San Francisco’s “Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Warning Ordinance” was too much to swallow even for the Ninth Circuit. On January 31 the court issued an en banc ruling requiring that the ordinance be preliminarily enjoined on the ground that its mandatory warning about the alleged health effects of sugary soft drinks chills commercial free speech, and thus, […]
Sweet Victory for Free Speech Read More »
I am pleased to announce that I will be moderating a panel entitled ‘You Too Can Be a Supreme Court Practioner: Redefining ‘The Supreme Court Bar.’ This CLE panel, to be held in Chicago on July 19, will be part of the annual Appellate Advocacy Seminar sponsored by DRI-The Voice of the Defense Bar. Our
How To Become a Supreme Court Practitioner Read More »
Early in law school, one of my esteemed (but perhaps grammatically challenged) professors explained that the key to understanding any case is figuring out “who is suing who, and why?” On January 15, the Justices very well may have been asking themselves that question during the Supreme Court’s hearing in Home Depot USA, Inc. v. Jackson, No. 17-1471. In
Who is Suing Who, and Why? Read More »
Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s first Supreme Court opinion is a model of stylistic clarity and judicial restraint. Writing for a unanimous Court, his January 8, 2019 opinion in Henry Schein, Inc. v. Archer & White Sales, Inc., No. 17-1272, holds that where parties have agreed in a contract that an arbitrator—rather than a court—should decide whether
Kavanaugh’s Debut Opinion Vindicates Trump’s High Court Pick Read More »
By Larry Ebner Phyllis Young and I started working together in 1976. And together, we grew as professionals over the course of the next 40+ years. Her tireless devotion to clients, colleagues, and me, was phenomenal. Her highly specialized secretarial and administrative skills were unsurpassed. Her ability to stay calm and achieve perfection under pressure
Congratulations to Phyllis Young, World’s Best (& Newly Retired) Legal Secretary Read More »
According to a year-end press release, the U.S. Department of Justice “obtained more than $2.8 billion in settlements and judgments from civil cases involving fraud and false claims against the government in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2018.” Significantly, $2.1 billion of that $2.8 billion (i.e., about 75%) are attributable to suits filed by whistleblower
DOJ Bounty-Hunter Stats Fuel Whistleblower Filings Read More »
Today’s unanimous Supreme Court opinion in Weyerhauser Co. v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, No. 17-71, empowers federal courts to exercise greater scrutiny over how federal agencies administer the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”). Under the ESA, the Fish and Wildlife Service (“FWS”)—the Interior Department unit responsible for administering part of the ESA—must designate the “critical habitat”
Supreme Court Endangered Frog Opinion Gives Federal Wildlife Agency Reason To Croak Read More »
As I reported in an earlier post, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear Home Depot v. Jackson, No. 17-1471, a case that involves class-action fairness. On November 15 I filed on behalf of DRI-The Voice of the Defense Bar a merits-stage amicus curiae brief urging the Court to enforce the Class Action Fairness Act’s right to remove
Supreme Court Should Restore Level Playing Field For Consumer Class Actions Read More »
Capital Appellate Advocacy founder Larry Ebner was recently interviewed by Herb Cohen, founder and host of Executive Leaders Radio — the #1 business radio show in the Mid-Atlantic States. Each week the fast-paced show, which is broadcast on more than 40 terrestrial and internet radio stations, features lively, 8-minute interviews with business and professional leaders. The
Herb Cohen Gets Personal With Larry Ebner On Executive Leaders Radio Read More »
Class actions are big business for the plaintiffs bar. Lawyers have a better chance of pocketing enormous, disproportionate, attorney fee awards if they can litigate, or force settlement of, consumer class actions in plaintiff-friendly state courts. Congress enacted the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) in 2005 to help curb state-court class action abuses. One of
Supreme Court Will Review Unfair Class Action Tactic Read More »
