Appellate

  • May 06, 2026

    Mass. Justices Push For An End To AG-Auditor Deadlock

    Massachusetts' top court on Wednesday seemed to agree that an ongoing dispute between the state attorney general and auditor over a voter-backed audit of the legislature needs to come to an end, even as justices dinged both sides for the stalemate.

  • May 06, 2026

    'Varsity Blues' Coach 'Not Close' In New Trial Bid, Judge Says

    A former University of Southern California water polo coach convicted in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions case missed the goal by a wide margin in his bid to secure a new trial, a Massachusetts federal judge said.

  • May 05, 2026

    7th Circ. Panel Split On Due Process For Ill. ICE Detainees

    A split Seventh Circuit panel on Tuesday rejected the Trump administration's argument that immigrants unlawfully in the United States have no due process rights, though every member of the panel had a different take on the issue.

  • May 05, 2026

    DC Circ. Judge Jabs Pharma Atty For 10 Minutes In Price Fight

    The first D.C. Circuit showdown in widespread drug pricing litigation Tuesday appeared unlikely to deliver a badly needed win to the pharmaceutical industry, as a top manufacturer's attorney faced a cool reception generally and an extended barrage of skepticism from one judge.

  • May 05, 2026

    Sanofi Unit Gets Backup In Fed. Circ. Double Patenting Appeal

    Canon, Sonos and several other tech and biopharma companies have thrown their weight behind a Sanofi subsidiary's appeal challenging how the Patent Trial and Appeal Board handles obviousness-type double patenting.

  • May 05, 2026

    Ga. Panel Seems Chilly To Adjusting Liability For Assault

    A Georgia appellate panel appeared skeptical Tuesday of an assault victim's bid to make the apartment complex where she was attacked shoulder more of a $5 million verdict she won, saying apportioning responsibility differently would likely lead to a reversal at the state supreme court.

  • May 05, 2026

    Feds Urge DC Circ. To Undo Iraqi, Afghan Visa Class Cert.

    The Trump administration has asked the D.C. Circuit to undo class certification for thousands of Afghan and Iraqi citizens seeking special immigrant visas after aiding U.S. forces overseas, as well as a revised plan to tackle a backlog of their delayed applications.

  • May 05, 2026

    Worker Fights 2nd Circ.'s Toss Of Teamsters Fund ERISA Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court should revive claims that the New York State Teamsters Conference Pension and Retirement Fund was mismanaged, a Teamsters-represented worker argued, asking the justices to breathe new life into his twice-dismissed Employee Retirement Income Security Act lawsuit.

  • May 05, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Doubts It Can Hear T-Mobile Settlement Scuffle

    A Federal Circuit panel on Tuesday appeared skeptical that it can weigh an appeal stemming from a settlement agreement between T-Mobile and a company that accused it of infringing a Wi-Fi calling patent, even though both sides argued there were grounds for jurisdiction.

  • May 05, 2026

    ERISA Recap: 5 Litigation Developments From April

    The U.S. Supreme Court turned down a bakery company's bid for review of a union multiemployer pension withdrawal bill, the Fourth Circuit held a bonus plan was exempt from federal benefits law, and the Sixth Circuit ruled federal law preempted Arkansas pharmacy benefit manager laws and regulations. Here's more on those and two other major decisions from April that benefits attorneys may want to know.

  • May 05, 2026

    Apple Urges Full Fed. Circ. To Undo Original Watch Import Ban

    A Federal Circuit panel erred when finding the U.S. International Trade Commission properly banned imports of Apple Watches with blood oxygen-monitoring features, the tech giant behind the devices said in a plea for rehearing by the full court.

  • May 05, 2026

    Wash. Panel Revives GLP-1 Health Plan Coverage Fight

    A Washington state appeals court revived a proposed class action by state employees alleging their benefit plan discriminatorily barred health coverage for GLP-1 medications treating obesity, finding a lower court should have allowed the case to proceed to discovery.

  • May 05, 2026

    Ga. Justices Sanction Asst. DA For AI Errors In Murder Case

    The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday sanctioned a Clayton County assistant district attorney for filing briefs that contained nonexistent case citations generated by artificial intelligence in a murder defendant's bid for a new trial, saying the prosecutor's misconduct has "sidetracked" the justices from delving into the merits of the appeal.

