In Arms of Hope v. City of Mansfield, the Fifth Circuit examined when a case becomes moot during an interlocutory appeal. The Court distinguished between the mootness of the entire case, on the one hand, and the mootness of the specific issues presented in an interlocutory appeal, on the other.

Here, because the City of Mansfield amended its ordinances about “Unattended Donation Boxes,” the issues on interlocutory appeal from a preliminary injunction no longer had practical significance.

Citing U.S. Navy SEALs 1-26 v. Biden, the Court explained that when an interlocutory appeal becomes moot, it doesn’t stop the lower court from dealing with the remaining issues. Although the new ordinances didn’t completely address all concerns, the Court determined that these issues should be resolved by the district court rather than through a moot appeal. No. 23-10656, August 21, 2024.

In Kansas City So. Rwy. Co. v. Sasol Chemicals (USA), LLC, the Fifth Circuit addressed whether “track” in a lease agreement included the track that forms part of the switches.

The district court found the contract ambiguous because “track” was not explicitly defined to include or exclude switches.

The Fifth Circuit disagreed, noting that dictionaries define “track” as the continuous line of rails on which railway vehicles travel. “Switches,” as movable rails, are part of the track infrastructure. From there, the Court noted that throughout the lease, treating “track” and “switches” as mutually exclusive would lead to absurd results, such as gaps in maintenance obligations, liability allocations, and safety requirements.

The Court acknowledged the parts of the lease relied upon by the district court, which referred to “track infrastructure, switches, and tracks,” but reasoned that while these terms are sometimes listed separately, that doesn’t mean they were mutually exclusive. The separate references likely reflected the need to address different components of the railyard in detail. No. 23-10048, August 20, 2024.