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
Beltway Buzz, February 27, 2026
The U.S. Department of Labor issued a proposed rule reviving the 2021 “economic realities” test to determine independent‑contractor status, with comments due by April 28, 2026. The National Labor Relations Board removed the vacated 2023 joint‑employer text and reinstated the 2020 standard, clarifying employer liability. USCIS proposed pausing initial asylum work‑authorization applications and extending the waiting period to 365 days, with comments due April 24, 2026. House lawmakers continued a partisan debate on a federal paid‑family‑leave framework, highlighting ongoing policy uncertainty.
Virginia Temporarily Blocked From Enforcing Social Media Limit Law
A federal judge temporarily halted Virginia's 2025 law that caps minors' social‑media use at one hour per platform per day, citing First Amendment concerns. The law, which allows parental adjustments, also mandates age verification and out‑of‑state activity monitoring. NetChoice, representing...
Tether Has Blocked $3.5 Billion in Crime-Linked Stablecoins Since 2023
Tether has frozen $3.5 billion of USDT linked to illicit activity since 2023, bringing the total frozen amount to $4.2 billion since the stablecoin’s launch. The company, which now has over $180 billion of USDT in circulation, can remotely lock tokens at law‑enforcement...
Paramount Wins Antitrust Battle, Faces Junk‑Debt Merger Challenge
"In a world in which antitrust has become a political weapon, Paramount had the upper hand. Its reward means it will now have to combine two companies whose debt is junk-rated and find a media business model that works." https://t.co/Lx1hXs4Ijz...
Illumination Zone: Episode 226 | Greg Moreman of Level Legal Sits Down with Mary Mack and Holley Robinson
Level Legal’s partner Greg Moreman discussed the firm’s AI integration strategy on EDRM’s Illumination Zone podcast. He highlighted the need for defensible, outcome‑driven models and stressed that an expert human must remain in the loop. Moreman advised starting with small...
Ga. Judges Say the Rule of Law Is in Danger—Here's What You Can Do About It
Georgia’s legal community is sounding alarms that the rule of law is under threat, citing a wave of judicial resignations, ongoing ethics investigations, and a perceived "illness" at the Department of Justice. A former DOJ anti‑corruption chief warned that the...
Drone Operator Who Flew Near California Football Game Charged with Criminal Flight Violations
A 27‑year‑old man, Junwei Guo, appeared in federal court charged with a Class A misdemeanor for violating FAA airspace restrictions by flying a DJI Mavic Pro drone near Levi’s Stadium during a 49ers‑Rams NFL game. The temporary flight restriction prohibited...
Former Nuance Employee Admits Breaching More than 1.2M Geisinger Patient Records
Max Vance, a former Nuance Communications employee, admitted to illegally extracting protected health information from Geisinger Health System, affecting over 1.2 million patients. The breach continued after his termination, indicating he retained access to the provider’s network. Vance pleaded guilty in...
FDA Flags Safety Risk with Boston Scientific Stents
The FDA has classified Boston Scientific’s recall of certain Axios Stent and Electrocautery‑Enhanced Delivery Systems as a Class I recall, the agency’s most serious designation. The recall follows multiple reports of deployment and expansion failures during stent placement, resulting in...
California Drivers Accuse Flock Safety of Sharing Data with Federal and Out-of-State Agencies
Two California drivers have filed a lawsuit accusing Flock Safety of violating the state ALPR Privacy Act by allowing federal and out‑of‑state law‑enforcement agencies to query its automated license‑plate recognition data. The complaint cites more than 1.6 million out‑of‑state searches of...
Morgan Stanley’s OCC Application Is Wall Street Colonizing Crypto’s Back Office
Morgan Stanley has filed an application with the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to create a new federally chartered entity, Morgan Stanley Digital Trust, National Association, under a national trust bank charter. The charter would focus on...
Paramount's Survival Hinges on Deal, Ellisons' Influence
There is always a chance when government is involved, never rule this out. But I still see the odds in #Paramount’s favor for 2 reasons: 1- the Ellisons are one of the richest and most well connected families in the U.S. 2-...
Feds Won’t Appeal Dismissal of Luigi Mangione’s Death Penalty Charge
Federal prosecutors announced they will not appeal Judge Margaret Garnett's dismissal of the death‑penalty charge against Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder. The judge ruled that the underlying stalking counts do not qualify as "crimes of violence,"...
Feds Strike Deal to Dodge Sanctions over NYC Immigration Facility
The Department of Homeland Security settled a lawsuit with ICE detainees at New York's 26 Federal Plaza, agreeing to upgrade conditions, provide confidential attorney calls, and issue multilingual Notices of Rights. The agreement expands court oversight to the entire building,...
