Today's Legal Pulse
Biden sues DOJ to block release of interview audio
President Joe Biden has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to prevent the Department of Justice from publishing an audio recording of his interview. The action, reported by Axios and TIME, aims to keep the interview confidential amid political controversy.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader clear final merger hurdles
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 in the $TRUMP coin and became World Liberty’s largest shareholder, alleges the company installed controls that prevent him from selling his holdings. World Liberty’s CEO called the claims meritless and vowed to have the case dismissed. The dispute unfolds amid ongoing SEC enforcement actions against Sun for alleged securities violations.
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...
California Fossil‑Fuel Liability Bill Dies After Brief Revival
A Senate vote on Wednesday killed a revived California bill that would have let the attorney general sue fossil‑fuel companies for wildfire insurance losses. The measure, championed by Sen. Scott Wiener, sought to tap industry funds to offset the soaring...
Tax Fraud Blotter: Running Backlash
A wave of federal tax fraud convictions swept the United States this month, targeting a former NFL champion, a crypto hedge‑fund manager, and several small‑business owners. Wendell Smallwood Jr. received an 18‑month sentence and $645,000 restitution for defrauding COVID‑19 relief...
As Congress Weighs TSCA Changes, US Chemical Regulation Hangs in the Balance
Congress is drafting modest revisions to the Toxic Substances Control Act, primarily to reauthorize the EPA's user‑fee program before its September deadline. The agency grapples with staffing turnover, a $17 million IT modernization effort, and mounting litigation that hampers its ability...
Trump Administration Moves State‑Licensed Medical Marijuana to Schedule III, Offering Tax Breaks
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an order shifting state‑licensed medical marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, unlocking federal tax deductions and easing research rules. The move, hailed by industry groups as the biggest federal cannabis shift in decades, draws sharp...
Chancery Imposes Attorneys’ Fees for Breach of Confidentiality Order
The Delaware Court of Chancery sanctioned the parties in Accelerant Twister, LLC v. Marjo for breaching a court‑ordered confidentiality provision. The court found that more than 300 pages of sensitive material were provided to a designated expert months before he...
The USPTO Just Rewrote the Rules on Patent Challenges
The USPTO introduced a new ex parte reexamination (EPR) rule in April 2026 that gives patent owners a 30‑day, 30‑page pre‑order response before the Director decides to institute the proceeding. The change follows a 2025 tightening of inter partes review (IPR)...
Can You Patent Your AI? New Guidance in Canada and the US for Software and AI Inventors
Corporate AI investment is spurring a surge in patent filings, prompting both Canada and the United States to clarify eligibility rules. The Canadian Intellectual Property Office issued a March 2026 Practice Notice that re‑emphasizes a physical‑effect test and provides a worked...
The Radical Decision Letting the Ten Commandments Be Posted in Texas Classrooms
On April 21, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 9‑8 ruling that permits Texas to require every public elementary and secondary classroom to display the King James Version of the Ten Commandments. The decision overturns the Supreme...
How a Challenge of the Mining Claim System Sparked B.C.’s Move to Claw Back DRIPA – by Edzi’u Loverin (CBC...
A recent British Columbia court case challenged the province’s Mineral Tenure Act, exposing tensions between the mining claim system and the 2019 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). The ruling highlighted how existing legislation can conflict with...
The Club for Growth Tells Senate Banking Committee to Push Forward the CLARITY Act
The Club for Growth sent a letter to the Senate Banking Committee urging swift action on the CLARITY Act, legislation designed to clarify the regulatory split between the SEC and CFTC for digital assets. The nonprofit argues that regulatory uncertainty...
B.C.’s UNDRIP Law Was Doomed From the Start – by Jody Wilson-Raybould (Globe and Mail – April 23, 2026)
Former justice minister Jody Wilson‑Raybould argues that British Columbia’s 2019 Indigenous Rights Act (DRIPA) was fundamentally flawed from inception. She recalls warning in 2016 that merely codifying the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) into law would...
DOJ Charges Two Chinese Nationals Over $700 Million Myanmar Crypto Scam
The Justice Department indicted Huang Xingshan and Jiang Wen Jie for operating a cryptocurrency fraud compound in Myanmar that trafficked workers and stole more than $700 million from Americans. The case marks a major step in a cross‑border crackdown on crypto‑related...
