Appellate

  • August 07, 2024

    7th Circ. Says Atty Inadequacy ID'ed Too Late In Asylum Case

    The Seventh Circuit on Tuesday refused to reopen a Mexican family's asylum proceedings despite finding that the family's attorney cost them their case by arriving unprepared at their immigration hearing, saying the family should have flagged the lawyer's ineffectiveness earlier.

  • August 07, 2024

    7th Circ. Keeps 3M PFAS Pollution Suit In State Court

    The Seventh Circuit on Wednesday rejected 3M's bid to send back to federal court a lawsuit brought by the state of Illinois alleging that the company polluted local waters with toxic "forever chemicals," saying a federal government contractor defense would be "wholly irrelevant" to the state's case.

  • August 07, 2024

    Colo. Justices To Hear Child Abuse Hotline Records Suit

    The Colorado Supreme Court has agreed to hear a dispute over records from a child abuse hotline sought by a news station, taking up an appeal from the state's Department of Human Services arguing that the information could identify children at risk.

  • August 07, 2024

    1st Circ. Backs Boston Prayer Policy With Political Warning

    The First Circuit rejected a satanic temple's challenge to the Boston City Council's practice of inviting local leaders to pray at its meetings, but warned that the practice could conceivably cross constitutional red lines if it became a vehicle to curry favor with voters.

  • August 07, 2024

    Split 7th Circ. Axes Forced Labor Suit Against Salvation Army

    A group of former participants in the Salvation Army's rehabilitation programs didn't show how the work they performed for the organization represented forced labor, a split Seventh Circuit panel ruled, keeping an Illinois federal court's decision tossing their suit.

  • August 07, 2024

    BP Malpractice Deal Needs Work, 5th Circ. Says

    The Fifth Circuit scrapped a legal malpractice settlement in a consolidated lawsuit alleging attorneys were negligent in representing plaintiffs seeking compensation following the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, with a panel finding the terms were not mutually agreed upon.

  • August 07, 2024

    FERC Defends Rejection Of Grid Operator's Project Cost Plan

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is asking the D.C. Circuit to deny two electricity cooperatives' petitions challenging its decision to reject a Southwest Power Pool plan to regionally allocate the costs of some transmission projects within the grid operator's 14-state footprint.

  • August 07, 2024

    4th Circ. Revives Sex Bias Suit Over Workplace Romance Row

    The Fourth Circuit reopened a former salesperson's lawsuit alleging a wine and spirits distributor fired her because she rejected the owner's sexual advances after they broke up, saying a trial is needed to delineate when the relationship ended.

  • August 07, 2024

    Lewis Brisbois Grows In Dallas With Ex-Mackie Wolf Litigators

    Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP announced Wednesday that it has boosted its litigation bench in Dallas with a pair of attorneys who came aboard from Mackie Wolf Zientz & Mann PC.

  • August 07, 2024

    5th Circ. Tosses Passengers' Suit Over Southwest TSA Fees

    The Fifth Circuit has sided with Southwest Airlines Co. in a suit alleging it breached passengers' contracts by giving them travel credits instead of refunds for Transportation Security Administration security fees, finding the claims were correctly preempted by the Airline Deregulation Act.

  • August 07, 2024

    11th Circ. Says Drivers Can Use Contracting Law For OT Math

    Three drivers for a company that provides medical transportation to veterans can base their calculation of overtime they're owed on a Service Contract Act prevailing rate that's higher than the wages they were paid, the Eleventh Circuit has ruled, partially flipping a lower court's ruling.

  • August 06, 2024

    Seattle Atty, Judge Lead Contested Wash. State Justice Race

    A Seattle attorney and a municipal judge were leading late Tuesday in a four-way primary race for a contested seat on the Washington State Supreme Court.

  • August 06, 2024

    7th Circ. Axes Broker's Win In Buccaneers Deal Coverage Suit

    The Seventh Circuit on Tuesday reversed an Indiana federal court's finding that an insurance broker didn't need to indemnify Axis Insurance Co. for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' voluntary settlement with a player, ruling that the insurers' contract clearly calls for Axis to be indemnified.

