FedCircuitBlog

Here is an update on recent activity at the Supreme Court in cases decided by the Federal Circuit. With respect to granted cases, there is no new activity to report since our last update. With respect to petitions, one new petition was filed in a Tucker Act case asking the Court to consider questions related to alleged federal government payment obligations. Also, an amicus brief in support of a petition was filed in a patent case, and a waiver of right to respond was filed in a pro se case. Here are the details.

This morning, the Federal Circuit released two nonprecedential opinions: one in a veterans case addressing service connection for disabilities and one in a pro se case appealed from the Merit Systems Protection Board and addressing untimeliness of a petition for review. Late yesterday and this morning, the court also released two nonprecedential orders dismissing appeals. Here are the introductions to the opinions and links to the orders.

Here is an update on recent en banc activity at the Federal Circuit. Since our last update, the court denied an en banc petition in a patent case. That’s it Here are the details.

This morning, the Federal Circuit released a nonprecedential opinion dismissing an appeal from the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims for lack of jurisdiction. Here is the introduction to the opinion.

Here is a report on recent news and commentary related to the Federal Circuit and its cases. Today’s report highlights:

• an article discussing comments Judge Newman made in a recent interview regarding the ongoing dispute regarding her fitness to serve as a judge;
• an article covering statements made by Andrei Iancu, the former head of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and former Federal Circuit Judge Kathleen O’Malley, who both recently joined Sullivan & Cromwell; and
• a blog post about how a recent Federal Circuit decision “zeroes in on the motivation-to-combine analysis” and allegedly provides more clarity on what makes a proper obviousness analysis as a whole.

Late yesterday and this morning, the Federal Circuit released two nonprecedential orders, one denying a petition for a writ of mandamus seeking to order the Western District of Texas to promptly decide a motion to transfer and another dismissing an appeal. This morning, the Federal Circuit also released a summary affirmance in a case appealed from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Here is text from the order denying the petition for a writ of mandamus and links to the dismissal and the summary affirmance.

This morning, the Federal Circuit released three opinions: a precedential opinion in a patent case addressing patentable subject matter, a precedential opinion in another patent case addressing an interference involving first-inventor-to-file patents and first-to-invent applications, and a precedential opinion in a veterans case addressing eligibility for veterans benefits. The court also released a summary affirmance. Here are the introductions to the opinions and a link to the summary affirmance.

Here is a report on recent news and commentary related to the Federal Circuit and its cases. Today’s report highlights:

• a blog post by former Federal Circuit Chief Judge Paul Michel discussing the ongoing dispute regarding Judge Newman’s fitness to serve as a judge;
• an article providing an update on the dispute, in particular highlighting how a district court recently ordered mediation; and
• an article noting how Sullivan & Cromwell recently hired both Andrei Iancu, the former head of the Patent and Trademark Office, and former Federal Circuit Judge Kathleen O’Malley.

This morning the Federal Circuit released a nonprecedential opinion in a pro se case appealed from the Merit Systems Protection Board. The court also released two nonprecedential orders, one summarily affirming a judgment of the Court of Federal Claims and another denying a petition for a writ of mandamus. Additionally, the Federal Circuit released four summary affirmances. Here is the introduction to the opinion, text from the orders, and links to the summary affirmances.

Here is an update on recent activity at the Supreme Court in cases decided by the Federal Circuit. With respect to granted cases, there is no new activity to report since our last update. With respect to petitions, one new petition was filed asking the Court to consider whether the deadline to file a petition to review a decision of the Merit Systems Protection Board is jurisdictional. Here are the details.