Virginia Bill Banning Sale Of Location Data Nears Final Passage
Virginia lawmakers have moved a bill that would prohibit businesses from selling precise geolocation data within a 1,750‑foot radius of a consumer. The House passed the measure unanimously, and the Senate, which already approved a near‑identical version, will consider it...
Former San Francisco Building Inspector Gets One-Year Sentence in Bribery Case
Former San Francisco Department of Building Inspection plan‑checker Rodolfo “Rudy” Pada was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison for accepting more than $40,000 in bribes over a 14‑year span, plus additional payments while working for a...
Fifth Circuit Confirms: Oral Consent Is Enough Under the TCPA
The Fifth Circuit affirmed that oral consent satisfies the TCPA’s prior express consent requirement, holding that a customer’s provision of a phone number and lack of objection counts as valid consent for automated calls. The decision interprets “express consent” using...
Lack of Clarity on How Immigration Officials Use Automated Tools Leads Lawyers to Launch Monitoring Org
Immigration lawyers in Canada launched the nonprofit AIMICI after discovering that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has been using undisclosed automated decision‑making tools such as the Chinook summarisation system, machine‑learning triage, facial‑recognition and generative AI. The group aims to...
DOL Moves to Undo Stricter Independence Test for Brokers
The Department of Labor has issued a proposal that would replace the Biden‑era “totality of the circumstances” test with a simpler “economic reality” test for determining independent‑contractor status. The change is aimed at easing the classification process for brokerage advisors,...
Federal Court Dismisses ILA Complaint over Virginia Rail Cranes
A federal court dismissed the International Longshoremen’s Association’s lawsuit claiming the Virginia Ports Authority violated national labor law by installing automated yard cranes without union notification. The VPA, which filed a motion to dismiss in October 2025, argued the union...
Coinbase’s Head of Litigation Says States Are 'Gaslighting' On Prediction Markets
Coinbase’s VP of litigation, Ryan VanGrack, says state regulators are mischaracterizing federal law to block the firm’s new prediction‑market offerings launched with Kalshi. The company has filed lawsuits in Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan and Nevada after those states issued cease‑and‑desist letters...
Publication Relating to Transparency Notifications
Nyxoah SA disclosed that Robert Taub and his affiliated entity BMI Estate submitted a transparency notification after passively crossing the 10% voting‑rights threshold. The combined holdings amount to 4,360,800 voting rights, representing 9.99% of Nyxoah’s 43,662,403 total voting rights as...
New Legislation Addresses Various Supply Chain Issues Impacting U.S. Freight and Highways
Senator Todd Young introduced the Securing American Freight, Enforcement, and Reliability (SAFER) Transport Act to tackle freight fraud, theft, and safety on U.S. highways. The bill mandates a freight fraud advisory committee, eliminates MC numbers in favor of a single...
CNIPA Issues Letter on Identity of Foreign Inventors
China's National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) clarified that its new inventor‑information rules, effective Jan. 1 2026, obligate Chinese inventors to provide a national ID but do not require foreign inventors to submit passport or other ID numbers at the filing stage. The...
AHA Shares Recommendations with ASTP/ONC on HTI-5 Proposed Rule
The American Hospital Association (AHA) submitted formal recommendations to the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy and the Office of the National Coordinator (ASTP/ONC) regarding the Health Data, Technology and Interoperability (HTI‑5) proposed rule. The rule seeks to deregulate certification criteria,...
FBI Raids LAUSD Superintendent's Home in AI-Related Probe
Los Angeles Unified School District launched the “Ed” AI chatbot in March 2024, a high‑profile effort led by Superintendent Alberto Carvalho to place the district at the forefront of educational technology. The project hinged on a $6 million contract with Boston...
FAA Revokes StarFlite Aviation Air Carrier Certificate
The Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency order revoking StarFlite Aviation’s Part 135 air carrier certificate after uncovering systematic falsification of pilot training records. Between 2019 and 2024, management entered false competency checks for at least ten pilots, including the chief...
Ignore Fear‑mongering Posts About Supreme Court Decision
ABOUT THE POST OFFICE DECISION BY THE SUPREME COURT First, take a deep breath, and stop listening to social media accounts that are fear-mongering and catastrophizing this case (better yet, stop following them altogether, they aren't feeding you facts, and...
MLB Challenges Call of Duty’s “World Series” Trademark
NEW: Major League Baseball took issue this week with the name of Call of Duty's World Series of Warzone esports series, citing potential brand confusion Activision then bailed on the WSoW trademark I'd be surprised if they try using "World Series" again https://t.co/cLQszoDA9i
Advocates Seek To Prohibit Trump Admin From Censoring ICE Reporting Tools
A free‑speech advocacy group has filed a federal injunction request to stop the Trump administration from pressuring Apple and Meta to remove ICE‑reporting tools. The lawsuit centers on the Eyes Up app and the Facebook group “ICE Sightings — Chicagoland,” both taken down...
