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
NDIS Provider Aidacare Admits to Misleading Customers About Their Consumer Guarantee Rights
Aidacare, a registered NDIS healthcare equipment provider, admitted to making false or misleading statements about consumer guarantee rights between January 2022 and May 2025 and using unfair contract terms that restricted remedies for faulty products. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) secured a court‑enforceable undertaking requiring Aidacare to remediate affected customers, cease the unfair terms, and implement a compliance program. The company will also provide interim solutions for delayed repairs or replacements. This action highlights growing regulatory scrutiny of NDIS providers under Australian Consumer Law.
Mom Says School Covered up Answers with Pages of Blacked-Out Records
Mid‑Michigan parent Kourtney alleges Bay‑Arenac Intermediate School District obstructed her request for her special‑needs son’s records, delivering roughly 6,000 largely unrelated pages with extensive redactions. She claims the district cited attorney‑client privilege for blacked‑out pages, some predating any litigation, and...
Detainees Urge Minnesota Judge to Extend Order Protecting Attorney Access
Immigration detainees in Minnesota asked a federal judge to extend the February restraining order that guarantees attorney access at the Bishop Henry Whipple detention center. Advocates report that the order has halved average detention times and cut stays longer than...
Tougher Penalties for Gay Hate Crimes
The New South Wales government introduced legislation to increase penalties for hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people. The reforms raise the maximum imprisonment for publicly threatening or inciting violence from three to five years, and create an aggravated offence carrying up...
Colorado Adopts AI Framework Ensuring Notice, Correction, Human Review
I’m grateful to the task force for developing a framework to guide how Colorado uses AI. Under this proposal, Coloradans would get upfront notice when AI is used in major decisions, the ability to correct errors, and the right to...
“Concerning Practices” Found During Surprise Gold Coast Compliance Inspections
Australian regulators conducted surprise inspections of about 25 Gold Coast eateries under Operation Crimson. The Fair Work Ombudsman and the Australian Taxation Office targeted venues based on employee complaints, prior non‑compliance and the employment of vulnerable visa workers. Inspectors found...
Rights Group Criticizes New China Cybercrime Bill as Threat to Free Expression and Information Access
Human Rights Watch has condemned China’s draft Cybercrime Prevention and Control Law, saying it threatens privacy, free expression, and access to information. While the bill targets illegal activities such as fraud and child pornography, it expands real‑name registration and includes...
‘Releasable Youths’ Sue Colorado for a Path to Pretrial Freedom
A class‑action lawsuit filed by Colorado youths deemed "releasable" alleges the state continues to confine them in juvenile detention facilities despite court orders for release. Between 2024 and 2025, 693 minors were held after being found eligible for release, with...
Amyl and the Sniffers’ Amy Taylor and US Photographer Urged to Explore Settlement in Copyright Dispute
An LA court has ordered Amy Taylor of Amyl and the Sniffers and U.S. photographer Jamie Nelson to explore a settlement in their ongoing copyright dispute. Nelson asserts she holds sole rights to the "Champagne Problems" photo series published in...
AI Legal Tech Startup MiAI Law Raised $2 Million
Australian legal‑tech startup MiAI Law, founded by barrister Laina Chan, announced a $2 million seed round raised in five days from family, staff and angel investors. The platform differentiates itself by linking case law and statutes through a transparent reasoning engine...
Las Vegas Newspaper Demands County Release Records of Official’s Investigation
The Las Vegas Review‑Journal filed a lawsuit against Clark County to obtain records of an investigation into former Construction Management Division manager Jimmy Floyd, who is accused of steering $442,200 of county road‑construction funds to his wife’s subcontractor. The county...
Annual Tulane Corporate Law Institute
The Tulane Corporate Law Institute’s annual seminar convened Delaware Supreme Court justices, Chancery judges, and leading practitioners to dissect the year’s pivotal corporate law rulings. Highlights included the Supreme Court’s revisit of Elon Musk’s Tesla compensation package, new guidance on...
Cyprus Orders Mandatory Acceptance of Digital Citizen App Credentials
Cyprus has issued a legal order that obliges all organizations to treat identity documents presented through the Digital Citizen mobile app as equivalent to their physical counterparts in face‑to‑face transactions. The decree, signed by the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation...
Using NJT, SCOTUS Sets Limits on State ‘Sovereign Immunity’
On March 4, 2026 the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion in Galette v. New Jersey Transit, holding that NJ Transit is not an "arm of the State" and therefore cannot claim sovereign immunity in out‑of‑state lawsuits. The Court...
Know the Line: Planning Vs. Advice Liability
Understanding the difference between tax planning and tax advice is crucial for advisors seeking to stay on the right side of this liability line. Tax planning may involve discussing general tax rules, modeling hypothetical scenarios, or analyzing the tax impact...
EU Lawmakers Must Act Now to Ensure the Continued Protection of Children
Technology firms warn that the EU ePrivacy derogation, which has underpinned voluntary child sexual abuse material (CSAM) detection since 2021, will lapse on April 3. The expiry would strip legal certainty that enables companies to use hash‑matching tools to spot and...
