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
More RIAs Are Outsourcing Their Compliance. Is that a Problem?
Outsourced chief compliance officers (CCOs) are gaining traction, now covering roughly 8% of SEC‑registered RIAs according to 2024 Form ADV data. The practice has expanded for three consecutive years, with more than 2,500 OCCOs handling multiple firms, and a handful overseeing ten or more. While the SEC’s 2015 risk alert warned that firms remain fully responsible for compliance, capacity limits and template‑driven approaches raise concerns about oversight quality. Nonetheless, smaller advisors favor outsourcing to obtain senior expertise without the expense of a full‑time hire.
SEBI Proposes IT Resilience Index to Enhance Market Infrastructure Oversight
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has unveiled a draft framework for an IT Resilience Index (ITRI) aimed at monitoring the robustness of technology systems used by market infrastructure institutions (MIIs) such as stock exchanges, clearing houses, and...
Flight Attendant Sues After Airline Retaliated Againt Her When She Reported Veteran Coworker For Drinking On the Job
A newly hired flight attendant at SkyWest Airlines sued the carrier, alleging retaliation after she reported a senior instructor who appeared intoxicated during a United Express flight in November 2024. The complaint claims SkyWest denied her protected medical leave, stripped...
Convicted Meta CEO Appointed to Trump AI Panel
The day after a jury convicts Meta of illegally endangering children, Trump puts Mark Zuckerberg on a panel overseeing AI regulation. https://t.co/4N3X1BoDBC
DigiCert Document Trust Manager Enhancements Improve Document Security and Compliance
DigiCert has upgraded its Document Trust Manager to counter AI‑driven document fraud by centralising signing key management and workflow visibility. The enhancements add unified monitoring, a secure certificate repository with MFA, and pre‑integrated support for DocuSign, Adobe Sign and other...
Countries Ban Teen Social Media, Raising New Parenting Challenges
France, Spain, Malaysia and Australia have announced bans on social‑media use for minors, and the United Kingdom is weighing a similar measure. Lawmakers say the steps protect mental health and give parents a clear rule, but experts warn the bans...
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re Reading About a Merck Acquisition, the Rise of Former Loxo Execs at Lilly, and More
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has filed a proposed settlement with CVS Caremark, accusing the pharmacy‑benefit manager of artificially inflating insulin prices and limiting patient access. The deal, which still requires FTC chair approval, mirrors a recent settlement with Cigna’s...
US Indictment Says China's Fentanyl Suppliers Engineered Addiction Through Cartels. Their Websites Are Still Online
A federal grand jury in Ohio indicted two Chinese chemical firms and six Chinese nationals for conspiring to supply fentanyl precursors and cutting agents to Mexican cartels, including a terrorism count for material support to the Gulf Cartel. Prosecutors allege...
Thomson Reuters to Launch ‘Thomson’ Legal LLM This Summer, Leveraging Open‑Source Foundations
Thomson Reuters announced that its new legally‑trained large language model, “Thomson,” will go live this summer. Built on open‑source model weights and the company’s massive legal data set, the LLM will power CoCounsel and can be deployed on‑premise, offering firms...
End‑to‑End Onchain Compliance Accelerates with Bluprynt Team
Supporting end to end, off to onchain compliance, is kicking into high gear. Proud of my @blupryntco team as we work with some of the leading firms in the world.
Maharashtra Government Reviews VRS Row at Bajaj Electronics Unit in Nashik
The Maharashtra government has stepped in to review a dispute over a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) at Bajaj Electronics Limited’s Nashik facility, where workers allege coercion. Labour Minister Akash Fundkar chaired a meeting in Mumbai and ordered both the company...
SpaceX IPO Targets $1‑1.75 Trillion Valuation, $75 Billion Raise
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is set to file its IPO prospectus this week, eyeing a June debut that could fetch more than $75 billion in new capital and a valuation between $1 trillion and $1.75 trillion. The deal would involve top Wall Street banks...
