A blog on practice in the Nation’s second-most powerful court

Class Actions

D.C. Circuit rules on fail-safe classes and standards for 23(f) review

If you handle class actions, you’ll want to read the D.C. Circuit’s decision this past week on so-called fail-safe classes, a vexing topic that has …

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Criminal Law

Criminal appeals in the D.C. Circuit versus other circuits

The court issued one published opinion this past week, a decision reviewing a criminal sentence for bank fraud. No. 21-3053, United States v. Otunyo. The …

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Appellate procedure

Party? Hardly.

This week, the D.C. Circuit considered when a nonparty to a case can nonetheless appeal an order in the case. Answer: almost never. As the …

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Constitutional Law

D.C. Circuit takes up Equal Rights Amendment

Was the Constitution amended? Roughly speaking, that’s the question the D.C. Circuit confronted today, in a case involving the Equal Rights Amendment or ERA. Believing …

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Briefing

Expressing outrage in briefs

“Can’t our brief express more outrage?” It’s a common client question. We lawyers ask it too. Who among us hasn’t been tempted to start a …

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Appellate procedure

D.C. Circuit offers little-known en banc shortcut

Published opinions this past week exposed a fierce dispute on the D.C. Circuit over whether to take a case en banc. Two judges thought for …

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Appellate procedure

When is it too late to intervene on appeal?

Motions practice is rarer in circuit court than in district court. Still more rare in circuit court is motions practice that prompts a written opinion. …

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Rules & Procedures

D.C. Circuit publishes higher percentage of opinions than any other circuit

The D.C. Circuit issues more unpublished opinions than published opinions. That’s true in all the federal circuits. What percentage of opinions are published? You can …

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Judges

D.C. Circuit Judge Laurence Silberman dies at 86

The biggest news at the court this fall so far has not been a decision—the court is enjoying its usual post-summer lull—but the death of …

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Judges

D.C. Circuit nominee Bradley Garcia to be considered by full Senate

The Senate Judiciary Committee today reported D.C. Circuit nominee Bradley Garcia to the full Senate. Garcia is 36 years old. If confirmed, he would be …

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