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
Iowa House Advances Bill to Limit Use of H-1B Visas
Iowa's House passed Bill 2513 limiting public universities' use of H‑1B visas for nationals of designated foreign adversaries. The measure, supported by a 68‑27 vote, would bar hires from countries such as China, Russia, Iran and others, affecting roughly 120‑130 current H‑1B employees across the system. Senate subcommittee members expressed concerns about conflicts with state and federal anti‑discrimination statutes, echoing legal challenges seen in Texas and Florida. If signed, the law would join a growing trend of state‑level restrictions on international scholar recruitment.
Former Michigan Linebackers Coach Sues University Over Firing
Former Michigan linebackers coach Chris Partridge filed a federal lawsuit alleging wrongful termination and a violation of his Fourteenth Amendment due‑process rights after being dismissed during an NCAA sign‑stealing investigation. The suit targets the university, its board of regents and...
RQM+ Launches SMART Solutions for MedTech Development
RQM+ announced SMART Solutions, a life‑cycle partnership model that fuses regulatory, quality, clinical, reimbursement and laboratory expertise for medical device and diagnostics firms. The offering comes in two formats: an integrated solution for small‑to‑mid‑size companies and a functional, modular option...
ACE Secures $18.75m Judgment Against US Piracy Operator
Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) secured an $18.75 million default judgment against William Freemon, a U.S. operator of illegal IPTV services such as Streaming TV Now, Instant IPTV and TV Nitro. The Northern District of Texas court awarded statutory damages for willful copyright infringement,...
New Chair for LSB
Monisha Shah has been announced as the government’s preferred candidate to chair the Legal Services Board, pending a Commons justice committee hearing later this month. Shah brings a diverse portfolio, currently leading the King’s Counsel Selection Panel, Publishers’ Licensing Services,...
NJ Court Expands School District Liability for Alleged Teacher Sexual Abuse
New Jersey’s Supreme Court ruled that public school districts can face vicarious liability for teachers’ alleged sexual abuse, even when the conduct occurs outside the traditional scope of employment. The decision overturns prior rulings that granted broad immunity under the...
Court Tosses Fired DEIA Officer's Lawsuit over Trump DEI Order
U.S. District Court for D.C. dismissed all four claims filed by Neonu Jewell, former Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the Development Finance Corporation, after her termination following President Trump's executive order to dismantle federal DEIA programs. The order led...
Employee Sues MSC Cruises for Denying Remote Work It Once Approved
A former MSC Cruises director alleges the cruise line approved her remote work in late 2024 without any paperwork, then later denied the same arrangement as a disability accommodation, triggering a federal lawsuit. The complaint cites race and disability discrimination,...
Hong Kong Court Rules Subversion Trial of Tiananmen Vigil Activists Will Go On
Hong Kong's national security court ruled that a prima facie case exists against veteran Tiananmen vigil activists Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung for inciting subversion. The three designated security judges dismissed the defence’s bid for early acquittal but also rejected...
Overheard at Legalweek 2026: Moving Past &Lsquo;Yes or No?' To AI
Legalweek 2026 highlighted a pivotal shift in legal AI from simple yes‑or‑no outputs toward nuanced, context‑aware reasoning. Panels and keynotes emphasized that firms are demanding tools that can interpret complex statutes, weigh competing interests, and provide risk‑adjusted recommendations. Vendors showcased...
Unconditional Payments Interrupt Prescription for Louisiana First-Party Claims
The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that unconditional payments restart the two‑year prescriptive period for first‑party insurance claims, even when the insurer becomes insolvent and the claim moves to the Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association (LIGA). The decision arose from a Hurricane...
South Dakota Becomes Eighth US State to Ban Cultivated Meat with 5-Year Moratorium
South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden signed a bill imposing a five‑year moratorium on the sale, manufacture, and distribution of cultivated meat, effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031. The measure makes the state the eighth in the nation to...
Revised DDR Rulebook
On March 13 2026 the DTCC Data Repository (U.S.) LLC filed a revised rulebook with the CFTC, slated to become effective on March 27 2026. The amendment updates user access protocols, Super Access Coordinator duties, fee structures, data submission standards, unique identifier requirements, and...
Submission of Rule Filing SR-FICC-2026-005 – Establish Implementation Timeframe for Enhancement of Correlation Calculation for Bond Haircut Models
On March 13, 2026 the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation (FICC) submitted rule filing SR‑FICC‑2026‑005 to the SEC, seeking to set a delayed implementation schedule for enhancements to the correlation calculation used in bond haircut models. The filing amends the QRM Methodology Document...
Why Is SC Reviewing EPF Rules for Foreign Workers?
The Supreme Court of India has agreed to review whether foreign employees must contribute to the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) under the 1952 scheme after LG Electronics challenged the mandatory contribution rule. The dispute centers on Paragraph 83 of the...
Utah Judge in Charlie Kirk Killing Case Weighs Media Access
Utah District Court Judge Tony Graf is set to decide whether media will be allowed in the upcoming hearing on the murder case of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Prosecutors, Kirk’s widow, and news groups argue for open access, while the...
