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Supreme Court Eyes Its 'Next Frontier' In FCC Delegation Case
A case about broadband subsidies will give the U.S. Supreme Court the chance to revive a long-dormant separation of powers principle that attorneys say could upend regulations in numerous industries and trigger a power shift that would make last term's shake-up of federal agency authority pale in comparison. And a majority of the court already appears to support its resurrection.
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February 04, 2025
Russian Bank Can't Ditch Jet Crash Suit, 2nd Circ. Agrees
The Second Circuit on Tuesday agreed with a lower court's finding that Sberbank of Russia must face Anti-Terrorism Act litigation related to the 2014 downing of a commercial airliner over eastern Ukraine, rejecting the bank's argument that it's entitled to sovereign immunity.
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February 04, 2025
9th Circ. Revives FCA Suit Over Military Meds Deliveries
The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday revived a whistleblower lawsuit accusing Express Scripts Inc. of defrauding the U.S. Department of Defense out of billions of dollars in unnecessary medications for military personnel, saying the lawsuit wasn't barred by any public disclosures of the alleged fraud.
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February 04, 2025
Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action
February is off to a rip-roaring start in several circuits, and there's plenty more action ahead, including a moment of truth for judiciary policymaking that has managed to anger both the defense and plaintiffs bars. We'll explore all that in this edition of Wheeling & Appealing, which also includes an appellate quiz pegged to recent presidential news.
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February 04, 2025
OpenSky Defends Patent Challenge After Verdict Against Intel
A company found using the patent review process to try to extort money from VLSI Technology LLC and Intel Corp. after a $2.18 billion jury verdict against the chipmaking giant is arguing it shouldn't have to pay legal fees, saying its efforts to revive a meritorious patent challenge is simply part of a "potentially profitable business model."
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February 04, 2025
Walmart's Win In Fatal Shooting Suit Backed By Calif. Court
A California state appellate court on Tuesday upheld a defense verdict for Walmart in a suit accusing the retailer of negligently storing handgun ammunition that purportedly allowed a man to steal several boxes and go on a crime spree, killing two people.
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February 04, 2025
Meta Can't Be Sued For Church Mass Shooting, 4th Circ. Says
The Fourth Circuit ruled Tuesday that Meta can't be held liable for allegedly aiding in the radicalization of the shooter who killed nine people at a South Carolina church in 2015, saying a federal law granting immunity to third-party internet content providers applies to the claims.
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February 04, 2025
Judge Explains Biogen Class Cert. Ruling After 1st Circ. Order
A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday said he was reminded of a grade school lesson in long division as he explained his reasoning behind granting class certification and cutting short the class period in a suit against drugmaker Biogen Inc. on the orders of the First Circuit.
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February 04, 2025
Fed. Circ. Grapples With Extensions On Reissued Patents
The Federal Circuit is set to decide when a reissued patent actually expires after fielding arguments Tuesday morning from Merck and the generic-drug makers who are trying to break the pharmaceutical giant's hold on a blockbuster drug that counteracts the effects of anesthesia.
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February 04, 2025
FCC Drops 5th Circ. Defense Of Nonbinary Gender Category
The Federal Communications Commission will no longer defend a nonbinary gender category on its employment diversity forms amid challenges brought by religious broadcasters in the Fifth Circuit, where judges grilled the FCC on Tuesday about its authority to collect and publish industry data on employee diversity.
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February 04, 2025
5th Circ. Mulls If Green Orgs. Have Injury In Injection Well Case
A Fifth Circuit panel pondered whether environmental groups will suffer an injury adequate to challenge underground injection wells in Louisiana, asking during oral arguments Tuesday whether the groups can bring a legal claim for an event 50 years down the road.
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February 04, 2025
Ill. Panel Upholds Barge Worker's $3.3M Jury Award
An Illinois state appeals court on Tuesday affirmed a $3.31 million jury award and a directed verdict in favor of a man who was severely injured while working on a barge crew, saying it was an appropriate sanction for the defendant's attorney revealing the substance of trial testimony to a witness.
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February 04, 2025
Del. Justices Nix Fairness Ruling In TripAdvisor Nevada Move
Citing in part aversion to "speculative litigation," Delaware's Supreme Court on Tuesday reversed a ruling that kept in play potential stockholder damage claims in connection with the proposed reincorporation in Nevada of TripAdvisor and its parent, finding that business judgment deference should govern the court challenge.
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February 04, 2025
Swimmers Again Seek Cert., With 9th Circ's Reversal In Hand
Professional swimmers have again asked a California federal judge to certify hundreds of competitors accusing swimming's international governing body of organizing a group boycott against an upstart league, now armed with a Ninth Circuit decision that both revived their case and said class certification was improperly denied.
