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
Formal Complaint – Late Publication/Notification of UAS-Only RA(T), Brecon, Powys (04 March 2026) – SkyWise SW2026/057 / BFS 011/2026
On 3 March 2026 the CAA published SkyWise notice SW2026/057 and Briefing Sheet BFS 011/2026 announcing a UAS‑only Temporary Restricted Area over Brecon, Powys for a Royal visit on 4 March. The restriction—1 NM radius, 2000 ft ceiling, 0800‑1800 UTC—was communicated less than 24 hours before it took effect. The complainant argues this short lead‑time disrupted planned drone operations, increased costs, and erodes confidence in regulatory notifications. The letter requests an explanation, a minimum notice period and clearer complaint procedures.
Ad Law Reading Room: “Vacatur Within the Appellate Model of Judicial Review,” By Emily Bremer
Emily Bremer’s forthcoming Yale Law Journal article reinterprets vacatur under the Administrative Procedure Act as an appellate determination rather than an equitable remedy. She argues that the APA’s “set aside” language was intended to fit within the statute’s broader appellate...
Federal Judge Rules Trump Can’t Kill Congestion Pricing
A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration lacks authority to terminate New York’s congestion pricing program, affirming that only the MTA can set and collect the tolls under the Biden‑era agreement. The 149‑page decision blocks Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s...
Hate To Say I Told You So Again: Your Chats Ain’t Private
An SDNY federal judge in the Hepper case ruled that chats with publicly available generative AI tools are not covered by attorney‑client or work‑product privilege. The decision emphasizes that the lack of confidentiality in open‑access platforms makes such communications discoverable....
Uniswap Wins Again in New York Court as Judge Draws New Line on DeFi Liability
A New York federal judge dismissed fraud claims against Uniswap for the second time this month, granting dismissal with prejudice. The ruling applies the long‑standing principle that neutral infrastructure providers are not liable for third‑party fraud, likening DeFi protocols to...
Property Line Showdown: Homeowner Faces Off Against Neighbor in Wild ‘Squatters’ Rights Battle—Over a Fence
A homeowner discovered a neighbor’s fence extending two feet onto his land and demanded its removal. The neighbor invoked “squatters’ rights,” claiming adverse possession after five years of encroachment. Real‑estate attorneys clarified that adverse possession requires longer, continuous occupancy and...
FCA Publishes Webpage on Cryptoasset Firms Use of s.21 Approvers
On 27 February 2026 the FCA launched a dedicated webpage outlining how cryptoasset firms can use Section 21 approvers to validate financial promotions. The guidance distinguishes firms applying for FCA authorisation during the application period, those that do not apply, and...
It’s Lights Out for Washington Legislature’s Effort to Regulate Data Centers
Washington state lawmakers let House Bill 2515 die, ending a broad attempt to regulate data centers. The bill would have imposed extra utility charges, mandated clean‑energy compliance, and required power curtailments during grid peaks, potentially raising $30 million annually for low‑income...
A Chance to Rebuild Better
Assemblymember Cottie Petrie‑Norris introduced AB 2385 to amend the 1986 Disaster Recovery Reconstruction Act, giving California local governments explicit authority to create disaster‑recovery agencies. The bill replaces references to defunct community redevelopment agencies with a clear list of powers drawn from...
EFF to Supreme Court: Shut Down Unconstitutional Geofence Searches
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, ACLU, and Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy & Technology filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to declare geofence warrants unconstitutional. Geofence warrants force companies to hand over location data for every device within...
Confusion About Commandeering
Newly‑elected Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger declined to aid ICE in detaining undocumented immigrants, invoking the anti‑commandeering doctrine. The principle, rooted in Supreme Court decisions such as New York v. United States and Printz v. United States, bars the federal government...
How The Tax Code Got So Complicated
The U.S. tax code has ballooned to over 70,000 pages since the 1913 16th Amendment, growing through countless piecemeal credits, deductions, and temporary measures. This complexity forces Americans to spend an estimated 7.1 billion hours and $388 billion in lost productivity each...