New Mexico Jury Orders Meta to Pay $375 Million for Child Safety Violations
A New Mexico jury has ordered Meta Platforms Inc. to pay $375 million after finding the company misled users about platform safety and enabled child sexual exploitation. The verdict, the largest consumer‑protection judgment against a tech firm in the state, could...
Snowflake Investors Urged to Lead Securities Fraud Class Action
The Rosen Law Firm is pressing Snowflake (NYSE: SNOW) shareholders who bought Class A shares between June 27 2023 and Feb 28 2024 to file to become lead plaintiffs in a securities‑fraud lawsuit. The firm says the company overstated product usage and concealed the...
Freeport-McMoRan Discloses FCPA Scrutiny
Freeport-McMoRan disclosed that it is investigating its Indonesian joint venture, PT Smelting, for possible violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other anti‑bribery laws. The probe was launched after the company voluntarily notified the SEC and DOJ and...
UBS Secures U.S. Banking License to Offer Full‑Service Checking Accounts
UBS announced it has received a U.S. banking license, clearing the way to offer full‑service checking accounts to American consumers. The move positions the Swiss wealth manager to compete directly with established U.S. banks such as JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley.
Legal Industry Reaches AI Tipping Point: Majority of Lawyers Now Using Gen AI Despite Persistent Reliability Concerns
In 2025, a majority of lawyers embraced generative AI, with 63% of mid‑sized firms formally adopting tools such as Microsoft Copilot. Yet 81% of firm leaders voiced concerns over reliability, highlighted by a ten‑fold rise to 487 AI‑related hallucination cases...
Ban Pay-to-Play National Security Approvals
In December, TikTok agreed to spin off its U.S. operations to a consortium of Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi’s MGX, creating TikTok USDS Joint Venture with roughly 45% ownership for the investors. The Wall Street Journal revealed the investors...
House GOP Blocks Crypto‑housing Trade, Halting Crypto Provisions in Senate Bill
House Republicans voted down a proposal to pair cryptocurrency reforms with a housing‑affordability package, leaving crypto provisions in the Senate’s housing bill stalled. The move underscores the GOP’s focus on fiscal oversight and highlights a widening partisan gap over digital‑asset...
FDA Halts Elevidys Trial, Fueling New Right‑to‑Try Debate for Duchenne Families
A mother’s plea after the FDA halted the Elevidys gene‑therapy trial for her son with Duchenne muscular dystrophy has reignited criticism of the 2018 Right‑to‑Try Act. The agency’s decision, triggered by two deaths in a broader trial, cuts off a...
MEPs Urge Brussels to Widen Textile Ecodesign Rules
Fifteen Members of the European Parliament have written to EU Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall and DG Eric Mamer urging that the upcoming textile ecodesign Delegated Act go beyond recyclability and recycled‑content targets. The MEPs argue the legislation should also mandate the use of...
EU Commission Loses Another Access to Documents Court Case
The EU General Court ruled that the European Commission must grant the environmental NGO ClientEarth access to documents related to the renewed approval of the pesticide cypermethrin. The court rejected the Commission’s claim that disclosing member‑state positions from closed‑door comitology...
Vail Resorts, Alterra Face Antitrust Lawsuit for Ikon and Epic Passes
A class‑action lawsuit accuses Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Company of antitrust violations tied to their Epic and Ikon multi‑mountain passes. Plaintiffs claim the firms inflate single‑day lift‑ticket prices to force skiers into costly bundled passes, harming independent ski areas....
UK Moves Closer to Ban on Crypto Cash in Politics
A government‑commissioned review has recommended that the UK temporarily bar political parties from accepting cryptocurrency donations while regulators assess the associated transparency risks. Former civil servant Philip Rycroft warned that anonymous crypto flows could undermine election integrity and suggested a...
