Appellate

  • July 01, 2024

    NC Doctor Takes Abortion Drug Limits Fight To 4th Circ.

    A North Carolina doctor who challenged the state's restrictions on abortion drug mifepristone asked the Fourth Circuit to review a district court's decision to allow certain limits to stand.

  • July 01, 2024

    Texas Agency Urges Top Court To End Court Reporter's Suit

    The administrative agency tasked with oversight of court stenography in Texas asked the state's Supreme Court on Friday to shut down a court reporter's push to force it to investigate a digital transcription company, arguing that the agency doesn't have jurisdiction.

  • July 01, 2024

    2nd Circ. Throws Out Disbarred Ex-BigLaw Atty's RICO Suit

    Former BigLaw associate Anthony Zappin is now 0-for-16 in the flurry of lawsuits he filed after a 2015 divorce sanctions ruling led to him being fired, disbarred and routinely mocked in the New York City tabloids, after the Second Circuit on Monday upheld the dismissal of a racketeering case against three foes he blames for his predicament.

  • July 01, 2024

    CFTC Opponent Says No Chevron, No Election Betting Ban

    Online trading platform operator KalshiEx told a D.C. federal court that Friday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling shutting down Chevron deference is the end of the road for the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's attempts to ban election gambling on derivatives trading platforms.

  • July 01, 2024

    8th Circ. Reverses Sanctions On Ark. Firm Over Fee Award

    The Eighth Circuit has reversed a district court's sanction barring a law firm from participating in Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuits in the Eastern District of Arkansas over reported violations of the rules of civil procedure.

  • July 01, 2024

    Social Media Laws Need More Analysis, Justices Say

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday returned to the lower courts challenges to Florida and Texas laws prohibiting social media platforms from removing content or users based on viewpoint, saying that the Fifth and Eleventh circuits did not conduct the proper analysis on the facial First Amendment challenges to the laws.

  • July 01, 2024

    Supreme Court Gives Trump Immunity For Official Acts

    Former presidents are entitled to absolute immunity from prosecution related to an indefinite list of official acts, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday, partially releasing Donald Trump from liability for allegedly interfering with the 2020 presidential election, but ultimately tasking lower courts with sussing out the full extent of his immunity.

  • July 01, 2024

    Supreme Court Widens Window To Challenge Federal Regs

    Legal challenges to federal regulations can be brought outside the normal statute of limitations if someone isn't adversely affected until after the six-year window of time to file suit, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday.

  • June 28, 2024

    Chevron's End Is Just The Start For Energized Agency Foes

    By knocking down a powerful precedent that has towered over administrative law for 40 years, the U.S. Supreme Court's right wing Friday gave a crowning achievement to anti-agency attorneys. But for those attorneys, the achievement is merely a means to an end, and experts expect a litigation blitzkrieg to materialize quickly in the aftermath.

  • June 28, 2024

    Paxton 5th Circ. Doc. Signals 'Unprecedented' Move By AG

    The recent publication of a Fifth Circuit opinion indicating that federal agencies are moving forward with a corruption investigation against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, while not unusual, suggests an "unprecedented" attempt from the state's chief legal officer to block witnesses from having to give grand jury testimony, experts told Law360.

  • June 28, 2024

    Will 'Moral Victory' In Purdue Ruling Help Plaintiffs?

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision that the Sackler family members who own Purdue Pharma LP cannot be shielded by the bankruptcy code from lawsuits over the opioid crisis reflects the widespread public outrage over their role in the epidemic, but experts say it remains unclear what will happen next for the individuals and governments that have sued the company.

  • June 28, 2024

    Quinn Slammed By Columbia For Its 'Continuing Audacity'

    Columbia University shot back Friday against arguments from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP that Federal Circuit judges should disregard arguments made by the firm's former client, who says the firm lied to a federal court in Virginia to avoid damaging testimony in a $600 million patent case.

  • June 28, 2024

    Split SCOTX Revives Judge's Same-Sex Wedding Challenge

    A split Texas Supreme Court revived a judge's lawsuit against the state judicial ethics commission over sanctions for her refusal to officiate same-sex marriages, with the majority finding the judge's claims are not barred because she did not go through the administrative process.

  • June 28, 2024

    Texas Justices Back Ban On Gender Affirming Care For Minors

    The Texas Supreme Court upheld a state ban on medical treatments that affirm the gender identity of transgender youths, saying Friday that the legislature "made a permissible, rational policy choice," though a dissenting justice said the court allowed the state "to legislate away fundamental parental rights."

  • June 28, 2024

    Stock Clearing Orgs Slam Firm's 'Bizarre' Constitutional Attack

    Two of the nation's largest securities clearing agencies are fighting an attempt to declare their in-house disciplinary procedures unconstitutional, telling the Tenth Circuit that brokerage firm Alpine Securities Corp.'s attack on the private entities is unprecedented and threatens the stability of the capital markets. 

  • June 28, 2024

    Custodia Bank Asks 10th Circ. For Fed Master Account Win

    Crypto-focused Custodia Bank has argued in an opening brief before the Tenth Circuit that it is entitled to a Federal Reserve master account and should be given approval to open one, kicking off its appeal of a Wyoming federal judge's decision that said otherwise.

