Appellate

  • September 23, 2024

    Ex-Adviser Can't Seek Due Process Update, Justices Told

    A Morgan Stanley unit on Friday urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to tackle a purported circuit split over whether "manifest disregard of the law" remains a valid reason for vacating an arbitral award, arguing that a former employee missed his chance to press the argument in the lower courts.

  • September 23, 2024

    Feds, SunZia Urge 9th Circ. To Toss Power Line Challenge

    The federal government and SunZia Transmission LLC have asked the Ninth Circuit to uphold a lower court decision tossing a suit by a coalition of tribes and conservation groups challenging the government's decision to let the company route a 520-mile power line through cultural and historical sites.

  • September 23, 2024

    Starbucks Wins At 9th Circ. In 'S'mores' Lip Gloss IP Theft Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday refused to revive lip balm company Balmuccino's claims that Starbucks breached an implied contract and misappropriated trade secrets by stealing its idea for coffee-flavored "S'mores Frappuccino" lip gloss, agreeing with the lower court's order that Balmuccino's claims were filed too late.

  • September 23, 2024

    EPA Admits Mistakes In Approving New Chevron Chemicals

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday told the D.C. Circuit that it overestimated the risk of allowing Chevron Corp. to create new fuel chemicals derived from plastic waste, asking the appeals court to remand the order authorizing the new substances back to federal regulators.

  • September 23, 2024

    NJ Justices Probe State's Role In Tax Sale Foreclosures

    The New Jersey Supreme Court on Monday probed whether the state's Tax Sale Law still holds up in the wake of a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the government cannot profit from a property seizure, pondering the state's role in tax sale foreclosures and if a private, third-party lienholder could be considered a state actor.

  • September 23, 2024

    Alito Pauses 5th Circ. Ruling Against Horse Racing Law

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has pressed pause on a Fifth Circuit ruling that would strip the teeth from a federal law handing horse safety regulation over to a private entity after the appellate court found the law's enforcement provisions to be unlawful delegation.

  • September 23, 2024

    Calif. Roller Rink Beats Suit Over Skater's Fall

    A Los Angeles-area skating rink can't be held liable for a patron's fall, a Califorina appeals court ruled Monday, saying everyone agrees that skating is an inherently risky activity.

  • September 23, 2024

    AFL-CIO Backs Firefighter's Benefits Suit At High Court

    The AFL-CIO urged the U.S. Supreme Court Monday to overturn an Eleventh Circuit order finding that the Americans with Disabilities Act doesn't protect certain retirees from disability bias, arguing it erred when finding a Florida firefighter with Parkinson's couldn't contest a policy stripping her healthcare in retirement.

  • September 23, 2024

    Family Asks NC Justices To Keep $40M Drunk Driving Verdict

    A family member of a woman killed by a drunken driver wants North Carolina's highest court to uphold a $40 million verdict, described as the largest amount for such a case in state history, asserting the driver isn't allowed to present arguments that the judgment was a result of an impassioned jury.

  • September 23, 2024

    Paxton Urges Firearms Ban Reversal Before State Fair Opens

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked a state appeals court Monday for emergency relief prohibiting the State Fair of Texas from enforcing its new policy banning firearms on fairgrounds, writing that the entity is "forcing thousands of law-abiding Texans to choose" between their constitutional rights and attendance at the state tradition, which opens Friday.

  • September 23, 2024

    Del. Justices Uphold Bankrupt Byju's US Lender Takeover

    A panel of Delaware Supreme Court justices on Monday affirmed a lower court's ruling that the American arm of Indian educational technology business Byju's was in default under a $1.2 billion loan and that lenders had the authority to install new directors.

  • September 23, 2024

    Walmart Keeps Win In Fabric Softener Slip-And-Fall Suit

    An Ohio state appeals court on Monday declined to revive a man's suit alleging he slipped and fell on fabric softener while shopping at Walmart, finding that he hadn't produced any evidence that Walmart or its employees created or were aware of the spill in that aisle.

