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
Has Legal Industry Upheaval Changed Your Career Goals?
Above the Law is surveying legal professionals about how AI‑driven upheaval and shifting work models are reshaping career aspirations. The brief, anonymous poll asks whether concerns like cognitive offloading, office‑based work, and skill development influence lawyers’ plans. Respondents can win a $250 gift card, and results will be compiled into a 2026 industry report. The initiative reflects growing uncertainty as firms adopt generative AI and adjust staffing.
Congressional Oversight Hearing Highlights Continued PTAB Policy Fault Lines
At a March 25, 2026 House Judiciary oversight hearing, USPTO Director John Squires defended the Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s discretionary denial and institution practices, emphasizing a “one, join, and done” approach to curb serial petitions. Lawmakers pressed for greater transparency, criticizing brief...
Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 Isn’t for Trade Deficits, by Christine Abely
On February 20, the Trump administration announced temporary import tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a provision intended to address fundamental balance‑of‑payments crises. The article explains that Section 122 creates a mandatory presidential duty to impose a surcharge...
UK: Balancing Protected Beliefs
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has sent the Ngole case back to the Employment Tribunal, highlighting the fine line between protecting a worker’s religious belief and responding to how that belief is expressed. The case stems from a mental‑health charity...
PAGA Reform Is Here To Stay, Hybrid Work Not Going Away, and Other New Labor/Employment Issues Coming Your Way
Littler’s Sacramento Spring Breakfast Briefing on May 20, 2026 will examine the latest labor and employment developments affecting California employers. The agenda spotlights the two‑year anniversary of the revised Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), a deep dive into hybrid‑remote work challenges, and...
2026 World Cup Legal Checklist
The article offers a practical legal checklist for companies planning World Cup‑related activities in the United States, from pop‑up stores and watch parties to brand activations and promotions. It stresses the tight timeline before the 2026 FIFA World Cup and...
Live Updates #2 - ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting 2026
At the ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting, state attorneys general highlighted their expanding role in antitrust enforcement as federal agencies shift focus. California’s AG warned against sharing pricing algorithms and cited new state laws that increase penalties and outlaw such algorithms....
Los Angeles Jury’s Verdict on Social Media May Spark Change
Two landmark jury verdicts this week dealt blows to Meta and Google, with a Los Angeles jury awarding $6 million to a teen plaintiff and a New Mexico panel imposing $375 million on Meta for allegedly designing addictive features for children. The cases...
Safeguarding Against Money Laundering: Effective AML Training Methods
Anti‑Money Laundering (AML) training is now a strategic imperative for financial firms, serving both regulatory compliance and risk mitigation. Programs that blend in‑person workshops, e‑learning modules, gamified simulations, and emerging technologies such as AI and virtual reality improve engagement and...
CFPB Seeks Comment on Reinstating Mortgage Advertising and Land Sales Information Collections
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has opened a public comment period to reinstate two information collections: the Mortgage Acts and Practices—Advertising (Regulation N) and the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act (Regulations J, K, and L). Regulation N requires lenders and advertisers to retain mortgage...
Accord, Intas, and Bio-Thera File Four IPRs Against Janssen Golimumab Patents
Accord BioPharma, Intas Pharmaceuticals and Bio‑Thera have filed four Inter Partes Review petitions challenging four Janssen patents covering golimumab treatment methods for ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis. The petitioners contend that the claims are anticipated or obvious based on publicly...
Potential Employment Red Flags for Mergers and Acquisitions
During M&A due‑diligence, employment practices often surface as hidden liabilities. Common red flags include FLSA misclassifications, unusually high workers‑comp experience modifiers, clusters of employee litigation, ambiguous bonus structures, outdated handbooks, and poorly drafted executive contracts. These issues can delay negotiations,...
BetMGM Is the Latest Gambling Platform to Move Away From Credit Cards
BetMGM announced it will no longer accept credit‑card payments for its online sportsbook, following a Pennsylvania regulator‑imposed settlement over fraud and inadequate identity verification. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board fined the operator $100,000 after uncovering schemes where fraudsters opened hundreds...
Apple Store to ID Regulated Medical Device Apps
Apple’s App Store will now label apps that qualify as regulated medical devices on their product pages in the United States, United Kingdom and European Economic Area. Developers must indicate this status in App Store Connect if their app falls...
![[Audio] Episode Six: ABC Insights – Part 3: A Guide to Corporate Updates & Stock Transfer Applications](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://jdsupra-static.s3.amazonaws.com/profile-images/og.15042_2153.jpg)
[Audio] Episode Six: ABC Insights – Part 3: A Guide to Corporate Updates & Stock Transfer Applications
The latest episode of Corporate Conversations breaks down California ABC compliance after a liquor license is granted, focusing on how businesses must handle premises modifications and ownership changes. It clarifies that management or ownership shifts below 50% are treated as...
