Today's Legal Pulse
Biden sues DOJ to block release of interview audio
President Joe Biden has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to prevent the Department of Justice from publishing an audio recording of his interview. The action, reported by Axios and TIME, aims to keep the interview confidential amid political controversy.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader clear final merger hurdles
Mamdani Wants New York Estate Tax Threshold Cut 90% to $750K
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani proposes slashing the state estate‑tax exemption from over $7 million to $750,000 and raising the top rate to 50%. The measure is part of a suite of revenue ideas to cover a $5.4 billion city‑budget deficit and a projected $28 billion shortfall over the next four years. While the proposal would make New York’s exemption the lowest in the nation, it has little chance of being enacted this year as the governor and legislature have not adopted it. If passed, it would dramatically reshape the state’s estate‑tax landscape.
Lawmakers, Crypto Leaders Convene at DC Blockchain Summit
THIS WEEK: 🇺🇸 Lawmakers and crypto reps meet at DC Blockchain Summit to discuss legislation, Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott to update on next Clarity Act markup https://t.co/WKBYJNlLt7
Customs Reform Drives EU Tax Simplification and Harmonisation
Back in Brussels for the EU Tax Symposium. Customs Reform is part of a much wider tax restructuring and of a response to new challenges. Simplification and harmonisation are the two key words. https://t.co/D17NXqnZMT
A Pennsylvania Lawsuit Accuses The TSA Of Targeting And Stealing From Passengers Carrying This
A Pennsylvania federal court is hearing a class‑action lawsuit accusing the TSA and DEA of unlawfully seizing large amounts of cash from airline passengers, including an $82,000 life‑savings bundle taken in 2019. The suit highlights that in 2024 passengers left...
SEBI to Review MFD-IA Framework to Remove Overlap in Roles
India’s securities regulator SEBI announced a review of the mutual fund distributor (MFD) and investment adviser (IA) regulatory framework to eliminate role overlap. A working group will examine the current rules, while SEBI prepares a common advertisement code and a...
Nigerian Fintech Duplo Gets Licenced for E-Invoicing and Tax Transmission
Duplo, a Nigerian B2B payments platform, secured Systems Integrator and Access Point Provider licences from the Nigeria Revenue Service. The dual licences let the company generate NRS‑compliant e‑invoices, transmit them automatically, and settle payments within its platform. Nigeria’s digital tax...
Nintendo Tariff Lawsuit Paused, Refunds Likely Pending
As noted in Game File last week, Nintendo's tariff lawsuit against the US government is on hold, as all such suits have been automatically stayed A refund process is expected, though TBD if Nintendo will be among the companies passngi refunds...
Vermiculus CEO Says Clean-Sheet Tech Is Key as Prediction Markets Push Markets Toward 24/7
Travis Schwab, CEO of Eventus, unveiled “Frank AI,” an English‑language chat interface that lets compliance and surveillance teams query platform data directly. The tool is part of a broader push toward clean‑sheet technology that can support 24/7 prediction‑market trading, reducing...
GMDSOFT Tech Letter Vol19.App Artifact Analysis: Text Input Records
GMDSOFT’s Tech Letter Vol. 19 spotlights keyboard‑app forensics, revealing that typing data persists even after messages are deleted. The MD‑RED tool parses keyboard databases to recover typed, unsent, and language‑conversion logs, especially for complex scripts like Japanese. By exposing these hidden...
August Wins Big Law Firm Hughes Hubbard
August, a legal‑AI platform aimed at midsize and boutique firms, announced that AmLaw 200 firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed has selected it as a firm‑wide solution. The adoption spans practice areas and core business functions such as finance, billing, marketing, and...
Korean Air / Asiana Airlines Merger Inquiry
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has approved a Slot Release Agreement that lets Virgin Atlantic operate a daily London‑Seoul service, extending the remedy timeline to the summer 2026 season. Earlier, the CMA accepted undertakings in lieu of a...
