In Jones v Kankakee Cnty. Sheriff’s Dep’t, No 25-1251 (7th Cir. Jan. 21, 2026), the Seventh Circuit issues a timely reminder that, however useful generative AI may be, it is still not an automatic brief-writing machine.
“Jones filed a
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District Court Abused Discretion by Failing to Assess $366,461.96 in Expert Witness Fees Against Indigent Named Plaintiffs in Civil Rights Class Action, Holds Eighth Circuit
In Karsjens v. Gandhi, No. 24-2876 (8th Cir. Jan. 7, 2026), the Eighth Circuit holds that the district court abused its discretion by entirely excusing a group of indigent class representatives from contributing to the witness fees for four
On Third Go-Around in Fifth Circuit, Court Holds That Plaintiffs Forfeited a Law-of-the-Case Argument by Not Seeking Rehearing of the Second Panel Decision
In Pool v. City of Houston, No. 24-20138 (5th Cir. Jan. 2, 2026), the Fifth Circuit affirms a post-judgment vacatur of attorney’s fees after the original judgment in plaintiff’s favor was vacated by the Fifth Circuit for lack of
En Banc Eighth Circuit Holds 6-5 That Being Exposed to a Single DEI Slide “Chilled” Their First Amendment Rights and Thus Conferred Standing to Sue
In Henderson v. Springfield R-12 Sch. Dist., No. 23-1374 (8th Cir. Dec. 30, 2025) (en banc), the Eighth Circuit holds that it was enough for a public employee to establish standing in a First Amendment challenge to a Diversity,
Neither Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(f) Nor Hague Service Convention Authorize International Service of Process by E-Mail, Holds Second Circuit
In Smart Study Co., LTD v. Shenzhenshixindajixieyouxiangongsi, No. 24-313 (2d Cir. Dec. 18, 2025), the Second Circuit holds in a matter of first impression that e-mail service on a foreign defendant violates the Hague Service Convention and cannot be
Concurring Seventh Circuit Judge Urges Reconsideration of Plain-Error Review Under Fed. R. Crim. P. 29
In United States v. Robinson, No. 24-2310 (7th Cir. Dec. 15, 2025), the Seventh Circuit reverses in part a conviction for bank fraud on sufficiency-of-the-evidence grounds, while a concurring judge argues that a change in Fed. R. Crim. P.
“Consensual Relationship Exception” Did Not Extend Jurisdiction of Tribal Court Over Nonmember Spouse in Divorce Case, Holds Eighth Circuit
In a case of first impression, the Eighth Circuit in Tix v. Tix, No. 24-3487 (8th Cir. Dec. 12, 2025) rejects Tribal Court jurisdiction over a nonmember spouse in a divorce case.
“In September 2008, Robert William Tix, a member
Co-Guarantors to Contracts May Not Be Indispensable Parties Under Fed. R. Civ. P. 19(b), Holds Seventh Circuit
In CCP Golden/7470 LLC v. Breslin, No. 24-2731 (7th Cir. Dec. 3, 2025), the Seventh Circuit rejects an effort to defeat diversity jurisdiction, holding (contrary to prior dicta on the subject) that co-parties to a contract who are jointly
Exhibition of Van Gogh Painting in Illinois Did Not Establish Personal Jurisdiction Over Ownership Dispute There, Holds Seventh Circuit
In Schoeps v Sompo Holdings, Inc., No. 25-1405 (7th Cir. Nov. 21, 2025), the Seventh Circuit holds that the happenstance of an artwork, Van Gogh’s Sunflowers (1888), having once been exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago did not
The Prospect of a New, Future Administration in the White House Does Not Rescue a Gun-Rights Case from Mootness, Holds Sixth Circuit
In Gun Owners of America, Inc. v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, No. 24-1881 (6th Cir. Oct. 30, 2025), the Sixth Circuit holds that the possibility that a new U.S. Administration in 2029 might not be a sympathetic to gun