Red Flags in NIL Representation Agreements: The Devil Is Always in the Details
Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals have unlocked lucrative branding opportunities for high‑school and college athletes, but the contracts that govern representation are often lopsided. Many agreements grant agents perpetual, worldwide licenses to an athlete’s NIL, impose asymmetric termination rights,...
No Preliminary Injunction Over Residents' Claim That S.F. Failed to Adequately Police Tenderloin Sidewalks
A federal judge in Northern California denied a preliminary injunction sought by Tenderloin residents and businesses, finding they lacked standing to challenge San Francisco’s harm‑reduction policies. The plaintiffs could not demonstrate that the city’s distribution of drug‑related paraphernalia directly caused increased...
Section 230 Is Dead
A Los Angeles jury in K.G.M. v. Meta Platforms found Meta and YouTube negligent for how their platforms are engineered, awarding $3 million and assigning 70% liability to Meta. The verdict pivots the legal analysis from merely hosting user content to...
Texas Pizza Hut Franchise to Pay $35K in Harassment Suit
Ayvaz Pizza, LLC, the Texas franchise operating over 350 Pizza Hut locations, agreed to pay $35,000 and implement corrective measures to settle an EEOC sex‑harassment and retaliation lawsuit. The case stemmed from a former assistant manager who reported a hostile...
Title II and the PMC’s Love of the Unfunded Mandate
In June 2024 the Biden administration’s Justice Department issued a sweeping Title II mandate requiring every public university to comply with expanded Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility standards. Institutions have until April 24, 2026 to implement the changes, which cover physical infrastructure, digital...
Kara Swisher Talks Tech Regulation & AI at Exchange
Kara Swisher joined CNBC’s Bob Pisani to warn that a loosely regulated tech sector lets giants expand unchecked, citing past takeovers of music, media and social platforms. She contrasted the scant federal oversight of companies like Meta with the heavy...
Owner of Oil Tanker Seized by Trump Administration Seeks to Block Sale
The U.S. government seized the supertanker Skipper in December, citing its role in illicit Iranian oil trades. Since the seizure, the Treasury has spent roughly $47 million maintaining the vessel, far exceeding its projected scrap value of $10 million. Windward Shipmanagement Corp,...
Daily Mail Accusers Induced to Sue on Basis of Disowned Claims, Court Told
The High Court heard that seven high‑profile claimants, including Elton John, Prince Harry and Doreen Lawrence, were induced to sue Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers Ltd based on a private investigator’s now‑disowned claims of phone hacking and bugging. Investigator Gavin...
AI and Modernization in Legal and FOIA: EDiscovery Best Practices
Casepoint’s Amit Dungarani recapped a presentation at the 23rd Annual e‑Discovery, Records and Information Management Conference, emphasizing how AI is moving from experimental hype to operational use in legal, FOIA and records environments. He argued that AI deployments must be...
Revolut Bank Ordered to Hand over Details of More than 300 Sky TV Subscribers Connected to Piracy Operation — TV...
An Irish High Court granted Sky a pharmacal order compelling Revolut Bank UAB to reveal the names, addresses and banking details of 304 subscribers and 10 resellers linked to the defunct ‘IPTV is Easy’ piracy service. The operator, David Dunbar,...
Tennessee Lawmakers Look to Keep UT’s Playbooks Under Wraps
Tennessee lawmakers have passed companion bills that permanently extend the state’s public‑records exemption for athletic‑department information such as playbooks, game plans, and call signals. The legislation also shields commercial contracts related to athletics, barring disclosure of contract specifics while still...
Anti-Fraud Teams Struggling on AI, Tech
The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ 2026 Anti‑Fraud Technology Benchmarking Report surveyed over 700 anti‑fraud executives and found that 92% of teams still do not use AI, with only 8% feeling prepared for AI‑enhanced fraud attacks. Respondents cite data‑quality, governance,...
The Golden Rules: AML Regulations for High-End Jewelry Compliance
The 2020 AML Act requires high‑end jewelry firms to implement written compliance programs, including risk assessments, a dedicated AML officer, employee training, and independent audits. Precious metals and gemstones are attractive for laundering due to their high value and portability,...
Trump Revives Endangered Species Committee to Override Protections
In an executive order on his first day back in office, President Donald Trump directed an obscure panel of senior federal agency leaders called the Endangered Species Committee to start meeting regularly. The committee has the power to override certain...
OKCupid Gave User Photos To Facial Recognition Company, FTC Charges
The Federal Trade Commission alleges that OKCupid supplied photos and demographic data of roughly three million users to facial‑recognition startup Clarifai in 2014, contrary to its privacy policy. The FTC complaint says OKCupid and its owners concealed the transfer and...
Expert Witnesses Essential as AI Advice Liability Gaps Grow
When Conversational AI Meets the Courtroom: Why Expert Witnesses Matter for Financial Services Question: if agentic AI becomes standard for financial advice, who's liable when the agent hallucinates? Expert witnesses assess training data + logs to reconstruct chatbot behavior, determine foreseeability...
