Today's Legal Pulse
Biden sues DOJ to block release of interview audio
President Biden filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the Department of Justice from publishing an audio interview, arguing the release would be improper. The action has sparked political commentary, including remarks from former President Trump.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader clear final merger hurdles
26-869 - Gonzalez V. Basu
On April 22, 2026, Magistrate Judge Suzanne Mitchell issued a report and recommendation in Gonzalez v. Basu, advising the district court to deny the plaintiff’s motion to proceed in forma pauperis. The recommendation also calls for dismissing the action without prejudice unless the plaintiff pays the $405 filing fee. The magistrate set a 21‑day deadline for fee payment, after which the referral will be terminated. If the fee remains unpaid, the plaintiff may refile the case after satisfying the cost.
26-286 - Potter V. Quick
The federal docket entry titled "26-286 – Potter v. Quick" was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. The record, hosted on GovInfo, provides only basic metadata and links to downloadable XML and ZIP packages,...
24-595 - Cassody Et Al V. Rink Et Al
On April 22, 2026, U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk issued an order in Cassody et al v. Rink et al. The court granted the plaintiffs' motion to compel discovery in part and denied it in part, setting a deadline...
Vietnam: Legal Reform Driving Borderless Digital Public Services
Vietnam's 16th National Assembly overwhelmingly approved a revised Civil Status Law, enabling borderless, digitally enabled civil registration. The reform shifts from a request‑based to a proactive service model, decentralising authority and linking registration data with health systems. The government also...
Schwab Creates New Limits to RIAs Using Long-Short, Separately Managed Accounts
Charles Schwab Corp. announced that registered investment advisors can now allocate no more than 30% of their assets at Schwab to long‑short separately managed accounts (SMAs). The policy aligns Schwab with Fidelity, which recently halted new long‑short SMA openings. Long‑short...
Call to Shift “Modest” Solicitor-Client Costs Disputes From Court to LeO
The Civil Justice Council (CJC) has proposed moving solicitor‑client cost disputes up to roughly £50,000 (about $63,500) from the courts to the Legal Ombudsman (LeO). Larger claims would first go through internal complaints and compulsory alternative dispute resolution (ADR) before...
FINRA’s Intraday Margin Overhaul Replaces ‘Outdated’ Requirements
FINRA announced a comprehensive overhaul of its intraday margin rules, scrapping the 25‑year‑old framework that required a $25,000 equity minimum for pattern day traders. The new standards shift focus to real‑time monitoring of customer positions, allowing brokers to block trades...
Secretary Scott Turner Moves to Restore Biological Truth and Sanity to HUD’s Policies
Secretary Scott Turner announced a proposed HUD rule that would replace gender‑identity language with biological sex in nearly 50 regulations. The guidance removes definitions of gender identity and sexual orientation, redefining terms such as mother, father, man, and woman to...
SRA Unveils Plan for Beefed-Up Continuing Competence Regime
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has issued a consultation proposing a tougher continuing competence regime for solicitors. The plan adds mandatory three‑year record‑keeping of learning needs, at least three hours of facilitated ethics discussions, and a new power to prescribe...
FCA and Solicitors in War of Words over Motor Finance Challenge
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) told solicitors and claims‑management companies to give clients the option to terminate retainers as Consumer Voice prepares an Upper Tribunal challenge to the FCA’s motor‑finance redress scheme. The regulator insists the scheme is free for...
FCC Throws Out Satellite Spectrum Challenges as D2D Dealmaking Heats Up
The FCC issued a sweeping order on April 23 that preserves incumbent rights to Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) spectrum and dismisses petitions from SpaceX, Iridium, Kepler and others seeking access to the coveted Big LEO and 2 GHz bands. The move comes...
DOJ’s Big Win in North Korean IT Worker Fraud Scheme
On April 15, 2026 the Department of Justice sentenced two U.S. nationals, Kejia Wang and Zhenxing Wang, to 108 and 92 months respectively for running a North Korean‑backed IT‑worker fraud scheme. The operation stole more than 80 U.S. identities, placed...
