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
Vanta Introduces Automation Tools to Streamline Enterprise Compliance
Vanta unveiled a new suite of automation tools aimed at streamlining enterprise compliance and privacy management. The offering introduces three context‑aware agents—Compliance, Third‑party Risk Management, and Customer Trust—that continuously monitor evidence, assess vendor risk, and automate security query responses. New enterprise capabilities such as adaptive business‑unit scoping, a standardized control framework, and custom information request lists further reduce duplication and improve oversight. Integrated privacy automation now centralizes ROPA, data inventories, and DPIAs, delivering real‑time visibility for CISOs.
Parliamentary Group Warns Misuse of NDAs Undermines Workplace Trust
A cross‑party parliamentary roundtable warned that non‑disclosure agreements (NDAs) are being misused to conceal workplace harassment and discrimination, eroding trust and accountability. While NDAs can have legitimate uses, evidence showed 79% of employees who report misconduct face retaliation and 43%...
“Focus on Your Health” Is Not a Lawful Reason to Fire Someone
The EEOC has filed a lawsuit against a Mississippi restaurant, alleging an Americans with Disabilities Act violation after the employer fired an employee with a seizure disorder nine days after a seizure. The termination letter told the worker to “focus...
'I Did Not Call Myself a Dictator:' Credit-Union CEO
California Coast Credit Union CEO Todd Lane is embroiled in a rare, combative merger dispute with San Diego County Credit Union (SDCCU). After SDCCU attempted to renegotiate the April 2025 deal and install its own CEO, Cal Coast sued, alleging breach of the...
How Do Recent Actions From FDA Provide Insight to the Agency's Enforcement Posture?
The FDA’s Rare Disease Evidence Principles (RDEP) introduce flexible trial designs, allowing sponsors to use natural‑history data and novel biomarkers as endpoints. These guidances aim to accelerate approvals for rare‑disease therapies while maintaining safety as a top priority. However, analysts...
Poached LOs Sue Former Lender for Email Surveillance
Loan officer couple Ashley and Christopher Hoehn have filed a federal lawsuit against former employer Stockton Mortgage, alleging the company used forensic tools to scrape their private Gmail messages from company laptops. The suit adds a computer‑fraud claim to an...
Trump Regulators Forge Ahead with Crypto Rules Amid Senate Holdups
The SEC, together with the CFTC, released guidance that categorizes digital assets into five groups, clarifying that only digital securities are subject to securities law. This move comes as Congress wrestles with market‑structure legislation, with the Senate’s bills delayed over...
The UK Stablecoin Is Already Here – Scottish Banknotes
The UK government is eager to regulate stablecoins, but Scotland already operates a stable‑coin regime through its own banknotes. Issued by three commercial banks, Scottish notes circulate as legal currency backed by assets, and the Banking Act 2009’s definition allows them...
CMA Dithers on Cloud Probe as Microsoft's Meter Runs on Taxpayer Dime
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has repeatedly postponed a ruling on its public‑cloud market investigation, allowing existing Crown Commercial Service contracts with Microsoft to continue unchecked. As a result, public‑sector bodies remain tied to costly, long‑term licences that...
Premerger Notification Office Accepting Old HSR Form Again
A Fifth Circuit panel denied the FTC’s request for a stay, activating a district court ruling that vacates the 2024 HSR filing form. As a result, the FTC’s Premerger Notification Office will again accept the pre‑February 10 2025 HSR form, though filers...
Why Mobile-First Onboarding Is Better
Law firms that still rely on web portals are falling behind as clients demand instant, mobile‑first onboarding. Checkboard’s app‑based solution consolidates AML, source‑of‑funds, biometric ID and payment steps into a single workflow, eliminating fragmented links. The unified mobile experience drives...
Meta Faces Lawsuit Alleging Age Bias in Layoffs; Senior Leader Claims Losses
Meta Platforms is being sued over its 2025 layoff round, which the plaintiff alleges disproportionately targeted employees aged 40 and older. Former senior director Nicolas Franchet claims he was given a low performance rating to justify his termination, resulting in...
Greece: Trial over Tempi Disaster Finally Gets Underway with 24-Hour Rail Strike
Greek rail services were suspended for a 24‑hour strike as the trial for the February 2023 Tempi disaster began. The trial, expected to last at least two years, will hear from over 350 witnesses and prosecute 36 railway officials for...
Russia Court Sentences Poets for Reading Anti-War Poetry
In December 2023 a Moscow court sentenced poet Artyom Kamadarin to seven years and poet Yegor Shtovba to five and a half years for reciting anti‑war verses. The convictions rely on Articles 282(2)(v) and 280.4(3) of Russia’s Criminal Code, which...
SEC Sued Over Not Refereeing Rule 14a-8 Process
Two shareholder advocacy groups, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility and As You Sow, have filed a lawsuit against the SEC for its November statement that it will not entertain most Rule 14a-8 no‑action requests until September 30, 2026, except...