The SEC & CFTC “Coordination Pact”
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to coordinate oversight of cryptocurrency markets. The pact creates formal information‑sharing channels, joint working groups, and dispute‑resolution procedures to align regulatory approaches....
Federal Government Pitches New Bill Increasing Law Enforcement’s Access to Information
The Canadian government introduced Bill C-22, an act aimed at enhancing law‑enforcement access to digital information. It creates two mechanisms – a confirmation of service demand and a subscriber information production order – to address Supreme Court rulings that require...
Week in Review
The week saw a surge of lawsuits targeting the Trump administration, including Anthropic’s dual suits over alleged unlawful sanctions, Liberty Justice Center’s challenge to a new 10% global tariff, and the DNC’s FOIA suit against multiple federal agencies. Courts also...
Judge VanDyke: "This Is a Case About Swinging Dicks."
The Ninth Circuit refused to rehear en banc the Olympus Spa v. Armstrong case, leaving the panel majority’s decision intact. Judge VanDyke’s lead dissent opened with a graphic description of "swinging dicks," sparking a sharp rebuke from 28 of his...
US Fintech Solifi Hires Jaggaer GC as First Chief Legal Officer
Solifi, a Minneapolis‑based secured‑finance software provider, appointed Kevin Smith as its first chief legal officer, a newly created C‑suite role. Smith arrives from Jaggaer after more than 25 years advising high‑growth tech firms on legal, risk and transactional matters. At...
USPTO Grants 19 New Design Patents on March 10, 2026
The USPTO’s March 10, 2026 Official Gazette granted 19 new design patents covering items such as walking canes, garden lights, lamp accessories, and a portable pickleball net. Design patents protect only the ornamental appearance of a product, not its function, but infringement...
CCI Junks Complaint Against BookMyShow over Alleged Abuse of Dominance
India’s Competition Commission of India (CCI) has dismissed a complaint alleging that BookMyShow abused its dominant position in the online movie‑ticket market. The regulator defined the relevant market as online intermediation services for booking movie tickets and noted that while...
Employer Liable for Psych Injury After "Unreasonable" Staffing Decisions
Queensland’s Industrial Relations Commission ruled that an employer was liable for a psychological injury after it replaced a full‑time executive support officer’s colleague with two untrained casual workers, creating an unreasonable workload. The employee, who resigned in October 2022, claimed...
Majority of Americans Continue to Say Abortion Should Be Legal in All or Most Cases
A new Pew Research Center survey finds that 60% of U.S. adults believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, a modest dip from earlier post‑Dobbs polls. About half of respondents (51%) say obtaining an abortion in their...
DOJ Clears Way for Government to Hire Technologists Still Connected to Private Sector Employers
The Justice Department issued an opinion that clears the way for the Trump administration’s U.S. Tech Force program to let private‑sector technologists work for the federal government while remaining employed and retaining unvested stock units. The initiative will onboard managers...
Dual Jurisdiction Dispute Leads Delaware Board to Restore Claimant’s Disability Benefits
A Delaware Industrial Accident Board ordered the reinstatement of disability benefits for a worker employed by Amick Farms after a dual‑jurisdiction dispute between Maryland and Delaware. The claimant, who suffered injuries in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2025, had his benefits...
TCL Now Can't Call some of Its TVs 'QLED' After Losing in Court to Samsung — and There Are More...
A Munich court ruled that TCL’s QLED‑branded TVs in Germany do not meet the technical standards of true quantum‑dot displays, violating unfair competition law. Samsung’s lawsuit forced TCL to stop advertising and selling those models as QLED in the German...
The Coming SPV-Pocalypse
Special purpose vehicles (SPVs) are increasingly used to invest in private companies, allowing investors to sidestep disclosure requirements and often layering high fees and opaque valuations. Recent Bloomberg coverage and two Delaware lawsuits expose fraud risks and the difficulty of...
Ex-USCIS Officer Reviews Actual EB-1A Case Narratives (Session Recording)
An ex‑USCIS officer hosted a virtual Q&A with immigration attorney Evan J. Law to dissect real EB‑1A case narratives. The discussion focused on how to present a compelling leading or critical role claim, the elements that make a case narrative...
Five-Lawyer Latham Team Decamps to August Debouzy in Paris
A five‑lawyer competition team led by Mathilde Saltiel has left Latham & Watkins to join August Debouzy in Paris, creating a new competition, European regulation and foreign‑investment control group. Saltiel, former chair of Latham’s Paris litigation practice, brings experience in merger control, cartel...
Italy’s Constitutional Court Rejects Challenge to Citizenship-by-Descent Reform
Italy’s Constitutional Court rejected a constitutional challenge and upheld the 2025 law that sharply narrows citizenship‑by‑descent, limiting jus sanguinis to the third generation. The court deemed the constitutional questions partly unfounded, leaving the reform in place pending a full ruling....