  • August 06, 2024

    9th Circ. Won't Rehear Ex-Uber Driver's Race Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday refused to grant en banc rehearing to a former Uber driver after a three-judge panel found he failed to support his allegations that the ride-hailing giant's rating system is racially biased.

  • August 06, 2024

    9th Circ. Remands $12.8M Award In 'Joint Juice' False Ad Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday affirmed a California federal jury's finding that the maker of Joint Juice misled customers about the drink's health benefits, but it held in a published opinion that $8.3 million in statutory damages had to be recalculated to determine whether the award violated the maker's due process rights.

  • August 06, 2024

    2nd Circ. Says Citi Whistleblower Can't Get Cut Of $400M Fine

    The Second Circuit on Tuesday upheld a lower court's dismissal of a Citibank executive's whistleblower lawsuit seeking a piece of a $400 million fine the bank paid, finding that she failed to allege a valid False Claims Act claim and therefore has no right to a portion of financial recovery.

  • August 06, 2024

    Florida Asks 11th Circ. To Let Gender Law Take Effect Now

    Florida officials have implored the Eleventh Circuit to allow enforcement of the state's recently enacted law restricting gender-affirming treatment for transgender minors and adults, arguing that a federal judge's order to enjoin enforcement of the law was erroneous.

  • August 06, 2024

    Pilots Union Tells 5th Circ. Southwest Put Animus In Policy

    Counsel for the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association told a Fifth Circuit panel Tuesday that the airline had codified anti-union animus in a written policy, claiming during oral arguments that the airline was working to keep elite "check pilots" from organizing.

  • August 06, 2024

    7th Circ. Rejects Lion Air Families' Bid For Boeing Jury Trial

    The Seventh Circuit ruled Tuesday that a more-than-century-old law governing fatal accidents on the high seas does not allow two remaining victims' estates suing Boeing over 2018's Lion Air crash to demand a jury trial.

  • August 06, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Told Edwards Filed Safe Harbor Suit With Bad Intent

    The Federal Circuit rightfully held Meril Life Sciences was protected by a patent safe harbor when bringing its preapproval transcatheter heart valve system to an industry conference and that Edwards Lifesciences' attempts to prove otherwise are just delay tactics, Meril told the full court.

  • August 06, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Pours Out Trademark Board's 'Cognac' Ruling

    A cognac distilling industry trade group persuaded the Federal Circuit on Tuesday to scrap an administrative board holding that let a small record label register a trademark using the word "cognac," setting new law on how to determine the fame of "certification marks."

  • August 06, 2024

    EPA Seeks DC Circ. Remand Of Good Neighbor Plan

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asked the D.C. Circuit to let it take a second look at its plan to reduce smog-forming emissions across several states, arguing a remand is necessary to solve issues recently identified by the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • August 06, 2024

    DC Circ. Says CIA Can No-Admit, No-Deny Gitmo Docs

    The D.C. Circuit ruled Tuesday that the CIA could refuse to confirm the existence of documents related to its control of detainees at Guantánamo Bay, rejecting a military lawyer's arguments that those records were already public knowledge.

  • August 06, 2024

    Possible Juror Naps Don't Tank Conviction, Conn. Justices Rule

    A man's murder conviction and 65-year prison sentence will stand despite his protests that the trial judge should have intervened more strongly when a juror seemed to fall asleep several times on the first day of testimony, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

  • August 06, 2024

    Ex-Mayor's Fight With Law Firm No RICO Case, 5th Circ. Told

    Counsel for convicted fraudster and former Texas Mayor Laura Maczka-Jordan said it's significant that a law firm accusing her and her husband of racketeering represented itself during oral arguments before the Fifth Circuit Tuesday, arguing that the case deals with a lease dispute rather than a racketeering scheme.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    After Chevron: Scale Tips Favor Away From HHS Agencies

