Civil Law

Federal Court Finds Employer Failed to Appreciate the Gravity of Employee’s Lunar Moon Religious Observation (US)

A recent decision from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Johnson v. York Academy Regional Charter School, reminds employers of their obligation to meaningfully participate in the process of identifying reasonable accommodation of their employees’ religious beliefs.

Monik Johnson was employed by a charter school as a business manager. Many years into her employment, Ms. Johnson began observing the Lunar Sabbath, which required her not to work on the day of the New Moon, which … Read the rest

Civil Law

Quitting Cold Turkey: Federal Agencies Suspend Enforcement of Back-Pay Requirement for Employee Wellness Incentives, Including Tobacco Cessation Programs (US)

For many employees, the benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle aren’t just physical; they are financial. Through health-contingent wellness programs, employers can offer monetary rewards or reduced health insurance costs to employees who achieve specified health-related goals. These programs may focus on nutrition, weight loss, tobacco cessation, fitness, substance abuse assistance, stress management, or general health education.

However, determining what rewards employees are eligible for, and when those rewards must be provided, has long presented a compliance challenge for employers. … Read the rest

Circuit Courts

Federal Circuit Celebrates Independence Day Anniversary Through History and Civic Learning

On the eve of the 250th anniversary of Independence Day, in the nation’s capital, the Federal Circuit Center for Innovation and Law invited the public to the Justice Up Close, History All Around civics program to explore how law, innovation, science, and civic action have shaped the nation.
Judiciary News – United States Courts… Read the rest

Civil Law

Federal Court Dismisses UPF Lawsuit for Second Time

  • On June 30, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania dismissed with prejudice an amended complaint which alleged that eleven producers of “Ultra Processed Foods” (UPFs) had sold Plaintiff UPFs that allegedly were addictive and caused him to develop Type 2 Diabetes and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). The initial complaint was dismissed last year for a variety of deficiencies including a failure to explain how consumption of the UPFs led to his diagnoses.
  • The Court’s
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Civil Law

Challenging a CICA Stay Override? The Federal Circuit Confirms You Don’t Need to Prove Irreparable Harm

In Life Science Logistics, LLC v. United States,[1] the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (“Federal Circuit”) affirmed that a disappointed bidder challenging an agency’s override of a Competition in Contracting Act (“CICA”) stay must only show the override was arbitrary and capricious. The court rejected the government’s argument that the plaintiff must also satisfy the traditional four-factor test for preliminary injunctions—likelihood of success on the merits, irreparable harm, balance of equities, and benefit to the public. … Read the rest

Supreme Court

Federal Judges Increasingly Concerned That Trump Could Get Them Killed

On Monday morning, in an all-caps social media post, President Donald Trump wished a happy Memorial Day to “USA HATING JUDGES WHO SUFFER FROM AN IDEOLOGY THAT IS SICK, AND VERY DANGEROUS FOR OUR COUNTRY.” Trump also made a plea, still in capslock, for the U.S. Supreme Court to “SAVE US FROM THE DECISIONS OF THE MONSTERS WHO WANT OUR COUNTRY TO GO TO HELL.”

Against all odds, the “monsters” to whom Trump refers are not Stephen

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Civil Law

Federal Court denies samples for testing infringement of biologic process patent

The Federal Court recently refused to order a defendant to produce samples of cell culture because there was no “reasonable possibility” that testing the samples would yield evidence of patent infringement.  In pharmaceutical patent cases, testing samples of a defendant’s product – or samples from a defendant’s process – can lead to crucial evidence of infringement for trial. However, as seen in the Court’s recent decision, a defendant can resist producing samples where the plaintiff only proposes “speculative undefined tests”.   … Read the rest