  • September 23, 2024

    Ex-Iowa Lawmaker Takes 'Success Kid' Meme Row To Justices

    Former Iowa Rep. Steve King has told the U.S. Supreme Court that the mother of the widely memed "Success Kid" engaged in "lawfare" by taking a copyright case against the controversial former politician to trial and ultimately obtaining $750 in damages.

  • September 23, 2024

    Profs, Retired Judges Ask Justices To Uphold Return Of Taxes

    Two former bankruptcy judges and a group of law professors threw their support behind the bankruptcy trustee of a Utah transportation company seeking to convince the U.S. Supreme Court that the IRS, like any other creditor, should have to return payments deemed fraudulent under state law.

  • September 23, 2024

    3rd Circ. Vexed By Time-Tracking Role In $22M Wage Case

    The Third Circuit contemplated on Monday whether a Pennsylvania battery manufacturer shorted workers $22 million for time they spent putting on and taking off protective gear, with one judge questioning the employer's stance that it was the workers' responsibility to track their donning and doffing time. 

  • September 23, 2024

    Rahimi Supports Lift Of Under-21 Handgun Ban, 5th Circ. Told

    A trio of Second Amendment advocacy groups told the Fifth Circuit Monday that a June high court decision keeping domestic abusers unarmed has no bearing on their challenge to handgun bans for those under 21, urging the panel to focus on the Framers' intentions for the amendment at the time of the founding.

  • September 23, 2024

    What A Harris Administration Would Mean For The Courts

    Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, is familiar with the courtroom.

  • September 23, 2024

    RNC Urges NC Court To Block Digital Student IDs For Voting

    The Republican National Committee and the North Carolina Republican Party urged a Tar Heel State appeals court to block the state's board of elections from allowing digital student and employee IDs from the University of North Carolina to be used as voter verification in the upcoming election, arguing the law already forbids them.

  • September 23, 2024

    Pa. Judge Commended For Admitting Error In Med Mal Case

    A Pennsylvania appeals court on Thursday signed off on a Philadelphia trial court judge's opinion acknowledging that his dismissal of two defendants from a medical malpractice suit used the wrong precedent. The appeals court also reversed the dismissal and praised the judge for recognizing his error.

  • September 23, 2024

    Mich. Justices Let Civil Servant Retirees Keep Benefits

    The Michigan Supreme Court has let stand a ruling that retired municipal employees in Allen Park, Michigan, are entitled to healthcare benefits on terms that outlast their collective bargaining agreements with the city.

  • September 23, 2024

    Legal Malpractice Suit Over Med Mal Case In Ga. Revived

    A Georgia state appellate court on Monday revived a legal malpractice lawsuit over a former attorney's handling of a medical malpractice case, saying a trial court improperly granted a dismissal motion after disqualifying the lawyer who filed it.

  • September 23, 2024

    Autism Played Role In Bankman-Fried Case, 2nd Circ. Told

    A group of experts on neurodiversity told the Second Circuit that Sam Bankman-Fried, who has said he has autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, may have been hurt at trial by a "cognitive and communication style" that at times frustrated the trial judge.

  • September 23, 2024

    5th Circ. Refuses Texas A Jury Trial For Border Buoy Case

    The Fifth Circuit refused Texas' request for jurors to decide the legality of barriers installed in the Rio Grande to deter migrants, saying the Seventh Amendment's right to a jury trial doesn't apply to the case.

  • September 20, 2024

    AGs Push To Can Google Privacy Deal With No Class Payout

    Nearly two dozen Republican state attorneys general are urging the Ninth Circuit to scrap a data privacy deal that requires Google to pay $62 million to plaintiffs' counsel and third-party organizations but gives no money to individual class members, arguing that consumers aren't adequately benefiting from the settlement.

  • September 20, 2024

    JBS Unit Owns Abandoned 'Pollo Picú' TM, 1st Circ. Says

    JBS USA unit To-Ricos Ltd. has the right to use the "Pollo Picú" trademark in its sale of poultry products, the First Circuit ruled Thursday, finding that the poultry company established that the mark had been abandoned by the previous trademark owner.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts

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    As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

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