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
New Laws to Make It Easier to Cancel Subscriptions
Britain's Department for Business and Trade announced new legislation, effective spring 2027, that obliges companies to allow consumers to cancel subscriptions with a single click and provides a 14‑day cooling‑off period for refunds after trial or auto‑renewal periods. The rules aim to eliminate “subscription traps,” requiring clear upfront information and renewal reminders, and are projected to save the average household about £170 (≈ $216) per year, or roughly £400 million (≈ $508 million) nationwide. Exemptions apply to charitable, cultural and heritage memberships, while other sectors must adapt their billing and support processes. The measures respond to consumer complaints about difficult cancellation procedures and hidden fees.
Real Cancun Mastermind: Virtualize Your Firm, Hit 8‑Figure Scale
Last slide is to just make it super clear… 😅 Anyways the Cancun Mastermind is not an April fools joke, if you want to VIRTUALIZE your firm and scale to 8+ figures, dm us for more info.
Attack on Solicitor’s Home Sparks Companies House Warning
Alisha Butler, director of Phoenix Legal, suffered a late‑night vandalism attack on her home and cars after her personal address was listed on Companies House. The assault, involving black paint and a paint remover, appears linked to a disgruntled defendant...
CPS Left without Counsel After Chambers Confusion
The Court of Appeal overturned a lower‑court decision that refused to adjourn a serious burglary trial after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was left without counsel due to a communication breakdown between a barrister and her former chambers. The appeal...
Sage Steele Apologized to Her Children Before Suing ESPN: ‘Don’t Ever Feel Like You Have to Defend Me’
Sage Steele, former ESPN anchor, settled her 2022 lawsuit against the network and announced her departure after alleging she was sidelined for voicing COVID‑19 vaccine opinions. In a recent interview on Sean Hannity’s show, Steele revealed she apologized to her...
Expectations for AGM and Reporting Timeliness
SGX Regulation (SGX RegCo) reports a growing number of listed issuers seeking extensions to hold their annual general meetings (AGMs) and publish required financial, annual and sustainability reports. The exchange’s listing rules mandate an AGM within four months of fiscal...
From ‘Reply All’ to Exhibit A: Email Risks for Employers
British Columbia’s Supreme Court invalidated a suspension of the Alberta Cricket Association that was executed solely through an email chain, deeming the process oppressive and procedurally flawed. The decision highlights that email votes cannot replace formal board meetings when bylaws...
The Compliance Tightrope: Balancing Uniformity and Precision Across U.S. State Consumer Privacy Laws
U.S. companies now navigate a fragmented landscape of more than twenty state consumer privacy statutes, each with distinct definitions, thresholds, and exemptions. California remains the most demanding jurisdiction, applying a $26.6 million revenue test and extending coverage to employee and B2B...
DOJ Sues Idaho Over Refusal to Share Voter Data
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) sued Idaho Wednesday after the state refused to hand over sensitive voter registration data — the latest example of resistance to the Trump administration’s voter roll crusade extending into strongly Republican states. https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/trump-doj-sues-idaho/
Patenting the Quantum Future – Practical Tips Based on PTAB Decisions
Patent activity in quantum computing is accelerating as the sector moves toward commercial products. Recent PTAB rulings reveal that many quantum‑related applications encounter the same eligibility and claim‑drafting hurdles seen in software patents, but amplified by the field’s reliance on...
UFC-Que Choisir Takes Ubisoft To French Court Over the Crew Shutdown
Ubisoft abruptly shut down the online servers for The Crew, leaving owners with a non‑functional game. French consumer watchdog UFC‑Que Choisir filed a lawsuit in the Creteil Judicial Court, accusing Ubisoft of misleading buyers about the permanence of their purchase...
Trump Ally Testifies in Trial over Secret Venezuela Lobbying Effort
Top Washington lobbyist Brian Ballard testified that he severed ties with former Congressman David Rivera after learning Rivera secured a $50 million contract with Venezuela’s government in 2020. Ballard, a key witness alongside Senator Marco Rubio, detailed text messages and emails showing his growing...