Govt Extends Annual Tax Return Deadline to April 30
Indonesia's finance ministry announced that the annual tax return deadline for the 2025 tax year has been pushed back from March 31 to April 30, aligning individual filers with corporations. By March 24, only 8.8 million of the 15 million expected returns had been submitted,...
Fintrac Crypto Crackdown Tests Real Bite of Canada’s AML Regime
Fintrac, Canada’s AML watchdog, revoked the registrations of 23 cryptocurrency money‑services businesses on Tuesday, adding to 12 revocations earlier this month for a total of 35 firms in days. The moves represent over 10 percent of all revocations in the past...
Brendan Carr Tries To ‘Ban’ All Foreign Routers In Lazy, Legally Dubious Shakedown
The FCC, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, announced that all routers manufactured abroad will be placed on its “covered list,” effectively requiring conditional approval before they can be sold in the United States. Approval must come from the Department of...
Apple Rolls Out UK Age Checks for iPhone Users
Apple has introduced mandatory age‑verification checks for iPhone users in the United Kingdom, aiming to comply with the country's new Online Safety Bill. The system will prompt users to confirm their age using Apple ID credentials, Face ID, or a government‑issued...
Dentons Deploys Lexis Everyfile Within Its UK Legal Delivery Centre
Global law firm Dentons has completed a phased rollout of LexisNexis’s web‑based matter management solution, Lexis Everyfile, across its UK Legal Delivery Centre. The platform centralises case files, documents, and workflow steps, giving teams greater visibility and reducing operational friction....
My Clients Don’t Know Where I Live
After leaving an AmLaw 200 firm, the author launched Texas Appellate Counsel as a fully remote practice. He discovered that long‑time clients often don’t even know the city where he lives, underscoring that proximity is no longer a trust factor....
Britain's Flood Aid Skews Toward Wealthy Property Owners
Thanks to a legal anachronism, Britain’s state-backed plan intended to help those most exposed to flooding has ended up favoring the country’s richest property owners. Read more: https://t.co/9Yq4eBOD8c 📷️: Getty Images https://t.co/VGEX0TLOnt
Lawsuit Targets HUD, PHH over Reverse Mortgage Non-Borrowing Spouse Gap
A federal lawsuit filed March 23, 2026 challenges HUD and mortgage servicer PHH over the treatment of a non‑borrowing spouse on a 2011 reverse mortgage. The plaintiff argues that HUD’s regulations only protect spouses for loans originated after August 4, 2014, leaving...
Ofcom Cheers as Apple Intros Age Verification for UK Users
Apple has launched an age‑verification system for UK Apple ID users, requiring new accounts to confirm age via credit card or government ID and checking existing accounts for eligible payment methods. Users under 18, or those who have not verified,...
PRA Fines The Bank of London Group and Oplyse £2m
The UK Prudential Regulation Authority has fined The Bank of London Group and its parent Oplyse Holdings £2 million (≈ $2.5 million) for deliberately misrepresenting their capital position between October 2021 and May 2024. The regulator said the firms provided fabricated documents, breached capital adequacy...
Why Namibia Slammed the Door on Starlink
Namibia’s Communications Regulatory Authority rejected Starlink’s applications for a telecom service licence and spectrum access, citing failure to meet ownership and compliance criteria. The regulator found Starlink complied with only three of six statutory requirements, notably lacking the mandated 51 %...
Govt Eyes More Control of Foreign-Funded Assets Under FCRA Amendment Bill
India's government has introduced the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, which creates a designated authority to take control of foreign‑funded assets when an organization loses its FCRA registration. The authority can manage, transfer, or sell these assets, directing proceeds...
The Supreme Court Loses Faith in America
The Supreme Court heard *Watson v. RNC*, challenging Mississippi's rule that counts mail‑in ballots postmarked by Election Day if they arrive within five business days. The case could affect similar statutes in 14 states and the District of Columbia ahead...
