Category: Appeals

Last week, Seventh Circuit Judge Illana Rovner took senior status. She had been an associate judge on the Seventh Circuit since 1992. Prior to that, she was a district court judge on the Northern District of Illinois for almost a decade. A member of what could be described as the Court's "old guard,"...

In commercial litigation, building a strong record for an appeal is an important, but often overlooked step. This process involves strategic planning to ensure that every piece of evidence and argument presented during the trial is accurately recorded. A well-prepared record can be the key to success in the appellate court,...

Criminal appeals are legal processes where a defendant seeks a higher court's review of a lower court's decision, primarily to address errors made during the trial. These appeals are not about re-trying the case, but rather examining whether legal mistakes occurred that affected the trial's outcome. The role of appellate attorneys...

Complex business disputes often escalate into litigation, which eventually ends in the appellate courts, making appellate strategy a critical component in the pursuit of a favorable outcome. The intricate dynamics of these cases demand astute legal analysis, meticulous planning, and persuasive advocacy skills, factors that could tip the scales of justice in...

I had the honor of receiving a rare accolade from a federal appeals court in its published opinion. I represented Marcus Conner in Conner v. Reagle, a habeas corpus appeal that asserted Mr. Conner’s constitutional right to a speedy trial was violated. The odds were heavily stacked against Mr. Conner, as less than...

A seminal First Amendment decision was just issued by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. In Missouri v. Biden, the Plaintiffs alleged that federal officials violated the First Amendment by coercing social media platforms to censor disfavored speech. The federal district court of Louisiana agreed, and the Fifth Circuit partially affirmed. The Fifth Circuit...

The Seventh Circuit has issued its annual report for 2022, and once again, the trend is down. The number of appeals filed in 2022 was 2,362, a decrease of 5% from 2021. This cannot be attributed to the pandemic or economic forces alone. Examining the bigger picture, the number has steadily declined...

A federal appeals court reversed the dismissal of a lawsuit accusing software provider Salesforce of violating sex-trafficking laws. The tech giant became ensnared in the suit due to its business involvement with Backpage.com, a notorious—and now defunct—website that served as an online portal for the sex trade. Shuttered in 2018, the sordid legacy of...

The Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Equity-Today Act, commonly known as the SAFE-T Act, is an Illinois statute enacted in 2021 that reforms the criminal justice system. It represents a shift in the approach to policing, pretrial detention, bail, sentencing, and corrections. The law was previously addressed in this blog. 

Navigating the complex landscape of legal appeals demands a thorough understanding of two pivotal elements: legal errors and misjudgments. These elements can significantly impact the course and outcome of litigation, thus highlighting the crucial role of adept appellate attorneys. By learning about the intricacies of legal errors and misjudgments, individuals can...