  • May 05, 2026

    Calif. Panel Won't Undo $3M SoCal Edison Verdict

    A California state appeals court has affirmed a more than $3.3 million jury verdict against Southern California Edison over a worker's fall at a shuttered San Diego nuclear plant, saying certain safety evidence was wrongly excluded by the trial court but the mistake did not warrant a retrial.

  • May 05, 2026

    9th Circ. Renews Biz Nuisance Claim Over Seattle BLM Protest

    A Ninth Circuit panel partly revived a Korean restaurant and apartment complex owner's lawsuit accusing Seattle of abandoning several city blocks during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, ruling Tuesday that the businesses can potentially advance nuisance claims by arguing for the suspension of the statute of limitations.

  • May 05, 2026

    FCC Asks DC Circ. To End Nexstar-Tegna Merger Challenges

    The Federal Communications Commission is calling on the D.C. Circuit to dismiss challenges to its approval of the Nexstar-Tegna deal outright, arguing that the appeals court lacks jurisdiction because approval came from its Media Bureau staff rather than the full commission, and thus wasn't a final agency action.

  • May 05, 2026

    1st Circ. Sees Role As Limited In Trans Passport Fight

    A First Circuit panel on Tuesday told attorneys for both the government and a class of transgender and nonbinary people that because the class has asked to vacate a preliminary order blocking a Trump administration policy requiring that passports bear a person's sex assigned at birth, the court no longer has authority to issue an opinion.

  • May 05, 2026

    7th Circ. Backs Dropbox's Warrantless Search For Child Porn

    The Seventh Circuit on Tuesday ruled a Dropbox user's constitutional rights weren't violated when the company inspected and shared his files containing child sex abuse material to law enforcement without a warrant, noting he gave consent to Dropbox's terms allowing inspection of data to ensure it wasn't being used illegally.

  • May 05, 2026

    11th Circ. Revives Annie Leibovitz 'Star Wars' Photo IP Dispute

    The Eleventh Circuit vacated an early win handed to a digital outlet accused of impermissibly using renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz's images taken on the set of a new "Star Wars" film that were featured in Vanity Fair, ruling on Tuesday the lower court's "understanding of copyright law was not quite right."

  • May 05, 2026

    2nd Circ. Says NY Escrow Interest Law Is Preempted, Again

    The Second Circuit ruled Tuesday that national banks are exempt from a New York law that requires interest to be paid on mortgage escrow accounts, handing a key victory to Bank of America NA in closely watched litigation testing the limits of states' banking regulatory authority.

  • May 05, 2026

    11th Circ. Upholds Sentences In Medical Device Fraud Case

    The Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday refused to reduce the sentences of two men who lied to manufacturers about selling medical equipment to American troops in Afghanistan to obtain the goods at discounted prices and resell them within the United States.

  • May 05, 2026

    Charter Asked To Pay Overdue Royalties After 5th Circ. Loss

    A Texas family has said a Fifth Circuit ruling obligates a district judge to enforce a decades-old royalty agreement against Charter Communications and to order back payment of unpaid royalties for rights of way permits in three Texas cities.

  • May 05, 2026

    Whistleblower Says SEC Rule Shift Cost Him Bounty

    A D.C. Circuit panel appeared split on its interpretation of the statute governing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's whistleblower rewards in a case involving an anonymous tipster claiming he was due compensation even though he failed to take the information directly to the agency.

  • May 05, 2026

    Texas Appeals Court Wary Of Reviving Trustee's $100M Claim

    A Texas appeals panel seemed skeptical of a bankruptcy trustee's attempt to revive an action seeking to claw back money distributed by True Health Group to its shareholders before the company declared bankruptcy, asking Tuesday if the trustee brought its claims under the correct portion of the law.

  • May 05, 2026

    DC Circ. Says SEC Whistleblower Denial Doesn't Pass Muster

    The D.C. Circuit has dinged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to adequately explain why it denied a whistleblower award to an anonymous individual who brought forth information leading to a successful enforcement action, ordering the commission to reconsider whether it was in the public interest to deny the man's claim.

Expert Analysis

  • Malpractice Claim Assignability Continues To Divide Courts

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    Recent decisions from courts across the country demonstrate how different jurisdictions balance competing policy interests in determining whether legal malpractice claims can be assigned, providing a framework to identify when and how to challenge any attempted assignment, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin & Lodgen.

