Legal Insights
Plain-English guides, editorially reviewed
Original, in-depth articles — never copied statutes or filler. Each one is written and reviewed by our editorial team.
Personal Injury
Norfolk & Western v. Ayers: Can Asbestos Workers Recover for Fear of Cancer?
Norfolk & Western v. Ayers explores emotional-distress damages, asbestos disease, and future cancer fear in railroad injury cases.
Editorial guide
Personal Injury
Wyeth v. Levine: Can FDA Approval Block a State Failure-to-Warn Lawsuit?
Wyeth v. Levine asks whether federal drug-label approval preempts state-law claims that a manufacturer failed to warn patients adequately.
Editorial guide
Consumer Rights
AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion: When Arbitration Blocks Class Actions
AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion is a major arbitration case on class-action waivers, consumer contracts, and federal preemption.
Editorial guide
Immigration
Zivotofsky v. Kerry: Can Congress Tell the President What a Passport Says?
Zivotofsky v. Kerry turns a passport birthplace entry into a major case about recognition power and foreign affairs.
Editorial guide
Criminal Defense
Medellin v. Texas: When an International Judgment Meets a State Criminal Case
Medellin v. Texas asks whether international court judgments and presidential memoranda can bind state courts without implementing legislation.
Editorial guide
Consumer Rights
Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum: Can U.S. Courts Hear Global Human Rights Claims?
Kiobel limited Alien Tort Statute suits involving foreign conduct and raised hard questions about human rights litigation in U.S. courts.
Editorial guide
Legal Tech
Diamond v. Chakrabarty: Can Life Be Patented?
Diamond v. Chakrabarty opened a long-running debate over biotechnology, invention, nature, and the limits of patent law.
Editorial guide
Consumer Rights
McCulloch v. Maryland: Can a State Tax Federal Power?
McCulloch v. Maryland explains implied federal powers, state resistance, and why a tax on a national bank became a constitutional landmark.
Editorial guide
Consumer Rights
Nollan v. California Coastal Commission: When Permit Conditions Become Takings
Nollan v. California Coastal Commission asks when the government can require public access as a condition for a building permit.
Editorial guide
Consumer Rights
Twombly: How Much Detail Does a Complaint Need Before Discovery?
Bell Atlantic v. Twombly changed federal pleading by requiring plausible allegations, not just possible claims.
Editorial guide
Legal Tech
eBay v. MercExchange: Why Patent Winners Do Not Always Get Injunctions
eBay v. MercExchange rejected automatic patent injunctions and required courts to apply traditional equitable factors.
Editorial guide
Consumer Rights
Kelo v. New London: Can the Government Take Homes for Economic Development?
Kelo v. City of New London remains one of the most debated eminent-domain cases because it approved takings tied to economic development.
Editorial guide