October 2019 – Page 2 – Michael C. Smith's Eastern District of Texas Blog

U.S.-Mexico Legal Systems Panel with EDTX Judge Truncale

October 17, 2019October 17, 2019 msmithCommentary, Judge Michael Truncale

Mexican Appellate Judge Jorge Meza, EDTX Judge Michael Truncale and Judge Truncale’s law clerk Isaac Villarreal

EDTX Judge Michael Truncale recently participated a panel at the Tecnologico de Monterrey on the differences between the U.S. and Mexican legal systems.

Marshall Patent Scheduling Conferences

October 16, 2019October 16, 2019 msmithMarshall, Status Conference Reports

Just got out of the Marshall patent scheduling conferences originally scheduled for last month, so here’s the relevant information re: cases heard and time to Markman and trial.

Order on Motion to Remand

October 15, 2019October 15, 2019 msmithJudge J. Rodney Gilstrap, Marshall, Removal & Remand

Just in time to be able to skip tomorrow’s scheduling conference…

Motion to Transfer Waco Patent Case to Marshall Denied

October 14, 2019October 14, 2019 msmithVenue, WDTX Cases

Well obviously if you take the route my grandparents did from Waco to Marshall on their honeymoon in 1929 it’s clearly not more convenient – but I doubt that was Judge Albright’s analysis.

Meet and Confers

October 14, 2019October 14, 2019 msmithJudge J. Rodney Gilstrap, Texarkana

Always good to get some guidance from Judge Gilstrap how not to handle discovery disputes.

Joint Naturalization Ceremony in Texarkana

October 11, 2019October 11, 2019 msmithCourt News, Texarkana

On September 27, the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern District of Texas and the Western District of Arkansas held what is believed to be the first joint naturalization ceremony, conducted on the front steps of the federal courthouse that sits on the state line dividing Arkansas and Texas in Texarkana.

Presiding were Judge Robert W. Schroeder III for the Eastern District of Texas, and Magistrate Judge Barry A. Bryant for the Western District of Arkansas. Approximately 60 individuals from 21 countries were naturalized as U.S. citizens at the event. took the oath of Allegiance which will finalize their path to citizenship. “Today’s the happiest thing we do in federal court,” Judge Bryant told the audience.

The program was presented by the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern District of Texas and the Western District of Arkansas and the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

FedCircuitBlog

October 9, 2019October 9, 2019 msmithCommentary

I’m enjoying SMU law prof David Taylor’s new blog on the Federal Circuit, FedCircuitBlog which provides coverage of the goings-on at Lafayette Square.

Professor Taylor is the Robert G. Storey Distinguished Faculty Fellow, Co-Director of the Tsai Center for Law, Science and Innovation and Associate Professor of Law at SMU’s Dedman School of Law in Dallas. He’s a familiar case to Texas patent practitioners – he even brought his patent law class to Marshall last year to see how the local court works.

So congratulations Professor Taylor on the new adventure, and I look forward to reading your forthcoming posts.

Waco to Austin – update

October 8, 2019October 8, 2019 msmithVenue, WDTX Cases

No, not the traffic. In the course of explaining why the last post should be v.4, I pulled some statistics quantifying the trend of cases filed in Waco being transferred to Austin.

Waco to Austin, pt. 4

October 8, 2019October 8, 2019 msmithVenue, WDTX Cases

Chip & Joanna may be opening a hotel in downtown Waco, but the parties in this case won’t be staying in it, as the defendant who lost a motion to transfer to Delaware won the do-over motion to Austin because most of the plaintiff’s inventors were located there.

Joint & Unopposed Motions in Limine Denied

October 8, 2019February 17, 2021 msmithJudge J. Rodney Gilstrap, Limine Motions, Marshall

The Court denied the parties’ joint and unopposed motions in limine for the reasons set forth during a hearing. If you don’t see a lot of pretrials, this might be surprising.