William Blake once observed that “a truth that’s told with bad intent, beats all the lies you can invent.” It turns out the Supreme Court agrees, at least for escaping liability under 18 U.S.C. § 1014. In Thompson v. United…

Federal law provides a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for a person who uses or carries a firearm during a “crime of violence.” In Delligatti v. United States (No. 23-825), the Supreme Court addressed whether a crime of…

When a veteran seeks disability benefits, federal law provides that ties go to the applicant. But if the Veterans Administration decides it’s not a tie—that is, the preponderance of the evidence comes out against the veteran—then it has no occasion…

The federal Lanham Act provides that a plaintiff who prevails in a trademark infringement suit is sometimes entitled to recover the “defendant’s profits” derived from the infringement. But does the “defendant’s profits” look only to the named defendant, or can…

In Glossip v. Oklahoma (No. 22-7466), the Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Petitioner Richard Glossip, an inmate on Oklahoma’s death row for over twenty years who has steadfastly maintained his innocence. By a vote of 5-3 (with…

In Wisconsin Bell, Inc. v. United States, ex rel. Heath (No. 23-1127), the Supreme Court addressed whether the Government “provide[s]” money to a program that subsidizes telecommunications services for schools and libraries through a surcharge imposed on telecom carriers,…

In Waetzig v. Halliburton Energy Services, Inc., (No. 23-971), the Supreme Court finally settled a question lawyers have been debating from time immemorial: Is a plaintiff’s voluntary dismissal of a complaint without prejudice under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure…