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Judge Newman Brings Fight To End Her Suspension To DC Circ.
U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman asked the D.C. Circuit on Thursday to rule that a suspension her colleagues have imposed on her for refusing to participate in an investigation into her fitness to serve as a Federal Circuit judge violates the U.S. Constitution.
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December 09, 2024
2nd Circ. Compares Trader Joe's Execs' COVID Trips For Bias
The way that Trader Joe's treated a similarly situated male employee is critical to the success of a sex discrimination lawsuit brought by a female ex-vice president who was fired after taking a vacation in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, judges of the Second Circuit suggested Monday.
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December 09, 2024
Chicago Pol's Lies Enough To Keep Conviction, Feds Say
The government urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday not to disturb a former Chicago alderman's conviction for lying about money he'd borrowed from a since-shuttered bank, arguing his knowing understatements were enough to illegally mislead federal investigators.
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December 09, 2024
Fed. Circ. Backs Priceline, Booking's Patent Case Win
The Federal Circuit on Monday backed a Delaware federal court's ruling that Priceline.com LLC and Booking.com did not infringe an e-commerce patent, agreeing with how a judge construed key claim terms.
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December 09, 2024
2nd Circ. Restores Challenge To Conn. Atty Anti-Racism Rule
The Second Circuit on Monday revived a challenge to a new rule for Connecticut attorneys intended to reduce discrimination, ruling that the alleged chilling effect the two suing lawyers detailed in their complaint gives them standing even if the rule hasn't been enforced against them.
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December 09, 2024
3rd Circ. Judge Unsure Child Care Needs Can Halt Deportation
The Third Circuit on Monday pondered how it should analyze the effect a Trinidad and Tobago national's deportation would have on his U.S. citizen child, with one judge suggesting that the boy's medical issues may not rise to the level of canceling removal.
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December 09, 2024
TikTok Seeks Halt On Sale-Or-Ban Law For High Court Appeal
TikTok Inc. and its users are pressing the D.C. Circuit to put on hold the implementation of a law that is set to bar the platform from the U.S. market next month while they appeal a ruling backing the measure to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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December 09, 2024
Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch Crack Door For 2nd Amendment Fight
Three U.S. Supreme Court justices on Monday signaled their willingness to delve into an appeal from a Hawaii man who argues that he is being unconstitutionally prosecuted for owning a handgun without a license, though they agreed with the rest of the court that they don't currently have jurisdiction to hear it.
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December 09, 2024
Dems Say GOP Can't Purge Votes Amid Close NC Justice Race
The North Carolina Democratic Party is looking to prevent Republican candidates who lost their races from invalidating more than 60,000 ballots amid an extremely tight state Supreme Court race, arguing the election protests run afoul of federal law safeguarding citizens' right to vote.
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December 09, 2024
Ohio Justices Won't Revise 'Boneless' Wings Ruling
The Ohio Supreme Court on Monday declined to reconsider its decision backing the dismissal of a suit from a man injured when he ingested a bone in a "boneless" chicken wing, though two justices sharply criticized the decision as politically motivated and a dark harbinger for Ohioans.
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December 09, 2024
Anti-China Bias Tainted ADI Trade Secrets Case, 1st Circ. Told
A former Analog Devices microchip engineer convicted of pilfering valuable design schematics to launch a competing business has told the First Circuit the government singled him out for prosecution due to his Chinese ethnicity and investigators' hopes he would turn out to be a foreign spy.
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December 09, 2024
Supreme Court Won't Review Ex-HUD Official's Conviction
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case of a former staffer in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General who was convicted of failing to disclose a loan from a friend who was later hired as a government subcontractor.
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December 09, 2024
1st Circuit Lets Rhode Island Reinstate Truck Tolls
Rhode Island may reinstate a toll on tractor-trailers using highways and bridges in the Ocean State, but not a $40-per-day cap, the First Circuit has ruled.
