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
Another QMSR Town Hall – What Changes and What Stays the Same in FDA’s Inspection Process
The FDA held its April 1 QMSR town hall to clarify how inspections will change once the Quality Management System Regulation takes effect on February 2, 2026. Inspectors will evaluate every element of a manufacturer’s QMS, emphasizing risk‑management documentation throughout the system. While the core inspection steps—facility tour, Form 482, Form 483—remain, statistical sampling is dropped and record review will be risk‑based. New focus areas include management review, internal audits, and supplier audits, with culture of quality judged by everyday decisions rather than separate paperwork.
Supreme Court Backs New Trial on Meta's Child Harm
"Spokespeople for Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment." In case you missed this late Friday, Meta has to face another trial for child harm. This time the Supreme Court of MA weighed in. $200B+ of advertisers fund...
Investigation Links Epstein’s USVI Shells to Global Offshore Leaks
NEW INVESTIGATION FROM THE PROJECTS CONNECTS THE EPSTEIN DOTS FROM THE U.S. THROUGH THE USVI INTO FAR-FLUNG COUNTRIES AND JURISDICTIONS Three of Epstein's six USVI shells — Zorro Development Corporation, LSJ LLC, and NES LLC — appear in the ICIJ Offshore...
Crackdown on Vapes Falling Short, Report Finds
A Government Accountability Office report finds the Justice Department’s enforcement of illegal e‑cigarette sales has lagged behind a booming market. From 2022 to 2025, DOJ launched only 88 actions, mainly adding online sellers to a blacklist, while roughly 6,000 vape...
BMC Unveils Q1 2026 Operations Report, Flagging DAC8 and ZEC Impacts on Clients
BMC Consulting released its Q1 2026 Operations Quarterly Report, outlining how the EU DAC8 directive, the final year of the ZEC regime and fresh fiscal measures are reshaping client operations. The firm says demand for advisory services has surged as companies...
Harvey Secures $200 Million to Scale AI Agents for Legal Work
Harvey announced a $200 million financing round that lifts its valuation to $11 billion. The capital, co-led by GIC and Sequoia, will accelerate deployment of autonomous AI agents across law firms and corporate legal departments, where more than 100,000 lawyers already rely...
EPA Looks to Evaluate Microplastics Under the Safe Drinking Water Act
On April 6, 2026 the EPA released the draft of its sixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL) under the Safe Drinking Water Act, marking the first time microplastics are listed as a priority contaminant group. The draft CCL, which contains 75 chemicals, four...
Regulators Challenged With Keeping Up With the Cadence of Space Development
At the Space Symposium, FCC, NOAA and FAA officials highlighted how regulators are scrambling to keep pace with the rapid commercial space boom. FCC chief Jay Schwarz stressed the need to modernize satellite licensing as launch cadence accelerates. NOAA detailed...
OpenAI Can’t Duck Federal Claims over Murder-Suicide Tied to ChatGPT
A U.S. federal judge denied OpenAI's motion to dismiss a lawsuit alleging the company, its CEO Samuel Altman, and related entities are liable for a murder‑suicide linked to ChatGPT. The case, filed by the estate of Stein‑Erik Soelberg, claims the...
Volato, M2i Global Target Late‑May Close After SEC Declares Form S‑4 Effective
Volato Group and M2i Global said the SEC has made their Form S‑4 registration effective, clearing the way for a shareholder vote on May 7 and a projected late‑May closing. The deal merges Volato’s aviation‑tech platform with M2i’s critical‑minerals supply‑chain business,...
Pa. Supreme Court Ends Mandatory Life‑Without‑Parole for Felony Murder
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life‑without‑parole (LWOP) sentences for second‑degree (felony) murder violate the state constitution, overturning a law that has kept more than a thousand people behind bars for life. The decision gives the state 120 days...