UK Consultation on Kids’ Online Lives: What the Video Games Industry Needs to Know
The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has launched a 62‑question consultation titled “Growing up in the online world” to gather evidence on child safety across the internet, with a particular focus on gaming platforms. It probes legal age...
New Data‑Driven LOI Template Boosts Lower‑Middle‑Market Deal Success
We just released our 2026 Lower-Middle-Market LOI Template. Built from 500+ deals and $1.6B+ in closed (and busted) transactions. It’s designed to reduce retrades, surface deal killers early, and increase close probability. Download it here: https://smblaw.group/services/mergers-and-acquisitions Scroll to the middle of the page to access...
U.S. Copyright Doesn’t Grant Ownership of AI‑Created Works
1/8 Do you own your vibe-coded app or the art you generated using mid-journey? Short answer: No. I am not a lawyer, but this is my ai-assisted reading of the law. Here’s how U.S. copyright law is treating AI-generated works. Disclaimer: This...
2025 in Review: Arbitration Award Enforcement Actions Before U.S. Courts Against African States: Guinea and Zimbabwe
In 2025 U.S. courts dismissed two high‑profile enforcement actions against African sovereigns, reinforcing the narrow scope of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA). The D.C. District Court ruled in Global Voice Group SA v. Republic of Guinea that Guinea was...
Quinn Emanuel's Lead Innovation Counsel: Different Generations Need Different AI Trainings
Quinn Emanuel’s lead innovation counsel, Jennifer Reeves, highlighted that AI training must be tailored to the distinct learning styles of different lawyer generations. She emphasized prioritizing user psychology over mere feature sets to drive adoption. Reeves, a Monica Bay Women...
Canadian Bar Association and AI-Powered Legal Tech Company Spellbook Form Partnership
The Canadian Bar Association (CBA) has entered a partnership with Spellbook, a Toronto‑based AI‑driven contract‑drafting platform. This marks Spellbook's first collaboration with a national bar association, giving it a formal endorsement within Canada’s legal community. The agreement will provide CBA...
DeepIP Closes on $25M Series B Funding Round
DeepIP announced the close of a $25 million Series B financing round. The capital will accelerate development of its generative AI assistant designed for patent work. Existing investors participated alongside new venture partners. The funding underscores growing investor confidence in...
Sidley Austin's Director of Client Intelligence: &Lsquo;Innovation Succeeds When Cultural Readiness Meets Operational Clarity'
Sidley Austin’s Director of Client Intelligence, Rachel Shields Williams, argues that innovation thrives when a firm’s culture is prepared for change and its operational processes are clearly defined. She highlights data fragmentation and resistance to cultural shift as major barriers...
EuroCrowd: Germany’s Investment Crowdfunding Market Remains Partially Realized at Best, Undermines Goal of ECSPR
EuroCrowd warns that Germany’s investment crowdfunding market is only partially aligned with the European Crowdfunding Service Provider Regulation (ECSPR). The country continues to rely on the Vermögensanlagengesetz (VermAnlG) and subordinated‑loan structures, creating a parallel regulatory channel that sidesteps ECSPR. As...
Nidec Warns of $1.6B Charges From Accounting Scandal
Nidec Corp. warned it may record up to ¥250 billion ($1.6 billion) in impairment charges as a third‑party probe uncovered more than 1,000 accounting irregularities across its global subsidiaries. The scandal has triggered a wave of executive resignations, including the chairman, CFO...
MaxLife Technologies Inc. Dba Maxlife - 721453 - 02/20/2026
The FDA issued a warning letter to MaxLife Technologies for false and misleading claims on its website about compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide products. The company labeled the drugs as “generic compounded medication” and implied FDA approval and that MaxLife was...
EU: End of Temporary Transition Period for Crypto-Asset Service Providers (CASPs) and Electronic Money Tokens (EMTs)
The European Banking Authority’s temporary relief from full PSD2 compliance for Crypto‑Asset Service Providers (CASPs) ended on March 2, 2026, forcing firms to secure payment‑institution authorisation or cease payment services. Providers already approved under PSD2 can continue, while those with pending applications...
