Opinions

Opinions & Orders – January 27, 2026

Late yesterday, the Federal Circuit released a nonprecedential opinion in an appeal of a decision of the Merit Systems Protection Board. This morning, the Federal Circuit released two nonprecedential opinions, two nonprecedential orders, and an errata. One of the opinions comes in another appeal of a decision of the Merit Systems Protection Board; the other comes in an appeal of a decision of the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Both orders deny petitions for writs of mandamus. One of the petitions sought to order the Merit Systems Protection Board to order discovery and sanction an agency. The other petition sought to order the Patent and Trademark Office to vacate a denial of its petition for inter partes review. Here are the introductions to the opinions and orders along with a link to the errata.

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Opinions

Opinions & Orders – December 9, 2025

This morning, the Federal Circuit released two precedential opinions, four nonprecedential opinions, seven nonprecedential orders, and four Rule 36 judgments. One of the precedential opinions comes in an appeal from a decision of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and discusses the role of the doctrine of foreign equivalents in translating a mark in a foreign language. The other precedential opinion comes in an appeal from a decision of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Two of the nonprecedential opinions come in pro se appeals of decisions of the Court of Federal Claims, one of the other nonprecedential opinions comes in a pro se appeal in a patent infringement case, and the last nonprecedential opinion comes in a pro se appeal of a decision of the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Five of the orders deny petitions for writs of mandamus, while the other two dismiss appeals. Here are the introductions to the opinions and orders denying petitions, along with links to dismissals and Rule 36 judgments.

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Opinions

Opinions & Orders – July 8, 2025

Late yesterday, the Federal Circuit released one nonprecedential order dismissing an appeal in a patent case. This morning, the court released one precedential opinion in a patent case appealed from the District of New Jersey. The Federal Circuit also released five additional nonprecedential opinions in two patent cases, two veterans cases, and two cases appealed from the Merit Systems Protection Board. Finally, the court issued one Rule 36 judgment, one nonprecedential order dismissing an appeal for lack of jurisdiction, and one nonprecedential order transferring an appeal. Here are the details.

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Opinions

Opinions & Orders – June 17, 2025

This morning, the Federal Circuit released one precedential opinion and nine nonprecedential opinions. The precedential opinion comes in a case appealed from the Court of International Trade in an antidumping case. Of the nonprecedential opinions, five come in patent cases, three come in cases appealed from the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and one was appealed from the District of Oregon in a case raising Quiet Title Act and inverse condemnation claims. Here are the introductions to the opinions.

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Opinions

Opinions & Orders – February 18, 2025

This morning the Federal Circuit released four nonprecedential opinions and one nonprecedential order. Of the nonprecedential opinions, two come in veterans cases, one comes in a case on appeal from the Merit Systems Protection Board, and one comes in a patent case on appeal from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. The lone nonprecedential order dismisses an appeal. Here are the introductions to the opinions and a link to the order.  

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Opinions

Opinions & Orders – December 27, 2024

Today the Federal Circuit released a precedential opinion in one veterans case, a nonprecedential opinion in another veterans case, and two nonprecedential orders dismissing appeals. Here are the introductions to the opinions and links to the orders.

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Opinions

Opinions & Orders – December 11, 2024

Late yesterday the Federal Circuit released five nonprecedential orders. One denies a petition for a writ of mandamus, one transfers a case, two dismiss appeals, and one grants an agreed motion to remand a case. Today the Federal Circuit released three nonprecedential opinions and eight nonprecedential orders. Two of the opinions affirm decisions of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, while the third affirms a decision of the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. One of the orders denies a petition, four transfer appeals, one dismisses an appeal, one denies a petition for a writ of mandamus, and one grants an agreed motion to remand a case. Here are the introductions to the opinions and the orders denying petitions for writs of mandamus, along with links to the transfers, dismissals, and agreed remands. This month’s motions panel had a busy couple of days!

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Opinions

Opinions & Orders – August 21, 2024

This morning the Federal Circuit released one nonprecedential opinion and nine nonprecedential orders. The opinion upheld a decision of the Merit Systems Protection Board. Notably, one of the orders denies a petition for a writ of mandamus seeking to order the Western District of Texas to transfer a patent case to the Northern District of California. Here are the introductions to the opinions and orders.

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Opinions

Opinions & Orders – July 5, 2024

This morning the Federal Circuit released four nonprecedential orders. The first two are denials of petitions, and the other two are dismissals. Here are the introductions to the denials of petitions and links to the dismissals.

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Opinions

Opinions & Orders – May 21, 2024

This morning the Federal Circuit released two precedential opinions, four nonprecedential opinions, and one nonprecedential order. The first precedential opinion comes in an en banc design patent case. In it, the en banc court overruled the long-standing Rosen-Durling test used to assess the nonobviousness of design patents. Notably, Judge Lourie concurred in the judgment, suggesting it was unnecessary to overrule Rosen and Durling. In the second precedential opinion, a panel vacated and remanded a judgment of Central District Court of California in a patent infringement case over a dissent by Judge Mayer. As for the nonprecedential opinions, the first affirms two separate dismissals by the Merit Systems Protection Board in a pro se case, the second affirms a judgment of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, the third dismisses an appeal in a veterans case for lack of jurisdiction, and the fourth affirms another dismissal by the Merit Systems Protection Board for lack of jurisdiction. The nonprecedential order is a dismissal. Here are the introductions to the opinions and links to the orders.

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