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February 04, 2025
5th Circ. Asks Why EPA Stalled Denial Of Texas Ozone Plan
A Fifth Circuit panel pushed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday to specify why it had dragged its feet before denying Texas' Clean Air Act implementation plans, asking during oral arguments how long the agency can "sit on" the plans.
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February 04, 2025
Senate Confirms Pam Bondi To Be AG
The U.S. Senate voted 54-46 on Tuesday to confirm Pam Bondi to be attorney general.
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February 04, 2025
4th Circ. Reverses Disability Suit Win For Cox Enterprises
The Fourth Circuit reversed a win for Cox Enterprises Inc. on Tuesday in an ex-worker's federal benefits lawsuit alleging he was wrongly denied long-term disability benefits, citing a failure by the plan's administrator to discuss conflicting evidence regarding the ex-worker's capability to return to work.
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February 04, 2025
Lindberg Fights NC Charging Order Against His Florida Co.
Convicted mogul Greg Lindberg has told the North Carolina state appeals court that an insurer he's accused of defrauding can't collect a $524 million judgment against him by going after his out-of-state holding company, arguing that the trial court has no power over him or his business in Florida.
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February 04, 2025
4th Circ. Halts Deportation, Faults BIA's Exam Of Gang Threat
The Fourth Circuit has halted the deportation of a Honduran man who says he faced gang violence before fleeing to the United States, holding Tuesday that the Board of Immigration Appeals ignored legally relevant evidence of the gang's continued threats.
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February 04, 2025
Mich. Supreme Court Says City's Electricity Fee Is Illegal Tax
A franchise fee added to East Lansing, Michigan, residents' energy bills is a disguised tax, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled Monday, saying the fee was used to raise revenue for the city without first being approved by voters.
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February 04, 2025
Fed. Circ. Says Gov't Properly Ended USCIS Lease After Flood
The Federal Circuit ruled Tuesday that the federal government reasonably terminated a lease for a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services field office because of water damage, saying the lease allowed the government to determine when the office was untenantable.
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February 04, 2025
1st Circ. Doubts Arbitration Bid 4 Years Into Au Pair Wage Row
The First Circuit on Tuesday questioned an au pair placement agency's assertion that it is still entitled to force wage violation claims into arbitration in Switzerland despite more than four years of U.S. litigation and one prior trip to the appellate court.
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February 04, 2025
4th Circ. Keeps NC Judge's Ballot Battle In State Court
The Fourth Circuit will let a North Carolina state court decide the fate of a contested associate justice race that remains unresolved months after the election, but the panel left the door open for a district court to decide any leftover federal constitutional issues.
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February 04, 2025
5th Circ. Backs Biden's Gov't Contractor Wage Hike
The Fifth Circuit upended on Tuesday a ruling that blocked an executive order increasing the minimum wage for federal contractors to $15 per hour, saying former President Joe Biden acted within his authority when he put forward the regulation because it was intended to promote economy and efficiency.
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February 04, 2025
Severance Pact Sinks Ex-Mercedes Exec's Age, Race Bias Suit
The Sixth Circuit upheld the dismissal Tuesday of a former executive's suit claiming the financial arm of Mercedes-Benz pushed her out of the company due to age and racial bias, rejecting her argument that a severance agreement she signed before suing the business wasn't enforceable.
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February 04, 2025
11th Circ. Urged To Adopt 'Consensus' On Officers' Immunity
A Georgia woman who was subjected to a strip and cavity search while visiting her husband in prison urged the full Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday to build on its prior ruling that her rights had been violated and to sweep away the prison officials' defenses of qualified immunity.
Editor's Picks
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12 Lawyers Who Are The Future Of The Supreme Court Bar
One attorney hasn't lost a single U.S. Supreme Court case she's argued, or even a single justice's vote. One attorney is perhaps "the preeminent SCOTUS advocate." And one may soon become U.S. solicitor general, despite acknowledging there are "judges out there who don't like me." All three are among a dozen lawyers in the vanguard of the Supreme Court bar's next generation, poised to follow in the footsteps of the bar's current icons.
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How Reshaped Circuit Courts Are Faring At The High Court
Seminal rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court's latest term will reshape many facets of American society in the coming years. Already, however, the rulings offer glimpses of how the justices view specific circuit courts, which have themselves been reshaped by an abundance of new judges.
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Law360's Guide To Biden's Judicial Picks
FINAL UPDATE January 14, 2025 | President Joe Biden put 235 lifetime judges on the federal bench which added to the courts' professional and demographic diversity — a sharp break from former President Donald Trump, whose confirmed judicial nominees were 84% white and 76% male.