State Department Resumes Issuing Visas for Commercial Truck Drivers as Non-Domiciled CDLs Return
The U.S. State Department has ended its August pause on work visas for commercial truck drivers, allowing eligible H‑2A, H‑2B and E‑2 visa holders to apply for non‑domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs). The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s new rule,...
Hallucinations Are Different for eDiscovery Solutions. Here’s Why: EDiscovery Best Practices
The legal community is reacting to recent AI‑generated hallucinations, especially fabricated case citations that appeared in a high‑profile filing. While public large language models can invent facts, eDiscovery solutions operate on a fixed evidence corpus, so their errors are misinterpretations...
BIS Report Warns Banking Services From Crypto Firms Carry Risk
The Bank for International Settlements warned that cryptocurrency exchanges acting as multifunction cryptoasset intermediaries (MCIs) are offering banking‑like services—such as lending and yield products—without the capital, liquidity and prudential safeguards that traditional banks must meet. The report cites the 2022...
NFL To FCC: Ending Antitrust Exemption Would Mean “Higher Costs and Confusion”
The NFL warned the FCC that ending its league-wide antitrust exemption would fragment media rights, driving up consumer costs and creating confusion. The league highlighted that 87% of games still air on broadcast networks and that the 2025 season remained...
Trump Administration Reclassifies some Medical Marijuana Products as Less Dangerous
The Justice Department, via Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, issued an order moving FDA‑approved and state‑licensed medical marijuana products from Schedule I to Schedule III. The change reclassifies these cannabinoids as having a moderate to low potential for dependence, aligning them more...
HHS to Rework $1B Legal Services Contract After Protests
The Health and Human Services Department will revise a $1 billion solicitation for legal services to unaccompanied migrant children after the Government Accountability Office dismissed protests. Incumbent Acacia Center for Justice and rival ICF challenged invoicing terms, background‑check requirements, and a...
Louisiana Hospital’s Hurricane Claim Faces Arbitration Delay
A Louisiana acute‑care hospital’s $970,000 business interruption claim from Hurricane Ida was denied, prompting a lawsuit against four insurers. The Fifth Circuit upheld a lower‑court ruling that domestic carriers cannot force arbitration under Louisiana law, but ordered the case stay...
Smokey Robinson’s Defamation Claims Thrown Out in Sexual Assault Legal Battle
Los Angeles Judge Kevin C. Brazile dismissed Smokey Robinson’s defamation counterclaims against former housekeepers, finding insufficient evidence of actual malice. The ruling does not address the underlying sexual assault allegations, which remain in a $50 million lawsuit slated for trial in...
Compliance Is Broken. MSPs Are Fixing It.
Compliance has shifted from an occasional checklist to a continuous, resource‑intensive function, especially for mid‑market firms juggling HIPAA, SOC 2, state privacy laws and emerging AI governance. Internal IT teams often lack the authority, expertise, and bandwidth to keep pace with...
Agencies Finalize Changes to Enhance Community Bank Leverage Ratio
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Reserve Board, and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency jointly finalized a rule that lowers the community‑bank leverage ratio from 9% to 8% and extends the compliance grace period to four quarters. The...
Tether Freezes $344M USDt Stablecoins at US Law Enforcement Request
Tether announced that it has frozen approximately $344 million worth of USDT tokens following a formal request from U.S. law‑enforcement agencies. The freeze targets wallets suspected of facilitating illicit activity, and the tokens remain inaccessible pending further investigation. Tether said the...
Malpractice Insurer Wins Dispute over Attorney’s Alleged Fraud Scheme
Missoula‑based ALPS Property & Casualty Insurance won a summary‑judgment motion, ruling it had no duty to defend Atlanta attorney Alcide Honoré after his client allegedly fabricated a FEMA relief contract. The federal judge ordered Honoré and his firm to reimburse...
What 2026 Data Reveals About U.S. Equity Promotions
The latest Listed Compliance Analytics snapshot shows U.S. equity promotions are overwhelmingly concentrated on Nasdaq, which accounts for $299.6 B of YTD promotional dollar volume—about four times the NYSE’s $70.7 B. Only 64 Nasdaq securities are actively promoted, compared with single‑digit counts...
April 23, 2026 – Notational Vote
The FDIC Board approved, via a notational vote, the Final Regulatory Capital Rule revising the Community Bank Leverage Ratio (CBLR) framework. Chairman Hill, Directors Gould and Vought voted in favor, with no opposition. The rule updates how leverage ratios are...