FCA Looks for Members for Its Advisory Committee on Secondary Markets
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is reopening recruitment for its Secondary Markets Advisory Committee, a body created in 2022 to provide independent insight into the UK’s wholesale secondary markets. The 25‑member panel will advise on reforms that boost competition, consumer...
FCA Calls on Law Firms and Claims Management Companies to Consider the Position of Their Clients
The FCA has launched a free motor‑finance redress scheme that will return roughly £7.5 bn (about $9.3 bn) to consumers affected by faulty car‑finance agreements. Over 12 million contracts signed between 2007 and 2024 are eligible, many of which did not involve the...
Legal AI Delivers More Value When It Is Tied to Business Outcomes
Corporate legal departments are moving from AI pilots to strategic programs, with the Thomson Reuters 2026 State of the Corporate Law Department Report showing that roughly 45% now have department‑wide AI adoption. Early implementations focus on speed‑focused tasks such as...
Former Live Nation Executive Says He Was Fired After Raising 'Financial Misconduct' Concerns
Former Live Nation executive Nicholas Rumanes has filed a lawsuit alleging he was fired after reporting alleged financial misconduct. Rumanes claims the company inflated revenue projections on multiple venue‑development projects and operated through an opaque financial structure. He is seeking...
Founded on AI, Newcomers Look to Transform the Legal Services Market
AI‑native startups and hybrid law firms are entering the legal market, promising faster, cheaper services by embedding generative AI into core tasks. The technology’s rise has already exposed risks, as shown by Sullivan & Cromwell’s AI‑generated brief with false citations. Industry...
Founded on AI, Newcomers Look to Transform the Legal Services Market
AI‑native legal startups and hybrid law firms are rapidly entering the market, leveraging generative AI to automate contract drafting, litigation research, and compliance monitoring. In the past six months, combined venture funding topped $500 million, with several firms reporting early‑stage revenue...
CRTC Says Rogers Does Not Need to Continue Putting Money Into Shaw Rocket Fund
The Canadian Radio‑television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) ruled that Rogers Communications is not required to continue its financial contributions to the Shaw Rocket Fund beyond August 2025, rejecting the fund’s request for an extension. The regulator determined that Rogers’ 2021 commitment...
FISA Reform- the Ongoing Debate
Andrew Weissmann and Ryan Goodman host a Substack discussion on the congressional debate surrounding Section 702, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act provision that permits bulk collection of foreign communications and incidental acquisition of Americans' data. The conversation outlines the tool’s national‑security...
Maxwell Submits USB Drive, Adds New Evidence to Appeal
ABOUT GHISLAINE MAXWELL'S USB DRIVE APPEAL - I HAVE BOTH THE LETTER AND THE ORDER You may have heard that Ghislaine Maxwell amended her habeas petition by submitting a thumb drive to the government (remember the government is the plaintiff in...
Executive Order on Mail Ballots Tests Limits of Postal Service Independence
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on March 31 directing the U.S. Postal Service to require states to notify the agency and provide voter‑list data for mail‑in ballots. Legal scholars argue the directive violates statutes designed to keep the USPS...
Supreme Court Weighs Scope of “Extraordinary and Compelling Reasons” In Federal Compassionate Release
The Supreme Court is set to clarify how much discretion district courts have when identifying “extraordinary and compelling reasons” for compassionate release under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A). The First Step Act expanded the compassionate‑release pathway, turning a narrow practice into a major source...
So There Was More To The Story
Law firm heavyweight Kannon Shanmugam and colleague Masha Hansford left Paul Weiss for Davis Polk, confirming rumors sparked by an odd Supreme Court filing where Shanmugam was listed as counsel of record but Elizabeth Prelogar of Cooley argued the case....
The FCC Announces 2 Big Rule Changes to Make Sure Your Cellphone Always Has A Signal
The FCC announced two pivotal actions to accelerate direct‑to‑device (D2D) satellite services. It granted AST SpaceMobile a permanent license for a 248‑satellite constellation that will operate with AT&T, Verizon and FirstNet, and it upheld existing exclusive spectrum rights to keep...
Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Oversight in Medicare Advantage, Ensuring Nursing Home Residents’ Care ‘Without Delay, Without Denial’
Lawmakers introduced the bipartisan Medicare Advantage Improvement Act of 2026 to tighten oversight of Medicare Advantage plans. The bill seeks to eliminate prior‑authorization delays, increase transparency, penalize non‑compliant insurers, and ban retroactive clawbacks. It also mandates automated administrative systems, prompt...
Brendan Carr’s War on Wokeness Targets Inclusive Children’s Television
The FCC, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, has opened a public comment period to review how TV ratings handle children’s programming featuring transgender or non‑binary characters. The bureau claims there is a rise in parental concerns about undisclosed gender‑identity content,...
Crypto Needs Trusts and Insurance Like Traditional Assets
For traditional assets, family offices have structures in place. For crypto, most people hold it in their personal name because their advisor passed. That is the gap. Wyoming dynasty trusts and asset protection trusts handle succession. Charitable remainder trusts remove...
Special Forces Operative Arrested for Insider Trading on Prediction Market
First insider trading arrest in the US for prediction markets & the govt says one of the Polymarket whales who made over $400 k on the maduro raid... was a special forces guy who worked on the Maduro raid 🤯...
Acting Attorney General Issues New DEA Order Reclassifying Some Marijuana Products as Schedule III Controlled Substances, Available by Prescription
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a final order on April 23, 2026 that reclassifies FDA‑approved cannabis medicines and state‑licensed medical marijuana products from Schedule I to Schedule III, making them available by prescription. The order requires state‑licensed dispensaries to register with...
Regulator Confused About Polymarket’s International Scope
Remarkable that the country's top derivatives regulator either doesn't know (or is deliberately obfuscating) the difference between the two Polymarkets....
FCC Urges Court to Dismiss Hikvision Suit over Security Risk
.@FCC urges DC Circuit to reject Hikvision suit: "In any event, Hikvision’s arguments are meritless, particularly in view of the Secure Equipment Act, which ratifies and confirms the Commission’s authority to refuse equipment authorizations based on an unacceptable risk to...
Lawmakers in Turkey Pass Teen Social Media Ban
Turkey's parliament approved a bill on April 22 that bars children under 15 from accessing social‑media platforms. The legislation forces platforms to install age‑verification systems, offer parental‑control tools, and respond quickly to harmful content, with penalties for non‑compliance. The measure...
FCC Grants Globalstar Exclusive LEO, Backs Starlink AWS‑4
This new FCC order is super complicated, but basically is telling everyone to stay in their lane: Globalstar gets exclusivity in its Big LEO spectrum, and Starlink gets FCC backing in AWS-4 (2000-20/2180-2200MHz) worldwide, but attempts to access Big LEO...
Wisconsin Sues Major Prediction Markets over Illegal Sports Betting
NEW: The Wisconsin Department of Justice has sued prediction market platforms Kalshi, Robinhood, Coinbase, Polymarket and https://t.co/jeBmEO492C in state court over alleged illegal sports betting, seeks preliminary and permanent injunctive relief to halt sports-event contracts. https://t.co/MxLvGJoq4c
Trump Administration Extends Jones Act Waiver for Another 90 Days
The Trump administration, after issuing a 60‑day waiver to ease coastwise transport of petroleum and fertilizer, is weighing a further 90‑day extension of the Jones Act exemption. About 40 foreign‑flagged vessels have already moved products between U.S. ports, delivering gasoline...
Ohio Court May Permit Fracking Waste Wells Amid Pollution Fears
An Ohio court may OK fracking-waste wells despite pollution concerns #energysky -- via Canary Media: https://t.co/Vg2SA8To9V
Texas AG Issues Proposed Rules Implementing SB 17 Restrictions on Foreign Ownership of Texas Real Property
Texas Senate Bill 17, effective Sept. 1, 2025, bars certain foreign persons and entities from acquiring Texas real property for national‑security reasons. On March 27, 2026 the Attorney General released proposed rules that define “control” broadly, extend the scope to indirect acquisitions, and target...
