Federal Circuit

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is calling on the DC Circuit to vacate a federal drone flight restriction that effectively criminalized aerial recording of immigration enforcement agents. The group argues the restriction blocks First Amendment-protected documentation of federal operations. The case is drawing attention amid heightened public scrutiny of immigration enforcement tactics across the United States.

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has affirmed a lower court's dismissal of internet advertising patents held invalid under Section 101 of the Patent Act, in a case involving Google. The ruling means the patents were found to cover ineligible abstract ideas rather than patentable inventions, dealing a blow to the patent holder.

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Ohio can regulate Kalshi's sports event contracts, a win for state regulators who argue the prediction-market platform is effectively offering sports betting. The decision could shape how prediction markets operate nationwide, as states push back against federal oversight claims and Kalshi continues expanding its sports contracts.

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled that a district court did not provide sufficient reasoning when it denied a request for sanctions and attorney's fees. The decision is being followed by patent law practitioners, as the Federal Circuit's reasoning requirements could affect how lower courts justify fee and sanctions rulings in exceptional patent cases.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Seattle's diversity, equity and inclusion initiative may have created a hostile work environment, reviving the claim for further proceedings. The decision signals that diversity programs themselves can face legal scrutiny, and observers say it could influence how governments and employers design and implement DEI policies nationwide.

The Eleventh Circuit has overturned the Zafirov decision, which had questioned the constitutionality of False Claims Act qui tam lawsuits brought by private relators. The ruling restores the established framework allowing whistleblowers to pursue fraud claims on behalf of the government, easing uncertainty for plaintiffs, defense counsel and federal enforcement efforts in the Southeast.

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has vacated and remanded a sanctions ruling in a patent dispute, according to Bloomberg Law. The appellate court's decision sends the sanctions question back to the lower court for renewed consideration. Details of the underlying case, the parties involved, and the reasoning behind the remand were not immediately available.

A US federal appeals court has ruled in favour of Thomson Reuters in its copyright lawsuit against legal research startup ROSS Intelligence. The Third Circuit's decision marks a significant development in the long-running dispute over whether ROSS unlawfully copied content from Thomson Reuters' Westlaw legal research database to build its competing AI-powered legal search product, with implications for copyright law and AI training data.

The Department of Justice has joined President Trump's legal fight against Judge Kathleen Williams. A unanimous Eleventh Circuit panel had left Williams free to enforce restrictions stemming from her finding that Trump used a federal lawsuit to manufacture judicial legitimacy for an administration position. The Justice Department's intervention escalates the dispute, drawing attention to the growing clash between the judiciary and the administration over the case.