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
ISED Inquired About ‘Opt-Out Mechanism’ for AI-Generated News Summaries on Tech Platforms
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has asked what a fair opt‑out mechanism would look like for AI‑generated news summaries on platforms such as Google’s AI Overviews. News publishers argue these summaries siphon traffic, with up to 60% of Google searches becoming zero‑click results, threatening ad‑based revenue models. A recent AI News Audit found 82% of AI‑generated answers omitted source attribution, prompting calls for stronger copyright safeguards under the ART principle. The issue dovetails with the Online News Act, which obliges Google to pay roughly $73 million USD annually to the Canadian Journalism Collective, but leaves open whether AI bots fall under the same regime.
Roblox on the Hook for $12.5M in Nevada Online Child Safety Settlement
Roblox has agreed to a $12.5 million settlement with the state of Nevada, resolving a probe into alleged failures to protect child users. Ten million of the payout will fund mandatory age‑verification tools, including facial‑age estimation or government‑ID checks, while $1 million...
Judge Shielded SPLC From Scrutiny in Groundbreaking Defamation Case: Appeal
A federal judge in Alabama dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by the Dustin Inman Society, which accused the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) of labeling it an anti‑immigrant hate group, by refusing the plaintiffs’ discovery requests. The plaintiffs argue the...
Full Court Press on CTA
The Washington Post editorial argues the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) is both costly and unconstitutional, urging repeal. Lawmakers are poised to mark up the Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act, which would purge the existing beneficial‑ownership database within 90 days and...
House To Vote On Legislation That Would Weaken Endangered Species Act
The U.S. House will vote on Rep. Bruce Westerman’s ESA Amendments Act (H.R. 1897) on Earth Day, aiming to roll back core protections of the Endangered Species Act. The bill would narrow federal consultations, weaken take‑permit safeguards, and extend listing timelines,...
HEVC Licensing, Here’s Exhaustive Video Codec Legal Details
Ars Technica reports that major laptop makers such as HP and Dell have removed hardware‑accelerated HEVC (H.265) decoding from recent models, citing licensing headaches. In Germany, Acer and Asus were barred from selling laptops after a court found they infringed...
An Egregiously Wrong Decision
A federal judge in Philadelphia upheld an EEOC subpoena that forces the University of Pennsylvania to compile a list of its Jewish faculty and staff, including personal contact details. The subpoena aims to interview employees about alleged campus antisemitism, but...
Curbing Federal Overreach Means Prosperity
The Fifth Circuit in McNutt v. U.S. Department of Justice struck down an 1868 federal ban on home‑alcohol distilling, ruling the law exceeds Congress’ authority under the Taxing and Necessary & Proper Clauses. The court deliberately avoided a Commerce Clause analysis,...
North Dakota Regulators Can’t Help Blumenthal on Data Center Oversight
Senator Richard Blumenthal asked state utility regulators for data‑center nondisclosure agreements, but the North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC) said it does not regulate such facilities and can provide only limited information. The PSC is reviewing a $110 million power project...
The Federal Government Used Jawboning to Censor ICE Transparency Initiatives–Rosado V. Bondi
The Northern District of Illinois ruled in Rosado v. Bondi that former Attorney General Bondi and former Secretary of State Noem used government "jawboning" to compel Facebook and Apple to remove ICE‑tracking tools. The court found the officials demanded, rather...
'The Elephant in the Room': Ottawa's Labour Review Explained
Canada’s federal government has launched a sweeping review of the Canada Labour Code, focusing on Section 107’s ministerial powers over strikes and lockouts. The consultation proposes a new “special mediator” role that could suspend strike rights, revises collective bargaining timelines, and...
Why the BIS Is Worried About Stablecoins
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) warned that the stablecoin market’s concentration—dominated by Tether and Circle, which together hold about 85% of the $315 billion supply—poses systemic risks. BIS General Manager Pablo Hernandez de Cos called for stronger international regulatory coordination to...
$166B U.S. Refund Starts Today — Who Gets Paid First?