The Reception of Hilton v Guyot and Comity in the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Anglophone Africa
The blog examines how Anglophone African courts are integrating the U.S. comity doctrine from Hilton v. Guyot into the traditionally obligation‑based common‑law regime for recognizing foreign judgments. Liberia stands out as the only jurisdiction that fully embraces comity, while Kenya...
Convicted Child Sex Offender in Texas Denaturalized With Help From USCIS
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) assisted ICE in revoking the citizenship of Carlos Noe Gallegos, a Mexican national who concealed a child sexual‑assault conviction during his 2010 naturalization. The Southern District of Texas found his citizenship was illegally obtained...
SOURCE SPORTS: Former MLB Star Frank Thomas Files Lawsuit Against Chicago White Sox, Nike and Fanatics For Appropriation Of Name...
Former MLB Hall of Famer Frank Thomas has filed a lawsuit against the Chicago White Sox, Nike, and Fanatics, alleging unauthorized use of his name, image, and likeness on the team’s City Connect 2.0 jerseys featuring his retired No. 35. The complaint,...
Coinbase Calls in Checkmate
Coinbase has hired Checkmate Government Relations, a firm with strong ties to the Trump administration, to manage its digital‑asset lobbying. The move comes as the Senate debates the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, the most extensive crypto‑regulation proposal to date....
States Move Forward with Pro-Gun Legislation
A wave of pro‑gun bills is moving through state legislatures, including Virginia's proposal to let victims of shootings in gun‑free zones sue the government and measures in Florida, Louisiana, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming that would permit concealed‑carry permit holders...
Research: Regulatory Developments in the UK Internal Market
The UK Office for the Internal Market (OIM) launched a Regulatory Developments Dashboard on 31 March 2025, offering a searchable view of potential regulatory differences across the UK internal market. Users can filter data by policy owner, regulatory area, sector, territorial application...
Employment Reform in Motion – Why Additional Time May Not Heal the System
From 1 December Acas extended the early‑conciliation period from six to twelve weeks to ease administrative pressure. However, Acas data for April‑June 2025 shows 68 percent of notifications never progress to an ET1 claim, and tribunals remain back‑logged, with hearings sometimes scheduled years...
A Busy Month at the SEC: What Compliance Teams Need to Do Now
Over the past month the SEC overhauled its enforcement manual for the first time in nearly ten years, announced the resignation of its enforcement chief, and signed a memorandum of understanding with the CFTC. It also hinted at a rule...
Why Blowing the Whistle Is the Right Thing — and How to Do It Right
The article traces whistleblower protection back to 1777 when naval officers Richard Marven and Samuel Shaw exposed misconduct, prompting Congress to pass the first U.S. whistleblower law in 1778. It highlights the modern Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) program launched in...
Pressure Piles on Social Media as Fintechs Demand Fraud Action
Fintech firms are urging social‑media platforms to shoulder more responsibility for fraud after a new Payments Association report highlighted their role in scams. The study found roughly two‑thirds of authorised push‑payment (APP) fraud originates on social networks, marketplaces and messaging...
Professor Sues Texas University that Terminated Contract After Palestine Talk
Idris Robinson, a tenure‑track philosophy professor at Texas State University, sued the school after it placed him on administrative leave and announced termination of his contract for a 2024 off‑campus talk on the Israeli‑Palestinian conflict. The university cited multiple complaints...
The Secretary of War Didn’t Really Mean It, Contends US Government Lawyer as Anthropic Gets Its First Day in Court...
Anthropic appeared before U.S. District Judge Rita Lin to challenge a Trump 2.0‑issued blanket ban that bars any contractor working with the Department of War from using its AI technology. The judge highlighted that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s social‑media announcement...
What the Heck Is a 28th Regime?
In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Bruegel experts Reinhilde Wöglers, Fiona Scott Morton, and Professor Tobias Tröger discuss the European Commission’s new “28th regime” – a voluntary corporate‑law tool aimed at simplifying company formation and attracting venture‑capital investment across...