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December 09, 2024
Pa. Hospital Can't Upend $8M C-Section Injury Verdict
A Pennsylvania appeals court won't strip an $8 million verdict from a couple who alleged that a surgeon botched a cesarean section during the birth of their child, rejecting the hospital's argument that the evidence didn't support a finding of negligence.
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December 09, 2024
High Court Won't Hear Zimmer Biomet Royalties Fight
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday shot down Zimmer Biomet Holdings' challenge to the Seventh Circuit's finding that the company shouldn't have stopped paying royalties on knee replacement devices it developed using an orthopedic surgeon's various patents after those patents expired.
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December 09, 2024
Skipping Diversity Suits Lets Error 'Metastasize,' Alito Says
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to review Boston's allegedly discriminatory COVID-19 pandemic-era admissions policy for three elite public schools, turning away the second case to challenge the use of race-neutral diversity initiatives in a decision Justice Samuel Alito claims ignores a "glaring constitutional error" and undermines the court's affirmative action decision.
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December 09, 2024
Justices Spurn Worker's Challenge To 'Honest Belief' Firing
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review a Fourth Circuit decision holding that a Baltimore utility's "honest belief" that a worker was misusing medical leave justified the employee's termination, according to high court orders released Monday.
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December 09, 2024
Justices Won't Review Massive Class In Fringe Benefits Fight
The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to hear a challenge to a 290,000-worker class in a suit alleging excessive health and retirement plan fees, despite an argument from benefits plan managers that the Fifth Circuit used the wrong standard to greenlight the massive suit.
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December 07, 2024
Up Next: Environmental Reviews, Wire Fraud & TM Awards
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear its final set of oral arguments for the 2024 calendar year starting Monday, including disputes over the proper scope of federal environmental reviews and whether corporate affiliates can be ordered to pay disgorgement awards in trademark infringement disputes.
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December 06, 2024
DC Circ. Ruling Far From Last Word On Looming TikTok Ban
The D.C. Circuit's decision Friday paving the way for a U.S. ban on TikTok to take effect next month sparked immediate concerns about the loss of a social platform that millions rely on to freely express themselves, but a likely appeal and upcoming administration change could end up flipping the script.
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December 06, 2024
Fed. Circ. Dissects Role of Corrected IP In Construction PGR
A Federal Circuit panel on Friday worked through whether the Patent Trial and Appeal Board had blocked a patent challenger from raising concerns about the validity of claims corrected during a post-grant review, and whether the corrected claims could be addressed in district court.
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December 06, 2024
Billionaires Show New Interest In Texas' Intermediate Courts
Billionaire-backed funding in Texas helped push a wave of Republican judges who swept races for intermediate appellate courts across the state, representing a new level of corporate spending in judicial races often marked by underfunded campaigns and low voter awareness.
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December 06, 2024
Neb. Tribe Asks US High Court To Undo Tobacco Sales Ruling
A Nebraska tribe's tobacco companies are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn an Eighth Circuit ruling that held the state can regulate a tribally owned manufacturer's sales of cigarettes to Indigenous-owned distributors, arguing that Native American nations' ability to conduct their own affairs within their own borders is at stake.
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December 06, 2024
Life Insurance Investments Aren't Securities, 9th Circ. Told
Agents who sold interests in life insurance policies for Pacific West Capital Group — which struck a $64 million SEC deal to end investment fraud claims — urged the Ninth Circuit on Friday to reverse an order requiring them to pay back some of their commissions, saying the deals weren't investment contracts.
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December 06, 2024
Galderma Can't Undo Lupin's Skin Drug Win At Fed. Circ.
Federal Circuit judges on Friday upheld a bench trial finding earlier this year that allowed an Indian generic-drug maker to start selling a treatment for a chronic skin condition that competes with a brand developed by Swiss skin care giant Galderma.
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December 06, 2024
Hospital Insists Colo. Justices Should Allow Lien Discovery
A Colorado hospital facing a class action alleging that it unlawfully filed liens against patients without first billing insurers told the state Supreme Court this week that a discovery order requiring a plaintiff to turn over information related to a car accident is directly relevant to whether class members actually suffered harm meriting a class action.