Could Colorado Create the Country's First Artist Corporation?
Colorado legislators are reviewing SB26, a bipartisan bill that would create the nation’s first Artists Corporation (A‑Corp), a specialized limited‑liability entity exclusively for artists. The proposal aims to simplify incorporation, lower formation costs, and eventually grant group health‑insurance access for...
West Virginia Changes Prior Authorization Law After Man's Treatment Delay and Death
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrissey signed HB 4965, a law that lets members of the state workers’ health plan switch to an alternative, medically appropriate treatment of equal or lesser cost without filing a new prior‑authorization request. The change affects roughly...
Civil Fraud Penalty Risk and the Badges-of-Fraud Patterns Used by IRS Examiners
The IRS’s civil fraud penalty, codified at IRC §6663, imposes a 75% surcharge on any underpayment proven to stem from intentional tax evasion. Examiners rely on “badges of fraud” – patterns such as unexplained income spikes, missing records, and contradictory statements...
Digital Rights Advocates Sue CMS Over WISeR, Dems Urge House Approps To Repeal Model
Digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed a lawsuit against the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services demanding transparency for the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) model, which automates Medicare prior‑authorization decisions. The suit argues the model violates...
CFTC Issues Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Prediction Markets: A Chance to Shape the Future
On March 12 2026 the CFTC published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (APNR) seeking input on event‑contract derivatives traded on prediction markets. The agency signals intent to assert exclusive jurisdiction, potentially overriding state gambling regimes, and classifies these contracts as swaps...
How the $100K H-1B Visa Fee Will Affect Hospitals: AHA
The Trump administration’s September executive order raised the H‑1B petition fee from roughly $3,500 to $100,000, targeting specialty‑occupation visas used by hospitals for physicians, nurses and technicians. The American Hospital Association (AHA) warns that the fee will deepen the current...
Caremark and Proxy Fraud Liability for Material Deficiencies in the Board’s Oversight of Management and Internal Controls
Mega Bank Holding Co. settled federal securities‑fraud and banking‑regulation claims for $1.7 billion, admitting that non‑compliant loans were packaged into residential mortgage‑backed securities. Shareholders have combined derivative and class actions alleging the company’s proxy statements falsely claimed the board provided adequate...
Wait, Viral Video Judge Has Fines From Texas Ethics Commission?!?
Harris County civil judge Nathan Milliron, whose courtroom outburst was captured in a viral video, is now facing financial penalties from the Texas Ethics Commission. The commission cited delinquent filings, imposing a $1,000 civil penalty for missed campaign‑finance reports and...
SEC Bans Auditor After Stark Scandal
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Thailand has revoked the capital‑market auditor licence of a Deloitte‑affiliated professional and imposed a six‑year ban after uncovering systemic audit failures at Stark Corp. The regulator also filed a criminal complaint with the Department...
Protecting Creativity in a Digital Age: Hong Kong Rethinks Its Registered Designs Regime
On 17 December 2025 Hong Kong launched a public consultation to overhaul its Registered Designs Ordinance, first enacted in 1997. The review proposes broader definitions of “design” and “article,” removal of the industrial‑process requirement, and inclusion of colours and virtual designs. It...
Exclusive: Trump's DOJ Says He's Not Required to Turn over Official Records
The Justice Department, under President Trump, has concluded that the Presidential Records Act is unconstitutional, arguing it overreaches congressional power. The administration plans to retain official documents rather than automatically turn them over to the National Archives after the 2029...
States Divided in Monsanto Roundup Case Before Supreme Court
Twenty states and the District of Columbia have filed an amicus brief opposing Monsanto in the Supreme Court case that questions whether the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) preempts state failure‑to‑warn lawsuits over Roundup. Monsanto, a Bayer subsidiary,...
