on behalf of an interested nonparty where confidential documents were displayed, saying the presiding judge "did not clearly and definitely inform" her that she needed to do so.

  • October 23, 2026

    Loan Dispute Axed By Mass. Panel Over 2-Year Service Delay

    A Massachusetts appellate panel threw out a judgment against a woman for defaulting on a mortgage loan Friday because it took the lender more than two years to serve the complaint.

  • October 23, 2026

    Insurer Can't Exit Captive Carrier Fight, NC Justices Rule

    The North Carolina Supreme Court on Friday backed a state Business Court decision denying a Georgia insurance company's bid to dismiss third-party claims brought against it in a shareholder dispute over the demise of a defunct captive insurer.

  • October 23, 2026

    9th Circ. Fast-Tracks Trump Admin's Student Speech Appeal

    The Ninth Circuit granted the Trump administration's request to expedite its appeal of an August district court's ruling in a suit brought by the Stanford Daily newspaper that the federal government effort to deport foreign students over their pro-Palestinian speech is unconstitutional.

  • October 22, 2026

    'Grave Errors': 5th Circ. Boots Judge After AI 'Botch Job'

    A Mississippi federal judge's careless use of artificial intelligence tools led to "sloppy edicts" riddled with "falsehoods and fabrications," the Fifth Circuit held in a Thursday night opinion removing the judge from litigation over an anti-DEI law in the Magnolia State because of his "extraordinarily grave errors."

  • October 22, 2026

    8th Circ. Told EPA Misread Aquifer Rule For SD Uranium Mine

    Opponents of a proposed uranium mine in South Dakota told the Eighth Circuit that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency did not deserve judicial deference regarding its reasons for exempting an aquifer from Safe Drinking Water Act protections.

  • October 22, 2026

    Feds Ask 9th Circ. To Scrap Migrant Kids' Legal Aid Injunction

    The federal government urged a Ninth Circuit panel on Thursday to let the Trump administration end legal services programs for unaccompanied immigrant minors, arguing the case is a contract dispute the court lacks authority over and the lower court is "micromanaging" the government, which "should end."

  • October 22, 2026

    5th Circ. Says Feds Liable For Hostage Death, But Cuts Award

    A Fifth Circuit panel has affirmed the government's Federal Tort Claims Act liability for the death of a kidnapping victim who was shot by an FBI agent, but held that a district court judge erred in increasing the damages award to the victim's family after the government challenged the attorney fees.

  • October 22, 2026

    Reed Smith Seeks 2nd Circ. Emergency Stay In Eletson Row

    Reed Smith urged the Second Circuit in an emergency motion to pause lower court decisions requiring the firm to turn over client files related to shipping company Eletson, saying the courts have "presumed the outcome" of a bankruptcy appeal before scheduled December oral arguments.

  • October 22, 2026

    Investor Says $68M Bulgaria Award Can't Be Nixed

    A renewable energy investor asked the D.C. Circuit to enforce a €61 million ($68 million) arbitral award it won from Bulgaria, arguing Bulgaria's accession to the European Union did not render the treaty under which that award was granted inapplicable.

  • October 22, 2026

    States Ask DC Circ. To Ban Google From Paying To Be Default

    If the D.C. Circuit doesn't ban Google from paying to be the default search engine on people's cellphones after it was found to have illegally maintained a monopoly, state enforcers say the tech titan will remain "free to buy tomorrow's defaults with the fruits of yesterday's anticompetitive conduct."

  • October 22, 2026

    Colo. Justices Skeptical Of Facility's COVID-Tied Coverage Bid

    Colorado justices expressed skepticism Thursday toward a retirement facility owner's bid for the high court to find it's owed coverage for physical damage losses sustained early in the pandemic, pressing counsel on what physical injury COVID-19 caused to the facility's property.

  • October 22, 2026

    6th Circ. Says Gang Member Can't Nix Group Chat Warrant

    The Sixth Circuit has ruled that a man convicted for his role in a gang kidnapping did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in an Instagram group chat log seized from another street gang member, so he could not challenge search warrants for other members' social media accounts.

  • October 22, 2026

    Aeropostale Shopper Can Amend Discount Suit, 9th Circ. Says

    A divided Ninth Circuit panel gave an Aeropostale customer another chance to lay out her claim that the clothing brand's allegedly false discount scheme violated Washington state law, ruling in an unpublished opinion Wednesday that the customer can amend her complaint that she paid too much for a pair of leggings.

  • October 22, 2026

    X Wins Reversal Of $8.3M Boulder Office Rent Judgment

    A Colorado Court of Appeals panel unanimously reversed an $8.3 million judgment against social media company X Corp. in favor of its former landlord after the panel found Thursday that the lower court incorrectly interpreted a contract provision outlining the distribution of a nearly $5.8 million tenant improvement allowance.

  • October 22, 2026

    Roundup MDL Atty Fund 'Cries Out' For Review, 9th Circ. Told

    Plaintiffs' firms urged the Ninth Circuit to reverse a ruling Thursday requiring them to contribute 8% of their recovery fees to a common benefit fund in multidistrict litigation over Monsanto's Roundup weed killer, arguing the judge ignored a special master's recommendation and the issue "cries out for some appellate supervision."

