After a three-judge appellate panel reinstated a property owner's class action alleging that oil and chemical companies contributed to Hurricane Katrina's ferocity, the Fifth Circuit granted the defendants' motion to rehear the case en banc. Then, because it couldn't muster enough judges to hear it, the appellate court dismissed the appeal.

Piracy at sea was one of the reasons that international law came into existence, but today's legal solutions are so flawed that captains sometimes prefer to toss captured pirates back into the ocean. As the U.N. mulls measures for piracy prosecution, the best option so far seems to be--Kenya?

The courts have largely ground to a halt for the holidays, though there's still time for few more decisions in 2012 that could ensure a happy or gloomy New Year for the litigators involved. In the meantime, here are some of the biggest rulings we're looking forward to in 2013.

How much consolidation is too much in the airline industry?