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2.20.26
Wilson Sonsini Prevails in Blockbuster U.S. Supreme Court Case: V.O.S. Selections, Inc. v. Trump
In a case closely watched by corporate America and indeed the entire world, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a Federal Circuit ruling in favor of five small business clients, confirming that the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the President of the United States to impose the “Liberation Day” trade deficit tariffs announced in April 2025 and since revised on multiple occasions.
Client Highlights
7.08.24
Wilson Sonsini Advises Computer & Communications Industry Association in Landmark Case Impacting Internet Free Speech Rights
On July 1, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Moody v. NetChoice, LLC and NetChoice, LLC v. Paxton, marking a significant development in the realm of internet regulation and reinforcing the application of longstanding First Amendment principles to the online world. The cases centered around state laws enacted in 2021 by Florida and Texas, both of which target large social media platforms and internet companies. The laws aim to limit platforms' control over content moderation, including filtering and labeling user-generated content, and mandated detailed explanations for content removal or alteration.
Client Highlights
10.03.22
Firm Secures Victory in Vitamin C Case in U.S. Supreme Court
Wilson Sonsini clients Hebei Welcome and North China Pharmaceutical Group (NCPG) have prevailed in the U.S. Supreme Court in their defense of long-running price-fixing allegations. The case was brought in 2005 against several Chinese Vitamin C exporters. Eventually, everyone except Hebei and NCPG settled, and a judgment of roughly $150 million was entered against them. The firm was retained after the verdict to handle the appeal and succeeded in getting the judgment reversed outright by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. However, the plaintiffs appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which reversed, ruling that the Second Circuit gave too much deference to the Chinese government’s submissions, which had said that China had required the price-fixing at issue. The case then went back to the Second Circuit, which reversed the judgment again. The plaintiffs again sought review in the Supreme Court, but their petition was denied without dissent on October 3, 2022, bringing the case to a final end.
News Articles
2.15.22
Firm Recognized as 2021 Appellate Group of the Year by Law360
On February 3, 2022, Law360 published a feature article highlighting that Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati recently won a U.S. Supreme Court decision that preserved important constitutional rules for Delaware state courts, which helped land the firm among the publication’s 2021 Appellate Groups of the Year. The profile also referenced the firm’s successful argument against a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that accused Qualcomm of anti-competitive monopolistic behavior (decided in October 2020), as well as its victory in a major “home field advantage” venue case on behalf of Mylan Pharmaceuticals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (decided in November 2020).
According to litigation partner Steffen Johnson, who leads Wilson Sonsini’s nationwide Supreme Court and appellate practice and was quoted throughout the article, the wins were important for a growing group that is part of a broader initiative to build out the firm’s national litigation practice, which now includes more than 200 litigators. Approximately 40-50 attorneys self-identify and participate in appellate issues, and Steffen said the firm is confident that both the trial and appellate sides will continue to grow. One area where the appellate group already stands out, according to Steffen, is that the firm has “a particular depth in constitutional issues, and that was at play in the Carney [Supreme Court] case and at play in one pending now involving due process under California law. That’s an area where we have particular depth and a great track record of success.”
The Carney case, decided in December 2020, was significant “not only to the people of Delaware but to businesses across the globe that have long looked to Delaware’s courts for stable and nonpartisan decision-making,” said Senior Of Counsel Michael McConnell, who argued the case in October 2020 during COVID-19 lockdowns over the phone from his rural Utah cabin.
To read the full Appellate Group of the Year profile, please click here.
According to litigation partner Steffen Johnson, who leads Wilson Sonsini’s nationwide Supreme Court and appellate practice and was quoted throughout the article, the wins were important for a growing group that is part of a broader initiative to build out the firm’s national litigation practice, which now includes more than 200 litigators. Approximately 40-50 attorneys self-identify and participate in appellate issues, and Steffen said the firm is confident that both the trial and appellate sides will continue to grow. One area where the appellate group already stands out, according to Steffen, is that the firm has “a particular depth in constitutional issues, and that was at play in the Carney [Supreme Court] case and at play in one pending now involving due process under California law. That’s an area where we have particular depth and a great track record of success.”
The Carney case, decided in December 2020, was significant “not only to the people of Delaware but to businesses across the globe that have long looked to Delaware’s courts for stable and nonpartisan decision-making,” said Senior Of Counsel Michael McConnell, who argued the case in October 2020 during COVID-19 lockdowns over the phone from his rural Utah cabin.
To read the full Appellate Group of the Year profile, please click here.
News Articles
12.16.21
Wilson Sonsini Receives Honorable Mention in The American Lawyer's 2021 Litigation Department of the Year Recognitions
On December 14, 2021, The American Lawyer published a list of Honorable Mentions for the nationwide 2021 Litigation Department of the Year recognitions. Wilson Sonsini was profiled among the eight firms deserving of honorable mention.
Press Releases
12.11.20
Wilson Sonsini Prevails in Key U.S. Supreme Court Case: Carney v. Adams
In a case closely watched by corporate America, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a Third Circuit decision and ruled in favor of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati’s client, restoring Delaware’s 122-year-old requirement that its three top courts have a balance between major political parties on their benches.
Client Highlights
10.09.20
Supreme Court Begins Term with Carney v. Adams, a Case on Judicial Balance
On Monday, October 5, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court began its term with eight justices on the bench, after the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg nearly three weeks ago. By teleconference, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Carney v. Adams, a timely case on whether Delaware's law to politically balance its own courts is constitutional.
Client Highlights
12.06.19
Delaware Governor Carney’s Petition for Certiorari Granted by U.S. Supreme Court
On Friday, December 6, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in Carney v. Adams, agreeing to review the appeal of a lower court ruling overturning longstanding provisions for a politically balanced judiciary. In his petition for a writ of certiorari filed on September 6, Delaware Governor John Carney asked the Supreme Court to review and reverse the Third Circuit’s decision striking down the constitutional provisions requiring that applicants for Delaware’s Supreme, Superior, and Chancery courts be registered Democrats or Republicans, with neither party permitted to hold more than a bare majority.
Press Releases
5.08.19
Wilson Sonsini Adds Former Tenth Circuit Judge Michael W. McConnell to its Appellate Practice
PALO ALTO, CA (May 8, 2019) – Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, announced today that Michael W. McConnell has joined the firm's appellate practice of the litigation department as Senior Of Counsel.