CMS Accepting Comments on Data Collection Requirements for Medicare Advantage Plans, Part D Sponsors
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has opened a public comment period, ending May 11, on proposed revisions to data reporting requirements for Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D sponsors. The updates, intended for contract year 2027, clarify...
351 Exchanges Demand 25% and 50% Diversification Rules
Diversification is a core requirement of a 351 exchange. Before assets can be contributed, the portfolio must satisfy specific IRS diversification tests. This video explains how those rules work in practice. The two key tests: The 25% Rule - No single security can represent...
US V. Two Noble Lasers
In this episode, host Benjamin Wittes and court reporter Anna Bauer debrief the bizarre federal court appearance of Wittes, dubbed the "Lord Laser" trial, where no judge was present and a DOJ prosecutor ran the proceeding like a plea‑conference. They...
Balt Resolves $1.2 FCPA Enforcement Action
The U.S. Department of Justice resolved a $1.2 million Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement action against Balt SAS, a French medical‑device company. The DOJ determined Balt paid roughly $602,000 in bribes to a senior physician at a state‑owned French hospital, treating...
Going Dark: NY Lawmakers Want Outdoor Lights Turned Off Every Night At 11PM
New York Assembly Bill A4615 seeks to amend the Dark Skies Protection Act by mandating that most outdoor lighting be turned off between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., with exemptions for safety‑critical fixtures. The legislation, targeted for a Jan 1 2028 start, aims to...
"University of Regina Prof '… Was Not a Pretendian,' Says Judge" In Defamation Case Brought by the Professor
A Saskatchewan judge awarded University of Regina professor $70,000 in damages, finding she was defamed by accusations that she pretended to be Indigenous and used forged documents. The court clarified that the defamation stemmed from fraud allegations, not merely the...
The Hidden Cost of “Manual” Legal Hold Processes: EDiscovery Trends
Corporate legal teams still manage legal holds manually using spreadsheets, email threads, and shared folders. These manual workflows create hidden costs, including lost time, reduced visibility, and heightened compliance risk. As matters multiply and data environments grow, the inefficiencies become...
Sen. Blackburn Lays Out Details for Sweeping AI Proposal
Sen. Marsha Blackburn unveiled a draft bill that obliges public companies and selected private firms to report AI‑related layoffs, role changes, and other workforce effects to the Labor Department each quarter. Non‑compliance could trigger civil penalties of up to $1 million...
How the Public Can CRUSH Medicare and Medicaid Fraud
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched a new public‑idea portal under its Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare initiative. CMS Chief Operating Officer Kimberly Brandt invited citizens, providers, and industry experts to submit suggestions for strengthening...
Department of Transportation Throws Out Complaint Against Southwest Airlines By Nut Allergy Sufferers
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) dismissed a complaint by four allergy advocacy groups that claimed Southwest Airlines violated the Air Carrier Access Act by removing nut‑allergy passengers from pre‑boarding. Southwest had shifted those passengers to a later “extra time”...
DPE Class Action Targets FAA Termination Policies
Two former Designated Pilot Examiners have filed a class‑action lawsuit in federal court in Florida against the Federal Aviation Administration, alleging that recent policy changes eliminated the appeal process for examiner terminations. The complaint claims the FAA’s new enforcement procedures...
No, The First Amendment Doesn't Cover Your Car's Vanity Plate
The Supreme Court declined to review a Tennessee vanity‑plate dispute, leaving the legal view that license plates are government speech intact. Leah Gilliam’s “69PWNDU” plate was revoked after a decade, illustrating state authority to reject messages deemed offensive. By refusing...
Opening the Walled Garden: Global Regulation and the Unbundling of Apple’s Ecosystem
Regulators across Japan, the EU, South Korea and other jurisdictions are compelling Apple to loosen its tightly‑controlled iOS ecosystem through ex‑ante unbundling rules such as Japan’s Mobile Software Competition Act and the EU’s Digital Markets Act. These measures challenge Apple’s...
Catholic University Compels Pro‑Israel Club to Host Opponent
Catholic University is forcing Students Supporting Israel to invite someone who doesn't support Israel — or they can't hold the event. Student clubs, regardless of their perspective, are allowed to advocate for their beliefs and provide programming that supports those...
TDM Call for Papers: Special Issue on “International Arbitration and the Space Industry”
Transnational Dispute Management (TDM) is publishing a special issue on International Arbitration and the Space Industry, edited by Freshfields partners Alexandra van der Meulen, Kate Gough, Joshua Kelly, Annie Pan and Veronika Timofeeva. The call invites scholarly articles on topics ranging from liability...
DOE Has Issued More Than 40 Section 202(c) Emergency Orders Since May 2025. Here’s an Updated Log.
Since May 2025 the U.S. Department of Energy has issued more than 40 emergency orders under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, the highest volume in two decades. The orders fall into retirement‑deferral and active‑dispatch categories, keeping roughly 4.4 GW of...
34-Year IBM Exec Sues Tech Giant over Age and Origin Bias
IBM senior consulting executive Joseph Msays, a 65‑year‑old veteran of more than three decades, filed a lawsuit in March 2026 alleging age and Lebanese‑American origin discrimination. He claims the company repeatedly passed him over for promotion despite his unit delivering...
