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Appellate Practice

Jan. 6, 2026

As the (appellate) world turns: The 2025 appellate year in review

From Supreme Court shifts to standout rulings, 2025 sparked plenty of appellate headlines--this column tours the year's top legal moments, Billy Joel-style, without getting lost in the fire.

Benjamin G. Shatz

Partner
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP

Appellate Law (Certified), Litigation

Email: bshatz@manatt.com

Benjamin is a certified specialist in appellate law, and member of the California and American Academies of Appellate Lawyers, in Manatt's Los Angeles office. Exceptionally Appealing appears the first Tuesday of the month.

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As the (appellate) world turns: The 2025 appellate year in review
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Billy Joel's 1989 song "We Didn't Start the Fire" engagingly whisks listeners through the latter half of the 20th century by merely listing names, events and other terse snippets. This column covering the year 2025 from an appellate angle will not be as concise, but similarly will not delve deeply into any of these stories. To repeat (yet again) the mantra of this annual year-in-revie...

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