Europe's Tech Regulators Push for Fair, Reciprocal Rules
Meeting today with the tech and telecom regulators from across Europe. Important to ensure fair and reciprocal regulatory environments. https://t.co/9sNvWBfEfD
U.S. Government Targets Dirty Money in Housing for the First Time
The U.S. Treasury’s FinCEN has launched the Residential Real Estate (RRE) Rule, mandating reporting of all‑cash residential property transfers to entities or trusts starting March 1, 2026. The rule closes a long‑standing AML loophole that let shell‑company purchases evade scrutiny, requiring title...
Appeals Court Sends Tariff Refund Case Back, Deadline Set
The Court of Appeals has sent the tariff refund case back to the Court of International Trade. The court has ordered the government to respond to a motion for tariff refunds by March 17th.
$10M Award to Idaho Prof Accused of Murder Based on Defendant's "Psychic Intuition"
A federal jury in Idaho awarded Professor Rebecca Scofield $10 million after finding former student Ashley Guillard liable for defamation. Guillard’s TikTok and YouTube videos falsely claimed Scofield had a same‑sex affair with a murder victim and that she orchestrated the...
Harvey Does 2nd Acquihire, This Time With Lume
Harvey announced its second acquihire, bringing Lume co‑founders Robert Ross and Nebyou Zewde into its product and engineering teams. Lume, a Y Combinator‑backed AI integration startup founded in 2023, will cease operations as only the two founders transition to Harvey. The...
Maximize Your Impact at Legal Tech Conferences Today
Legalweek and a packed calendar of eDiscovery and legal‑tech events underscore the enduring value of in‑person gatherings. The article argues that merely attending is insufficient; professionals must attend with clear intent aligned to their current challenges. Role‑specific guidance—from managers to...
How a Broadly Defined Counterterrorism Statute Could Be Abused
A superseding indictment in Texas adds material‑support‑to‑terrorism charges under 18 U.S.C. § 2339A to nine defendants accused of shooting a police officer during a July 4, 2025 protest at an ICE detention center. The statute, originally crafted to disrupt terrorist logistics, does not require proof...
“White House Faces Thousands of Lawsuits as It Tries to Slow-Walk Tariff Refunds; The Trump Administration Is Attempting to Delay...
The Supreme Court recently struck down a set of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, obligating the White House to refund importers the duties collected. Instead of issuing prompt refunds, the administration has adopted a slow‑walk strategy, arguing fiscal constraints...
“Infiltrating the Supreme Court: A Roundtable Conversation with Top Supreme Court Reporters on Secrecy at the Court, the Justices’ Ethics...
The Justice Department abruptly reversed its decision to drop appeals defending executive orders that sanction law firms, reinstating its defense within 24 hours. At the same time, the Supreme Court signaled willingness to broaden appeal‑waiver exceptions, while declining to hear...
JT/DL: Court Innovation Is Middleware
The article argues that court case management systems (CMS) are the bottleneck preventing courts from leveraging their massive data streams, citing an Oklahoma pilot where a simple middleware layer cut jail time for low‑level defendants. It explains that most CMS...
Lawmakers Push Mid-March Clarity Act Despite Deadline Miss
LATEST: 🇺🇸 Stablecoin talks missed the White House deadline, but lawmakers are still aiming for a mid-March Clarity Act markup amid ongoing disputes over yield and DeFi. Source: Crypto in America https://t.co/VXDrD0zcRk
BitGo Offers Crypto as a Service in Europe
BitGo Europe GmbH will launch Crypto as a Service (CaaS) across the European Economic Area after securing a MiCA licence from Germany’s BaFin. The company, founded in 2013, already serves over 2,000 institutional clients in 90 countries and went public...
Palestine Action Ruling: Human Rights Organisations Call for Ofcom to Issue Guidance on Content Takedowns
A UK High Court has declared the government’s proscription of Palestine Action unlawful, prompting human‑rights groups to demand immediate guidance from Ofcom on how platforms should handle related content. The government’s appeal leaves uncertainty over whether online material supporting the...
