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
Amazon Settles Teamsters Case Alleging It Retaliated Against Striking Workers
Amazon has settled an NLRB case brought by the Teamsters alleging the company illegally docked unpaid time off (UPT) for workers who walked off the job. Under the agreement, Amazon will restore the docked UPT for more than 100 employees and post notices in break rooms at all 1,300 U.S. facilities informing staff of their right to organize. The settlement also bars the company from terminating or discriminating against employees who exceed their UPT balance or participate in future strikes. While Amazon did not admit wrongdoing, the deal marks a rare concession amid ongoing unionization efforts at its warehouses and delivery hubs.
Elon Musk Must Face Class Action over Late Disclosure of Twitter Stake, Judge Rules
A Manhattan federal judge ruled that investors can pursue a class‑action lawsuit against Elon Musk for allegedly delaying the disclosure of his Twitter (now X) stake. Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in October 2022 and failed to report his 5%...
NAR Prevails in Another Mandatory Membership Case
A federal judge in Michigan dismissed the Hardy mandatory‑membership lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors, marking another legal win after a similar dismissal in Louisiana. The court found the plaintiffs’ claims unsupported, reinforcing NAR’s stance that its membership fees...
AI Law in Canada Is Evolving Through Familiar Principles
A new two‑part “AI on Trail” report by Canadian Lawyer catalogues 388 AI‑related court decisions across 77 Canadian courts from 2021‑2025. The analysis shows that judges are applying established doctrines—consent, reasonableness and procedural fairness—to technologies such as facial recognition and...
How Can I Quickly Get a Patent in Germany?
Companies needing fast German patent protection can choose between a utility model and accelerated examined patents. A utility model registers in 2–8 weeks for about $33 and offers immediate enforceable rights but only for products and a 10‑year term. Accelerated...
Judlau Sues Illinois Tollway for $29.4M in Damages
Judlau Contracting has filed a $29.4 million lawsuit against the Illinois Tollway Authority, alleging that the agency’s failure to obtain required easements caused significant delays and cost overruns on the Interstate‑490/Route 390 interchange near O’Hare Airport. The contractor seeks to overturn a...
8 LEOs File Lawsuit Against U.S. Military After Suffering Illnesses Following Response to F-35 Crash
Eight Albuquerque police officers have filed a federal lawsuit alleging they were exposed to toxic fumes after responding to an F‑35B crash near Kirtland Air Force Base. The officers were not warned to maintain a safe distance or wear respiratory...
Legal Verdict and AI Study Reveal Dual Threat to Human Attention
A U.S. jury held Meta and YouTube accountable for deliberately addicting young users, and a new study by Vivienne Ming shows 90‑95% of participants rely on AI to think for them. The twin developments underscore a growing battle over human...
Key Takeaways: AI-Assisted Innovation and Patent Protection in Biotech
AI‑assisted tools are reshaping biotech research, delivering faster discovery and more complex experiments. A recent Sterne Kessler webinar clarified that U.S. patent law still requires a human to be named as inventor, even when AI contributes substantially. Inventorship is judged claim‑by‑claim,...
4th Circuit Upholds Block on West Virginia’s 340B Law
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a preliminary injunction that blocks West Virginia’s Senate Bill 325, which would have forced drug manufacturers to extend 340B discounts to prescriptions filled by contract pharmacies. The injunction, originally issued by a West Virginia district court,...
Court Orders California Sheriff to Release Personnel Records in Watchdog Investigation
The California First Appellate Court ordered the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office to comply with subpoenas issued by the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO) in a whistle‑blower investigation. The court rejected the sheriff’s claim that the civilian...
FDA Set to Lift Peptide Compounding Ban After RFK Jr. Push
The Food and Drug Administration is preparing to reverse its 2023 restriction on dozens of experimental peptides, permitting licensed compounding pharmacies to produce them again. The move follows Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s public promise on the Joe Rogan...
Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s $1.1 B Defunding of NPR and PBS, Citing First Amendment
A U.S. District Court judge has struck down President Trump’s executive order to strip $1.1 billion in federal subsidies from NPR and PBS, finding it a direct violation of the First Amendment. The ruling restores the legal footing for public‑media funding...
US Law Enforcement Tightens Phone Seizure Rules; Biometrics Offer No Shield
U.S. law‑enforcement agencies are stepping up phone seizures, while recent court rulings keep biometric unlocks vulnerable to warrantless searches. Legal experts warn that the lack of clear statutory guidance leaves both users and tech providers in a legal gray zone.
ClaimShield Pushes Safety‑compliance Tools for Small Trucking Carriers
ClaimShield announced a new suite of safety and compliance services aimed at the more than 90% of U.S. trucking carriers that operate fewer than 20 trucks. The company says the tools will help these fragmented operators meet uniform regulatory expectations...
Supreme Court Overturns Colorado Ban on Conversion Therapy for Minors in 8‑1 Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court voted 8‑1 to strike down Colorado's ban on conversion therapy for minors, ruling the law violates the First Amendment. The decision, driven by a majority opinion from Justice Neil Gorsuch, ignites a fresh legal battle over...
DOL Issues Proposed Rule and Safe Harbor Intended to Facilitate the Inclusion of Alternative Assets in 401(k) Plans
On March 30, 2026 the U.S. Department of Labor issued a proposed rule that creates a safe‑harbor framework for including alternative assets in designative investment alternatives (DIAs) offered by participant‑directed 401(k) plans. The rule, issued under President Trump’s executive order,...
Comprehensive Case Study On Calculating Beneficial Ownership
The case study walks through how a U.S.‑registered subsidiary, ABC Limited, determines its ultimate beneficial owner (UBO) for bank account opening. Mr. B, who holds more than 25% of the voting shares in each XYZ group company, is identified as...
Second Circuit Curtails Securities Act Claims, Holding That Reverse Split Was Not a “Sale” And Post-Split Notes Could Not Be...
The Second Circuit affirmed that Barclays’ mandatory 4:1 reverse split of VXX exchange‑traded notes does not constitute a “sale” under the Securities Act, and that investors failed to meet the tracing requirement for a Section 11 claim. The court applied a...
SEC–CFTC 2026 Harmonization MOU
The SEC and CFTC signed a non‑binding Memorandum of Understanding on March 11, 2026 to coordinate oversight of overlapping markets. The MOU outlines joint principles, risk‑based “minimum effective dose” regulation, and priority areas such as product definitions, clearing, margin, crypto...
Under the Hood: Leveraging Anonymous Ex Parte Reexamination
Anonymous ex parte reexamination is gaining traction as a strategic tool that lets challengers pressure patent owners without revealing their identity. USPTO data shows a notable rise in reexamination filings in early FY2026, though anonymous requests remain a minority. The...
Integrating Technology With Customer Service: Preserving The Human Element
Legal help desks are rapidly adopting AI‑driven automation, virtual agents, and real‑time analytics to boost efficiency and triage speed. Panelists at ILTACON 2025 highlighted that firms are piloting these tools in narrow use cases—such as password resets and HR onboarding—before...
Good Morning
Two federal judges issued landmark rulings this week: one struck down former President Trump’s executive order to defund NPR and PBS, deeming it a First Amendment violation, while another halted construction of a planned White House ballroom, emphasizing the president’s...
Win AD’s Latest Opposing Party: Its Lawyer, Sports Agent Gary Shipman
Winthrop Intelligence, the parent of the Win AD college‑athletics SaaS platform, is being sued by Gary Shipman’s firm Shipman & Wright for $115,952 in unpaid legal fees tied to litigation over co‑founder Drue Moore’s estate. The claim adds to a cascade...
Trials: How to Avoid an Outsized Percentage of Fault in Toxic Tort Cases
Toxic‑tort trials typically feature only one or two defendants, even when evidence points to dozens of potential polluters. This imbalance lets juries assign an outsized share of fault to the trial defendant, especially as plaintiffs downplay non‑party exposures during discovery....
