FedCircuitBlog

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

• an article suggesting “[t]he Supreme Court appeared skeptical . . . that President Donald Trump has legal authority to impose tariffs”;
• an article similarly reporting a “majority of Supreme Court justices seemed skeptical . . . about President Donald Trump’s ability to unilaterally impose far-reaching tariffs, putting at risk a cornerstone of his agenda in the biggest legal test yet of his boundary-pushing presidency”;
• an article also indicating “U.S. Supreme Court justices raised doubts . . . over the legality of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs,” but recognizing that “some of the conservative justices also stressed the inherent authority of presidents in dealing with foreign countries, suggesting the court could be sharply divided in the outcome of the case”; and
• a blog post suggesting “a majority of the justices appeared to agree with the small businesses and states challenging the tariffs” on the ground “that they exceeded the powers given to the president under a federal law providing him the authority to regulate commerce during national emergencies created by foreign threats.”

Here is an update on recent activity at the Supreme Court in cases decided by the Federal Circuit. Yesterday the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, the case challenging President Trump’s tariffs. Also, since our last update, four new petitions have been filed in takings, patent, and pro se cases; two waivers of the right to respond to petitions were filed in a trademark case and a pro se patent case; and an amicus brief was filed in a case challenging the Federal Circuit’s use of Federal Circuit Rule 36 and its application of the Whistleblower Protection Act. Here are the details.

Here is an update on recent en banc activity at the Federal Circuit in patent cases. Since our last update, one new petition for en banc rehearing was filed, raising a question regarding claim construction; one new response was filed in another case raising a different question regarding claim construction; and the Federal Circuit denied two petitions for en banc rehearing, both raising questions related to transfer. Here are the details.

Tomorrow the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Trump v. V.O.S. Selections. In this case, which was consolidated with another case decided by the D.C. Circuit, President Trump is appealing the Federal Circuit’s conclusion that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act’s grant of presidential authority to “regulate” imports does not authorize the tariffs he imposed. This is our argument preview.

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

• an article arguing how, in President Trump’s tariffs case, “[t]here is some reason to think the [major question] doctrine may disappear”;
• an article suggesting President Trump’s “universal tariffs are a legally unprecedented use of authority” granted by Congress;
• an article analyzing how “[t]he announcement that U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires will now make all decisions on whether to institute America Invents Act patent reviews is expected to reshape litigation”; and
• a blog post highlighting how the National Weather Service Employees Organization and the Patent Office Professional Association “filed a motion for a preliminary injunction” alleging recent Executive Orders “unlawfully threaten employees’ rights to organize and bargain collectively” based on retaliation.

Here is an update on activity in cases pending before panels of the Federal Circuit where the cases involve at least one amicus brief. We keep track of these cases in the “Other Cases” section of our blog. Today, with respect to these cases, we highlight two new opinions, four recent oral arguments, and five upcoming oral arguments. Here are the details.

This week and, as it turns out next Monday, is Court Week at the Federal Circuit. The court will convene 13 panels to consider 70 cases. Of the 70 cases, the court will hear oral argument in 45. The Federal Circuit provides access to live audio of these arguments via the Federal Circuit’s YouTube channel. This month, five cases scheduled for oral argument attracted amicus briefs. Here’s what you need to know about these five cases.

Here is an update on recent Supreme Court activity in cases decided by the Federal Circuit. The only case pending at the Supreme Court decided by the Federal Circuit is Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, Inc. Since our last update, thirty two amicus briefs have been filed in this case. The case is set to be argued on Wednesday. Regarding pending petitions, one new petition has been filed in a patent case, and three waivers of the right to respond to petitions were filed. Here are the details.

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

• an article arguing how President Trump’s challengers “might be about to make” a mistake “by choosing a partisan liberal lawyer, rather than a conservative, to deliver oral arguments on Nov. 5”;
• an article reporting how “[t]hirty-one former federal judges urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject President Donald Trump’s attempts to use emergency powers to impose sweeping, world-wide tariffs”;
• an article discussing how the manner in which “AI inventions are treated at the USPTO is one of many changes taking place under the [Trump] administration”; and
• an article highlighting some “noteworthy trends for practitioners and stakeholders alike to consider” given the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s updated guidance related to inter partes review and post-grant review proceedings.

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

• a piece suggesting “President Donald Trump’s strategy for defending his tariffs in court is to make the case about himself as much as possible — and dare the justices to defy him”;
• an article discussing how John Squires, the new Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, “brings a blend of technical fluency, institutional scale and market-hardened pragmatism to the USPTO at a key moment for innovation”;
• a blog post commenting on how closing the Rocky Mountain Regional U.S. Patent and Trademark Office eliminated “the ability to recruit new examiners from across the country” and threatened to “undo years of progress”; and
• a blog post suggesting a Federal Circuit decision, which “presents a pivotal dispute concerning the intersection of patent law and ‘after-arising technology,’” is a “significant patent ruling of 2025.”