A massive snowstorm in the District of Columbia will no longer be a reason for an extra day to file your documents in the Federal Circuit. Effective October 1, 2019, the Federal Circuit will remain open for CM/ECF filings, as well as limited phone and email communications, even with the Clerk’s Office physically closed due to severe weather. View the court’s notice here. Only paper documents that are unable to be delivered or filed on the due date because of the weather-related closure will be accepted on the next business day as timely filed. The take-away for this is to…

It is not uncommon that related matters be consolidated pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 42(a), such that discovery is held together and they are tried together. Nevertheless, final judgment may be entered in one of the consolidated matters before it is entered in the remaining matters. In Hall v. Hall, the Supreme Court held that the final judgment entered in the earlier of the consolidated cases is immediately appealable, even if the other consolidated cases remain pending. In making this holding, the Court rejected the suggestion that the final judgment in one of the consolidated cases be treated as an…