The U.S. Treasury launched the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) portal today, allowing companies to claim refunds for tariffs deemed unlawful. The Supreme Court ruled that the tariffs violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, obligating the government...
A Muzzle to the Town of Hanover, N.H., for Refusing to Release Arrest Records After a Dartmouth Protest
In October 2023 Hanover, N.H., refused to release arrest records for two Dartmouth College protesters, prompting a lawsuit by The Valley News. A state judge ordered the records disclosed, but the town delayed and declined to pay the newspaper’s legal...
Rep. Mike Johnson Tries, Fails To Sneak Clean Section 702 Re-Authorization Past The Goal Line
Republican House Majority Leader Mike Johnson attempted a last‑minute push to reauthorize the NSA's Section 702 surveillance program, but both the five‑year renewal and an 18‑month extension were defeated after a coalition of 20 Republicans joined Democrats. The votes, held...
EP273 From CISA to Cloud: AI Assurance, Concentration Risk, and the New Regulatory Frontier
In this episode, Google Cloud’s VP of Risk and Compliance, Jeanette Manfra, discusses how moving to the cloud reshapes security, privacy, and regulatory compliance for organizations, emphasizing the benefits of scale, transparency, and auditable controls. She explains that cloud introduces...
Article 5 and the EU AI Act’s Absolute Red Lines – FireTail Blog
Article 5 of the EU AI Act, which defines eight absolute prohibitions on AI, became enforceable on 2 August 2025 and carries fines of up to €35 million (about $38 million) or 7 % of global annual turnover. The European Commission’s February 2025 guidelines clarify the scope...
Preparing for Compliance with New Executive Order’s DEI-Related Contract Clause for Federal Contractors and Subcontractors
On March 26 2026 President Trump issued an Executive Order mandating a new contract clause that bars racially discriminatory DEI activities for all federal contracts and subcontracts. Agencies must embed the clause by April 25 2026, and the Attorney General will prioritize False Claims...
Getting a Business Divorce Case Into Federal Court: Federal Question Strategies That Actually Work
Business‑divorce disputes usually sit in state courts, leading to crowded dockets and fragmented judges. Plaintiffs often cannot meet diversity jurisdiction because LLCs are citizens of every member’s state. The article outlines how federal‑question claims—particularly under the Defend Trade Secrets Act,...
Consumer Lawsuits Loom as Tariff Refund Portal Opens
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that tariffs imposed under the 1977 IEEPA were illegal, creating a $166 billion liability for the government to reimburse businesses. An online portal opened Monday for eligible companies, including Costco and FedEx, to apply for refunds...
Barre Moves to Ban Public Nudity
Barre, Vermont, introduced its first public nudity ordinance in the city’s 200‑year history after a nude‑taxi operator in nearby St. Albans inquired about permits. The council modeled the measure on Burlington’s recent ban, imposing fines starting at $100 for violations....
Cousin of GWG Boss Heppner to Testify Against Him in Trial
The Manhattan federal trial of former GWG Holdings chair Bradley Heppner began Tuesday, with the Department of Justice calling his distant cousin Keith Martens to testify. Heppner is accused of funneling more than $150 million from GWG into a Beneficient‑controlled shell company,...
Amazon Pressured Levi's, Other Retailers to Hike Prices, California A.G. Says
California Attorney General Rob Bonta alleges Amazon pressured Levi Strauss and other vendors to force competitors like Walmart to raise prices on items such as Levi’s Easy Khaki Classic pants. The filing outlines three schemes: using vendors as intermediaries to...
Amid Rule Delay, Website Accessibility Must Be ‘Ongoing Practice,’ Leaders Say
The U.S. Department of Justice has granted state and local governments an extra year to meet the web accessibility rule under Title II of the ADA, moving the deadline for jurisdictions with over 50,000 residents to April 26, 2027 and for smaller entities...
Z SofTech Challenges How NASA Delivered Its SEWP VI Elimination Notice
Z SofTech Solutions has asked the Government Accountability Office to revisit its dismissal of a protest against NASA’s SEWP VI contract elimination. The company argues the notice was sent to an unmonitored email address, delaying its response and causing a missed...