SEC Grants DeFi Front Ends Five‑year Safe Harbor
The SEC says DeFi front ends have a 5 year safe harbor if they prepare *securities* transactions This is where I point out most of these interfaces don't currently trade securities. Which. Tracks when you consider they would have been quite...
China Expands Extraterritorial Reach with New Regulation
A little ironic, since China has itself is applying its own laws and regulations extraterritorially. But this seems significant to me as another tool in Beijing's arsenal: 中华人民共和国国务院令 第835号: 中华人民共和国反外国不当域外管辖条例.https://t.co/T6FFDqCYKN
CMS Proposes 2.4% Medicare Boost for Inpatient Hospitals and Mandatory Joint‑replacement Model
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a 2.4% increase in net payment rates for inpatient hospitals in fiscal year 2027, translating to roughly $1.4 billion more for acute‑care facilities. At the same time, CMS floated its first nationwide...
Fed Demands Detailed Private‑Credit Data From Top Banks, Targeting $1.8 T Market
The Federal Reserve has asked America’s largest banks to submit detailed information on their private‑credit holdings, a move aimed at gauging stress in the $1.8 trillion private‑credit market. The request follows a wave of redemptions from private‑credit funds and rising defaults,...
Do You Have a Strong Case? (Virtual Event with a Lawyer)
A live virtual case‑review event will be held on April 20 at 12 PM EDT, focusing on high‑skill immigration categories EB‑1A, EB‑2 NIW, and O‑1. Immigration attorney Gabriela Urizar of Manifest Law will lead the session, offering participants the chance to have...
California Judge Dismisses Elevance’s No Surprises Act Lawsuit Against HaloMD
A California federal judge dismissed Elevance Health’s lawsuit against HaloMD, which alleged a conspiracy to abuse the No Surprises Act’s Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) process. Anthem Blue Cross claimed HaloMD filed over 1,500 IDR proceedings from January 2024 to August...
White House Report Shows Stablecoin Yield Ban Adds Just $2.1 B to Bank Lending
A White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) report released on April 8 estimates that prohibiting yield on stablecoins would increase total U.S. bank lending by just $2.1 billion – 0.02% of outstanding loans. The finding undercuts the Treasury and American...
Senate Reopens CLARITY Act Markup, Aims for April Vote Amid Crypto Market Surge
The U.S. Senate returned from recess on April 12 and reopened the markup window for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. Lawmakers aim to schedule a vote before the midterm election calendar, while the Senate Banking Committee will hold a...
FTC Negative Option Rule Draws Flood of Comments
The FTC’s deadline for comments on revising its negative‑option rule passed Monday, prompting a surge of feedback from telecom and broadband groups. The rule, which aims to stop unwanted recurring charges and simplify cancellations, is under review after a 2024...
Youths Who Sued Trump Over Orders to ‘Unleash’ Energy Try to Revive Case
A group of 22 youths filed *Lighthiser v. Trump* alleging President Trump’s executive orders promoting fossil‑fuel use violated their constitutional rights. A Montana district judge dismissed the case, saying the claimed injuries were too broad for judicial relief. The plaintiffs...
ISO 27914:2026: A New Potential Long‑Term Solution for Section 45Q Permanent Secure Geological Storage
The EPA’s proposed repeal of Subpart RR threatens the reporting foundation for Section 45Q carbon‑capture tax credits. ISO 27914:2026, released on April 1, 2026, fills the gap by offering detailed quantification, monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) standards for permanent geological CO₂ storage. Treasury and...
21st Century ROAD to Housing Act: Impact on Large Institutional Investors
On March 10, 2026 the Senate passed H.R. 6644, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, adding Section 901 that bars large institutional investors—those controlling more than 350 single‑family homes—from buying additional units. The provision also forces divestment of certain newly built,...
Appellate Students to Argue Before Esteemed Judicial Panel
Next Monday, my Appellate Practice & Procedure students (from @MercerLAWSchool) will have oral arguments at the Nathan Deal Judicial Center for their final exam. The panel will be yours truly, @JudgeCarla and @JudgeSaraDoyle. For now, I want to once again...
