FedCircuitBlog

Here is an update on recent activity at the Supreme Court in cases decided by the Federal Circuit. Since our last update, a new petition was filed in a pro se case involving a former patent examiner. Also, responses were requested in two patent cases both presenting the same question related to the authority of the Patent and Trademark Office to conduct administrative adjudications. Here are the details.

On July 31, the Federal Circuit heard oral argument in V.O.S. Selections, Inc. v. Trump, an en banc case involving challenges to the legality of President Trump’s tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. We have been monitoring this case both because it is being considered en banc and because it attracted numerous amicus briefs. This is our argument recap.

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

• an article discussing how “[t]he Justice Department scrambled on Thursday to defend the legality of President Trump’s sweeping tariffs, just one day before he is set to expand his highly contested global trade war with new duties on America’s closest trading partners”;
• a post highlighting how “Acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart dismissed most of the 50 petitions for inter partes review addressed in her latest decisions over discretionary denials”;
• a piece describing how the “full Federal Circuit on Friday rejected by an 8-2 vote Groupon Inc.’s request to reconsider its February decision reviving a patent monetization firm’s Delaware infringement suit against the e-commerce site”; and
• a blog post examining how a recent Federal Circuit decision “represents the first significant application of the court’s recent en banc EcoFactor decision to patent damages expert testimony.”

This week is Court Week at the Federal Circuit. The court will convene five panels to consider 29 cases. Of the 29 cases, the court will hear oral argument in 19 cases. The Federal Circuit provides access to live audio of these arguments via the Federal Circuit’s YouTube channel. This month, one case scheduled for oral argument attracted an amicus brief. Here’s what you need to know about this case.

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

• an article noting how the Federal Circuit “said on Monday that it would extend its suspension of 98-year-old judge Pauline Newman for another year”;
• a piece discussing how “[t]he Trump administration’s trade policy faces a critical test” this week as the Federal Circuit was “scheduled to hear oral arguments . . . in V.O.S. Selections v. Trump” yesterday;
• a report detailing how “[t]he Trump administration is considering a plan to raise tens of billions of dollars with a new fee that would transform the patent system”;
• an article describing how the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office “on Tuesday ordered administrative patent judges to address all grounds raised in America Invents Act petitions when issuing their final decisions”; and
• a blog post discussing how “18 Republican Senators asked the Trump Administration . . . to fill the vacant position of Chief Innovation and Intellectual Property Negotiator.”

Here is an update on recent activity at the Supreme Court in cases decided by the Federal Circuit. Since our last update, two new petitions were filed. One petition addresses a former military member’s entitlement to disability retirement, while the other addresses the Lanham Act’s prohibition on misrepresentations. Here are the details.

Here is an update on recent en banc activity at the Federal Circuit. Tomorrow the court will hear oral argument in an en banc case challenging President Trump’s tariffs. Also, since our last update, the court received one new amicus brief in a design patent case, and it denied two petitions for en banc review in two utility patent cases. Here are the details.

This morning the Federal Circuit announced that it has released an updated calendar of its sessions in 2025-2026. Here is the full text of the announcement with a link to the updated calendar.

Yesterday, the Federal Circuit announced the release of materials in the ongoing investigation of Judge Newman’s fitness to serve on the court. The materials include expert reports, deposition transcripts, and orders of the Special Committee investigating Judge Newman. Notably, the materials also include a “Report & Recommendation” filed yesterday. As it explains, the report and recommendation “details the Committee’s findings which lead it to conclude: (i) that there is a reasonable basis to order full neuropsychological testing by a provider selected by the Committee; (ii) that Judge Newman’s continued refusal to cooperate with the Committee’s investigation by undergoing that testing constitutes continuing misconduct; and (iii) that the Judicial Council should renew the sanction of suspending Judge Newman from hearing cases for a period of one year.” Here is the full text of the announcement with links to the materials.

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

• an article covering how the Patent and Trademark Office is “requiring all parties to appear in person for hearings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board”;
• a piece discussing how “[t]he full Federal Circuit on Wednesday declined to reconsider its first-ever patent eligibility decision involving machine learning”;
• a blog post analyzing how a recent Federal Circuit decision “allowed the court to sidestep broader questions about when patent law issues arising in arbitration contexts warrant Federal Circuit review”; and
• an article suggesting a recent Federal Circuit decision “could make it easier for major brands to oppose trademark applications by market rivals.”