Employee Sues Tesla for Firing Her After Seizures at Work
Tesla faces a federal lawsuit alleging it fired Lakeisha Ward, a post‑order support employee with sickle‑cell disease, after she suffered multiple seizures at work. The complaint lists ten claims, including disability discrimination, failure to accommodate a physician‑requested shift reduction, retaliation,...
Arizona Law Makes Posting Trump Parody Illegal without Consent
A new "kids online safety" law in Arizona would make posting the South Park clip of Trump and Satan having sex illegal, unless the social media user was able to upload Trump's government ID and a consent form from him...
20+ States Sue Over Trump’s Climate Science Rollback
More than 20 states are legally challenging the Trump administration’s decision to roll back a landmark scientific determination that greenhouse gases threaten human health, which underpins various federal climate rules https://t.co/FVlljxzbJ1
Hospital Pulls Union Recognition After Decertification Vote, Appeals Court Agrees
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled that a Kansas City hospital did not violate the National Labor Relations Act when it withdrew recognition of the SEIU after a decertification vote, even though the NLRB had not...
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"US rapper Afroman cleared after police sued him over use of home raid footage" https://t.co/nm31pAaIKZ "I didn’t win, America won,” 🤣 https://t.co/B6bFcL256t
IIA Calls on Congress to Modernize SOX Act
The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) has issued a policy paper urging Congress to modernize the Sarbanes‑Oxley Act. It recommends formally defining internal audit within the law, updating compliance expectations for Sections 302 and 404, and strengthening coordination between internal...
24 States Sue E.P.A. Over Climate Change Decision
A coalition of 24 states, joined by dozens of cities and counties, filed a lawsuit in the D.C. Court of Appeals challenging the Trump administration’s repeal of the EPA’s 2009 endangerment finding. The suit argues the EPA acted illegally by...
NB to Broaden Role of Midwives, Enable Midwifery Student Training
The New Brunswick government introduced Bill No. 25 to amend the 2008 Midwifery Act, broadening midwives’ scope to cover the full child‑bearing continuum and permitting student midwives to gain supervised clinical experience. The legislation also restructures the Midwifery Council by adding...
ABC News Issues Correction over Suppression Orders Story
ABC News issued a correction after its March 3 story overstated suppression order figures in New South Wales and mischaracterized Victoria’s share of national orders. The original numbers – 133 orders in NSW and 47 percent for Victoria – were based on...
Faking Interviews with Real People Must Be Illegal
Making up fake interview answers and attributing them to a real person, even with a disclaimer buried in the fine print, should be illegal as hell
CHILDREN’S WELLBEING AND SCHOOLS BILL: ORG ANALYSIS OF AMENDMENT 38 B
Amendment 38 b would create a new Article 8ZA giving the Secretary of State power to set age‑verification requirements for information society services and to amend any provision of UK data‑protection law for that purpose. The proposal would let the government mandate...
Why Treasurers Must Prepare for the BNPL “Regulatory Cliff-Edge”
The FCA will bring the £13 billion UK BNPL market under full regulatory oversight starting 15 July 2026, requiring lenders to conduct mandatory affordability assessments and provide standardized pre‑contract disclosures. A Temporary Permissions Regime opens from 15 May to 1 July 2026, after which firms must...
Today’s Podcast Episode: CFPB Supervision Reset? What Banks and Non-Banks Should Know About the Emerging Examination Landscape
The Consumer Finance Monitor podcast reveals that the CFPB may slash its annual examinations from roughly 600 to about 70, shift to fully virtual, risk‑focused reviews, and even adopt a “humility pledge” for examiners. Simultaneously, the OCC, FDIC and Federal...
FCA Updates Finalised Guidance on Its Role Under the Payment Services Regulations 2017 and the Electronic Money Regulations 2011
On 19 March 2026 the FCA published version 7 of its approach document on payment services and electronic money, outlining how the Payment Services Regulations 2017 and Electronic Money Regulations 2011 should be applied. The guidance targets authorised and small payment institutions, e‑money institutions, registered...
The Blueprint for Construction Ediscovery: File Types, Formats, and the Right Questions to Ask
Construction eDiscovery demands a clear roadmap for handling diverse file types, from native CAD drawings to BIM models and project‑management data. The article outlines essential formats, metadata considerations, and the critical questions legal teams should pose to custodians and IT...
Represent Us: A Conversation with Maria McFarland Sanchez-Moreno
In this episode, host interviews Maria McFarland Sanchez‑Moreno, CEO of Represent Us, about the organization’s mission to enforce government accountability, especially targeting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and congressional inaction. Maria outlines the Congressional Courage Campaign, which mobilizes constituents to...
Six States, One Playbook: The Chatbot Bills Raising Red Flags
A wave of chatbot safety legislation has emerged in six states—Colorado, Hawaii, Arizona, Georgia, Nebraska and Idaho—mirroring Oregon's recently passed SB 1546. Each bill includes a carve‑out that exempts major AI services embedded in larger platforms, limits private lawsuits by...