2026 340B Program Update – 340B Rebate Model RFI Comments Due and Manufacturers Continue Restricting 340B Pricing
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has extended the comment deadline for its proposed 340B rebate‑model pilot to April 20, 2026, giving covered entities extra time to outline operational and financial impacts. At the same time, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have instituted...
Mainland Chinese Woman Acquitted of Fraud over Using Fake Degree for Hong Kong’s Top Talent Visa
A mainland Chinese woman, Xu Lina, was found not guilty of conspiracy to defraud Hong Kong’s Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) after a magistrate accepted that her agent may have submitted a false application on her behalf. Xu had paid...
Star Power, Legal Power: Lively V. Wayfarer and the Expanding Reach of FEHA
The federal court in New York allowed Blake Lively’s retaliation claim under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) to proceed while dismissing her Title VII and whistleblower claims. The court classified Lively as an independent contractor, emphasizing economic reality over on‑set...
Opinion: ADA Rule Forces Schools to Rethink How They Publish Online
The U.S. Department of Justice’s updated Title II website accessibility rule takes effect on April 24, requiring public institutions serving more than 50,000 people to meet ADA‑compliant web standards immediately, while smaller entities have until April 26 2027. K‑12 districts, whose websites now serve...
Handbook European Civil Procedure
De Gruyter Brill has released a new handbook on European Civil Procedure, edited by Xandra Kramer, Stefaan Voet and Adriani Dori. The volume offers a three‑part roadmap: foundational EU principles and digitalisation, detailed litigation and dispute‑resolution mechanisms, and forward‑looking analyses of harmonisation...
Solicitor Who Falsely Recorded Time to Meet Targets Struck Off
Clare Elizabeth Forster, a clinical‑negligence solicitor at Hudgells, was struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal after falsifying 100 hours of billable time over five months to meet a 125‑hour monthly target. Despite evidence of mental‑health struggles and personal hardships,...
SRA Accused of “Stonewalling” Over Health Statistics
Solicitor Matthew Letts has accused the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) of stonewalling his request for data on how often practising certificates are conditioned for health reasons. He filed the request under the SRA’s transparency code on 1 March 2026, seeking statistics since...
Family Law Market Expected to “Keep Growing by 6%”
The UK family law market grew 6.4% to £2.3 bn (≈$2.9 bn) in 2025 and is forecast to expand at roughly 6% annually, reaching £2.9 bn (≈$3.7 bn) by 2029. Case starts rose 2.9% to over 270,000, driven by financial‑remedy and private‑law Children Act...
ACCC Investigating Retailers Making Concerning Black Friday Claims
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is probing several retailers after its 2025 Black Friday sweep found that roughly half of the 50 examined retailers used misleading tactics, such as inaccurate countdown timers and overstated site‑wide discounts. The investigation...
News Wrap: Judge Dismisses Trump's Lawsuit Against WSJ for Story on Epstein Ties
A federal judge dismissed President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over a story linking him to Jeffrey Epstein. The WSJ article cited a sexually suggestive birthday letter that appears to bear Trump’s signature, which the president...
FCC Selects New Lead Administrator for U.S. Cyber Trust Mark Program
The Federal Communications Commission has named the ioXt Alliance as the new Lead Administrator for its U.S. Cyber Trust Mark program, a voluntary labeling scheme for consumer IoT security. The role tasks ioXt with coordinating stakeholder outreach, recommending enhanced cybersecurity...
Spirit Airlines Loses Fight Against TSA Fees on Canceled Flights
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Spirit Airlines must surrender $2.8 million in security service fees it retained from passengers who canceled flights. The panel held that under 49 U.S.C. § 44940, any amount collected must be remitted to the Transportation...