White House Unveils National AI Legislative Framework
The White House released a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence urging Congress to preempt fragmented state AI laws and adopt a uniform, minimally burdensome national standard. It recommends creating regulatory sandboxes for innovation, using existing agencies rather than a...
SCC to Hear Appeals on Official Languages Act, Quebec’s Bill 59, Sexual Assault in Spring Session
The Supreme Court of Canada’s spring session will hear 14 appeals, including ten criminal matters, before moving temporarily to a new address for a decade‑long courthouse renovation. Highlights include a language‑rights challenge against St. John’s International Airport Authority under the Official...
Committee Advances Tax and IRS Legislation
The House Ways and Means Committee unanimously approved five bipartisan tax bills targeting sexual‑assault survivors, disaster victims, early‑childhood educators, taxpayers, and whistleblowers. The Survivor Justice Tax Prevention Act removes compensatory damages for assault from taxable income, while the Disaster Tax...
Judge Tosses Lawsuit Filed by Parents of 'Cop City' Protester Who Was Fatally Shot After Shooting Trooper
A federal judge dismissed the civil‑rights lawsuit filed by the parents of Manuel Paez Terán, the 26‑year‑old protester shot dead by Georgia State Patrol troopers during the Jan. 18, 2023 "Cop City" demonstration. The ruling held the officers' use of pepper balls and...
FDA Warns Patients and Health Care Professionals Not to Use Sterile Products From North American Custom Laboratories LLC, Dba FarmaKeio...
The FDA has issued a nationwide warning against using any drug products intended to be sterile that were compounded by North American Custom Laboratories LLC, operating as FarmaKeio Superior Custom Compounding. After an inspection uncovered conditions that could lead to...
Department of Commerce Proposes ‘Space Commerce Certification’ Process
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Space Commerce has issued a proposal for a voluntary “Space Commerce Certification” that would create a unified, light‑touch mission‑authorization pathway for novel commercial space activities such as in‑space manufacturing, satellite servicing and lunar...
Pro‑voting Groups Sue to Block Florida's Citizenship‑proof Law
Shortly after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed Florida’s version of the SAVE America Act into law, pro-voting groups moved swiftly to challenge the severe new voting restrictions, asking a federal court to block the state from requiring voters to prove...
NYT Sues OpenAI yet Embeds AI in Its Own Review
“the New York Times — which has sued OpenAI for copyright infringement — itself has published a book review of Jean-Baptiste Andrea’s book “Watching Over Her,” apparently with AI generated parts that mimic an earlier book review.” via @edleeprof https://t.co/Wd7W8kuwN3 https://t.co/XPRgs1Yc21
EEOC Sues DHL Supply Chain for Denying Disability Accommodation, Firing Worker
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit on March 31 against Exel Inc., operating as DHL Supply Chain, alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The case centers on Jessica Grier, a temporary worker with sickle‑cell disease who was...
Debating a Video on Meta‑YouTube Landmark Ruling
I wrote a script for a 10-minute video about the landmark ruling last week about Meta and YouTube. Can’t decide if I should actually make the video or not.
Trump's Birthright Citizenship Argument Beats Expectations, Still Likely to Lose
5 Observations On The Supreme Court Argument In The Birthright Citizenship Case The Trump v. Barbara oral argument went better for the administration than I expected—but Trump will probably still lose before #SCOTUS. LINK: https://t.co/UryT15dENe https://t.co/PyegLq3Th0
Deepfakes: A Problem In Search Of A Problem?
Lawyers at the ABA TechShow report zero encounters with deep‑fake evidence, highlighting a gap between technological capability and courtroom experience. Judge Xavier Rodriguez warned that the legal system still operates on a presumption that photos, recordings, and video are authentic,...
AI Threatens Legal Databases, Reducing Them to Free Case Data
“i think AI is a disaster for them [westlaw and lexis]…AI will compress their value to the value of their database of court cases” 👀 - court cases are free though, the law is free
Set Clear Renewal Terms to Prevent Negotiation Nightmares
Founders: Your contract should have clear renewal terms: - Auto-renewal with 60-day opt-out - Maximum annual price increase - Minimum seat commitments Avoid renewal negotiation nightmares before they start.