Do the Supreme Court "Shadow Papers" Reveal Supreme Court Hypocrisy?
The piece scrutinizes internal Supreme Court memoranda on the Clean Power Plan stay to assess claims of judicial hypocrisy or misapplied review standards. Legal scholars William Baude and Richard Re counter the criticism, noting that the irreparable‑injury rule only triggers...
Irony All Set for Takeoff
A Southwest Airlines flight attendant is accused of deliberately activating a fire sprinkler in a Fort Lauderdale hotel room, causing extensive water damage. The Renaissance Hotel has sued both the airline and the employee, citing roughly $217,000 in repair, remediation,...
CRN Backs New House Supplement Registry Bill
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) has endorsed Rep. Maxine Dexter’s House version of the Dietary Supplement Listing Act, a bill that would create a federal registry of supplement labels. The legislation mirrors a similar Senate proposal, indicating growing bipartisan...
Northern Advantage: Canada's Federal Court as a Venue for Pharmaceutical Patent Litigation
Canada’s Federal Court is emerging as the premier venue for pharmaceutical patent disputes, offering nationwide jurisdiction and dedicated intellectual‑property chambers. Its case‑management system streamlines proceedings, especially for cases under the Patented Medicines Regulations that trigger a 24‑month stay on competing...
Georgia Court Revives Lender's Security Deed After HOA Service Misstep
The Georgia Court of Appeals reversed a trial court’s default judgment that had cancelled Smart Venture Capital’s security deed on a Duluth property after the homeowners association’s service of process was deemed defective. The appellate court found the certified‑mail notice...
Court Cancels Tax Deed over Saturday Redemption Deadline – Investor Goes Dark
The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled that a Saturday redemption deadline automatically extends to the following Monday, overturning Monarch Holdings' claim that the deadline was fixed on April 16, 2022. Real Dream Investors, who attempted to redeem the property after the weekend,...
Harvey Weinstein Faces Skeptical Appeals Court in Bid to Overturn L.A. Rape Conviction
Harvey Weinstein’s Los Angeles appellate panel expressed skepticism as his lawyer sought to overturn his 2022 rape conviction, arguing that excluded Facebook messages could establish an alibi. The defense contended that the trial court improperly withheld communications with Italian film‑festival owner...
Tennessee Law Grants Purchasers Exclusive Right to Choose Settlement Agents
Tennessee Governor signed House Bill 569, granting buyers the exclusive right to select the settlement agent for real‑property closings. The law bars sellers from imposing a particular agent or conditioning the sale on that choice, and the provision cannot be...
The Skinny on Skinny Labels: The Active Inducement Problem That Patent Practitioners Should Know
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear Hikma Pharmaceuticals v. Amarin Pharma, a case that tests whether a generic maker can be liable for induced patent infringement despite using the FDA’s skinny‑label pathway. The dispute centers on Hikma’s generic icosapent ethyl, which omitted...
Flight Attendant Sues Delta, Says Migraine Leave Cost Him His Job
Jeremiah Harris, a former Delta flight attendant, filed a lawsuit on April 22, 2026, alleging that the airline terminated him in retaliation for taking approved intermittent FMLA leave for migraines. He says Delta used a disputed parking‑garage receipt and a...
Practice Tips for Litigation in the Court of Chancery
On March 27, 2026 the Delaware Court of Chancery hosted a CLE where judges, the Register in Chancery, and practitioners shared best‑practice guidance. The session emphasized anticipating the full litigation lifecycle, adhering to the Register’s filing standards, and syncing case...
Oklahoma Justices Reject Challenge to Winter Storm-Related Bonds
The Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected a challenge to $697 million in winter‑storm bonds issued for Public Service Company of Oklahoma, affirming the Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s (OCC) authority to approve rate‑payer‑backed securitizations. The ruling confirms the legality of bonds sold in 2022...
23-Year UKG Veteran Sues, Says Pretextual PIP Forced His Exit
Paresh Thakar, a 66‑year‑old software architect with 23 years at UKG, alleges the firm used a pretextual performance‑improvement plan to push him out, citing age and Indian national‑origin discrimination. After being reassigned to lower‑visibility work and receiving a first‑ever “2”...