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    The loss of Chevron deference may indirectly aid parties in challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' interpretations of regulations and could immediately influence several pending cases challenging HHS on technical questions and agency authority, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Series

    After Chevron: FDA Regulations In The Crosshairs

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine is likely to unleash an array of challenges against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, focusing on areas of potential overreach such as the FDA's authority under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • 2 Options For Sackler Family After High Court Purdue Ruling

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court recently blocked Purdue Pharma's plan to shield the family that owns the company from bankruptcy lawsuits, the Sacklers face the choice to either continue litigation, or return to the bargaining table for a settlement that doesn't eliminate creditor claims, says Gregory Germain at Syracuse University.

  • In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State

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    On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Limited Changes In USPTO Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling overturning Chevron deference will have limited consequences for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office given the USPTO's unique statutory features, but it is still an important decision for matters of statutory interpretation, especially those involving provisions of the America Invents Act, say Andrei Iancu and Cooper Godfrey at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For Nationwide Race-Based Hair Protections

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    While 24 states have passed laws that prohibit race-based hair discrimination, this type of bias persists in workplaces and schools, so a robust federal law is necessary to ensure widespread protection, says Samone Ijoma and Erica Roberts at Sanford Heisler.

  • Opinion

    Justices' Malicious-Prosecution Ruling Shows Rare Restraint

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Chiaverini v. City of Napoleon, Ohio, declining to limit malicious-prosecution suits, is a model of judicial modesty and incrementalism, in sharp contrast to the court’s dramatic swings on other rights, says Steven Schwinn at the University of Illinois Chicago Law School.

  • Series

    After Chevron: EEOC Status Quo Will Likely Continue

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    As the legal landscape adjusts to the end of Chevron deference, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s rulemaking authority isn’t likely to shift as much as some other employment-related agencies, says Paige Lyle at FordHarrison.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Impact On Indian Law May Be Muted

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    Agency interpretations of Indian law statutes that previously stood the test of judicial review ​are likely to withstand new challenges even after the end of Chevron deference, but litigation in the area is all but certain, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Opinion

    Trump Immunity Ruling Upends Our Constitutional Scheme

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s Trump v. U.S. decision elevates the president to imperial status and paves the way for nearly absolute presidential immunity from potential criminal prosecutions — with no constitutional textual support, says Paul Berman at the George Washington University Law School.

  • High Court Paves Middle Ground For Proceedings Obstruction

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Fischer sensibly leaves the door open for prosecutors to make more nuanced assessments as to whether defendants' actions directly or tangentially impair the availability or integrity of anything used in an official proceeding, without criminalizing acts such as peaceful demonstrations, say attorneys at Perry Law.

  • How High Court Approached Time Limit On Reg Challenges

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Corner Post v. Federal Reserve Board effectively gives new entities their own personal statute of limitations to challenge rules and regulations, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh's concurrence may portend the court's view that those entities do not need to be directly regulated, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • Fed. Circ. Skinny Label Ruling Guides On Infringement Claims

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Amarin v. Hikma shows generic drug manufacturers must pay close attention to the statements in their abbreviated new drug application labels to put themselves in the best position in defending against an induced infringement claim, say Luke Shannon and Roshan Shrestha at Taft Stettinius.

  • Revisiting Scalia's 'What's It To You?' After Kaiser Ruling

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser allows insurers to be considered "parties in interest" in Chapter 11 cases, they still need to show they would face an injury in fact, answering the late Justice Antonin Scalia's "what's it to you?" question, say Brent Weisenberg and Jeff Prol at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    After Chevron: FTC's 'Unfair Competition' Actions In Jeopardy

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court's decision ending Chevron deference will have limited effect on the Federal Trade Commission's merger guidelines, administrative enforcement actions and commission decisions on appeal, it could restrict the agency's expansive take on its rulemaking authority and threaten the noncompete ban, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

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