What To Expect From The SEC In 2026
The SEC’s 2026 agenda emphasizes tighter ESG and climate‑risk disclosures, expanded oversight of digital assets, and heightened enforcement around AI‑driven market manipulation. It will roll out new reporting templates for sustainability metrics and require clearer provenance for crypto‑related securities. The...
Judge Blocks Government Sanction After AI Firm’s Premature Tweet
Decisions to tweet first and lawyer later didn’t sit well with a federal judge, who last week halted the government’s punishment of the AI company.
Supreme Court to Hear Trump Birthright Citizenship Case Wednesday
JUST IN: Supreme Court to hear arguments this Wednesday on Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship
UK Regulator Cuts £2bn From Car Finance Redress Costs for Banks
The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced a reduction of roughly £2 billion (about $2.5 billion) from the car‑finance redress costs that banks must pay. The cut applies to the collective settlement aimed at compensating consumers mis‑sold car loans and leasing products....
SEC Chief Offers Rewards for Fraud Detection
Did you see the news about @SecScottBessent offering rewards to people who find and submit fraud? Well feed this thread into ChatGPT deep think and thank me later 👇
Legal Roundup: Viral Counsel, NJ U.S. Attorney, $17M Partner, NAACP
In the latest Judicial Notice, my legal news roundup: - a viral video of contumacious counsel; - a new U.S. attorney for New Jersey; - a law firm raising top partner pay (to $17 million); and - the next GC of the @NAACP. LINK:...
25-906 - Lawrence V. Commissioner of Social Security Administration Et Al
On March 27, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma issued a memorandum opinion and order in Lawrence v. Commissioner of Social Security Administration. Magistrate Judge Suzanne Mitchell affirmed the Social Security Administration’s decision regarding the...
25-151 - Hawley Et Al V. Board of Trustees for the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority Et Al
The federal court dismissed several defendants in Hawley et al v. Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority without prejudice, citing procedural failures such as untimely service and non‑response to a show‑cause order. Brandi Garner’s claims were thrown out for not stating...
22-127 - Moss Et Al V. Board of County Commissioners of Canadian County Et Al
On March 25, 2026, U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk issued an order in Moss et al v. Board of County Commissioners of Canadian County et al, granting most motions to dismiss. Claims against Judge Hughey and several defendants were...
26-356 - Hale V. Grady Co Sheriff
On March 26, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, presided by Judge Bernard M. Jones II, adopted Report and Recommendation 6 and dismissed the petitioner’s writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 without prejudice. The dismissal leaves...
25-1158 - Yeatman V. Crews Et Al
Yeatman v. Crews et al is a civil action filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, docket number 25‑1158, with a filing date listed as 2026. The publicly accessible GovInfo entry provides only navigation...
26-221 - Abhishek V. Holt Et Al
On March 27, 2026 a federal district court partially granted Abhishek v. Holt’s petition for habeas relief, ordering immigration officials to provide a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) within seven days or release the petitioner if the hearing is not held. The court...
SEC Investigates Whether Three Employees Golfed During Duty Hours
The SEC Office of Inspector General examined three staff members who allegedly played golf during core duty hours while logging telework on official timecards. The investigation revealed they did not use any leave categories for the absences. The U.S. Attorney’s...
AAFA Claims CalRecycle’s Selection of Landbell USA Fails to Uphold Statutory Requirements
The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) filed a petition in Sacramento Superior Court challenging CalRecycle’s February selection of Landbell USA as the producer‑responsibility organization (PRO) under California’s new Responsible Textile Recovery Act (SB 707). AAFA alleges Landbell violates statutory...
Illinois Hospital Sued Over Vaccine Mandate
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Silver Cross Hospital for refusing a religious accommodation request from a surgical technologist who declined the COVID‑19 vaccine. The employee asked for an exemption in August 2021; the hospital denied the request and terminated...
FDA Signals Possible Approval of Peptides and Novel Ingredients in Supplements
The Food and Drug Administration indicated it could broaden the definition of permissible dietary supplement ingredients, potentially allowing peptides, novel probiotics and other non‑food substances. The move follows a public meeting convened at the request of the Natural Products Association...
Judge Blocks Nexstar's $6.2 Billion Tegna Deal, Halting TV‑Station Giant
A federal judge has issued a 14‑day temporary restraining order on Nexstar Media Group's $6.2 billion purchase of Tegna, stopping the creation of a broadcast entity that would control 260 stations and reach about 60% of U.S. households. The injunction follows...
Albany Diocese Reaches $148 Million Agreement With Abuse Survivors Committee
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany agreed to fund a $148 million settlement for clergy‑abuse claims, pending approval by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and a survivor vote. The 126 parishes will contribute $50 million, while the diocese and its affiliates cover the...
A Florida Hospital Drops Its Lawsuit Against a Woman Who Refused to Leave the Facility
Florida’s Tallahassee Memorial Hospital withdrew a lawsuit it filed to evict a former patient who remained in room 373 for months after her October discharge. The hospital had sought a court injunction and sheriff assistance, arguing the occupied room strained...