Italian Regulator Fines National Postal Service Orgs $15 Million for Data Privacy Violations
Italy’s data protection authority fined Poste Italiane and its digital‑payments subsidiary Postepay a total of €12.5 million ($14.7 million) for privacy breaches. The regulator said the Postepay and BancoPosta apps forced users to authorize invasive monitoring of device data, including installed applications,...
Skipping Due Diligence Can Cost Millions in Deals
I had a client who initially agreed to a $25 million acquisition and was already celebrating. Then I read the documents and found an uncapped indemnification clause, an earnout with zero seller protections, and disclosure schedules that were barely half-finished. By the...
Fourth Circuit Joins Wave of SCOTUS Reversals This Term
The Fourth Circuit should feel better; they have some company in getting summarily reversed by #SCOTUS this Term.
Kash Patel Sues The Atlantic
FBI Director Kash Patel has filed a defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic, alleging the magazine published false claims about his excessive drinking and unexplained absences that senior sources said threatened national security. Patel argues the outlet acted with actual malice...
Treasury Proposes AML/CFT and Sanctions Compliance Requirements for Permitted Payment Stablecoin Issuers
The U.S. Treasury, working with OFAC and FinCEN, issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would bring permitted payment stablecoin issuers under the Bank Secrecy Act AML/CFT framework. The proposal mandates written compliance programs approved by the board, a U.S.-based...
CMDI Legislation Published in the OJ
On 20 April 2026 the EU published Regulation 2026/808 and Directives 2026/806 and 2026/804 in the Official Journal, amending the bloc’s bank crisis‑management and deposit‑insurance framework. The measures introduce new early‑intervention powers, clearer funding rules for resolution actions and broaden the scope of deposit guarantees,...
Opposition Grows Over Alhambra Six‑Story Development Amid Historic‑Preservation Rules
Residents and historic‑preservation advocates in East Sacramento are mobilizing against the proposed Alhambra project, a six‑story, block‑long market‑rate development that they say violates long‑standing CEQA guidelines. The backlash highlights a clash between growth pressures and the city’s historic‑neighborhood protections.
UWM CEO Mat Ishbia Sells 2 M Shares for $7.5 M, Signaling Insider Liquidity Move
UWM Holdings' President and CEO Mat Ishbia sold 2,001,148 Class A shares for about $7.5 million via a 10b5‑1 plan. The transaction, disclosed on April 15, 2026, leaves him with roughly 13 million shares and 1.27 billion derivative units, keeping his economic stake sizable while...
Drake Says Judge in Defamation Case Didn’t Properly Consider Whether “Reasonable People” Might Believe Slur in Kendrick’s Diss Track
Drake has appealed Judge Jeanette A. Vargas's dismissal of his defamation suit against Universal Music, contending the court misapplied the “reasonable listener” standard. He argues that the Super Bowl‑aired release of Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us,” with dedicated...
Florida Inspectors Halt Sales at Kendall 7‑Eleven Over Food‑Safety Violations
Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services inspectors issued stop‑sale orders on a full lunch menu and stop‑use orders on a cold‑storage unit at the Kendall 7‑Eleven on April 23. The violations, ranging from unclean equipment to unsafe temperatures, force...
Tax Attorneys Warn Credit‑card Cash‑back Rewards May Be Taxable Income
Tax attorney Jasmine DiLucci says cash‑back credit‑card rewards are not automatically tax‑free and can increase taxable income for business users. The IRS treats cash‑back as a purchase‑price reduction, which reduces deductions and creates a back‑door tax bite. Consumers could face...
Whistleblower Challenges Donut Lab’s Solid‑State Battery Claims
Lauri Peltola, chief commercial officer at Nordic Nano, filed a criminal complaint accusing Donut Lab of overstating its solid‑state battery’s energy density and lifespan. The allegation, backed by internal emails, questions the company’s readiness for mass production and puts its...