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
UPDATED December 5, 2024 | President Joe Biden is shaping the federal judiciary by adding to the courts' professional and demographic diversity — a sharp break from former President Donald Trump, who made the judiciary more homogeneous as the judges confirmed under him were 84% white and 76% male.
Expert Analysis
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Risk Disclosure Issue Remains After Justices Nix Meta Case
After full briefing and argument, the U.S. Supreme Court recently dismissed Facebook v. Amalgamated Bank as improvidently granted, leaving courts with the tricky endeavor of determining when the failure to disclose a past event in an Item 105 risk disclosure is materially misleading, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.
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Think Like A Lawyer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out
In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a “sliding scale” approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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The Malpractice Perils Of Elder Abuse Liability
Recent cases show that the circumstances under which an attorney may be sued for financial elder abuse remain unsettled, but practitioners can avoid these malpractice claims altogether by taking proactive steps, like documenting the process of evaluating a client's directives under appropriate standards, says Edward Donohue at Hinshaw & Culbertson.
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Fed. Circ. Ruling Shows Importance Of Trial Expert Specificity
The Federal Circuit’s recent ruling in NexStep v. Comcast highlights how even a persuasive expert’s failure to fully explain the basis of their opinion at trial can turn a winning patent infringement argument into a losing one, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity
Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Justices Mull Sex-Based Classification In Trans Law Case
After the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in U.S. v. Skrmetti this week, it appears that the fate of the Tennessee law at the center of the case — a law banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender adolescents — will hinge on whether the majority read the statute as imposing a sex-based classification, says Alexandra Crandall at Dickinson Wright.
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Corporate Liability Issues To Watch In High Court TM Case
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a trademark dispute between Dewberry Group and Dewberry Engineers next week, presenting an opportunity for the court to drastically alter the fundamental approach to piercing the corporate veil, or adopt a more limited approach and preserve existing norms, say attorneys at Bracewell.
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Trending At The PTAB: Collateral Estoppel Continues Evolving
We are starting to see brighter lines on collateral estoppel involving Patent Trial and Appeal Board proceedings, illustrated by two recent cases that considered whether collateral estoppel should apply to factual findings on prior art from the PTAB in a later district court litigation, say attorneys at Finnegan.
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Series
Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.
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Takeaways From DOJ's Intervention On Pricing Algorithm Use
A recent U.S. Justice Department amicus brief arguing that a Nevada federal judge wrongly focused on the nonbinding aspect of software company Cendyn Group's pricing algorithm underscores the growing challenge of determining when, if ever, pricing algorithms are legal, say attorneys at Rule Garza.
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ERISA Ruling Is A Win For DOL Regulatory Authority
In Rappaport v. Guardian Life Insurance, a New York federal court recently issued a notable disability benefits ruling in finding that the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright opinion does not affect how existing U.S. Department of Labor regulations apply in Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.
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Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review
For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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What Fed. Circ. Ruling Means For Patent Case Dismissals
The Federal Circuit's recent decision in UTTO v. Metrotech is significant because it specifically authorizes district courts to dismiss patent infringement lawsuits without a separate Markman hearing, but only when the meaning of a claim term is clear and case-dispositive, says Peter Gergely at Merchant & Gould.
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7th Circ. Travel Time Ruling Has Far-Reaching Implications
In a case of first impression, the Seventh Circuit’s recent holding in Walters v. Professional Labor Group will have significant implications for employers that must now provide travel time compensation for employees on overnight assignments away from home, says Anthony Sbardellati at Akerman.
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The Fed. Circ. In October: Anti-Suit Injunctions And SEPs
The Federal Circuit's holding in Ericsson v. Lenovo, a complex global case involving standard-essential patents, will likely have broad consequences for practitioners, including by making it easier to obtain an anti-suit injunction, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.