Exterro Director of Product Marketing: Focus Will Shift From AI Strategies to Data Strategies
Exterro’s director of product marketing, Fahad Diwan, announced that the company will shift its strategic emphasis from artificial intelligence initiatives to comprehensive data strategies. He emphasized data minimization and governance as critical in an era of expanding AI use, tightening...
IManage EVP of Product Management: Legal Tech Buyers Moving Toward Strategic Selectivity”
iManage’s EVP of product management Shawn Misquitta told Legal Tech Monitor that the wave of short‑term AI pilots is waning as legal departments shift toward strategic, selective procurement. Buyers now prioritize platforms that deliver measurable ROI, seamless integration, and strong...
Factor's Chief Strategy Officer: Industry Shifting From AI Access to AI Fluency
Factor’s chief strategy officer, Chris DeConti, says legal‑tech buyers are moving beyond simple AI access toward true AI fluency. The shift reflects a maturation in procurement, with firms seeking integrated, strategy‑driven deployments rather than isolated pilots. Factor’s award‑winning training program,...
Legalweek's Long-Awaited Javits Move Proves Successful
It was a move 39 years in the making and, overall, I think they pulled it off. I'm talking about Legalweek's move from to the Javits Center. There are plenty of kinks to work out for next year, but overall,...
U.S., UK, Canada Start Operation Atlantic to Disrupt Crypto Approval-Phishing Scams
Operation Atlantic, a joint U.S., U.K. and Canadian initiative, was launched to dismantle crypto approval‑phishing scams that trick users into granting wallet permissions. These schemes helped generate $14 billion in on‑chain fraud in 2025, with projections near $17 billion for 2026. The...
SmartKYC QnA: Accelerating Due Diligence at Scale
Founded in 2014, smartKYC automates KYC and due‑diligence for financial institutions using AI, multilingual NLP and federated search. The platform creates unified entity profiles that combine identity, risk, network and opportunity data, enabling faster onboarding, continuous monitoring and reduced manual...
Legal Opinion: The Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools in Asylum Cases
Open Rights Group released a legal opinion examining the UK Home Office’s use of generative AI tools—ACS and APS—in refugee status determinations. The opinion highlights that the tools produced inaccurate summaries in up to 9% of cases, lack transparent oversight,...
Trump Blocks US Antitrust Action Against Netflix
Who says America gets nothing from Israel? Trump stopped the country from imposing antimonopoly rules on Netflix. https://t.co/Nn6N69vcuQ
Another Oklahoma Winter Storm-Related Bond Issue Challenged
In 2022 Oklahoma issued $2.89 billion of utility bonds to recover costs from Winter Storm Uri, with $1.35 billion allocated to Oklahoma Natural Gas. Republican lawmakers filed a state Supreme Court brief alleging the Oklahoma Corporation Commission failed required audits of those...
Julia Angwin Leads Class Action Against Grammarly’s Parent
Not a doppelgänger, it was a sloppelgänger -> Julia Angwin, whose name was offered as editing help for Grammarly users, explains why she is lead plaintiff in a class-action against Grammarly's parent company Superhuman https://t.co/ep8f5X414i
Copyright Should Foster, Not Hinder, AI Innovation
“‘ROSS was at the forefront of fundamental AI development,’ he said. ‘Copyright must encourage, not stop, such innovative efforts.’” 👀
Almost One in Five Women Lawyers Plan to Leave Profession Due to Workplace Issues – IBA Study
The International Bar Association’s new report, *Raising the Bar: Women in Law*, reveals that almost one in five women lawyers are contemplating leaving the profession, with 19% considering roles in academia or consulting. While 62% intend to stay at their...
US Should Mandate Classified Testing for Frontier Labs
....the US should establish a federal framework through legislation that requires frontier labs to test their systems using classified government capabilities. https://t.co/9SaQfR7sMc
Age Verification Isn't Sage Verification when It's Inside Operating Systems
California’s Assembly Bill 1043, the Digital Age Assurance Act, requires operating systems and app stores to embed age‑verification during account setup. Critics argue the law’s vague language, undefined compliance standards, and steep fines could cripple innovation, especially for open‑source platforms. It...