Article Ignores Brandenburg Test, Offers No Proof of Incitement
This article is complete garbage. It claims that the symbol is not protected by the First Amendment because it is incitement, but neither mentions the relevant legal test nor presents any argument or evidence necessary to satisfy the test. The test...
China Enacts Sweeping Law to Bolster Xi's Anti‑pollution Drive
China has adopted a sweeping new environmental law that will help sustain Xi Jinping's drive to tackle pollution https://t.co/eqg89kzp4f
Regulation, Growth and Access to Justice: Why Legal Services Need a Reset
The House of Lords industry and regulators committee is gathering evidence on how legal‑services regulation affects economic growth, with experts warning that current consumer‑protection rules act as barriers to innovation and access to justice. Most individuals and small businesses cannot...
Court Prioritizes Press Access Over Pentagon's Security Claims
This is the right kicker. I was in the courtroom Friday. There was no good argument it’s a national security threat. And then Defense Dept argument it’s an especially sensitive time went nowhere with the Court who flipped it around...
9th Circuit Holds Amazon Liable for Selling Suicide Kits
I don't understand this ruling. Is the court really holding that the theory that can go forward is a failure to warn of the risk that the product could be used to commit suicide?! That completely defies logic. Seems like...
U.S. Sanctions 2 Entities, 6 Individuals over Raising Money for N. Korea
The U.S. Treasury on March 13 sanctioned two companies and six individuals for operating overseas IT networks that funneled money to North Korea. The schemes, which included malware attacks and data theft, generated roughly $800 million for Pyongyang’s weapons programs in...
High Court: Witness Coached via Smart Glasses While Giving Evidence
A High Court judge found that claimant Laimonas Jakstys used smart glasses linked to his mobile phone to receive coached answers while testifying. The judge ruled his testimony unreliable, rejected it in full, and awarded indemnity costs to the defendants....
Solicitor Who Lied in Meeting “Was Protecting Client”
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal suspended solicitor Shafiq‑Ul Hassan for two years after finding he deliberately lied in a 2019 meeting to shield a client from pressure, rather than striking him off. The tribunal described his motives as “laudable” but emphasized...
ILCA Scheme “Should Take All Interest” On Pooled Client Accounts
The Ministry of Justice has proposed an Interest on Lawyers’ Client Accounts (ILCA) scheme that would divert 75% of interest earned on pooled client funds and 50% on designated individual accounts to a public fund. Oxford scholars Linda Mulcahy and...
LSB Member Resigns to Speak Out over Attack on Jury Trial
Flora Page KC resigned from the Legal Services Board to openly oppose the Courts and Tribunals Bill, which aims to limit jury trials in the UK. She argues the legislation is rushed, lacks public consultation, and threatens the constitutional right...
AML: Firms Warned Against Complacency Ahead of FCA Takeover
Law firms have been cautioned not to overlook the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s AML enforcement as the Financial Conduct Authority prepares to become the sole supervisor of anti‑money‑laundering rules, a transition that could stretch to three years. Experts at the Law...
Ball Cap Flap
House Energy and Commerce Democrats urged FCC Chair Brendan Carr to investigate Fox News for airing old footage of former President Donald Trump, prompting a sharp rebuttal from Carr. Replies highlighted that the FCC’s authority is limited to over‑the‑air broadcasters,...
Government Retracts Claim, Says Credential Standards Are Objective
Wow. The government corrects a statement its lawyer said in court, that the credential policy is “more subjective.” It amends to say that the standards are objective.
Ninth Circuit Revives Suit over Amazon Sodium Nitrite Used in Teen Suicides
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals revived a lawsuit allowing the families of two teenagers who died after ingesting sodium nitrite purchased on Amazon to pursue product‑liability claims. The panel held that suicide is not a superseding cause under Washington's...
Judge Blocks Trump Administration Grant Cuts to Environmental Groups over DEI
A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction restoring roughly $14 million in Interior Department grants to three western environmental groups after finding the Trump administration cut the funds due to the organizations’ DEI‑related speech. The court held the cuts likely violated...
US Licenses Russian Oil Sales Amid Iran War Profits
NEW: US Treasury issued a general license for the delivery and sale of Russian oil loaded on vessels as of March 12. Moscow continues to be the single largest beneficiary of the Iran War. https://t.co/oVlT1gzuuN
Spotting Fake Trademark Renewal Scams Before It’s Too Late
Time to renew your trademark before it's too late?! Slow down and check that the trademark renewal isn't a scam. Here's what I received a few days ago, and how I figured out it wasn't legit: https://t.co/HDUOjUwayt #scams #spam #trademark...
PFAS False Advertising Class Actions: A Growing Threat Across Industries
PFAS false‑advertising class actions are expanding from environmental suits to any consumer‑facing sector that uses health, safety or sustainability language. Plaintiffs argue that terms like “natural” or “eco‑friendly” imply PFAS‑free status, even when PFAS enter products unintentionally via supply chains....