Appeals Court Upholds FMC Rules on Carrier Refusal-to-Deal, Export Policies
The D.C. Court of Appeals upheld the Federal Maritime Commission's authority to investigate ocean carriers' export policies and freight rates under the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022. The court rejected the World Shipping Council's challenge to the law's refusal‑to‑deal...
It's About What You Know
The Eastern District of Texas dismissed pre‑suit willful and induced infringement claims against Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing where the plaintiff relied only on knowledge of a related patent application. However, the court allowed claims to proceed for patents where the plaintiff...
Metabolic Meals Hit with Salmonella Lawsuit
The CDC and state health agencies linked a multistate Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak to Metabolic Meals deliveries during the week of July 28, 2025. Twenty‑one cases were reported across 13 states, with eight hospitalizations and no fatalities. Investigators identified several meal...
Kill the Greens’ Consulting Ban Bill, Report Says
The Australian Greens’ effort to secure a parliamentary ban on consulting firms involved in serious misconduct was rejected by the Financial and Public Administration Committee. Senator Barbara Pocock, who has championed the cause since 2023, sought to bar firms like...
Pennsylvania’s New ENDS Directory Law Raises the Bar for Market Access
Pennsylvania enacted Act 57 of 2025, creating an ENDS directory that limits market access to products with FDA PMTA approval before September 9, 2020. The law imposes a $50,000 surety bond, $2,000 per brand‑family and $200 per brand‑style certification fees, plus annual renewals, and...
Poured Out: Sixth Circuit Overturns NLRB Order, Signaling Cracks in Cemex
On March 6, 2026 the Sixth Circuit overturned the NLRB’s bargaining order issued under the 2023 Cemex framework in Brown‑Forman Corp. v. NLRB. The court affirmed the unfair‑labor‑practice findings but refused to enforce the order, labeling Cemex as rulemaking disguised as adjudication....
DNA Software Meets the Daubert Standard According to the Third Circuit and Adds to the List of New Technologies Being...
The Third Circuit ruled that TrueAllele probabilistic genotyping software satisfies the Daubert reliability standard, permitting its use at trial. The court highlighted the software’s scientific foundation, a false‑positive rate of 0.005% versus 2‑6% for human analysis, and 42 validation studies....
Tariff-Related Securities Suit Hits Social Media Platform Pinterest
Pinterest, an ad‑driven social platform, faced a securities class‑action suit after it disclosed that tariffs on its retail advertisers were curbing ad spend, prompting a near‑17% share decline. The complaint alleges the company misled investors by overstating its ability to...
Compliance and Risk Management
Compliance and risk management ensures a company follows all applicable laws, regulations, and ethical standards through board‑overseen policies and internal controls. Non‑compliance can trigger severe penalties, as illustrated by the German regulator’s €35 million (≈$38 million) fine against H&M for unlawful employee...
A “Third Way” Forward: Declaratory Judgments in State Tax Disputes
The SALT Shaker Podcast highlights a recent Tax Notes State article that positions declaratory judgments as a "third way" to contest state taxes. This tool lets taxpayers obtain a court ruling on a tax's constitutionality before paying, offering early certainty....
More Colleges Get Delay on Submitting New Admissions Data
A federal judge granted the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM) a deadline extension until April 14 to submit race and sex data on applicants, admits, and enrollees to the U.S....
A "Third Way" Forward: Declaratory Judgments in State Tax Disputes
Partners Jeremy Gove and Chelsea Marmor host the SALT Shaker Podcast with counsel Charles Capouet to examine his Tax Notes State article on declaratory judgments in state tax disputes. Capouet explains that declaratory judgments serve as a “third way” for taxpayers...