Civil Society Calls for an Ambitious Digital Fairness Act on World Consumer Rights Day
On World Consumer Rights Day, a coalition of civil‑society groups, led by EDRi, urged the European Commission to adopt an ambitious Digital Fairness Act (DFA). The letter argues that current EU rules—GDPR, DSA and DMA—do not cover manipulative design, addictive...
Trump Lawyer Rebuked at ABA for Saying DOJ in a ‘Better Place’
At an American Bar Association white‑collar conference in San Diego, Trump defense attorney John Lauro sparked a heated exchange by claiming the Justice Department is "in a better place" than a year ago. His remarks were met with sharp rebukes from...
SEC Dismisses Civil Fraud Case Against BitClout Founder Nader Al-Naji: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission dismissed its civil fraud lawsuit against BitClout founder Nader Al‑Naji, a case filed in July 2024 as part of a broader $257 million enforcement effort. The action had alleged wire fraud and the sale of unregistered...
Nidec Looks to Determine Execs’ Liability in Accounting Scandal: Trial Balance
Japanese motor maker Nidec has formed an Executive Responsibility Investigation Committee to assess legal liability for current and former directors, auditors and executives tied to a massive accounting scandal. The misconduct, spanning fiscal 2020 through Q1 2025, is expected to...
Bostock, Executive Orders, and the Evolving Framework for Gender Identity Discrimination: Takeaways From the ABA ERR Conference
At the ABA Employment Rights and Responsibilities Midwinter Meeting, panelists examined the EEOC’s recent Selina S. v. Driscoll decision, which reinterprets Title VII to allow federal agencies to restrict transgender employees from gender‑aligned facilities, overturning the 2015 Lusardi precedent. The...
India May Soften New Grid-Supply Rules for Renewable Power Producers
India’s power regulator, the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, drafted stricter grid‑supply rules for wind and solar producers, including hefty penalties for missing commitments. After developers warned the measures could erode revenues and deter clean‑energy investment, the government asked CERC to...
How a Tax Attorney Dayton Ohio Protects 1099 Workers From IRS Audits
Independent contractors filing 1099 forms face audit rates significantly higher than traditional employees, according to IRS data. The IRS’s Discriminant Function System flags returns with high write‑offs, inconsistent reporting, or questionable expenses, prompting deeper scrutiny. A tax attorney in Dayton,...
Department of Justice Reveals Seizure of $14.9 Million From Cartel-Linked Money Laundering Operation
The U.S. Department of Justice announced a civil forfeiture action to seize more than $14.9 million tied to an international drug‑money‑laundering operation. Investigators traced the cash through trade‑based schemes that funneled proceeds into U.S. bank accounts of shell companies and even...
What’s at Stake for Bayer in Its Supreme Court Showdown?
Bayer’s 2018 acquisition of Monsanto brought a wave of glyphosate lawsuits, prompting a proposed $7.25 billion class settlement and an undisclosed additional pact. The company’s CEO, Bill Anderson, is steering a restructuring that includes 12,000 layoffs and a focus on pharma...
Former Manager of Lafayette Medical Clinic Pleads Guilty to Embezzling More Than $500k From Employer
Former Lafayette Medical Clinic manager Brooke Miller Duck pleaded guilty on March 16, 2026 to embezzling more than $500,000 from two Louisiana clinics. Between May 2020 and October 2023 she used clinic credit cards for personal expenses, including a $15,000...
Jury Convicts Kansas City-Based Music Artist of Illegal Firearm Possession
A federal jury convicted Kansas City rap artist Joseph R. Isaac, known as SleazyWorld Go, of felon in possession of a firearm after ATF investigators traced social‑media photos showing him with a weapon. Isaac, prohibited from owning guns due to a...
Utah Bans 28th Book for All Public School Students
On March 2, 2026 Utah added John Green's *Looking for Alaska* as the 28th title banned statewide under the controversial House Bill 29, bringing the total prohibited books to 28. The ban follows a lawsuit filed by the Maya Angelou...