Regulating Peptide Sales Protects Consumers over Hype
Peptides are all the rage right now, but it’s hard to see how they are different from the previous generations of snake oils. The principle that anything that makes a health claim should have to justify it with scientific evidence...
Super Micro Indictment Highlights AI Infrastructure Supply Chain Risks
A federal indictment alleges Super Micro executives facilitated moving Nvidia AI chips to China, prompting co‑founder Yih‑Shyan Liaw's resignation. The case highlights the clash between soaring AI hardware demand, tightening export controls, and supply‑chain integrity. Analysts warn that reliance on...
Former Knights Paralegal Barred for Stalking
Senior paralegal Gemma Clarke, formerly of Knights, was barred by the Solicitors Regulation Authority after convictions for two stalking offences and criminal damage valued under £5,000 (≈$6,250). The convictions occurred on May 1 and September 16, 2024, and the SRA cited breaches of...
HK Police Can Now Demand Phone Passwords Under New National Security Rules
Hong Kong police have been granted new powers under amended National Security Law provisions to demand passwords from individuals suspected of security offences. Refusal to comply can result in up to one year in jail and a fine of roughly...
Why Legal AI Keeps Getting Context Wrong
Legal AI tools deliver fluent, fast contract language but often miss the nuanced context that drives commercial decisions. The article argues that the gap isn’t model intelligence but the lack of organisational, transactional, and market context fed into the system....
No Exequatur Granted for a Panamanian Judgment in Greece Due to Public Policy Considerations [Piraeus Court of First...
The Piraeus Court of First Instance refused to grant an exequatur for a 2024 Panama Maritime Court judgment, finding the required appeal security of roughly $45 million disproportionate and contrary to Greek public policy. Panama law mandates a security equal to...
Ghana Card Now Central to Fighting MoMo Fraud
Ghana announced a new policy that will block any Ghana Card linked to multiple mobile‑money (MoMo) fraud cases, effectively cutting offenders off from telecom services and public digital platforms. The move follows a surge in fraud, with the Bank of...
Live From LegalWeek with Abdi Shayesteh & Patricia Libby
In this Legal Week live episode, Abdi Shayesteh, CEO of Alta Clara, and Chief Learning Officer Patricia Libby discuss their AI‑driven training platform that simulates depositions and other oral advocacy scenarios. They explain how the new DepoSim uses AI‑generated witnesses,...
RegScale Recognized in the 2026 Gartner® Market Guide for DevOps Continuous Compliance Automation Tools
RegScale, a continuous controls monitoring platform, has been included in Gartner’s 2026 Market Guide for DevOps Continuous Compliance Automation Tools. The inclusion highlights growing enterprise demand for automated, AI‑driven compliance embedded directly in CI/CD pipelines. Gartner forecasts that by 2028,...
KIIS Expected Me to Berate Henderson, Sandilands Tells Court
Controversial radio host Kyle Sandilands has filed a Federal Court claim seeking to overturn ARN's termination of his $100 million (≈$66 million) KI & S contract. The filing reveals a $7.4 million (≈$4.9 million) base salary, $120,000 (≈$79,000) flight allowance, $500,000 (≈$330,000) advertising budget and $2 million...
Landlords in Major UK Town Issued with Licensing Warning
Blackpool Council has intensified its selective licensing scheme, requiring landlords of roughly 9,000 private‑rented homes to obtain a licence or face prosecution and fines. More than half of the properties have already registered, and 30% meet the council’s higher “Blackpool...
Mumbai Int'l Petitions Court over $92mn Jet Airways Debt
Mumbai International has filed a petition in court demanding repayment of approximately $92 million owed by the insolvent Jet Airways. The claim comes as the airline’s liquidator continues to manage asset sales, including pending auctions of Boeing 777‑300ERs and the transfer...
The Continuing Threat of Individual FCPA Enforcement Actions in 2026
The final quarter of 2025 saw a modest resurgence in FCPA activity after the June 2025 DOJ guidelines, but the key trend is that individual enforcement remains robust. While the revised Corporate Enforcement Policy encourages corporate leniency through self‑disclosure and...
Sitharaman to Move Finance Bill 2026 and Corporate Laws Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha Today
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will introduce the Finance Bill 2026 and the Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill 2026 in the Lok Sabha during the second phase of the budget session. The Finance Bill will operationalise the government’s fiscal proposals for FY 2026‑27, while...
Episode 400 — Reopening 9/11 — A UK Supreme Court Battle Over Truth, Power, and Accountability
Matthew Campbell’s quest to reopen the inquest into his brother’s death at the World Trade Center has reached the UK Supreme Court. The Attorney General denied a fresh inquest, and lower courts upheld that refusal, raising the question of whether...