Expert Analysis

  • 3rd Circ. Ruling Opens Door For Fraud-On-The-Market Rethink

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    The Third Circuit's recent decision in Ocugen, holding that a stable stock price after publication of restated financials does not prove immateriality, could be a vehicle for the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the doctrine undergirding certification of securities class actions, says Jonathan Richman at Brown Rudnick.

  • 5 Issues To Watch As Fed. Circ. Hears Moderna Vax IP Case

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    Upcoming oral arguments before the Federal Circuit in Arbutus v. Moderna will test whether patent liability protections for government contractors extend to vaccines distributed to the public, and the resolution of certain questions, such as how to define “for the government,” may be key to the outcome, say attorneys at Honigman.

  • PFAS Ruling Extinguishes A Policyholder Path To Coverage

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    Following an Ohio federal court's recent ruling in Fire-Dex v. Admiral Insurance, policyholders whose PFAS exposure is concentrated in workplace products will see bids for coverage fail under the occupational-disease exclusion, giving insurers a defense well suited for the category of claims that has been most resistant to pollution exclusions, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • When Insurer Insolvency Won't Trigger Excess Coverage

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    With its recent decision in A.R. Wilfley v. National Union Fire Insurance, the Colorado Supreme Court joins a growing national consensus enforcing clear and unambiguous anti-drop-down policy language in umbrella and excess policies, says Michael Kotula at Rivkin Radler.

  • How DC Circ. Ruling Permits Playacting Bribery Defense

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    The D.C. Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Burke decision appears to create a circuit split on whether prosecutors must prove public officials’ intent in bribery cases, and opens a gap between what appears to be corrupt conduct and what the law can reach, says Liz Aloi at MoFo.

  • Series

    Being In The Peace Corps Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I served in the Peace Corps, the people of the West African village where I was stationed helped me acclimate to my new surroundings and enabled me to develop problem-solving, teamwork and empathy skills that have bolstered my legal practice far beyond the ability to offer technical advice, says Brian Bewley at McGuireWoods.

  • Remote Work Ruling Clarifies Calif. Law Limits, With Caveats

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    Although a California state appeals court's recent decision in Saberin v. Alation confirmed that California employment laws do not operate extraterritorially merely because a company is headquartered in the state, employers shouldn't construe this as authorization to relocate decision-makers to circumvent statutory obligations, says Hallie Aylesworth at Sheppard.

  • EPA Rollback Puts Power Plant GHG Rules In Flux

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent actions on power plant greenhouse gas emissions create immediate implications for power plant operators and long-term regulatory uncertainty, while raising questions about the relationship between federal and state approaches to climate-related litigation, say attorneys at Van Ness Feldman.

  • What $5.7B Apple Verdict Reveals About Patent Risk

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    A California federal jury's recent $5.7 billion damages verdict against Apple exemplifies the enormous financial exposure that can occur when patent-infringing features are incorporated into many units, though the outcome is ultimately dependent on the strength of the underlying infringement, validity and damages theories, says Michael Dorfman at Barclay Damon.

  • Dissecting Dodd's, Gensler's Prediction Market Amicus Briefs

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    Former Sen. Chris Dodd and former U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Gary Gensler's recent amicus briefs in support of New Jersey's petition for U.S. Supreme Court review of Kalshi v. Flaherty draw on legislative history to counter the CFTC's claim of federal preemption over the prediction markets, says Trace Schmeltz at Steptoe.

  • What Colo. High Court Will Weigh In Insurer Disclosure Case

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    In Bohanan v. Esurance, the Colorado Supreme Court will decide whether an insurance policy must be produced to a claimant notwithstanding the insurer's coverage position, and the court's interpretation of what "may be relevant to the claim," in the statute, will be paramount, say attorneys at Burg Simpson.

  • 6th Circ. Spotlights Cannabis Contract Enforceability Risks

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    The Sixth Circuit's recent reversal of a $31.8 million jury verdict against a subsidiary of cannabis giant Curaleaf highlights that state licenses do not necessarily provide the legal foundation needed to enforce contracts in federal court, which is a pattern that appears across many sectors, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Preventing HOA Bias After Wash. Ruling Highlights Risk

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    Because homeowners nationwide can now draw on precedent from a recent Washington state appellate decision holding that state antidiscrimination law forbids homeowners associations from biased enforcement of their rules, common-interest communities should immediately work to mitigate their expanded exposure to postsale fair housing liability, says Brett Sullivan at Fennemore.

  • 2nd Circ. Eases Employer Defense Of Dress Code Rules

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    The Second Circuit recently sided with Starbucks in a ruling that makes it easier for companies to defend dress code policies against unfair labor practice challenges, but employers shouldn't read it as a license to ban union insignia, say attorneys at Shipman & Goodwin.

  • 5 Prediction Market Queries For Every League, Athletic Dept.

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    The NFL's recent amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve a circuit split over regulating prediction markets and operators like Kalshi raises important, enterprisewide governance questions for leagues, teams and athletic departments, and highlights that regulatory oversight and institutional integrity are related but distinct, say attorneys at Robins Kaplan.

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