FedCircuitBlog

Here is an update on recent activity at the Supreme Court in cases decided by the Federal Circuit. The Court recently granted the motion of the Solicitor General leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae in Amgen Inc. v. Sanofi, Aventisub LLC, the pending patent case addressing the enablement patentability requirement. With respect to petitions, two new petitions were filed with the Court, one in a pro se case and another in a Merit Systems Protection Board case; the government filed its brief in opposition in a trade case; one amicus brief was filed in a trademark case and three amicus briefs were filed in a patent case (including, interestingly, an amicus brief on behalf of retired federal appellate judges); and the Court denied six petitions in various patent, veterans, and pro se cases. Here are the details. 

This morning the Federal Circuit released a precedential opinion in a veterans case appealed from the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. In this opinion, the Federal Circuit affirmed, concluding that the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims correctly interpreted the relevant statutes and that the lower court’s denial of review of state garnishment orders does not violate due process. The Federal Circuit also released a nonprecedential opinion in a case appealed from the Merit Systems Protection Board. Finally, the Federal Circuit released a nonprecedential order dismissing an appeal. Here are the introductions from the opinions and a link to the dismissal.

This morning the Federal Circuit issued two nonprecedential opinions. The first opinion comes in a death benefits case appealed from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The second comes in two consolidated patent cases appealed from the District of Delaware. The court also released four nonprecedential orders. Two of the orders deny petitions for writs of mandamus against, respectively, the Court of Federal Claims and Eastern District of Texas. The third order grants a voluntary dismissal, and the fourth transfers a case to the Second Circuit. Here are the introductions to the opinions and orders.

This morning the Federal Circuit issued three precedential opinions in veterans cases, a nonprecedential opinion in a case dismissed by the Court of Federal Claims for lack of jurisdiction, another nonprecedential opinion in a case appealed from the Bureau of Justice Assistance regarding death benefits, and a Rule 36 judgment. Here are the introductions to the opinions and a link to the Rule 36 judgment.