Webinar: AI Risks, Ethics & Compliance Programs — Building a Defensible Governance Framework
The Volkov Law webinar on April 7, 2026 will guide legal and compliance leaders through building a defensible AI governance framework. It distinguishes AI risk from traditional technology risk, highlighting high‑stakes decision‑making systems versus productivity tools. The session outlines board‑level...
Administrative Law and AI’s Overconfidence
The article warns that large language models like ChatGPT often deliver confident, plausible‑sounding answers that can be factually wrong, likening them to overconfident taxi drivers. It explains that under the Administrative Procedure Act, courts will reject agency actions that rely...
9 Months In, FDA’s New Priority Voucher Program Still Clouded With Uncertainty
The FDA’s National Priority Voucher (CNPV) program, launched in June 2025, promises to cut drug review times from 10‑12 months to just one or two months for products that meet defined national priorities. Early successes include Johnson & Johnson’s Tecvayli/Darzalex...
Google Parks ‘$20 Billion Investment’ over Fears the $5.5 Trillion Behemoth Might Have to Pay More Australian Tax
Google Australia has put its proposed $20 billion data‑centre programme on hold, citing fears that the projects could be deemed a permanent establishment and subject to Australia’s 30% corporate tax rate. The pause follows a decline in the subsidiary’s effective tax...
“Serious Breach of Rules:” Regulator Cracks Down on Non-Compliant Water Heater Installs
The Victorian Essential Services Commission has accepted its first court‑enforceable undertaking against Ecovantage, mandating the company to correct non‑compliant heat‑pump water‑heater installations at its own expense. The regulator alleges Ecovantage claimed up to 31,666 energy‑efficiency certificates for upgrades that violated...
Federal Court Greenlights Lawsuit Over Trump Student‑Visa Rules
A U.S. federal court has permitted a lawsuit to proceed against the Trump administration’s recent executive actions that slashed student‑visa allocations. The case targets rules that have already reduced visa numbers by roughly 30%, sparking concern among universities and immigration...
DEA Fine Tunes Power of Attorney and DEA-222 Requirements
On March 20, 2026, the DEA issued a technical amendment to its 2019 final rule that clarifies who may execute and revoke Power of Attorney documents for DEA Form 222 and who may sign the form itself. The amendment aligns...
Obscure State Laws Demand Witchcraft Proof for Quadruple Damages
Every state has an old timey common law claim that gets asserted by an older attorney or the most insane pro se litigant around. It’s called like “bill of the wash” and it comes with 4x damages, attorneys’ fees, and...
Gastineau's $100M ESPN Documentary Lawsuit Dismissed
Gastineau’s $100M ESPN ’30 for 30’ Suit Fails Due to Newsworthiness https://t.co/ueQBQRyNdC via @sportico @McCannSportsLaw
NYC Mayor Mamdani Administration Holds First Junk Fees Task Force Meeting
Mayor Mamdani’s administration convened the first Citywide Junk Fees Task Force on March 18, 2026, following Executive Orders 9 and 10 that target hidden consumer charges. Ten city agencies gathered at City Hall to coordinate data sharing, enforcement plans, and policy development aimed at...
Three Words “Matter Is Classified” Toppled Pam Bondi
"Matter Is Classified" — The Three Words That Just Collapsed Pam Bondi's... https://t.co/9oDBqqIJTL via @YouTube
Century‑Old Jones Act Still Stifles U.S. Shipping
The best parts of this very good @60Minutes segment have gotta be when @cpgrabow tells @LesleyRStahl a few basic Jones Act absurdities, and she repeatedly gasps "NO!" in disbelief - truly shocked that a century-old US law could be...
Rising This Week: 'Imperial Prerogative'
U.S. federal prosecutors are expanding investigations into several Latin American leaders, including Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, and Cuba’s top officials. The push follows renewed attention to the “Barr Doctrine,” a legal framework from the 1990 Noriega raid that asserts...
Webcast: Workplace Discrimination Update
A new webcast reviews recent federal court rulings that finally reach a hearing on workplace discrimination, delivering practical guidance for employers. It dissects how judges interpret statutes across direct and indirect discrimination, disability accommodations, age, race, and sexual harassment. The...
ACMA Mulls Booze Ads During Sport Crackdown
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has launched a review of commercial TV alcohol advertising rules, focusing on placements alongside sports broadcasts. The consultation, which runs until 30 April 2026, examines Code of Practice sections 6.2 and 8 that define permissible...
Family Violence Protection Orders Can Be a Lifeline, but the System Needs Reforming
Family violence protection orders help over 100,000 Australians each year by legally restricting abusive partners and providing a deterrent through criminal penalties for breaches. While they can reduce repeat violence, the system is fragmented across states, with inconsistent definitions, durations,...
A New Era of Legal Operations
The UK legal market is entering a historic transformation driven by consultant‑led and platform models, a surge in alternative business structures, and a wave of private‑equity investment totaling roughly £1.2 bn over five years. Remote‑work trends have accelerated the rise of...