Seventh Circuit Appellate Court Filings Continue Downward Trajectory
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...
Sex trafficking victim’s claim against Salesforce revived by the Seventh Circuit
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 SAFE-T Act Resuscitated
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.
Common Grounds for Appeals: Exploring Legal Errors and Misjudgments
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...
The Imperative Nature of Subject-Matter Jurisdiction
Litigation is a costly endeavor. Failing to ensure you are in the correct court after years of litigating can thus have costly consequences. This dilemma was on recent display when a federal appeals court tossed a case that had been litigated in federal court for four years because subject-matter jurisdiction was...
Your Odds Of Winning On Appeal
It is common knowledge that obtaining a reversal in federal appellate court is tough. But how tough? Well, the federal appellate court numbers are in for 2022, and the picture is dire for appellants. In the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, private civil cases had a reversal rate of 13.6%, followed by civil appeals...