Crisis Opportunism: Germany’s Turn to Antitrust Without Limits
Germany’s Bundestag approved the Fuel Market Intervention Package within nine days, bypassing consultations and impact assessments. The bill amends Section 32f of the Act Against Restraints of Competition, eliminating the conduct‑nexus filter and extending the Federal Cartel Office’s remedial powers to...
US Government Trumps Code: Circle Won’t Freeze Coins
"It's not code is law, but it's only the US government is the law." -- @kaiynne on how Circle won't freeze coins https://t.co/TvMSeHiXJj
On the Day of a Would-Be Deadline, Open Banking Is in Flux
April 1, 2026 marked the original deadline for the CFPB’s Section 1033 open‑banking mandate, but a federal injunction froze enforcement, leaving the rule in legal limbo. Major banks have nevertheless accelerated API partnerships with aggregators such as Plaid to meet consumer demand and...
Louisiana Fatherhood Task Force Launches Bipartisan Push for New Parenting Resources
The Louisiana Fatherhood Task Force announced a bipartisan set of recommendations to create new parenting resources, revise child‑custody statutes and introduce paid family medical leave. The initiative, unveiled in Greater New Orleans, seeks to address barriers that limit fathers' participation...
WhatsApp Whistle-Blower Suit Is Dismissed
A federal magistrate judge dismissed the wrongful‑termination lawsuit filed by Attaullah Baig, WhatsApp’s former head of security, citing insufficient evidence of retaliation. Baig alleged that Meta allowed thousands of employees to access sensitive user data and ignored his proposals to...
Haitian Worker Sues Disney over Firing After Allegedly Biased Investigation
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is being sued in federal court for allegedly terminating a Haitian line cook after a biased internal investigation. The employee, Mercius Delice, who worked nearly eight years without disciplinary issues, was accused of sexual misconduct...
“Precision Strike Missiles” (PrSMs) in Iran War: The U.S. Obligation to Conduct a Legal Review of New Weapons
The U.S. Army’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) entered combat during Operation Epic Fury, marking its first operational use. A New York Times report linked the missile to a strike in Lamerd, Iran that hit a sports hall and an elementary...
Meta’s Facial Recognition Smart Glasses Plan Sees Increasing Opposition
More than 60 civil‑society groups, led by the Consumer Federation of America, have written to Congress demanding a halt to Meta’s plan to embed facial‑recognition software, called “Name Tag,” in its Ray‑Ban smart glasses. The groups cite a Swedish investigation...
Maine Businesses Rally Against Data‑Privacy Bill Threatening Targeted Online Ads
Maine business leaders and trade groups are intensifying opposition to LD 1822, a data‑privacy bill that could curb targeted online advertising and biometric data collection. More than 200 owners signed a letter warning the measure would put the state at...
Accusation of "Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence" For Allegedly Nonconsensually Posting Bondage Pictures May Be Defamatory
A federal judge in Missouri allowed Leslie Sutton’s defamation and public disclosure claims to proceed against John Doe, who accused her of sexual abuse after she posted bondage photos of him online. Doe alleges the images were shared without his...
EEOC Sues Cannabis Employer After HR Allegedly Ignored Harassment for Years
On March 30, 2026, the EEOC filed a federal lawsuit against Ascend Wellness Holdings, alleging that female employees at its Collinsville, Illinois dispensary endured a sexually hostile work environment and that one employee was constructively discharged. The complaint centers on...
FAA Fines Companies $430K for Sending Unsafe Hazmat Shipments to Airlines
The Federal Aviation Administration announced civil penalties totaling nearly $430,000 against three shippers for violating hazardous‑material rules on air cargo. Verizon faces a $70,500 fine for shipping lithium‑ion batteries to FedEx without proper classification, packaging, labeling, or emergency‑response data. World...