Judiciary Approves Supreme Court Public Defender Office

By Katie Buehler

The federal judiciary approved a new office Tuesday aimed at improving the quality of representation for indigent defendants with cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. 

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Dems Confront Roberts At Wide-Ranging Judiciary Gathering

By Jeff Overley

The federal judiciary's top administrator voiced "serious and urgent concerns" Tuesday regarding threats of retribution against judges, a warning that coincided with a judicial gathering where Democrats discussed security fears and controversial U.S. Supreme Court rulings.

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4th Circ. Backs W.Va.'s Trans Care Coverage Exclusion

By Grace Elletson

The Fourth Circuit said Tuesday that West Virginia's Medicaid coverage exclusion for gender-affirming care passes constitutional muster and does not discriminate based on sex, basing its conclusion on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors.

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10th Circ. Upholds Lawmakers' Misgendering-Rule Immunity

By Zach Dupont

A Tenth Circuit appellate panel upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit from two advocacy groups Tuesday that sought to overturn a rule in the Colorado General Assembly prohibiting speakers from misgendering or deadnaming people.

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7th Circ. Scraps Mass Counterfeit Suit Based On Screenshots

By Ivan Moreno

A Seventh Circuit panel has vacated a default judgment against a group of online vendors accused of selling counterfeit soap products, finding that the district court wrongly relied on checkout-page screen grabs rather than evidence of actual Illinois sales to assert jurisdiction in the case.

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11th Circ. Torn On Ga.'s Social Media Restrictions For Children

By Chart Riggall

An Eleventh Circuit panel appeared conflicted Tuesday over a Georgia law that placed new restrictions on children's use of social media, suggesting that some provisions were "clearly constitutional" while others likely won't clear First Amendment scrutiny.

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Justices Advised To Keep Law Clear In 'Skinny Label' Case

By Ryan Davis

Several intellectual property groups have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to use a case involving "skinny labels" on generic drugs to set clear guidelines on what constitutes induced patent infringement, saying the outcome has implications beyond pharmaceuticals.

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Rappers Tell Justices Lyrics Don't Justify Death Sentence

By Parker Quinlan

A group of major hip-hop artists and producers have filed briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court requesting that the justices review a Texas death penalty case that relied on rap lyrics to support the government's claim that a defendant was an ongoing threat to society.

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Feds Ask DC Circ. Not To Halt Immigrant Truck Driver Rule

By Linda Chiem

The Trump administration urged the D.C. Circuit to reject an attempt by unions and workers to block the U.S. Department of Transportation from implementing new restrictions next week on so-called nondomiciled commercial driver's licenses for immigrants, saying the crucial regulation addresses known public safety risks.

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Squires Attempting To Dodge PTAB Appeal, Fed. Circ. Told

By Theresa Schliep

A patent challenger told the Federal Circuit that the director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is undermining its appeal rights by insisting his order reversing the company's successful case is not a "final written decision," arguing that the court's "jurisdiction is not so easily evaded."

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2nd Circ. Revives Geico's Suit Over Acupuncture Referrals

By Mark Payne

A lower court erred in granting summary judgment to Geico after the insurer sued over reimbursements to an acupuncturist involved in what Geico said was a kickback scheme, the Second Circuit ruled Tuesday, finding the district court misinterpreted a state law detailing requirements for referrals and no-fault payments. 

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PE Group Asks 3rd Circ. To Overturn Fund's $100M Tax Bill

By Kevin Pinner

The U.S. economy could face damaging consequences if the Third Circuit upholds a U.S. Tax Court decision finding a Cayman Islands hedge fund liable for a $100 million tax bill as a securities dealer, a private equity lobbying group told the court.

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Genworth Unravels 401(k) Fund Suit Class Cert. At 4th Circ.

By Kellie Mejdrich

The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday reversed class certification for Genworth Financial Inc. employee 401(k) participants who alleged that their retirement savings were dragged down by underperforming BlackRock Inc. target date funds, holding that individual plan participants' investment performance was too varied for the court to sign off on their claims as a group.

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5th Circ. Revives J&J Sales Rep's Wage Dispute

By Irene Spezzamonte

A Texas federal court did not take into consideration relevant factors to determine whether a former Johnson & Johnson sales representative's failure to retain local counsel in his wage and hour suit represented excusable neglect, the Fifth Circuit ruled on Tuesday.

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6th Circ. Says Waiver Sinks Laid Off Dow Worker's Bias Suit

By Nadia Dreid

The Sixth Circuit has waved away an argument that a woman who was laid off by a Dow Chemical unit could still bring race and gender discrimination claims against the company because she didn't know what the release she signed in order to get her severance meant.

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Judge Blocks Perplexity AI Assistant From Amazon Shopping

By Elliot Weld

A California federal judge has granted Amazon's request for a temporary injunction that could block Perplexity AI Inc. from using its artificial intelligence assistant Comet to purchase things on the retail site, an order that Perplexity has already appealed.

