Law360 has published my sharply critical Expert Analysis of the amicus brief that the U.S. Solicitor General recently submitted to the Supreme Court in Monsanto Co. v. Hardeman, No. 21-241. My analysis explains that – “From the perspective of product liability defense attorneys, the brief from the solicitor general is a transparently partisan, short-sighted effort to […]
Justices Should Give Feds’ Roundup Amicus Little Weight Read More »
The Supreme Court recently proposed to eliminate the requirement to obtain the parties’ consent, or the Court’s permission, to file an amicus brief. I have written a short insight piece for DRI’s new online publication, The Brief Case, about this important development. My article raises a fundamental point about amicus briefs: Since the purpose of
Welcome News! The Supreme Court Proposes to Ditch the Amicus Brief Consent Requirement Read More »
The following commentary was originally published by Jurist on November 5, 2021. My client, Jamie Belcastro, a registered pharmacist, started Belmora LLC, a small, Virginia-based company that sells nonprescription Flanax pain relief products, about 20 years ago. For much of this time Bayer AG, the multinational pharmaceutical corporation headquartered in Germany—whose gross revenues approach $
Hispanic-Americans May Be the Real Victims of the Flanax Litigation Read More »
When scientists employed by universities, nonprofit institutes, or corporations publish scientific studies, they routinely make their underlying research data available to peer reviewers and anyone else who is interested. A recent D.C. Circuit decision¸ Pavement Coatings Technology Council v. United States Geological Survey, 995 F.3d 1014 (D.C. Cir. 2021), confirms that federal government scientists should
D.C. Circuit’s Exploratory Data Ruling Is A Win For Transparency Read More »
Law360 has published my Expert Analysis/Opinion, Keep Junk Science Away From Juries. The article explains that juries are being called upon to assess an increasingly broad range of scientific issues—ranging from medical causation in class-action/mass-action product liability litigation to the alleged effects of fossil-fuel emissions in climate-change damages suits. For this reason, trial judges’ “gatekeeper”
Keep Junk Science Away From Juries Read More »
In its March/April 2021 online and print editions, the Corporate Counsel Business Journal (CCBJ) has published an interview with Capital Appellate Advocacy founder and Atlantic Legal Foundation Executive Vice President & General Counsel, Larry Ebner. In the interview, titled Representing Amici Curiae In High Profile Appeals, Larry discusses the important functions that amicus briefs serve in appellate
Representing Amici Curiae In High-Profile Appeals Read More »
The following Op-Ed, published in Law360 on October 9, 2020, was written by Atlantic Legal Foundation Senior Vice President & General Counsel and Capital Appellate Advocacy founder Larry Ebner. Amicus curiae, or friend of the court, briefs have become a routine part of federal appellate practice. Hundreds of them are filed every year in the
Op-Ed: Appellate Courts Should Welcome Well-Crafted Amicus Briefs Read More »
The following case analysis was published in the Washington Legal Foundation’s Legal Pulse blog on August 4, 2020. In the WLF Legal Pulse post EPA Finally Flexes Some Preemption Muscle, I explained that last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) repudiated California’s attempt, under the State’s Proposition 65 right-to-know law, to require manufacturers of glyphosate weed-control products
The United States can be a party’s best friend—or worst foe—when it enters an appeal as amicus curiae. This article provides attorneys with some practical guidance about interacting with the U.S. Department of Justice when it is engaged in the process of deciding whether to participate in an appeal and/or what position to advocate on
The United States as Amicus Curiae: Making Uncle Sam Your New Best Friend Read More »
LAW 360 PUBLISHED THE FOLLOWING OP-ED ON MAY 20, 2020 UNDER THE TITLE “FLYNN JUDGE SHOULD NOT CHANGE ROLE OF AMICUS CURIAE,” AND IS POSTED HERE WITH PERMISSION Law360 (May 20, 2020, 5:50 PM EDT) — As I wrote last week [Law360, May 15, 2020], U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan’s May 13 appointment of
Flynn Case “Friend” Cannot Act As 11th-Hour Prosecutorial Intermeddler Read More »
