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
Federal Appeals Court Refuses to Block Trump’s Blacklisting of Anthropic but Expedites the Case with Oral Arguments Set for May...
A three‑judge DC Circuit panel denied Anthropic’s emergency motion to stop its designation as a “Supply‑Chain Risk to National Security,” allowing the Trump administration’s blacklisting to remain. The court, however, recognized likely irreparable financial harm and set oral arguments for May 19, expediting the case. Anthropic already secured a preliminary injunction in California, where a judge ruled the blacklist was retaliatory under the First Amendment. The administration is now appealing that ruling to the Ninth Circuit, framing the dispute as essential for military readiness.
Judge Rules San Francisco Can Remove Embattled Brutalist Fountain
A Superior Court judge denied a preliminary injunction, allowing San Francisco to proceed with removal of the Vaillancourt Fountain, a 40‑foot concrete modernist work deemed an imminent safety hazard. The city plans to disassemble and store the fountain while assessing...
FCC Eyes Tougher Rules on Chinese Telcos
The FCC announced it will consider banning China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile from operating data centers in the United States. The agency says it has tentatively found national‑security risks from these firms and is seeking public comment before...
The Latest Orange Rag Product Table – Link Here
The Orange Rag March newsletter highlighted two dominant trends shaping legal technology. First, vendors such as DISCO, Consilio and Epiq are consolidating formerly separate tools—review, analytics, operations intelligence and managed services—into unified platforms, responding to client demand for fewer point...
DOJ Launches Antitrust Case Against NFL & Airlines Jack Up Bag Fees
The Brew Daily Show discussed the Department of Justice’s new antitrust investigation into the NFL’s fragmented, subscription‑heavy broadcast model, highlighting how fans could spend nearly $1,000 a year to watch every game. Hosts explained the historical Sports Broadcasting Act exemption,...
UK Considers Ban on Owning Signal Jamming Devices Used by Car Thieves and Shoplifters
The UK government has launched a call for evidence on banning the possession of radio‑frequency jammers, which criminals use to disrupt security systems, GPS tracking, and emergency communications. Misuse ranges from disguising jammers as watches to block video doorbells, to...
EU Laws Open Data Markets to New Entrants
Initiatives like the Data Act, the Digital Markets Act, and the Second Payment Services Directive (PSD2) reflect a broader shift towards opening up data-driven markets to new entrants https://t.co/3koMS2B5Ui
Global Wave of Laws Forces Platforms to Police Toxicity
Germany’s Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz, UK’s Online Safety Bill, EU’s Digital Services Act mandate platforms take responsibility for moderating content. By 2020, at least 25 countries had passed laws requiring the removal of toxic material from social media https://t.co/TGdwIvYsV9
What ABA TECHSHOW 2026’s Startup Alley Tells Us About Where Legal Tech Is Going
The 2026 ABA TechShow Startup Alley highlighted a shift from generic chat‑based legal AI to agentic AI that automates entire workflow steps. Winners such as Lawdify, TwinCounsel and Collbox demonstrated tools that ingest raw data and output litigation drafts, email‑based...
Meta Removes Ads From Lawyers Seeking Users to Sue Its Platforms
Meta has updated its advertising policy to ban lawyers from running ads that solicit users to sue its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The company says the move prevents attorneys from profiting while claiming its services are harmful. Existing...
International Crackdown Disrupts US$45M Crypto Fraud, Freezes $12M in Stolen Assets
Operation Atlantic, a coordinated international crackdown led by the Ontario Securities Commission and law‑enforcement partners, disrupted more than $45 million in cryptocurrency fraud and froze roughly $12 million of stolen assets. The effort targeted approval‑phishing schemes that trick users into authorising illicit...
Jury to Begin Deliberations in Live Nation Trial
The civil antitrust trial against Live Nation and its ticketing arm Ticketmaster concluded in New York, and a jury began deliberations on April 10. The case, pursued by 34 states after the Department of Justice withdrew, alleges the companies abused...