UBS Faces New Pressure on Nazi Accounts From Senate Panel Chair
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley has accused UBS Group AG of withholding key documents in its probe of Credit Suisse’s historic Nazi-era accounts, a case UBS inherited after its 2023 acquisition. A report by Neil Barofsky, the Credit...
IMLS Spared in Legal Battle—But Threat of Budget Cuts Looms
The Department of Justice settled a lawsuit by AFSCME and the American Library Association, preserving the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) after President Trump’s executive order sought its elimination. While the agency survived the legal challenge, the administration’s...
Is Biglaw Getting That ‘Uh Oh’ Feeling On The Economy?
Dorsey & Whitney managing partner Peter Nelson says biglaw firms aren’t panicking over a potential economic shock from the war in Iran, but are actively preparing. He notes that a downturn would likely hit profitable areas such as M&A, capital...
The FAA’s “Temporary” Flight Restriction For Drones Is A Blatant Attempt To Criminalize Filming ICE
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a 21‑month nationwide temporary flight restriction that bars any drone from flying within 3,000 feet of ICE or Customs and Border Protection vehicles. The rule, effective Jan. 16, 2026, carries criminal penalties and allows drones to be...
California High Court Reinforces Sliding Scale Arbitration Provision Unconscionability Analysis
The California Supreme Court ruled that the visual format of an arbitration clause does not determine its substantive unconscionability, but emphasized that courts must still examine legibility and context for fairness. The decision reaffirmed the sliding‑scale test, where a high...
Supreme Court Revives First Amendment Challenge to Colorado Conversion-Therapy Ban
The U.S. Supreme Court in *Chiles v. Salazar* held that Colorado’s ban on conversion‑therapy for minors regulates speech based on viewpoint, not merely professional conduct, and therefore demands strict First Amendment scrutiny. The ruling overturns the Tenth Circuit’s more deferential...
Navigating the New EAD Landscape: What HR Professionals Need to Know About Automatic Extension Changes, the One Big Beautiful Bill...
The Department of Homeland Security’s October 30 2025 interim final rule ends automatic extensions for employment authorization documents (EADs) filed on or after that date, while pre‑Oct 30 filings retain a 540‑day grace period. USCIS also reduced the maximum validity of several EAD...
Artists' Rights: Legal Guide Against Police Harassment
Artists tend to get harassed by the police a lot. The Afroman case is just one of a king string of examples. If you want to know how to leverage yiur rights as an artist and when you’re dealing with...
Microsoft Moves to Dismiss ChatGPT Plus Price Lawsuit
Microsoft seeks to throw out lawsuit from ChatGPT Plus subscribers alleging its agreement with OpenAI led to inflated prices. https://t.co/emPYAsAhCp
Court Orders OpenAI to Cut Off (for 3 Weeks) ChatGPT Access by Mentally Ill and Dangerous User
A California Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order that forces OpenAI to suspend a specific user’s ChatGPT access for three weeks, pending a May 6 hearing. The user, described as mentally ill and dangerous, allegedly used the model...
Ignorance Won’t Defeat a Trespassing Charge
turns out you can not beat a trespassing charge by pleading "i know not what i do"
Tax Pros Spreading Misinformation Discourages Needed Extensions
Misinformation is one of the biggest drivers in the pushback against extensions. And sometimes? It's perpetuated by tax pros. I have several taxpayers who need an extension bc of their situation (think FBAR, estates, etc.). Other tax pros are trying to scare...
What’s Next for the FTC? A Look at the 2026–2030 Strategic Plan
The Federal Trade Commission unveiled its 2026‑2030 Strategic Plan, reaffirming a three‑pronged mission to curb unfair or deceptive practices, police anticompetitive conduct, and boost operational efficiency. The plan restores the long‑standing “without unduly burdening legitimate business activity” language, easing industry...
Industry Coalition Urges EU to Revise Methane Rules
A coalition of energy companies, chemical makers and trade associations are asking the European Union to urgently consider changes to the bloc’s upcoming regulations on methane emissions https://t.co/vpb6gn9eJJ