Universal Life “Monthly Charges” Are Statutory Premiums—and Trigger § 234(2)’s Monthly-Premium Exception 1. Introduction Fayez Dahleh v. Minnesota Life Insurance Company (7th Cir. Jan. 20, 2026)...
Objective Vehicle Protective Searches Under Long: Furtive Movements, Cannabis Odor, and Weapons-Related Supervision Support Reasonable Suspicion; Post-Sentence Family Remarks Require “Reliance” to...
Objective “Long” Vehicle Protective Searches: Cannabis Odor, Furtive Movements, and Officer Demeanor I. Introduction United States v. Dazmine Erving (7th Cir. Jan. 20, 2026) addresses two recurring...
Primary-Significance Governs Genericness (Not “Exclusive Descriptor”): Survey-Driven Reversal of “Pizza Puff” Preliminary Injunction Case: Illinois Tamale Company, Inc. v. LC Trademarks, Inc. and...
“Primary Significance” Controls Genericness for Incontestable Marks; Descriptive Fair Use Turns on Product Characteristics, Not Product Identity 1. Introduction In Illinois Tamale Company, Inc. v. LC...
Incontestable Marks and Genericness at the Preliminary-Injunction Stage: “Primary Significance” Governs, and Fair Use Describes Characteristics—not Identity Introduction In Illinois Tamale Company,...
Primary-Significance Controls Genericness of Incontestable Marks; Fair-Use “Descriptive” Prong Turns on Product Characteristics, Not Product Identity Illinois Tamale Company, Inc. v. LC Trademarks,...
CEA Two-Year Bar Not Avoided by “John Doe” Pleading: No Rule 15 Relation-Back Without a “Mistake,” and Investment Managers Must Plead Their Own Trading Losses for Article III Standing Case: LJM...
Sham Declarations Cannot Manufacture Summary-Judgment Disputes; No Per Se Eighth Amendment Violation from a Cell Lacking an In-Cell Toilet/Sink When Reasonable Mitigation Exists I. Introduction In...
Smith v. Pugh: Caution Against “Received-By” Deadlines for Prisoner Filings and the Centrality of Medical Causation in Ramadan-Meal RLUIPA/Eighth Amendment Claims Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the...
CEA Two-Year Limitations, No Rule 15 “Mistake” for John Doe Defendants, and Strict Pleading of Investment-Manager Standing in VIX Manipulation Claims Introduction Case: Two Roads Shared Trust v....
Acquiescence to a Restitution Credit at Sentencing Waives Appellate Challenge (and the Defendant Bears the Burden to Prove Offsets) 1. Introduction Case: United States v. Sean Grusd (7th Cir. Jan....
Seventh Circuit Reinforces Waiver and Presumed Reasonableness in Anders Sentencing Appeals After Defendant Accepts the Guidelines Range Case: United States v. Anthony M. Taylor (No. 25-2218) Court:...
Seventh Circuit: § 1981 Complaints Must Plead Non-Speculative Race Causation; Weak Comparator Allegations Cannot Supply Plausibility Case: Yubo Miao v. United Airlines, Inc. (No. 25-1649) Court:...
Recklessness Is the Mens Rea for 18 U.S.C. § 875(c) in the Seventh Circuit (Post-Counterman) I. Introduction United States v. Farhan Sheikh (7th Cir. Jan. 13, 2026) addresses the constitutionality...
Generalized “Dear Colleague” Pressure Plus Process Errors, Without Case-Specific Evidence, Does Not Show Title IX Sex Bias Case: Matthew Metzler v. Loyola University Chicago Court: United States...
Functional Software Descriptions Are Not “Concrete Secrets” Under the DTSA; Late-Stage “Other Proprietary Information” Theories May Be Excluded Introduction NEXT Payment Solutions, Inc. v. CLEAResult...
Defective Notice-to-Appear Time/Date Omissions Are Forfeitable Claim-Processing Errors; Hardship Denials Reviewed Under Clear-and-Unmistakable-Error Framework Introduction In Francisco...
§ 1983 Limits: No Fifth Amendment Due Process Claim Against State Actors; Absolute Immunity for Prosecutors Reviewing Warrant Affidavits 1. Introduction Dale Economan v. James Luttrull (Seventh...
Vacated-Precedent Reliance Is Not Remandable Error When the BIA Affirms on Independent, Dispositive Grounds and the Petitioner Waives Merits I. Introduction In Brenda Organiz-Perez De Lorenzo v....