  • Tips For Financial Advisers Facing TRO From Former Firm

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    The Eighth Circuit's recent decision in Choreo v. Lors, overturning a lower court's sweeping injunction after financial advisers moved to a new firm, gives advisers new strategies to fight restraining orders from their old firms, such as focusing on whether the alleged irreparable harm is calculable, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Closure Highlights Labor Law Stakes

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    The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's recently announced closure, after the U.S. Supreme Court denied relief from an injunction mandating that the newspaper restore terms from its previous collective bargaining agreement, illustrates that prematurely declaring an impasse and implementing unilateral changes carries risk, says Sunshine Fellows at Freeman Mathis.

  • Unpacking Dormant Commerce Clause Cannabis Circuit Split

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    Federal courts have reached differing conclusions as to whether state-legal cannabis is subject to the dormant commerce clause, with four opinions across three circuit courts in the last year demonstrating the continued salience of the dormant commerce clause debate to the nation's cannabis industry, regulators and policymakers, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Texas AG Wields Consumer Protection Law Against Tech Cos.

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    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has targeted technology companies using the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, a broadly worded statute that gives the attorney general wide latitude to pursue claims beyond traditional consumer protection, creating unique litigation risks, say attorneys at Yetter Coleman.

  • Emerging Themes In Nevada High Court Civil Litigation

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    The Nevada Supreme Court issued a series of significant civil rulings in 2025 that reflect recurring themes: a restrained approach to personal jurisdiction, heightened expectations of professionalism, close scrutiny of trial conduct, and a willingness to enforce contractual provisions that other jurisdictions might reject, says Michael Lowry at Wilson Elser.

  • What To Know As Courts Rethink McDonnell-Douglas

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    Although the U.S. Supreme Court declined the latest opportunity to address the viability of the McDonnell-Douglas burden-shifting framework used in employment discrimination and retaliation claims, two justices and courts around the country are increasingly seeking to abandon it, which could potentially lead to more trials and higher litigation budgets, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • A Primer On Law Enforcement Self-Defense Doctrine

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    In the wake of several shootings by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, misconceptions persist about what the laws governing police use of force actually permit, and it’s essential for legal practitioners to understand the contours of the underlying constitutional doctrine, says Markus Funk at White & Case.

  • Series

    Teaching Logic Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Teaching middle and high school students the skills to untangle complicated arguments and identify faulty reasoning has made me reacquaint myself with the defined structure of thought, reminding me why logic should remain foundational in the practice of law, says Tom Barrow at Woods Rogers.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Resilience

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    Resilience is a skill acquired through daily practices that focus on learning from missteps, recovering quickly without internalizing defeat and moving forward with intention, says Nicholas Meza at Quarles & Brady.

  • How Specificity, Self-Dealing Are Shaping ERISA Litigation

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    Several recent cases, including the U.S. Supreme Court's forthcoming ruling in Anderson v. Intel, illustrate the competing forces shaping excessive fee litigation, with plaintiffs seeking flexibility, courts demanding specificity, fiduciaries facing increased scrutiny for conflicts of interest, and self-dealing amplifying exposure, says James Beall at Willig Williams.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Terminations Galore

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    Three recent decisions from the Federal Circuit and the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals provide valuable insights about sticking to a contract's plain language, navigating breach of contract claims, and jurisdictional limits on reinstatement of a canceled contract, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Opinion

    Minn. Can Still Bring State Charges In Absence Of Fed Action

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    After two fatal shootings by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota's role isn't waiting to see if the federal government brings criminal charges, but independently weighing state homicide charges and allowing the judiciary to decide whether the subject conduct falls within the narrow protections of supremacy clause immunity, says Sheila Tendy at Tendy Law.

  • State Of Insurance: Q4 Notes From Illinois

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    In 2025's last quarter, Illinois’ appellate courts weighed in on overlapping homeowners coverages for water-related damages, contractual suit limitation provisions in uninsured motorist policies, and protections for genetic health information in life insurance underwriting, while the Department of Insurance sought nationwide homeowners' insurance data from State Farm, says Matthew Fortin at BatesCarey.

  • How 2 Tech Statutes Are Being Applied To Agentic AI

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    The application of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the California Invasion of Privacy Act to agentic artificial intelligence is still developing, but recent case law, like Amazon's lawsuit against Perplexity in California federal court, provides some initial guidance for companies developing or deploying these technologies, say attorneys at Weil.

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