Conn. Officials Pause Statewide LE Usage of AI Report-Writing Software
Connecticut prosecutors and police chiefs have placed a statewide moratorium on AI‑powered police report‑writing tools, pausing their use until thorough testing and clear rules are established. The move follows high‑profile AI errors, such as a Utah body‑cam incident that generated...
Conclusion: Suspicious Activity Report Narrative
The conclusion of a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) narrative ties together the filing by restating the suspected activity, including amounts, time frame, and any actions taken by the financial institution. It also lists law‑enforcement contacts, documentation sources, and any ancillary...
Arkansas Judges Penalize AI Misuse, Raising Stakes for LegalTech Adoption
U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks ordered Pirani Law to pay $12.6 million and imposed a $1,000 fine after the firm used AI in filings, underscoring growing anxiety among Arkansas attorneys about AI hallucinations. The ruling arrives as state lawyers debate...
Congress Unveils MATCH Act to Tighten Export Controls on Chipmaking Gear
Representative Michael Baumgartner introduced the MATCH Act, a bipartisan bill to tighten U.S. export controls on semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The legislation seeks to close loopholes that allow China to acquire critical chipmaking tools, a move that could reshape enterprise supply...
Cannabis Companies Send Smoke Signals About Packaging Regulation Challenges
Half of U.S. states now permit adult‑use cannabis, prompting a surge in packaging innovation amid a fragmented regulatory landscape. Companies like Ascend Wellness and Sluggers Hit must navigate state‑specific child‑resistance, opacity, and design restrictions that differ dramatically from alcohol rules....
EPA Pushes Narrower Wetland Definition, Threatening Protections for Millions of Acres
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced a rule that would narrow the legal definition of “waters of the United States,” potentially removing federal Clean Water Act protection from countless wetlands. The proposal builds on the 2023 Sackett v. EPA decision and...
U.S. Extends Russian Oil Wind-Down License Despite Earlier Pledge to Let It Expire
The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License 134B on April 17, extending the sanctions wind‑down authorization for Russian‑origin crude and products loaded before that date until May 16, 2026. The license permits necessary services—shipping, insurance, bunkering—for those cargoes, but does...
Liquidia CEO Roger Jeffs Sells 53,300 Shares for $2.14 Million
Roger Jeffs, chief executive of biotech firm Liquidia, sold 53,300 shares of common stock through his indirect holding vehicle for roughly $2.14 million. The transaction, executed under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan, represents about 2% of his total holdings and follows a year‑long...
Watch Nick Shirley Confront California Dems Trying to Criminalize Exposing Fraud
Independent journalist Nick Shirley confronted California lawmakers about Assembly Bill 2624, a proposal that would make it illegal to expose fraud through investigative reporting. In a 25‑minute video, Shirley questioned legislators on the bill’s intent, prompting a hostile exchange with...
Rosen Law Firm Launches Barclays Securities Class Action Over £600M MFS Exposure
Rosen Law Firm has opened a securities class‑action investigation against Barclays PLC, alleging the bank misled investors about a £600 million ($810 million) exposure to failed UK lender Market Financial Solutions. The firm says investors who bought Barclays ADS may be eligible...
Dubai Caps Crypto Leverage at 5:1, Joining Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria in New Rules
Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) announced a 5:1 retail leverage ceiling for crypto derivatives, affecting 45 licensed firms including Binance FZE and Crypto.com. The move aligns the emirate with Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria, which are also rolling out...
Supreme Court Will Hear Religious Liberty Case on Catholic Preschools and LGBTQ Families
On April 22 the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, a lawsuit by a Littleton, Colorado preschool that was excluded from the state’s universal pre‑K program because it would have to admit LGBTQ children and families....
Supreme Court Will Hear Religious Liberty Case on Catholic Preschools and LGBTQ Families
The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari to hear St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, a Colorado Catholic preschool’s claim that exclusion from the state’s universal preschool program violates the First Amendment because it forces admission of LGBTQ children and families....