Optimum CEO Urges FCC to Break up Local Media Triopolies
D.C. Memo: @Optimum CEO Pitches @FCC Chairman @BrendanCarrFCC on @NXSTMediaGroup/@TEGNA Merger Conditions. Dennis Mathew urges FCC leader to require 'divestiture of Big-4 triopolies in a local market' $NXST $TGNA | https://t.co/aAaKQ9Pivw
First Retailer Achieves End-to-End FSMA 204 Traceability
ReposiTrak announced that a leading grocery retailer has become the first to achieve true end‑to‑end traceability under FDA FSMA Section 204, using its Touchless Traceability solution. The system has already generated hundreds of thousands of FDA‑required Key Data Element records...
McMillan–Legora Leaders on Bringing Generative AI Into Daily Legal Practice
McMillan LLP has partnered with Legora to embed the firm’s generative‑AI platform across its Canadian practice. The rollout targets core legal work such as litigation, transactional drafting and contract analysis, with built‑in security and data‑privacy safeguards. Firm leaders discussed how...
California Targets 3D Printers in New Bill as States Diverge on Gun Control
California Assembly Bill 2047 would require every 3D printer sold in the state to embed software that scans and blocks files capable of producing firearms or restricted parts. The Department of Justice must define detection standards by July 2027, with certification...
Deloitte Signs Off on Anchorage Reserve Report for Tether’s USAT Stablecoin
Deloitte & Touche issued an independent attestation confirming that Anchorage’s USAT reserve report complies with the AICPA 2025 criteria for asset‑backed, fiat‑pegged tokens. The report, covering reserves as of Jan. 31, 2026, shows $17.6 million in assets backing 17.5 million USAT tokens, leaving a...
Chancery Interprets LLC Agreement as Not Eliminating Fiduciary Duties
The Delaware Court of Chancery held that the LLC’s Protection Provision did not fully eliminate fiduciary duties, allowing Calumet’s breach claim against manager Luke Darkow to survive. The court adopted the fiduciary‑exception view, treating the claim under tort law rather...
India Adopting Pragmatic Approach to Regulate AI: IAIRO
India is charting a pragmatic AI regulatory path that steers between the United States' loosely‑controlled environment and the European Union's stringent compliance regime. IAIRO founder Amit Sheth says the framework will nurture innovation while protecting users, focusing on high‑value, sector‑specific AI...
Eversheds Sutherland Continues Litigation Growth with Addition of Securities Enforcement Partner Ellen Connell | Firm News
Eversheds Sutherland announced that Ellen Connell has joined its Litigation Practice Group as a partner, bolstering the firm’s securities enforcement capabilities. Based in Washington, DC, Connell will focus on complex, high‑stakes regulatory investigations. The hire expands the firm’s global investigations...
SEC, Apex Spar Over Off-Channel Communications Sweep Settlement
A Texas broker‑dealer, Apex Clearing Corp., told a Fifth Circuit appeals court that the SEC imposed harsher settlement terms on it than on other firms targeted in the agency’s Biden‑era crackdown on off‑channel communications. The SEC denied Apex’s request to...
Senate Advances Housing Bill With Temporary CBDC Ban
The U.S. Senate advanced the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act with an 84‑to‑6 vote. The 303‑page legislation includes a provision that prohibits the Federal Reserve from creating a central bank digital currency (CBDC) until Dec. 31, 2030. The bill carves...
GSMA Calls for Regulatory Readiness for Direct-to-User LEO Satellite Services
The GSMA released a position paper urging governments to modernise regulatory frameworks for direct‑to‑user Low‑Earth‑Orbit (LEO) satellite services. It highlights that existing rules are fragmented and often unsuitable for new satellite‑only offerings, creating uncertainty for operators and investors. The paper...
Tuesday Talk*: What Becomes Of The Nine?
The Justice Department announced it will drop the lawsuits it filed against nine major law firms that had been pressured by President Trump to cease representing his political opponents. The move signals the administration’s acknowledgment that the executive orders targeting...
Bad Breakup at Direct Mortgage Spills Into Court
Direct Mortgage is being sued by former employees Brooks Kelly and Jason Harris for $750,000 in unpaid compensation, a disputed $200,000 personal loan, and alleged software failures that created compliance risks. The plaintiffs claim the company’s loan‑origination system produced inaccurate...