The United States District Court for the Western District of Texas is a newly popular forum for patent plaintiffs. According to reports, one quarter of all U.S. patent cases filed in 2021 were brought in the Western District of Texas. On March 9, 2022, in an important victory for the automotive industry, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit granted a petition for a writ of mandamus filed by Shearman & Sterling lawyers, ruling that automotive manufacturers are not subject to suit for patent infringement in the Western District merely because automotive dealerships are located in that District.

The Team