Duke Energy’s Robinson Nuclear Plant Gets NRC Approval to Operate Until 2050
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a subsequent license renewal for Duke Energy’s Robinson Nuclear Plant, extending its operating life to 2050. The 759 MW facility, which powers roughly 570,000 homes, will continue providing carbon‑free electricity for another 20 years. The renewal...
Collector Justin Sun Sues Trump’s Memecoin Company, World Liberty Financial
Collector and crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun has filed a federal lawsuit against World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s memecoin venture, accusing the firm of illegally freezing and threatening to burn his $45 million worth of $WLF tokens. Sun, who invested $100 million...
Alberta Judge Slams Ex-Director with $500,000 in Costs over Fake Emails
The Alberta Court of King's Bench ordered former Insight Canada sales director Gordon Rudko to pay more than $492,000 in costs after finding he introduced fabricated restricted stock unit (RSU) documents to support a multimillion‑dollar claim. Justice Lynn Michele Angotti...
Labor Department Proposes New Joint Employer Rule
The U.S. Department of Labor has issued a proposed rule that creates a national standard for determining joint‑employer status under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, and Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act. The rule...
Grand Jury Declines Charges for 6 Officers in 2025 Texas Jail Inmate Death
A Harris County grand jury declined to indict six detention officers involved in the March 2025 death of 32‑year‑old inmate Alexis Cardenas. Video shows officers dragging, kicking and unsuccessfully attempting to deploy a taser during a 12‑minute struggle after Cardenas...
Maine's Zoning Overhaul Faces Four-Year Review Amid Ongoing Housing Shortage
Governor Janet Mills signed L.D. 2173 this week, the latest tweak to Maine's 2022 zoning overhaul, as the state grapples with a projected need for 80,000 new homes by 2030. Lawmakers say the new bill seeks to resolve ambiguities that...
Capital Markets Lawyers Wait for Windows of War Calm to Pounce
Cooley partner David Peinsipp told Bloomberg Law that the U.S. IPO market is reviving in intermittent bursts despite the ongoing war in Iran. A handful of strong early offerings are sustaining momentum, and a pipeline of companies is poised to...
Inside Freshfields' Partnership With Anthropic and What It Means for the Legal Industry
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has entered a strategic partnership with AI pioneer Anthropic to co‑develop next‑generation generative AI tools for the legal sector. The collaboration gives Freshfields a seat at the table to shape Anthropic’s product roadmap, ensuring new models address...
Grace Therapeutics Hits FDA Roadblock on GTx-104, Plans Resubmission
Grace Therapeutics announced that the FDA issued a Complete Response Letter for its GTx-104 NDA, flagging chemistry, manufacturing, and non‑clinical concerns. The company will address the items and seek a Type A meeting before resubmitting, keeping hopes alive for the first...
Chancery Upholds Tesla’s Texas Bylaw Forum Provisions
The Delaware Court of Chancery upheld Tesla's newly adopted Texas forum clause for derivative lawsuits, even though the suits were filed before the bylaw change. The court held that forum‑selection provisions in corporate bylaws are presumptively valid and can apply...
IRS to Revamp Form 990 to Require More Info
The Treasury announced that the IRS will overhaul Form 990 to require tax‑exempt organizations to disclose detailed information on government contracts, grants and fiscal‑sponsorship arrangements. The change is designed to expose fraud, misuse of public funds and extremist activity hidden behind...
UK VPN Group Warns Child‑Safety Plan Could Heighten Online Risks
The VPN Trust Initiative (VTI) has warned that the UK government's "Growing Up in an Online World" consultation, which seeks mandatory age‑verification on social platforms, could backfire by restricting VPNs that protect young users. The industry coalition argues that limiting...