Latest from Docket Alarm Blog - Page 2

The Eleventh Circuit’s August 24, 2026 opinion in No. 25-13597 is now available, but practitioners should note an important limitation at the outset: the public case details provided here identify the court, docket number, and filing date, but do not include the text of the opinion itself. That means any substantive assessment of the panel’s holding, its reasoning, or its
Continue Reading Eleventh Circuit Opinion in No. 25-13597: Key Takeaways for Appellate Practitioners

A federal judge in Washington has, at least for now, refused to grant the Justice Department’s request to dismiss Steve Bannon’s contempt-of-Congress conviction, leaving one of the more politically charged Jan. 6-related prosecutions on the books while prosecutors try again to justify their position.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols said the government had not adequately explained why dismissal was warranted.
Continue Reading Judge Keeps Bannon Contempt Case Alive After Rejecting DOJ Dismissal Bid

A federal judge in California has sharply limited the government’s ability to use immigration enforcement against noncitizen students based on political speech critical of Israel or the war in Gaza. In a ruling reported by the Associated Press, Judge Susan Illston of the U.S. District Court in California found the policy likely violates the First Amendment and is impermissibly vague,
Continue Reading California Judge Blocks Deportation Policy Targeting Anti-Israel Campus Speech

The American Bar Association’s House of Delegates has approved a wide-ranging package of policy measures that could ripple through court administration, law-enforcement practices, legal education, attorney ethics, and entry-level recruiting. Although ABA policy is not binding law, it often serves as a roadmap for state supreme courts, bar regulators, law schools, and employers when updating rules and professional standards.

For
Continue Reading ABA House of Delegates Approves Sweeping Policy Changes for Courts, Ethics, and Hiring

A federal judge in California has ruled for Anthropic in its challenge to the Pentagon’s decision to designate the AI company as a supply-chain risk, concluding the government’s action was unlawful and effectively preventing the blacklisting from taking hold. The dispute puts a spotlight on one of the most consequential fault lines in modern procurement law: how far the government
Continue Reading Judge Blocks Pentagon’s Anthropic Blacklisting as Unlawful

KKR’s agreement to pay a reported $250 million to resolve U.S. Department of Justice allegations over repeated violations of federal premerger filing rules is a striking escalation in Hart-Scott-Rodino enforcement. For dealmakers and their counsel, the settlement is more than a large penalty: it is a clear warning that the government is prepared to pursue aggressive remedies when it believes
Continue Reading KKR’s $250 Million DOJ Settlement Puts HSR Compliance in the Spotlight

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has declined—for now—to dismiss Steve Bannon’s contempt-of-Congress conviction, even after the Justice Department asked the court to vacate it. The ruling does not foreclose future relief; instead, it leaves open the possibility of a renewed motion with a fuller legal basis. But in the immediate term, the conviction remains on the books, preserving an
Continue Reading Judge Keeps Bannon Contempt Conviction Intact Despite DOJ Push to Vacate

Friday’s legal news cycle underscored a familiar reality for practitioners: the biggest stories are no longer confined to courtroom wins and losses, but increasingly sit at the intersection of litigation, agency power, and fast-moving policy change. Across the day’s most significant U.S. developments, the common thread was legal uncertainty with immediate operational consequences for businesses, government actors, and the lawyers
Continue Reading AP’s August 28 Legal Landscape: What Today’s Top Developments Signal for Courts and Companies

A new inter partes review filed at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board on August 21, 2026, places a Fuyao Glass Industry Group Co., Ltd. patent under scrutiny in IPR2026-00462. Although the petition materials available from the docket caption do not yet reveal the full merits briefing, the proceeding is notable for patent owners and challengers operating in the automotive
Continue Reading New PTAB Challenge Targets Fuyao Glass Patent in IPR2026-00462

Federal regulators have taken a consequential step in the fast-evolving kratom market by moving to schedule three highly potent kratom-related derivatives that authorities say act like opioids. The action marks a notable escalation beyond longstanding debates over kratom itself, focusing instead on newer, concentrated compounds that have become increasingly common in smoke shops, vape stores, and convenience outlets.

For the
Continue Reading DEA Targets Kratom Derivatives in Major Controlled-Substance Shift

Meta Platforms has reportedly agreed to a sweeping $17.1 billion settlement with 29 states to resolve allegations tied to harms suffered by children and teens on Facebook and Instagram. Beyond the headline number, the deal is notable for pairing monetary relief with operational reforms aimed at how the platforms design, market, and manage products used by minors.

That combination makes
Continue Reading Meta’s $17.1 Billion Multistate Youth-Safety Settlement Raises the Stakes for Social Platforms

The Tenth Circuit’s August 20, 2026 opinion in No. 25-1096 is a reminder that even relatively compact appellate decisions can carry meaningful procedural and strategic implications for litigants. While the significance of the ruling will depend on the underlying claims and posture of the appeal, the decision is most useful for practitioners as a guide to how the court is
Continue Reading Tenth Circuit Opinion in No. 25-1096: Key Takeaways for Appellate Practitioners

Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts have unsealed an 11-count indictment against Lawrence Mayor Brian A. DePena, alleging he fraudulently obtained more than $1.5 million in COVID-era small-business relief funds and then laundered portions of the proceeds. The case, brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts after a federal grand jury investigation in Boston, immediately stands out as
Continue Reading Lawrence Mayor Brian DePena Indicted Over Alleged $1.5 Million Pandemic Loan Fraud

The Federal Trade Commission has said it will file a stipulated order to resolve its litigation against Zillow and Redfin, signaling that a closely watched enforcement matter involving two of the best-known online real-estate platforms is nearing a negotiated finish rather than continuing through active court litigation.

Although the FTC’s announcement does not spell out the full terms, the move
Continue Reading FTC, Zillow, and Redfin Move Toward Settlement in Antitrust Case

In a recent decision in Opinion, No. 24-10178, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit addressed a recurring issue for appellate practitioners: when an order is sufficiently final to support appellate jurisdiction. Although the opinion is case-specific, its practical significance lies in the court’s treatment of finality, the scope of review, and the consequences for litigants who appeal
Continue Reading Eleventh Circuit Clarifies Appellate Finality in Opinion No. 24-10178

The Justice Department has announced that Deloitte and several affiliated entities agreed to pay $21.5 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by failing to comply with anti-discrimination obligations in federal contracts and by discriminating against employees and applicants. The settlement involves Deloitte LLP, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Deloitte & Touche LLP, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP,
Continue Reading DOJ’s $21.5 Million Deloitte Settlement Expands False Claims Act Risk for Federal Contractors