FedCircuitBlog

This morning, the Federal Circuit released two nonprecedential opinions, one nonprecedential order, and one Rule 36 summary affirmance. Both opinions come in patent cases, one from the Central District of California and one from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Today’s order is a dismissal. Here are the introductions to the opinions as well as links to the summary affirmance and dismissal.

Here is an update on recent en banc activity at the Federal Circuit. As for the only pending en banc case, which relates to the President’s Article II removal powers, there are no updates. As for petitions for rehearing en banc, since our last update one new petition was filed in a patent case raising questions related to appellate procedure and claim construction. Here are the details.

This morning, the Federal Circuit released four Rule 36 summary affirmances. Here are links to them.

Here is a report on recent news and commentary related to the Federal Circuit and its cases. Today we highlight:

• an article reporting how the Federal Circuit “heard oral arguments in the Weymouth Kirkland Courtroom of the University of Chicago Law School” last week, “giving students, faculty, and other members of the community a chance to see the court in action”;
• an article highlighting how, “[f]ollowing the U.S. Supreme Court’s denial of Judge Pauline Newman’s petition for certiorari in June, the Chief Justice of the United States has transferred Newman’s judicial misconduct case to the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Council”;
• an article commenting on how “Chief Justice John Roberts has handed 99-year-old U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman a lifeline in her yearslong fight against a suspension imposed by her colleagues, transferring the judicial disability dispute to a federal appeals court”; and
• an article noting how “[i]t took over three years, but the judicial conduct complaint against Judge Pauline Newman has finally left the building.”

The Federal Circuit did not issue any opinions this morning in recognition of Columbus Day.

This morning, the Federal Circuit released two nonprecedential opinions and one nonprecedential order. Both opinions come in cases involving personnel actions appealed from the Merit Systems Protection Board. The order dismisses an appeal from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Here are the introductions to the opinions along with a link to the order.

Here is a report on recent news and commentary related to the Federal Circuit and its cases. Today we highlight:

• an article noting how, “out of the nation’s 13 federal appeals courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is a remarkable outlier, having sent just one of its former clerks on to the chambers of a Supreme Court justice”;
• an article discussing discussing how this week the Supreme Court “considered whether federal district courts have the authority to hear certain constitutional challenges to laws affecting veterans’ benefits and, if they do, what types of constitutional challenges fall into this category”; and
• an article reporting how, after “Judge Clevenger, 89, retired Friday after 36 years on the bench,” “[h]is former clerks and fellow judges all zeroed in on his intelligence, level of preparation for each case and discerning eye, which they say will be missed at the court.”

This morning, the Federal Circuit released three nonprecedential opinions, two dismissals, and one Rule 36 summary affirmance. One of the opinions comes in a case appealed from the Court of Federal Claims, one comes in a case appealed from the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and one comes in a case appealed from the Merit Systems Protection Board. Here are the introductions to the opinions along with links to the dismissals and summary affirmance.

Here is an update on recent activity at the Supreme Court in cases decided by the Federal Circuit. Since our last update, the Court held its first conference of the 2026 Term, which resulted in the Court denying twenty-one petitions, as discussed below. There are currently no cases pending before the Supreme Court that were previously decided by the Federal Circuit. As for petitions, since our last update, one new petition was filed in a government contract case; one waiver of the right to respond to a petition was filed in a patent case; amicus briefs were filed in a veterans case, an employment case, and a patent case; and, as mentioned, the Court denied twenty-one petitions. Here are the details.

This morning, the Federal Circuit released four nonprecedential opinions. Two of the opinions come in veterans cases appealed from the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, one comes in a patent case appealed from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and one comes in a military records correction case appealed from the Court of Federal Claims. Here are the introductions to the opinions.