8th Circuit vacancy gives Trump seat to fill

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By Sara Merken

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Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts/Handout via REUTERS

U.S. Circuit Judge Duane Benton announced that he will step down from active service on the 8th Circuit, creating the first vacancy on the St. Louis-based court that President Trump could fill during his second term.

Benton, an appointee of Republican former President George W. Bush, gave notice on Friday that he plans to take senior status on a date not yet determined, according to the federal judiciary's online list of future judicial vacancies. Benton declined to comment.

The timing of any nomination by Trump to fill Benton's seat is unclear. But White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson in a statement said Trump "is committed to expeditiously filling vacancies with qualified nominees who will uphold our Constitution and the rule of law."

The 8th Circuit hears appeals from federal courts in Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota and is considered one of the most conservative of the 12 regional appeals courts that sit below the U.S. Supreme Court.

Ten of the court's 11 active judges were appointed by Republican presidents, four of whom Trump named during his first term. Benton was appointed by Bush in 2004, after previously serving on the Missouri Supreme Court from 1991 to 2004. Read more from Nate Raymond.

REUTERS/Jon Herskovitz

Voice recognition technology company Parus filed a malpractice lawsuit against law firm Mintz Levin, alleging that professional negligence by the firm led to the invalidation of a key patent and the loss of potentially hundreds of millions of dollars. Parus alleged the 600-lawyer firm mishandled patent-related matters before the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Read the complaint here.

The lawsuit escalates a legal feud between the company and the prominent law firm, coming days after Mintz sued Parus. Mintz in the earlier case defended its work for Parus and said it is owed more than $2 million as a "success fee" for patent-related legal work that generated monetary recovery of $11.5 million. Read that lawsuit here.

A lawyer for Parus said the company would not comment beyond its statements in the lawsuit. Mintz and two of its partners named as defendants in the malpractice lawsuit did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Read more from Mike Scarcella.

President Trump ruled out running for vice president in the 2028 election but declined to definitively say he would not seek a third term … Hurricane Melissa began lashing Jamaica with violent gusts … Argentine President Javier Milei's party cruised to victory in midterm legislative elections … Gold prices fell below $4,000 per ounce as signs of a thaw in U.S.-China trade tensions reduced some of the bullion's safe-haven appeal. Plus, as America's tech titans report earnings this week, one question looms large: is the artificial intelligence boom that has inflated valuations headed for the next big bubble?

sara.merken@thomsonreuters.com

@saramerken

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