On Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued its opinion in Micron Technology v. Longhorn IP, holding that it lacked jurisdiction to hear Longhorn's appeal from a district court order requiring Longhorn to post an $8 million bond. The decision sidesteps the broader question of whether state anti-troll laws are constitutional.
Because the appeal was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds, the Federal Circuit did not reach the merits of Longhorn's constitutional challenge. The court's ruling leaves the district court's bond order in place and does not resolve the ongoing debate over the validity of state-level anti-troll statutes.
The case highlights the procedural hurdles that can prevent appellate courts from addressing substantive legal questions. For now, the constitutionality of state anti-troll laws remains an open issue, and litigants will need to find another vehicle to obtain a ruling on the merits.