Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice James Blacklock has told a Dallas trial judge that she needs to reconsider her standing order requiring mask mandates and disclosure of personal health information before entering her courtroom.
Products liability and medical malpractice trial lawyer Scott Frenkel has filed a legal challenge against a Dallas judge who continues to require the people in her courtroom to wear Covid-19-era facemasks.
MARSHALL — A lawyer for Samsung argued during the hearing that the injunction Collision Communications seeks in the patent infringement case would prevent his client from importing “well above 75 percent of products” the electronics giant produces, including all phones and tablets. U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap took the motion under advisement and told the parties he would issue his decision as soon as practicable.
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Google gears up to defend against patent infringement claims in Midland, the battle between the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars won't be going to a jury trial, a $17 million Ponzi scheme architect from Houston goes to prison, and the Texas Supreme Court sides with a lawyer fending off claims from a dissatisfied client.
President Donald Trump made two nominations for the federal benches in Texas Monday. He nominated Kirkland & Ellis partner Kasdin Mitchell in Dallas and deputy chief of staff to Gov. Greg Abbott, Angela Colmenero, in Houston.
The Court continues to cement its judicial heavyweight status — with the month’s marquee event ringing in a 90-page opinion in the high-profile fight between the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars over control of the American Airlines Center. The Court also maintained its strategy of deploying Rule 166(g) to narrow cases early and tackled personal jurisdiction.
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday dealt a blow to the maker of a nicotine pouch product, finding that the company’s VELO pouches are subject to the same duty levied on cigars, chewing tobacco and snuff. But the court did leave one door open for RJR Vapor.
In the third trial in multidistrict litigation stemming from the fatal 2020 explosion in West Houston, the jury unanimously cleared 3M of negligence. The first two trials ended in verdicts against 3M, totaling about $156 million for 12 plaintiffs.
The Supreme Court of North Dakota has directed the trial court to enter a narrow antisuit injunction against Greenpeace International Thursday morning, barring it from proceeding with its action against Dallas-based Energy Transfer in the Netherlands. A North Dakota jury awarded Energy Transfer more than $660 million in damages against Greenpeace in March 2025.
In this edition of Asked & Answered, McKool Smith’s Sam Baxter, who recently retired, reflects on his 56-year career. While he is known for his work trying intellectual property cases in the Eastern District of Texas, he started out as a prosecutor and judge.
In the first quarter of 2026, the Texas Business Court continued to make progress through the ever-growing number of lawsuits appearing on its dockets. In the first few quarters following the Business Court opening its doors Sept. 1, 2024, the vast majority of its opinions resolved the jurisdictional and procedural questions entailed in standing up a new court with limited jurisdiction. In the second half of 2025, such procedural decisions were increasingly mixed with substantive decisions. Early 2026 marked a new phase of the Court gaining “cruising altitude,” with many of the initial procedural and jurisdictional questions behind it and most decisions addressing the merits of the disputes.
Lisa Staler Gallerano is returning to private practice after nearly a decade in-house, joining BakerHostetler’s Dallas office as of counsel in the firm’s litigation practice group. Gallerano also will be a member of the firm’s commercial litigation team.
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