Federal Judge Refuses to Dismiss Disability Discrimination Lawsuit Over Child Removal
A federal judge in Pittsburgh denied a request to toss a lawsuit filed by an intellectually disabled couple who claim the county’s child‑welfare agency seized their child because of their disabilities and a high‑risk algorithm. The decision leaves the case,...
Wealthy Families Turn to Timing Over Rates with IDGT Trusts After $15 M Estate Tax Exemption Rise
Fidelity Wealth Management released a detailed briefing on intentionally defective grantor trusts (IDGTs), urging ultra‑high‑net‑worth families to prioritize timing of asset moves over marginal tax‑rate differences. The guide comes as the federal estate‑tax exemption rose to $15 million per person ($30 million...
FCC to Vote April 30 on Easing LEO Satellite Power Limits, Boosting Starlink
The Federal Communications Commission will vote on April 30 to relax power restrictions for low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) satellites, a move that could dramatically increase the speed and reliability of SpaceX’s Starlink broadband. The proposal pits the growing LEO industry against incumbent...
Manhattan DA Demands Meta Shut Down Fraudulent Facebook and WhatsApp Accounts
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has publicly demanded that Meta delete fraudulent Facebook and WhatsApp accounts used in immigration‑law scams that have cost victims tens of thousands of dollars. The prosecutor’s letter to Mark Zuckerberg cites repeated requests that were...
DOJ Seeks Death Penalty for Three MS‑13 Members in FBI Informant Murder
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has authorized federal prosecutors in Los Angeles to seek the death penalty against Dennis Anaya Urias, Grevil Zelaya Santiago and Roberto Carlos Aguilar for the murder of an FBI informant. The move underscores the Justice...
What Are The Control Approaches? The Adequate Control Methods
Regulators such as the SEC require firms to embed robust insider‑trading controls, combining board oversight, formal policies, and employee training. Companies implement due‑diligence, KYC, and red‑flag mechanisms to screen staff and flag suspicious activity. Controls also mandate careful external communications,...
UK Looks to Hold Tech Execs Personally Liable for Intimate Image Abuse
The U.K. government will table an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that makes senior tech executives personally criminally liable if they fail to remove non‑consensual intimate images from their platforms. The measure ties Ofcom’s enforcement under the Online...
America First Credit Union Hires First CLO From Global Credit Union
America First Credit Union announced the appointment of Jessica Graham as its first chief legal officer, a newly created role that consolidates legal, regulatory compliance, and risk management responsibilities. Graham arrives from Global Credit Union, where she served as chief...
Ascend Elements Files for Chapter 11 After Raising $1.1 Billion
Battery recycling startup Ascend Elements announced a voluntary Chapter 11 filing Thursday, ending a decade‑long effort that attracted more than $1.1 bn in equity and government grants. The move highlights the capital intensity of circular‑economy ventures and raises questions about the...
Oracle Taps Lucinity Tech to Enhance AI-Driven Compliance Tools
Oracle is integrating Lucinity’s AI‑native investigation technology into its Financial Crime and Compliance Management (FCCM) platform, embedding AI agents into the Oracle AI Investigator tool. The partnership aims to automate manual investigation tasks, surface relevant context, and guide decision‑making for...
Bad, Abrupt Termination After a Discrimination Complaint. Still Lawful. Here’s Why.
A Fifth Circuit court affirmed summary judgment for an employer who fired an African‑American female manager the same day she was accused of insubordination, despite her earlier Title VII and Section 1981 discrimination complaint. The court held that the employee...
When Are Payroll Taxes Due? 2026 Due Dates and Requirements
TechRepublic outlines the 2026 payroll tax due dates and deposit schedules for federal income, FICA, and FUTA taxes. Employers must deposit taxes monthly, semi‑weekly, or next‑day depending on lookback liability thresholds of $50,000 and $100,000. FUTA taxes are due quarterly...
This Creative Money Transfer Strategy Among Family Members Could Raise Red Flags with CRA
A Canadian couple used a CRA‑prescribed‑rate loan of roughly $370,000 USD to shift investment income, while the husband gifted about $74,000 USD to their adult son, who then transferred the same amount to his mother and back to the husband to reduce...
