United States Court of Appeals

I.  You Can’t Have One Without the Other: Notice of Appeal Must Designate Both Final Judgment and Intermediate Order

Approximately three years ago, I blogged on Majerske v. Majerske,
Continue Reading Notices of Appeal: Wouldn’t It Be Nice?

Is there institutional disharmony in the Fourth Circuit? That’s the question that one judge suggested, in a concurring opinion, that lawyers and judges might be asking after an en banc
Continue Reading Institutional Disharmony in the Fourth Circuit? Or Merely Patriotic Dissent?

The federal corollary to the oft-blogged about “substantial right doctrine” in the North Carolina appellate courts is the “collateral order doctrine.”  As is the case under North Carolina law, the
Continue Reading Fourth Circuit Explains the Scope of “Collateral Order Doctrine”

In an opinion highlighting an interesting federal appellate jurisdictional issue, the Fourth Circuit on Monday vacated a “gag order” that had been entered by the district court.  That gag
Continue Reading Fourth Circuit Holds that Trial Court Cannot Prevent Appellate Review of Decision by Vacating that Decision After Appellate Proceedings Have Commenced

Note: much of the information below comes from The American Lawyer’s October 23 “Daily Dicta,” by Jenna Greene.

He started as a pro se plaintiff alleging First Amendment (and other) 
Continue Reading Unpublished Fourth Circuit Per Curiam Opinion Involving Pro Se Litigant Rights Moving Towards the Supreme Court on the Backs of Legal Giants

In light of Matt’s post from yesterday, does anyone perceive an uptick in dismissals of appeals for notice of appeal problems? Are North Carolina lawyers unique in their propensity
Continue Reading When Is a Deadline or Other Requirement for Filing a Notice of Appeal Jurisdictional? (Federal Edition)

Twice this week the Fourth Circuit took the relatively unusual step of issuing published opinions on orders denying rehearing of a case.  Ordinarily such orders are not published for the
Continue Reading The Curious Case(s) of the Published Denial of Rehearing

Since December 2016, we have been monitoring the status of the North Carolina Court of Appeals’ new en banc authority.  Several motions for en banc review have been filed,
Continue Reading Fourth Circuit May Conduct Initial En Banc Review of Revised Federal Travel Ban

Most attorneys have had a least one unfavorable final judgment entered before trial.  The attorney may feel that the trial court completely misunderstood her argument. Perhaps the trial court entered
Continue Reading Resisting the Urge To Give The Trial Court One Last Chance: Dangers of Using N.C. R. Civ. P. 59 To Revisit Final Judgments Entered Without A Trial