Yesterday the Supreme Court decided GEO Group, Inc. v. Menocal, 607 U.S. ___ (2026), holding that the federal contractor doctrine recognized in Yearsley v. W.A. Ross Construction Co., 309 U.S. 18 (1940), is a merits defense rather than an immunity from suit. Because it is a defense to liability and not a right to avoid litigation altogether, a district court’s rejection of the defense cannot be immediately appealed under the collateral-order doctrine.

The decision is nominally about government contractors. Its real significance is about appellate timing and litigation leverage. The Court sharpened the line between arguments that defeat

In Learning Resources v. Trump, the Supreme Court held that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the President to impose tariffs. The Court treated tariffs as what the Constitution calls them: “Duties” or “Imposts,” falling within Congress’s Article I power to “lay and collect Taxes.” Because taxation is a core legislative function, the Court required clear congressional authorization before concluding that Congress transferred that authority to the Executive. General language allowing the President to “regulate … importation” was not enough to sustain sweeping, revenue-generating duties imposed under a declared national emergency.

The decision has broader

When a candidate is removed from the ballot in Illinois, the path forward runs through the courts.

Tedora Brown, a Republican candidate for Congress in Illinois’s 11th Congressional District, was removed from the March 17, 2026 primary ballot after the State Officers Electoral Board determined she had filed 798 valid signatures: one short of the 799 required under Section 7-10(b) of the Illinois Election Code.

She sought judicial review under Section 10-10.1(a) (10 ILCS 5/10-10.1(a)) in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The Circuit Court affirmed the Board. The Illinois Appellate Court later reversed in a one-page order that did

Facing a year-end deadline, the City of Chicago was able to get a budget passed that included some “alternative” revenue methods. In an effort to raise revenue, the City budget included new dollars from sports gambling.

Chicago adopted a new municipal licensing requirement and a 10.25% tax on certain sports wagering revenue as part of its year-end 2025 budget. The measure took effect January 1, 2026. Within days, a trade association representing major online sportsbook operators filed suit in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. The case is Sports Betting Alliance v. City of Chicago,

Calcutt v. FDIC (Administrative)

Listen to the Calcutt v. FDIC Decision Syllabus here.

A banker was suspended and fined by the FDIC for actions he took on one financially troubled account. The Supreme Court reversed the Sixth Circuit, reasoning that the Court of Appeals must reverse the administrative agency if it reaches the same outcome for a different reason. Once an administrative agency has made an error of law, the decision must be remanded back to the administrative agency.

Tyler v. Hennepin County (Takings Clause)

Listen to the Tyler v. Hennepin County Decision Syllabus here.

In Tyler v. Hennepin County

The Supreme Court released several new decisions at the end of last week. While the most covered decision was probably where the Court ruled in favor of the photographer and against Andy Warhol, each decision offers a potentially helpful insight into the interworking of the Court.

Gonzalez v. Google LLC (Anti-Terrorism Act / Section 230)

Listen to the Supreme Court’s opinion syllabus here. After the Twitter ruling below, the plaintiffs failed to state a claim under the Anti-Terrorism Act. 18 U.S.C. §2333(d). The Court reversed and remanded and decided it did not need to reach the question regarding 47 U.S.C.

The Supreme Court has been unusually slow this term, with fewer rulings compared to past years. However, the pace seems to be accelerating, with 19 opinions released recently, including five last Friday. Major rulings are anticipated in the coming months as numerous cases remain pending. Let’s briefly examine the cases from last Friday.

Ciminelli v. United States

In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that the right-to-control theory for wire fraud, which has long been recognized in the Second Circuit, cannot be used to convict persons under federal fraud statutes. In this case, Ciminelli was convicted for wire fraud

Illinois Supreme Court Opinion Summary: PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS v. DION ADDISON

The Illinois Supreme Court only issued on written opinion in the month of April. In Justice Rochford’s opinion, she sided with the defendant Dion Addison. While the bounds of the right to effective of assistance of trial counsel has been well-litigated, the question of effective assistance of appellate counsel, arising from the failure to properly plead ineffective assistance of appellate counsel, presents a slightly different question.

In this case, the Illinois Supreme Court addressed whether postconviction counsel provided unreasonable assistance by failing to frame the issues

In Bridges and Cunningham v. Blackstone, Inc., the Seventh Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals recently issued a ruling in favor of Blackstone, the defendant-appellee. Plaintiffs Carolyn Bridges and Raymond Cunningham filed a class action against Blackstone, alleging that the firm violated the Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA) in its acquisition of Ancentry.com.

Background

The plaintiffs submitted their DNA samples for genetic review years earlier to Ancestry.com. The plaintiffs allege that in Blackstone’s acquisition of Ancestry.com, it violated GIPA, which prohibits the disclosure of the identity of any person upon whom a genetic test is performed, or the