Adjudication Becomes More Popular – but Cases Last Longer, Are More Complex
Ontario’s construction adjudication system, launched in 2019 to speed payment disputes, is gaining traction but becoming more intricate. The number of cases rose from 91 in the first year to 324 this year, and timelines have stretched to six months...
Build Your Own Copilot Legal Assistant — No Tech Skills Required
Microsoft’s Copilot Agent Builder lets law firms create custom AI assistants without any coding. By defining a name, purpose, instructions, and uploading firm‑specific documents, attorneys can build agents—such as contract reviewers or client‑communication helpers—in roughly 15 minutes. The tool is...
Walmart's H-1B Filings Fell by More than Half in the Wake of Trump's Visa Shake-Up
Walmart filed 312 certified H‑1B visa applications in Q1 2025, a drop of more than half from the same period a year earlier and 40% below its 2023 level. The decline mirrors a broader pullback by major tech firms after...
The Cyber Resilience Act: What It Means for the Rail Industry
The European Union’s Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) imposes mandatory cybersecurity requirements on all digital products, including those used in rail systems. It forces manufacturers to embed secure‑by‑design principles, manage vulnerabilities throughout a product’s lifecycle, and provide detailed supply‑chain transparency. The...
FCA Publishes Good and Poor Practice in Relation to Improving Applications for Authorisation in the Asset Management Sector
On 9 April 2026 the FCA released a Good and Poor Practice guide outlining common shortcomings that delay or jeopardise asset‑management firms’ authorisation applications. The regulator emphasised eight focus areas, including the need for UK‑based senior management, accountable outsourcing, thorough risk assessments,...
H-1B Petitions Fall at Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan and Rise at Citi After Trump's Visa Crackdown
Wall Street H‑1B filings fell sharply in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 after President Trump’s visa fee increase, with Goldman Sachs seeing a 60% drop to 101 certified petitions and JPMorgan down 29% to 516. In contrast, Citi’s...
FCA Primary Market Bulletin 62
On 8 April 2026 the FCA released Primary Market Bulletin 62, highlighting four key areas. It detailed the regulator’s findings in the Carillion plc misleading‑statement case, noting false positive disclosures and inadequate accounting controls. The bulletin warned that UK micro‑cap and small‑cap issuers...
European Commission Adopts Delegated Regulations on Disclosures and Trading Under MAR
On 8 April 2026 the European Commission adopted two Delegated Regulations amending the Market Abuse Regulation. The first regulation revises disclosure rules, exempting intermediate steps in protracted processes and establishing a non‑exhaustive list of final events that must be disclosed promptly, while...
FCA Publishes Findings in Relation to Firms’ Customer Due Diligence Processes and Controls
On 8 April 2026 the Financial Conduct Authority released a detailed report on firms’ customer due‑diligence (CDD) processes. The FCA highlighted best‑practice policies that clearly separate enhanced due diligence (EDD) from standard CDD and outline risk‑based controls, especially for politically exposed persons....
Humm Group Limited: Takeovers Panel Issues Orders
On April 10, 2026 the Australian Takeovers Panel issued formal orders to Humm Group Limited concerning its recent takeover activity. The panel required Humm to immediately disclose all takeover‑related information, suspend any share transactions pending verification, and submit a detailed...
Traliant and Case IQ Partner to Deliver End-to-End Compliance From Training to Investigations
Traliant, a leader in online compliance training, announced a strategic partnership with Case IQ, a global provider of investigative case management solutions. The alliance combines Traliant’s story‑driven training modules with Case IQ’s hotline, intake, and real‑time monitoring tools, offering customers...
HSBC and Standard Chartered-Led Group Land Hong Kong’s First Stablecoin Licenses
Hong Kong’s monetary authority granted its first two stablecoin issuer licences to HSBC and Anchorpoint Financial, a Standard Chartered‑led joint venture. The licences are the inaugural approvals under the Stablecoins Ordinance that took effect in August 2025, following an assessment...
