On Tuesday, US District Judge John D. Bates ordered the Trump administration to continue the Obama-era program known as DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). Read More.
Recently Featured Dockets
Democratic National Committee v. The Russian Federation et al (filed 4/20/18)
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
The Democratic National Committee filed this lawsuit against the Russian government, top officials from the Trump campaign, and WikiLeaks, alleging that the three conspired to disrupt the 2016 campaign and shift it in favor of then-candidate Donald Trump. The DNC seeks millions of dollars in compensation for damages incurred from being hacked.
Rudinplay, Inc. v. The Estate of Nelle Harper Lee et al (filed 4/16/18)
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
The producer of the Broadway production of Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" has filed a countersuit against the executor of the late author's estate. The original lawsuit filed by the executor in federal court in Alabama, alleges that the Broadway adaptation strays too far from the original text, in violation of the agreement between Lee (before her death) and Rudinplay. The production company alleges that the executor had ulterior motives in filing the lawsuit and that it cannot proceed with production with the uncertainty of litigation hanging over it.
Los Angeles Times Communications LLC v. Kernan, et al. (filed 4/11/18)
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
City and County of San Francisco v. Sessions et al (filed 4/5/18)
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
The city of San Francisco sued Attorney General Jeff Sessions over his recission of a large number of Department of Justice guidance documents that were designed to protect the civil rights of the indigent, people of color, and people with disabilities. The lawsuit alleges that the decision to rescind the guidance documents was arbitrary and capricious, in violation of federal law.
USA v. State of California et al (filed 4/2/18)
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
PUBG Corporation et al v. NetEase, Inc. et al (filed 4/2/18)
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
Plaintiffs PUBG Corporation and PUBG Santa Monica, Inc. sued Defendants NetEase, Inc. and NetEase Information Technology Corporation for copyright infringement, trade dress infringement, and unfair business competition, alleging that Defendant's Rules of Survival and Knives Out video games contain similar visual and audio elements to Plaintiff's Battlegrounds video game.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People et al v. Bureau of the Census et al (filed 3/28/18)
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
Plaintiffs National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Prince George's County and others sued the Bureau of the Census alleging that the government's lack of preparation for the 2020 Census will result in a massive undercount of communities of color, thereby diluting their vote and denying them critical federal funds.
Other Legal News
Opinion analysis: Justices reject Patent and Trademark Office’s rules for partial consideration of petitions for inter partes review
SCOTUSblog, April 25, 2018
The second of yesterday’s two patent decisions was SAS Institute v. Iancu. As I explained in my post about Oil States Energy Services v. Greene’s Energy Group, both cases involve the process for “inter partes review” that Congress added to the Patent Act in 2012, a process under which a competitor (or, for that matter,…
Argument analysis: Justices seem ready to reject binding-deference rule for foreign law
SCOTUSblog, April 25, 2018
When a case comes to the Supreme Court, the justices are usually interpreting U.S. laws – either the U.S. Constitution or a federal statute. But in today’s global economy, resolving cases brought under U.S. law in U.S. courts can also require an understanding of foreign laws. And that’s not always easy, especially when the foreign…
Trump’s Travel Ban Faces a Supreme Court Test
The New York Times, April 25, 2018
By the end of the argument, which reached the justices 15 months after the first travel ban was announced, it was hard to identify five justices ready to strike down the ban.
Travel Ban Case Is Shadowed by One of Supreme Court’s Darkest Moments
The New York Times, April 16, 2018
World War II internment camps for Japanese-Americans, which President Trump cited as precedent during the campaign, loom over his travel ban case now facing the court.
Trump, President of U. S. v. Hawaii, April 25, 2018
Supreme Court of the United States, April 13, 2018
The Court will provide the audio recording and transcript of the oral argument in 17-965, Trump, President of U.S. v. Hawaii, on an expedited basis through the Court's website. The argument is scheduled to be heard on Wednesday, April 25 at 10 a.m. The Court will post the audio recording and unofficial transcript as soon as the digital files are available for uploading to the website. The audio recording and transcript should be available no later than 2 p.m. on April 25. Anyone interested...
Supreme Court Divides Over What a Law Is
Justia's Verdict, March 7, 2018
Cornell University law professor Michael C. Dorf comments on a recent sharply divided decision by the US Supreme Court in Patchak v. Zinke, in which Court considered whether a particular piece of legislation actually constitutes a law. Dorf explains why the issue was so difficult and points out some of the flaws in reasoning by both the plurality and the dissent.