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$1.3B Award Set-Aside Decision Captures 9th Circ.'s Attention

By Caroline Simson

A lawyer representing satellite communications company shareholders looking to enforce a $1.3 billion arbitral award found himself in the hot seat during a Ninth Circuit hearing Tuesday, as U.S. Circuit Judge Lucy Koh sharply questioned him about the effect of an Indian court ruling setting aside the award.

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Easement Case Didn't Need Appraiser Witness, 10th Circ. Told

By Anna Scott Farrell

The U.S. Tax Court should have considered a partnership's appraisal before rejecting its claim to a nearly $12 million tax deduction for a conservation easement donation, the partnership told the Tenth Circuit, arguing that its valuation report didn't require the appraiser's testimony as the court had claimed.

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Postal Delay Unfair Grounds For Tossing Suit, 11th Circ. Says

By Chart Riggall

A Georgia federal judge should have cut a break to a construction worker whose race bias suit barely missed its statutory filing deadline thanks to hurricane-induced postal delays, an Eleventh Circuit panel said Tuesday.

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AILA Tells 11th Circ. Fla. Lacked Immigration Jail Authority

By Tom Lotshaw

The American Immigration Lawyers Association told the Eleventh Circuit that the immigration detention facility Florida built in the Everglades required federal authorization under the Immigration and Nationality Act, making the facility subject to federal environmental reviews.

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Insurers Can't Resume Investor Fight In $220M Coverage Row

By Emily Lever

A Texas appellate court Tuesday rejected two insurance companies' bid to stop a group of shareholders of now-bankrupt Cobalt International Energy from pursuing claims on behalf of thousands of other investors, stymieing the carriers' attempts to curtail a fight over coverage of a $220 million securities settlement.

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Conn. Court Says Day Care On Church Property Tax-Exempt

By Jaqueline McCool

A Connecticut church that leases part of its property out to a private for-profit day care should be allowed a property tax exemption for the entirety of its property, the state Appellate Court affirmed. 

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Fla. Judge Admits To Misleading Campaign Tactics

By David Minsky

A Florida judge is facing a public reprimand and suspension from the bench after admitting to ethics violations in connection with her election campaign, including depicting misleading endorsements and appearing to personally solicit financial support. 

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Florida High Court Rebuffs 2026 Cannabis Legalization Bid

By Sam Reisman

The campaign to legalize retail marijuana in Florida via ballot initiative in the 2026 election appears finished after the state's highest court declined jurisdiction in a challenge to a lower court's upholding the invalidation of thousands of signatures gathered in support of the effort.

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Fla. Defends Social Media Teen Ban As Content-Neutral

By Carolina Bolado

Florida defended its restrictions on social media for children before the Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday, arguing that the law is content-neutral and does not violate the First Amendment, and urged the appeals court to undo an injunction blocking its enforcement.

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Fla. Asks 11th Circ. To Send Snap Suit Back To State Court

By Carolina Bolado

Florida urged an Eleventh Circuit panel Tuesday to send the state's enforcement action against social media company Snap Inc. for violations of restrictions for children back to state court, arguing Snap is trying to leverage advertisements it runs for federal agencies into status as a federal officer.

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Pa. Justices Wonder When Printed Parts Become Guns

By Matthew Santoni

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court struggled Tuesday with where to draw important lines for a case involving Philadelphia's ban on 3D-printed "ghost guns," looking for distinctions between "parts" and "firearms," or "manufacturing" and "possessing," since gun groups argued state law preempts local regulations of the latter.

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J&J Opposes Beasley Allen Reinstatement Bid In NJ Talc Fight

By Emily Sawicki

Johnson & Johnson is urging the New Jersey Supreme Court to not take the "extraordinary step" of intervening in an appellate panel ruling that disqualified Beasley Allen from representing hundreds of women in product liability litigation against the pharmaceutical giant after the Georgia-based firm "knowingly collaborated" with a former Johnson & Johnson outside counsel.

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Mich. Panel Orders New Sentence In Drunken Driving Case

By Parker Quinlan

A Michigan appeals court has ordered that a man convicted of drunken driving and a weapon possession charge be resentenced after the panel found that he was given a punishment nearly four times the recommended maximum without sufficient explanation.

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Wash. Justices Seem Open To Palestinian's Racial Bias Claim

By Rachel Riley

The Washington State Supreme Court appeared somewhat receptive on Tuesday to a Palestinian patient's argument that an unfavorable jury verdict in her medical malpractice trial was tainted by racism, with several justices concerned that the defense had described the accused doctor as "from this part of the world" during openings.

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Panel Blocks Pension Atty Fee Deduction By Wash. Agency

By Ben Adlin

Washington's Department of Retirement Systems can't pay down a $12.6 million legal bill related to a $32 million class settlement over pensions by deducting from a class member's withdrawal of their state retirement contributions, a three-judge state appellate panel ruled Tuesday, partially affirming a trial court's ruling in the worker's favor.