Expert Analysis
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The Tides Are Changing For Fair Access Banking Laws
The landscape of fair access banking laws, which seek to prevent banks from denying services based on individuals' ideological beliefs, has shifted in the last few years, but a new presidential administration provides renewed momentum for advancing such legislation against the backdrop of state efforts, say attorneys at Latham.
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Imagine The Possibilities Of Openly Autistic Lawyering
Andi Mazingo at Lumen Law, who was diagnosed with autism about midway through her career, discusses how the legal profession can create inclusive workplaces that empower openly autistic lawyers and enhance innovation, and how neurodivergent attorneys can navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with disclosing one’s diagnosis.
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Top 10 Healthcare And Life Sciences Issues To Watch In 2025
Under the new Trump administration, this coming year may benefit some healthcare and life sciences stakeholders, while creating new challenges for others amid an increasingly complex regulatory environment, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Disciplinary Rule Updates Every Texas Lawyer Needs To Know
Sweeping amendments to the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct that recently went into effect provide essential clarity and modernity to rules governing conflicts of interest, client confidentiality and duties to prospective clients, says Robert Tobey at Johnston Tobey.
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Parsing 3rd Circ. Ruling On Cannabis, Employee Private Suits
The Third Circuit recently upheld a decision that individuals don't have a private right of action for alleged violations of New Jersey's Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance and Marketplace Modernization Act, but employers should stay informed as the court encouraged the state Legislature to amend the law, say attorneys at Mandelbaum Barrett.
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How High Court May Rule In First Step Act Resentencing Case
U.S. Supreme Court justices grappled with verb tenses and statutory intent in recent oral arguments in Hewitt v. U.S., a case involving an anomalous resentencing issue under the First Step Act, and though they may hold that the statute is unambiguous, they could also decide the case on narrow, practical grounds, say attorneys at Bracewell.
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Series
Documentary Filmmaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Becoming a documentary filmmaker has allowed me to merge my legal expertise with my passion for storytelling, and has helped me to hone negotiation, critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are important to both endeavors, says Robert Darwell at Sheppard Mullin.
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Litigation Funding Disclosure Debate: Strategy Considerations
In the ongoing debate over whether courts should require disclosure of litigation funding, funders and plaintiffs tend to argue against such mandates, but voluntarily disclosing limited details about a funding arrangement can actually confer certain benefits to plaintiffs in some scenarios, say Andrew Stulce and Marc Cavan at Longford Capital.
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Discretionary Compensation Lessons From 7th Circ. Ruling
The Seventh Circuit’s recent ruling in Das v. Tata established that contract disclaimers don't automatically bar claims under the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act, underscoring the limits of compensation systems that purport to grant employers unilateral discretion, say attorneys at Schoenberg Finkel.
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Gas Contract Fight Holds Lessons On Force Majeure Clauses
Ongoing litigation over gas deliveries during Winter Storm Uri underscores the need for precision and foresight when negotiating force majeure clauses in contracts — particularly in the energy sector, where climate-related disruptions and market volatility are inevitable, but often unpredictable, say attorneys at Spencer Fane.
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Justices Likely To Stay In ERISA's Bounds On Pleadings
The arguments in Cunningham v. Cornell showed the U.S. Supreme Court's willingness to resolve a circuit split regarding Employee Retirement Income Security Act pleading standards by staying within ERISA's confines, while instructing courts regarding what must be pled to survive a motion to dismiss, says Ryan Curtis at Fennemore Craig.
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Scope And Nature Of Judicial Relief Will Affect Loper's Impact
The practical result of post-Loper Bright rulings against regulatory actions will depend on the relief courts grant — and there has been controversy in these types of cases over whether the ruling is applied just to the parties or nationwide, and whether the action can be left in place while it's corrected, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
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What's Next After Justices Clarify FLSA Evidence Standard
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in EMD Sales v. Carrera makes it easier to claim employees are exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage and overtime requirements, and eliminates inconsistency and unpredictability for employers operating in multiple jurisdictions, say attorneys at Bracewell.
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The Implications Of E-Cigarette Cos. Taking Suits To 5th Circ.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. R.J. Reynolds over the definition of an "adversely affected" person under the Tobacco Control Act, and the justices' ruling will have important and potentially wide-ranging implications for forum shopping claims, says Trillium Chang at Zuckerman Spaeder.
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Series
Adventure Photography Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Photographing nature everywhere from Siberia to Cuba and Iceland to Rwanda provides me with a constant reminder to refresh, refocus and rethink the legal issues that my clients face, says Richard Birmingham at Davis Wright.