UK Regulators Set to Tighten Oversight of Private Equity-Linked Insurance Structures
UK regulators, led by the PRA, are preparing stricter rules for funded reinsurance structures that insurers use to offload liabilities to offshore reinsurers often backed by private‑equity capital. The move follows concerns over growing interconnectedness between insurers, pension risk transfers...
No More Flying: China’s Massive New Drone Crackdown
China has rolled out sweeping drone regulations that take effect on May 1, designating Beijing as a controlled airspace where any unmanned aerial vehicle flight requires prior authorization, effectively banning private recreational use. The rules also bar the sale, hire, and...
Tornado Cash Dev Roman Storm’s Case Raises Technical and Ethical Questions
Roman Storm, a developer of the Tornado Cash privacy mixer, returned to a New York federal courtroom on April 9, 2026 to argue that his prior unlawful‑money‑transmitting conviction should be set aside. The judge, Katherine Polk Failla, focused on whether...
Third Circuit Rules That UpCodes’ Publication of Incorporated Building Standards Is Likely Fair Use
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled that UpCodes, a legal‑tech startup that posts building codes and technical standards online, likely qualifies its use of copyrighted standards as fair use. The decision, issued on April 7, affirmed...
‘Weak Management’ | Network Rail Accepts Failures as Worker Wins Racial Harassment Tribunal
Network Rail has accepted a tribunal ruling that a former employee, Parjmit Bassi, was subjected to racial harassment and ostracism. The tribunal highlighted incidents such as an English Defence League leaflet placed in his locker and criticized the company's laissez‑faire...
Suspicious Activity Reports: Identification of Suspicious Activity and Filing SARs
Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) are mandatory filings that alert law‑enforcement to potential money‑laundering or terrorist‑financing activity. U.S. banks must file a SAR for any transaction aggregating $5,000 (or $2,000 for money‑services businesses) or when structuring is suspected. Structuring involves breaking...
Drew Barred From Voting 15M HUM Shares, Forced to Divest
And there it is: Drew can’t vote his 15m shares acquired in $HUM and must forfeit and divest them https://t.co/cAUDrvXBJ1
The EBA Consults on Major Simplification of Supervisory Reporting to Deliver a Simpler, Smarter and More Proportionate Framework
The European Banking Authority (EBA) has unveiled a package of proposals that would cut roughly half of the data points required in EU supervisory reporting, even as new obligations for IFRS 18, ESG and the Fundamental Review of the Trading Book...
Understanding FATF’s Latest Analysis: Market Developments and Emerging Risks in DeFi
The Financial Action Task Force released a detailed analysis of emerging risks in decentralized finance, spotlighting the rapid diversification of NFTs, the surge in stablecoin usage, and the proliferation of cross‑chain bridges. FATF warns that many DeFi projects retain centralized...
Person of the Week: Alberto Safra – and Outrageous Lawyers’ Fees
Alberto Safra, heir to Brazil's prominent Safra banking dynasty, has secured a judicial review of the more than $35 million in legal fees charged during a protracted inheritance dispute over his late father's estate. The review challenges the fee structure and...
Managing Crypto Red Flags: An Analysis of Causes and Effective Strategies
The article outlines how cryptocurrency’s anonymity creates red flags for money laundering, emphasizing the need for vigilant transaction monitoring. It highlights specific indicators such as mismatched customer IDs and IP locations, suspicious login patterns, and the use of multiple wallets...
Europe Votes Far-Right on ICE-Style Deportations
On 26 March the European Parliament voted to adopt a sweeping Deportation Regulation that expands detention, authorises home raids and mandates the detection of undocumented people in workplaces, schools and hospitals. The draft mirrors U.S. ICE powers, introduces offshore “return hubs”...
Fewer than 3 in 10 Register for HMRC's Making Tax Digital Shake-Up
HMRC reports that only about 28% of the 780,000 sole traders and landlords required to adopt Making Tax Digital (MTD) for income tax have registered, with 219,000 sign‑ups to date. The deadline for the first quarterly filing is 7 August 2026,...