Apr 30 2026

1st Cir. 25-1213 Panel Decision

New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association v. Lutnick: New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association v. Lutnick

The First Circuit held that the New England Fishery Management Council's role in developing Framework Adjustment 65 was purely advisory and did not violate the Appointments Clause. Consequently, the court affirmed the denial of injunctive relief and reversed the district court's severance of unrelated statutory provisions.

Civil Summary Judgment Tax (Civil)

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Apr 30 2026

1st Cir. 25-1212 Panel Decision

New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association v. Lutnick: New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association v. Lutnick

The First Circuit held that the New England Fishery Management Council functions solely as an advisory body and does not exercise final executive authority under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Consequently, the Council's involvement in developing Framework Adjustment 65 does not violate the Appointments Clause, and the reduced catch limits for the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan remain in full effect.

Civil Tax (Civil)

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Apr 30 2026

10th Cir. 22-6086 Panel Decision

Whyte Monkee Productions, LLC v. Netflix, Inc.

The Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment to Netflix, ruling that the use of a funeral video clip in the documentary Tiger King constituted fair use. The court also held that the plaintiffs waived their argument regarding the scope of employment for seven other videos, leaving the lower court's work-for-hire determination intact.

Civil Civil Rights - Education Summary Judgment

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Apr 29 2026

Fed. Cir. 24-2097 Panel Decision

CENTRIPETAL NETWORKS, LLC v. CISCO SYSTEMS, INC

The Federal Circuit affirmed the district court's judgment of noninfringement for three network security patents, rejecting Centripetal's arguments on claim construction and factual findings. The court held that Cisco's packet-filtering products failed to meet specific statutory limitations regarding two-stage filtering, but-for causation, and automated rule generation.

Civil Intellectual Property

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Apr 29 2026

Fed. Cir. 24-1258 Panel Decision

Linyi Chengen Import and Export Co., Ltd. v. United States

The Federal Circuit reversed the Court of International Trade, holding that the Department of Commerce properly rejected untimely documents and applied an intermediate input methodology to calculate dumping margins. The court affirmed that Commerce acted within its discretion to prioritize finality over accuracy when respondents failed to disclose key production records during the initial questionnaire phase.

Administrative / Agency Review Civil

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Apr 29 2026

Fed. Cir. 24-1235 Panel Decision

FEDERAL EXPRESS CORPORATION v. QUALCOMM INCORPORATED

The Federal Circuit reversed the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's determination that a patent claim was obvious, holding that the Board impermissibly imported limitations from the specification into the claim construction. The court clarified that a 'programming change' requires an alteration in the function of a device, not merely a change in stored data.

Civil Intellectual Property

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Apr 29 2026

9th Cir. 3:24-cv-01555-JSC Unpublished

GELASIO V. ZAFAR, ET AL.

The Ninth Circuit reversed a dismissal for lack of personal jurisdiction, holding that non-resident defendants who sold NFTs and recorded a California resident's call purposefully directed their activities at the state. The court found the defendants' intentional acts expressly aimed at California caused foreseeable harm, satisfying the jurisdictional requirements without shifting the burden of unreasonableness.

Civil Contract

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Apr 28 2026

4th Cir. 24-4604 Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. MILTON CHRISTOPHER ALLEN

The Fourth Circuit reversed a district court's suppression order, ruling that evidence seized from an arrestee's bags would have been inevitably discovered through lawful inventory searches. The court held that established departmental policies mandated searching all personal property of arrestees, rendering the warrantless search incident to arrest unnecessary to justify admission.

Criminal Firearms Fourth Amendment - Search & Seizure

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Apr 27 2026

10th Cir. 1:23-CV-01241-CNS-SBP Panel Decision

Martinez v. City of Aurora, Colorado, et al.

The Tenth Circuit reversed the district court's denial of the City of Aurora's motion to dismiss, holding that an officer on administrative leave lacked the actual authority required to act under color of law. The court clarified that under the Supreme Court's decision in Lindke v. Freed, apparent authority or subjective belief is insufficient to establish state action for a Section 1983 claim.

Civil Civil Rights - Section 1983

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Apr 27 2026

10th Cir. 4:24-CR-00137-GKF-1) Panel Decision

United States v. Petro

The Tenth Circuit reversed Thomas Petro's conviction because the prosecutor's closing argument improperly declared that the defendant's presumption of innocence had been removed before deliberations began. The court held that these remarks, combined with the presentation of a nude photo, unfairly shifted the burden of proof and prejudiced the jury's impartiality.

Criminal Other Criminal

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