Opinions

Opinions & Orders – September 18, 2023

This morning, the Federal Circuit released six nonprecedential dismissals and one nonprecedential erratum. Late Friday, the Federal Circuit also released another nonprecedential dismissal. Here are links to the dismissals and the erratum.

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Petitions / Supreme Court Activity

Recent Supreme Court Activity

Here is an update on recent activity at the Supreme Court in cases decided by the Federal Circuit. With respect to granted cases, an amicus brief was filed in support of respondent in Vidal v. Elster. With respect to petitions, two new petitions in two pro se cases were filed with the Court. Additionally, the government waived its right to respond to petitions in an employment case and in a pro se case. Here are the details.

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Opinions

Opinions & Orders – August 21, 2023

Today, the Federal Circuit released one nonprecedential opinion and three nonprecedential orders. The opinion addresses an appeal from a grant of summary judgment in which a district court held that a patent was ineligible for patenting. Specifically, the district court found that the claims at issue simply sought to automate prior art methods to minimize human error and replaced the human operator with a conventional machine. Two of the orders released today transfer cases, and one dismisses an appeal. Late last Friday, the Federal Circuit also released a nonprecedential order dismissing an appeal. Here are the introductions to the opinion and transfers and links to the dismissals.

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Opinions

Opinions & Orders – August 16, 2023

Today, the Federal Circuit released one precedential opinion, three nonprecedential opinions, and three nonprecedential orders. The precedential opinion comes in an appeal from the Patent and Trademark Office and addresses whether a patent is unpatentable as anticipated by, or obvious in view of, asserted prior art.  One of the nonprecedential opinions involves a pro se litigant seeking review of a final decision of the Merit System Protection Board. The second nonprecedential opinion, also litigated pro se, addresses an alleged violation of the First Amendment. The final nonprecedential opinion involves an appeal from a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision regarding the patentability of claims. The three nonprecedential orders deny petitions for writs of mandamus. Here are the introductions to the opinions and orders.

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Opinions

Opinions & Orders – July 6, 2023

This morning, the Federal Circuit released a precedential opinion in an employment case. In it, the court vacated and remanded an arbitrator’s decision to remove the plaintiff from the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Late yesterday and this morning, the court also released three nonprecedential orders, one transferring a case to a district court, one dismissing an appeal for untimeliness, and another also dismissing an appeal. Here is the introduction to the opinion, text from the transfer and dismissal for untimeliness, and a link to the other dismissal.

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Opinions

Opinions & Orders – June 30, 2023

This morning, the Federal Circuit released a precedential order granting a petition for en banc rehearing in a design patent case addressing obviousness. The court also released three nonprecedential opinions: one in a patent case appealed from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and two in related pro se cases appealed from the Merit Systems Protection Board. Here are the introductions to the order and opinions.

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Opinions

Opinions & Orders – May 17, 2023

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 four nonprecedential orders: one summarily affirming a judgment of the Merit Systems Protection Board, one summarily affirming a judgment of the Court of Federal Claims, one transferring a veteran’s case to the Western District of Texas, and one dismissing an appeal. Here are the introductions to the opinion and orders and a link to the dismissal.

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Opinions

Opinion & Orders – May 8, 2023

This morning, the Federal Circuit released a precedential opinion in a patent case, a nonprecedential opinion in a pro se veterans case, and two nonprecedential orders granting a summary affirmance and a dismissal. Here are the introductions to the opinions and links to the orders.

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Opinions

Opinions & Orders – April 27, 2023

This morning the Federal Circuit released three nonprecedential opinions. One comes in a patent case appealed from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, one in a patent case appealed from the International Trade Commission, and one in an employment case appealed from the Merit Systems Protection Board. Here are the introductions to the opinions.

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Opinions

Opinions and Orders – April 17, 2023

This morning, the Federal Circuit released one nonprecedential opinion and three nonprecedential orders. In the opinion, the court affirmed a judgment of the Merit Systems Protection Board. In the nonprecedential orders, the Federal Circuit denied a petition for a writ of mandamus against Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and dismissed two appeals. Here is the introduction to the opinion, text from the first order, and links to the dismissals.

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