Re: Abu-Sitta Case: New Regulator Joins Appeal Effort on Doctor Cleared of Supporting Terrorism
The Professional Standards Authority has announced it will support the General Medical Council’s appeal of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service’s decision that cleared Dr Ghassan Abu‑Sitta of terrorism‑related misconduct. The appeal follows a petition signed by thousands of doctors demanding the...
Trump Backs Carr's Threat To Pull Broadcast Licenses Over Iran Coverage
President Donald Trump publicly backed FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s warning that broadcasters could lose their licenses for perceived negative coverage of the Iran war, intensifying political pressure on U.S. media regulation. At the same time, the short‑form entertainment format known...
SEC Announces Dismissal of Civil Enforcement Action Against Nader Al-Naji and Relief Defendants
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a joint stipulation to dismiss, with prejudice, its civil enforcement action against Nader Al‑Naji and several affiliated entities, including Intangible Holdings, Firestorm Media, Viridian City, and the DeSo Foundation. The dismissal is case‑specific...
BHP Wins UK Appeal Ending Case over Brazil Dam Collapse Claims
BHP has won a UK Court of Appeal decision that terminates contempt of court proceedings linked to claims it funded litigation to block Brazilian municipalities from suing over the 2015 Mariana dam disaster. The appeal overturns a prior High Court...
SEC Seeks to Transfer $24 Million Bittrex Settlement to Treasury
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking court approval to move the $24 million it collected from a 2023 settlement with the now‑defunct crypto exchange Bittrex to the Treasury. The settlement arose after the SEC alleged Bittrex operated without registering...
Partial Win for Mirror as Four Hacking Claims Deemed Out of Time
A judge dismissed four of five phone‑hacking claims against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) because the claimants exceeded the six‑year limitation period, while model Paul Sculfor’s case was allowed to proceed. The court found the dismissed claimants could have discovered a...
Judicial Notice (03.15.26): ‘Swinging Dicks’
Lawrence VanDyke, a former deputy solicitor general, faced a heated Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in March 2026 when a senator questioned his potential bias against LGBTQ litigants. VanDyke responded emotionally, defending his judicial philosophy, and the exchange was widely circulated...
Harvey Announces Heavyweight Inaugural In-House Advisory Board
Harvey, a legal‑AI startup, announced its inaugural in‑house customer advisory board on March 16. The board brings together senior legal leaders from HSBC, MongoDB, Dentsu, NBCUniversal, Koch and Bridgewater. Harvey already supports more than 500 corporate legal teams worldwide and...
The Gold Coast Death Wake that Led to Mar-a-Lago
Dragos Sprinceana, a Romanian immigrant, built GoldCoast Logistics into a 350‑truck carrier that amassed $889,630 in FMCSA fines, faced two major enforcement actions, and accumulated 150 crashes resulting in ten fatalities. The company operated through a maze of shell entities,...
UK Financial Regulation Faces Overhaul Calls in APPG Report
The All‑Party Parliamentary Group on Investment Fraud and Fairer Financial Services released a 250‑page report declaring the UK’s financial‑conduct regulatory framework fundamentally broken. Drawing on a decade of parliamentary debate, a nationwide consumer survey and testimony from victims and whistle‑blowers,...
Explained: The Proposed RAG Rating System for BCA Metrics
The Home Office has drafted a red‑amber‑green (RAG) rating system to replace the legacy Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA) framework for UK student sponsors from June 2026. Sponsors will be judged on three core metrics—visa refusal rate, enrolment rate and course...
Ghana: Parliament Passes Bills On University Charters, Mining Levy Reduction
Ghana’s Parliament approved two bills on Friday: the Education Regulatory Bodies (Amendment) Bill 2025, which makes the six‑year charter requirement optional for private tertiary institutions, and the Growth and Sustainability (Amendment) Bill 2026, which cuts the mining levy from three...
Belgium – Pay Transparency – Flemish Minister Announces Fines for Companies “that Pay Men More than Women”
The Flemish government has approved a draft decree that would fine companies failing to disclose pay information or that discriminate on gender, marking a partial rollout of the EU Pay Transparency Directive. Women in Belgium currently earn about seven percent...