Every decision we've summarized from United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
The Federal Circuit dismissed a petition for a writ of mandamus because the underlying employment discrimination case does not fall within its limited statutory jurisdiction. The court ordered the immediate transfer of the petition to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which has proper appellate authority over the Northern District of Georgia.
The Federal Circuit dismissed an appeal as moot because the parties' settlement agreement functioned as a side bet rather than a genuine dispute. The court found that a potential $100 license fee reduction was insufficient to establish the Article III case or controversy required for judicial review.
The Federal Circuit affirmed the Merit Systems Protection Board's dismissal of a nurse's whistleblower retaliation claim, ruling that the Department of Veterans Affairs met its burden of proof. The court held that the agency presented clear and convincing evidence that it would have taken the same personnel actions regardless of the employee's protected disclosures.
The Federal Circuit affirmed the Veterans Court's denial of a writ of mandamus, holding that extraordinary relief is unavailable when the Board has already issued a final decision on remand. The court reasoned that because the Board adjudicated the claim and resolved the underlying dispute, there was no longer a duty to compel action or a jurisdictional frustration warranting such intervention.
The Federal Circuit ordered the transfer of this appeal from the Merit Systems Protection Board to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The court determined that the District Court, not the Federal Circuit, possesses the correct subject matter jurisdiction over this dispute.
The Federal Circuit denied a petition for a writ of mandamus seeking to overturn a district court order disqualifying patent counsel. The appellate court upheld the disqualification, finding that a third-party payment arrangement created an impermissible conflict of interest that materially limited the lawyers' independent judgment.
The Federal Circuit summarily affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit seeking damages for alleged due process and ADA violations, ruling that the Court of Federal Claims lacks jurisdiction over claims against state actors. The court held that the Tucker Act does not authorize the Court of Federal Claims to adjudicate suits against non-federal entities or to review the decisions of other federal circuits.
The Federal Circuit affirmed that a government agency's override of an automatic statutory stay in a federal procurement dispute was arbitrary and capricious. The court held that a bid protestor need not satisfy the traditional four-factor equitable test to obtain relief, preserving the mandatory stay mechanism under the Competition in Contracting Act.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's decision regarding patentability challenges without issuing a written opinion. This nonprecedential ruling applies the standard of review under Federal Circuit Rule 36 to confirm the Board's prior determination in Inter Partes Review No. IPR2023-00255.
The Federal Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a service member's challenge to a base vaccination policy for youth sports due to lack of subject matter jurisdiction. The court held that the Tucker Act does not grant the Court of Federal Claims authority to hear claims for injunctive relief without a money-mandating source of law.