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Colo. High Court Considers Debt Collector's Compliance

By Rachel Konieczny

The Colorado Supreme Court grappled Tuesday with the requirements and limits of a state debt collection practices law in an appeal brought by a consumer arguing a debt collector did not comply with the law when seeking to collect her $671.29 credit card debt.

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Iowa Defends 5th Circ. Appeal Of Schwab Antitrust Settlement

By Sydney Price

Iowa's attorney general told the Fifth Circuit that its appeal of a Texas federal judge's final approval of a settlement ending an antitrust class action over The Charles Schwab Corp.'s merger with TD Ameritrade is proper, arguing the state's duty to protect consumers allows it to challenge the deal.

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Mass. Justices Rule Armed Robbery Not Always Violent

By Elizabeth Daley

Massachusetts' highest court determined Tuesday that armed robbery is not automatically considered a violent crime for pretrial detention purposes, explaining that many armed robberies feature no actual force.

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Opinion

Fed. Circ. Must Bury Design Patent Doctrinal Zombies

After recently finding noninfringement in Range of Motion Products v. Armaid, the Federal Circuit must rehear the case to confront two troublesome doctrines of design patent law claim construction — feature filtration and claim verbalization — that have lingered for decades and intensified in recent years, say attorneys at McAndrews Held.

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Lessons From Justices' Split On Major Questions Doctrine

The justices' varied opinions in Learning Resources v. Trump, which held the International Emergency Economy Powers Act did not confer the power to impose tariffs, offer a meaningful window into the U.S. Supreme Court's perspective on the major questions doctrine that will likely shape lower courts' approach to executive action challenges, say attorneys at Venable.

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Military Attys In DOJ 'Erodes Democratic Norms,' Ex-JAGs Say

By Lauren Berg

Nearly a dozen former military lawyers raised the alarm about the Trump administration appointing judge advocate officers to U.S. attorneys' offices, urging a Minnesota federal judge Tuesday to bar an Army lawyer from prosecuting a case that accuses a civilian of assaulting federal immigration enforcement agents.

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DOJ Official Faces Ethics Case Over Georgetown DEI Letters

By Alison Knezevich

U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin has been hit with disciplinary charges in the nation's capital over threatening letters he sent to Georgetown University Law Center last year while he was interim U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C.

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Prosecutor Resigns, Judge Shows Slide Deck On AI Errors

By Abigail Harrison

A federal prosecutor told a North Carolina federal court Tuesday that he was separating from the office after admitting in open court to using artificial intelligence to help draft a response brief, which he called "the worst decision I've ever made in my 30-year career."

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Calif. Atty Gets Over 11 Years For Solar $1B Ponzi Scheme

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge has sentenced a corporate attorney to 11 years and five months behind bars after he pled guilty to nearly two dozen charges for his role in DC Solar's $912 million Ponzi scheme, which duped major investors including Berkshire Hathaway, Progressive and SunTrust Equipment Finance & Leasing.

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Ex-Moses & Singer Partner Admits Tax Crimes, Will Pay $2.8M

By Aaron Keller

A former Moses & Singer LLP partner admitted to practice in New York and North Carolina courts has pled guilty to three counts of failing to file personal income tax returns and will pay $2.8 million in restitution, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced Monday.

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Judge Fumes As Live Nation Antitrust Trial Remains In Limbo

By Stewart Bishop

The status of Live Nation Entertainment's antitrust trial and proposed settlement over federal and state government claims of anticompetitive conduct remained up in the air Tuesday amid pushback by several states, while the Manhattan federal judge overseeing the case upbraided the parties for keeping him out of the loop about negotiations.

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DOJ Unveils Superseding Policy For Corporate Criminal Cases

By Sarah Jarvis

The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday released its first-ever, department-wide, corporate enforcement policy for criminal matters, outlining how it will decline to prosecute companies that voluntarily disclose misconduct, cooperate with investigators and remediate wrongdoing.

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DLA Piper Can't Rep Itself At Bias Trial, Fired Atty Says

By Pete Brush

DLA Piper should not be permitted to represent itself at trial in a pregnancy discrimination case brought by a senior associate who was fired in 2022, lawyers for the plaintiff told a Manhattan federal judge.

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Judge Nixed Over MAGA Op-Ed Seeks Reinstatement

By Emily Sawicki

A retired Illinois state trial court judge pursuing First Amendment claims against the state Supreme Court after his right-wing opinion column resulted in his removal from a temporary judgeship has moved for immediate reinstatement to the Cook County Circuit Court.

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Wisconsin Judges Decline To Extend Interim US Atty's Term

By Courtney Bublé

A majority of judges in the Eastern District of Wisconsin have declined to extend the tenure of interim U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel, according to an announcement Tuesday.

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