  • June 28, 2024

    In Chevron Case, Justices Trade One Unknown For Another

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overrule a decades-old judicial deference doctrine may cause the "eternal fog of uncertainty" surrounding federal agency actions to dissipate and level the playing field in challenges of government policies, but lawyers warn it raises new questions over what rules courts must follow and how judges will implement them.

  • June 28, 2024

    Chevron's End May Put Target On ITC And Patent Office Policy

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Friday striking down precedent that gave deference to the legal interpretations of government agencies could spur new attacks on patent office rules and decisions governing U.S. International Trade Commission patent disputes, attorneys said.

  • June 28, 2024

    Justices' SEC Ruling Unlikely To Bear On Immigration Actions

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision reining in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's use of administrative courts is unlikely to help Walmart and SpaceX escape proceedings for alleged immigration-related violations, with the justices punting on the authority of administrative law judges.

  • June 28, 2024

    Split 9th Circ. Revives Part Of Sprout Baby Food Label Suit

    A California couple suing Sprout Foods over nutrient statements on its baby food pouches can pursue a Golden State law claim but not fraud-based claims, a split Ninth Circuit panel ruled Friday, saying federal law doesn't preempt the state's labeling standards, but the parents haven't shown the products were misleading.

  • June 28, 2024

    Conn. Court Shouldn't Hear Anti-Dispensary Appeal, City Says

    A Connecticut appeals court should not hear a case brought by an anti-cannabis organization in Stamford that is trying to undo a court-approved settlement that allowed for the opening of a dispensary, the city's Zoning Board has argued.

  • 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.

  • June 28, 2024

    Shkreli Asks High Court To Toss $64M Disgorgement Order

    Former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli, who gained notoriety for hiking the price of HIV/AIDS medication before serving more than 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing

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    When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Deciphering SEC Disgorgement 4 Years After Liu

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in Liu v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to preserve SEC disgorgement with limits, courts have continued to rule largely in the agency’s favor, but a recent circuit split over the National Defense Authorization Act's import may create hurdles for the SEC, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Where Anti-Discrimination Law Stands 4 Years After Bostock

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    On the fourth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Bostock ruling, Evan Parness and Abby Rickeman at Covington take stock of how the decision, which held that Title VII protects employees from discrimination because of their sexual orientation and gender identity, has affected anti-discrimination law at the state and federal levels.

  • 8th Circ. Insurance Ruling Spotlights Related-Claims Defenses

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    The Eighth Circuit’s recent Dexon v. Travelers ruling — that the insurer must provide a defense despite the policy’s related-acts provision — provides guidance for how policyholders can overcome related-acts defenses, say Geoffrey Fehling and Jae Lynn Huckaba at Hunton.

  • Series

    Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.

  • 9th Circ. Clarifies ERISA Preemption For Healthcare Industry

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent ruling in Bristol SL Holdings v. Cigna notably clarifies the broad scope of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act's preemption of certain state law causes of action, standing to benefit payors and health plan administrators, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Patent Lessons From 7 Federal Circuit Reversals In May

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    A look at recent cases where the Federal Circuit reversed or vacated decisions by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board or a federal district court provide guidance on how to succeed on appeal by clarifying the obviousness analysis of design patents, the finality of a judgment, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians

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    Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • What To Know As CFPB Late Fee Rule Hangs In Limbo

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    Though the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's final credit card late fee rule faces an uncertain future due to litigation involving injunctions, emergency petitions and now a venue dispute, card issuers must understand how to navigate the interim period and what to do if the rule takes effect, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • Updated Federal Rules Can Improve Product Liability MDLs

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    The recent amendment of a federal evidence rule regarding expert testimony and the proposal of a civil rule on managing early discovery in multidistrict legislation hold great promise for promoting the uniform and efficient processes that high-stakes product liability cases particularly need, say Alan Klein and William Heaston at Duane Morris.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Shows Lies Must Go To Nature Of Bargain

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    The Ninth Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Milheiser decision, vacating six mail fraud convictions, clarifies that the key question in federal fraud cases is not whether lies were told, but what they were told about — thus requiring defense counsel to rethink their strategies, say Charles Kreindler and Krista Landis at Sheppard Mullin.

  • What High Court Ruling Means For Sexual Harassment Claims

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    In its recent Smith v. Spizzirri decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a district court compelling a case to arbitration is obligated to stay the case rather than dismissing it, but this requirement may result in sexual harassment cases not being heard by appellate courts, says Abe Melamed at Signature Resolution.

  • Trademark In Artistic Works 1 Year After Jack Daniel's

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    In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court's Jack Daniel's v. VIP Products ruling, courts have applied Jack Daniel's inconsistently to deny First Amendment protection to artistic works, providing guidance for dismissing trademark claims relating to film and TV titles, say Hardy Ehlers and Neema Sahni at Covington.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Broadens Sweep Of Securities 'Solicitation'

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent revival of a putative securities fraud class action against Genius Brands for hiring a stock promoter to write favorable articles about it shows that companies should view "solicitation" broadly in considering whether they may have paid someone to urge an investor to purchase a security, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

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