Federal Circuit Court

Judge to White House: Save Those E-Mails!

Ruling on lawsuits brought by two private groups, a federal judge has ordered the White House to retain e-mail copies while the court system sorts out whether the Bush administration has violated federal law requiring the preservation of e-mail records. The suits contend that some 5 million White House e-mails…

Nov 13, 2007 12:31 AM CST

Families of Dead Iraqis Sue Blackwater

In an unusual effort to hold a private military contractor in Iraq civilly liable for alleged wrongdoing, the families of three dead Iraq civilians and one survivor of a recent Baghdad shooting sued Blackwater USA and its affiliates in federal court in Washington, D.C., this morning. Filed by the Center…

Oct 11, 2007 7:13 PM CDT

Hearing Transcripts to Go Online

The policy-making arm of the nation’s federal courts voted today to make it easier for both lawyers and the public to access court materials. For lawyers, the big news is the plan approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States to put transcripts of district and bankruptcy court proceedings…

Sep 18, 2007 7:01 PM CDT

Patent Ruling Favors Defendants

An en banc opinion by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit makes it more difficult to obtain triple damages for willful patent infringement. The court ruled yesterday (PDF) that to prove willful infringement, “a patentee must show by clear and convincing evidence that the infringer acted despite…

Aug 21, 2007 10:37 AM CDT

Court Criticizes, Lawyer Has No Remedy

An attorney whose conduct is criticized in a court ruling may have no right to intervene or sue to clear his name, at least in the Federal Circuit. That’s the gist of a recent appellate decision, which resulted from an attorney’s complaint that a federal judge had criticized him in…

Aug 18, 2007 12:27 AM CDT

Drug-Price Law Overturned

An appeals court has struck down a Washington, D.C., law barring drug companies from charging excessive prices for prescription drugs. The D.C. law didn’t define excessive pricing. But it said a prima facie case could be established if the whosesale price of a patented drug was more than 30 percent…

Aug 3, 2007 2:28 PM CDT

Last Resorts of Court

One date that’s on almost every federal judge’s calendar this summer is the meeting of his or her circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, at which trial and appellate judges review the work of the court and socialize at some of the nicest resorts and hotels in the nation.…

Jul 1, 2007 7:04 PM CDT

Vonage Cites Patent Ruling, Seeks Retrial

Vonage Holdings is citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent patent ruling in a motion seeking a retrial of a patent infringement case. Vonage filed the motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington on Tuesday, according to Bloomberg News. The Supreme Court’s Monday ruling in…

May 2, 2007 2:09 PM CDT