COSO Reboots Governance Framework
COSO has published a streamlined set of twelve corporate governance principles, replacing the earlier draft of twenty‑four that was withdrawn last year. The new guidance removes the detailed “points of focus” that auditors could have used to build a risk‑control...
NSW Public Service Loses Key Test Case over Definition of ‘Casual’ Public Servants
The New South Wales Industrial Relations Commission ruled in April 2026 that a worker cannot be deemed casual solely by an employer’s label, requiring objective criteria to apply. Justice David Chin’s decision overturns the NSW public service’s self‑definition of casual...
"There Is Evidence That This Particular Proceeding Before the Beijing Court Was Dominated by The" Chinese Communist Party,
A U.S. federal judge ruled that Stanford University retains clear title to the Li Rui archival materials donated to the Hoover Institution, rejecting a Chinese court judgment that sought to return the items to Zhang Yuzhen, Li’s second wife. The...
Google To Judge: Scrap $425M Privacy Verdict
Google has filed a motion asking U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg to overturn a September jury verdict that ordered the tech giant to pay $425 million for allegedly violating mobile users' privacy. The class‑action case stems from claims that Google’s Analytics...
"Rising Wave of Antisemitism" Doesn't Justify Letting Jewish Plaintiff Sue Pseudonymolusly
The Eastern District of New York denied a Jewish plaintiff’s request to proceed under a pseudonym in Doe v. Life Time, Inc., citing Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 10(a)’s requirement for full party identification. Judge Dora Irizarry found the plaintiff’s...
The Financial Action Task Force: An Accountability Mechanism for the United States
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is conducting its third mutual evaluation of the United States, scrutinizing compliance with anti‑money‑laundering and counter‑terrorism financing standards, especially Recommendation 8 that protects legitimate non‑profit organizations. The Trump administration has intensified regulatory pressure on...
Is a ‘Genuinely Held’ Political Belief Enough for a Vaccine Exemption?
The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal dismissed a registered nurse's challenge to a COVID‑19 vaccine mandate, ruling that a vague medical note does not constitute a protected disability and that a genuinely held political belief does not exempt compliance with...
![BREAKING: Swalwell Attorneys Fire Legal Warning Shot at FBI Director Patel, Threatening Federal Lawsuit [READ THE LETTER]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nFZY!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e6552e2-7115-44ea-8856-c6fc0c174cb3_400x400.png)
BREAKING: Swalwell Attorneys Fire Legal Warning Shot at FBI Director Patel, Threatening Federal Lawsuit [READ THE LETTER]
Attorneys for Rep. Eric Swalwell served a cease‑and‑desist on FBI Director Kash Patel demanding he stop releasing a decade‑old investigative file. The March 30, 2026 letter, copied to Attorney General Pamela Bondi and FBI General Counsel Sam Ramer, warns of a federal...
‘Boy Erased’ Author on the “Humiliation” Of Supreme Court Gay Conversion Therapy Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court issued an 8‑1 decision that treats gay conversion therapy for minors as protected speech, sharply limiting states' ability to ban the practice. Author Garrick Conley, whose memoir *Boy Erased* chronicled his own abusive experience, described the...
UAE Bans Iranian Nationals From Entering Dubai Airport
Official notice from FlyDubai: the UAE has banned Iranian nationals from entering or even transiting through Dubai International Airport, effective immediately This hits Iranian passport holders hard. including people with valid UAE residency visas of any kind and those with visit/tourist...
Outdated FERC Pricing Risks Consumer Affordability in Data Costs
One problem w this filing - which purports to justify making everyone pay for data center transmission - is that it assumes FERC's 1994 transmission pricing policy still holds. It shouldn't. It was written to foster wholesale mkt competition and...
FCC Router Ban Threatens 11.2 Million Movers' Connectivity
.@FCC router ban kills switching. All routers are effectively banned. 11.2 million movers face a connection crisis. 🚨📉 #Telecom #Policy
Name Change Approved, Not Yet Effective
No it is not already official, the legislative authority to change the name has been signed but has not gone into effect yet.