Tech Promises Affordable Justice, but Access Remains Uneven
so the technology is here to enable better more affordable justice, but not evenly distributed… yet https://t.co/VN4uMD18Qk
FCC Pushes Broadcasters to Meet Public Interest Obligations
*The FCC has been requiring broadcasters to comply with their public interest obligations. And we’re going to be doing more of that.
Skin of Its Teeth: Mentor-Protégé Joint Venture Survives SDVOSB Status Protest Despite Missing Required Provisions in Joint Venture
The SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals upheld Sugarloaf Technologies, an SDVOSB mentor‑protégé joint venture, after GSA protested its award for missing the specific reporting language required by 13 C.F.R. § 128.402(c)(11)‑(12). Sugarloaf’s agreement instead contained a clause stating reports would be submitted...
Reporter Denies Defamation Suit, Cites Rally Ejection Evidence
“Let’s get a few things straight. I’ve never been sued for defamation, let alone successfully. I did write a profile of the Rep last year that she didn’t like. Most important, I was thrown out of her rally. There is...
Cruz Bill Sneaks Anti‑SpaceX Clause Into NASA Funding
I guess we know who successfully placed the anti-SpaceX provision in the Cruz reauthorization legislation for NASA. https://t.co/O05CGCT5vM
How Will Mass Gen AI Adoption Change Law Firms? A Chat With Legalweek Speaker Colleen Nihill
Morgan Lewis’s chief AI and knowledge officer, Colleen Nihill, explained how widespread generative AI adoption will overhaul law‑firm operations. She warned that routine document drafting, research, and due‑diligence tasks will shift from billable hours to AI‑driven efficiencies. Firms that merely...
Lawmakers Push Tax Reforms to Curb Investor Housing Advantage
Lawmakers eye tax changes to tackle institutional investors in housing: Semafor "this is not a free market for the American family, because investors… have special tax write-offs… that aren’t available to single families" -Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind. https://t.co/4JRvuFhZMv
Judge Andrews' Delay Feels Like Being the Last Pick
Waiting for Judge Andrews to make his $LQDA decision is like being the fat kid waiting to get picked only after the captains have picked everyone else first... https://t.co/LtzJmQ7O7t
One Click, 3,800 Contracts: Unison Automates FAR Deviation Mods at Scale
Unison, a federal acquisition software provider, used its bulk modification tool to issue more than 3,800 contract changes for an unnamed agency in a single click. The automation replaced weeks of manual drafting, handling FAR deviation updates required by the...
Paramount Pays Netflix $2.8B Termination Fee for WBD Deal
Netflix, in SEC filing, says Paramount 'on behalf of WBD, paid the $2,800,000,000 termination fee owed to Netflix in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement.'
ILTA Just-in-Time: Up-Skilling Lawyers in a Transforming Profession
The ILTA Just‑in‑Time initiative addresses the rapid digital transformation reshaping the legal profession. New lawyers now graduate into environments dominated by AI‑assisted drafting, cloud‑based research, and remote collaboration tools. ILTA’s on‑demand training modules aim to up‑skill attorneys quickly, bridging gaps...
Lawsuit Seeks to Halt FMCSA's Non-Domiciled CDL Final Rule
Owner‑operator Jorge Rivera Lujan and other petitioners have filed an emergency petition asking a federal court to halt the FMCSA’s final rule that restricts non‑domiciled commercial driver’s license (CDL) eligibility, effective March 16. They argue the rule is arbitrary and...
SBI Holdings Teams Up with Startale to Introduce Regulated Yen-Pegged Stablecoin
SBI Holdings has signed an MOU with blockchain firm Startale Group to create Japan’s first fully regulated yen‑pegged stablecoin. The token will be issued as a Type 3 Electronic Payment Instrument, backed by assets held in Shinsei Trust & Banking, and...
Anti-Fraud Measures Often Backfire, Despite Regulator Assurances
This genre of unintended consequence is fairly frequent in anti-fraud implementations, and when you tell regulators/legislators that, they say obviously it won’t happen because businesses would lose money. (I have no knowledge of this specific purchasing pathway.)
FMCSA Chief Emphasizes Aggressive Approach to CDL Qualifications
FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs announced that the agency is collaborating with Congress on the “Dalilah Law,” a bill that would codify the agency’s final rule barring most non‑U.S. citizens from obtaining a commercial driver’s license (CDL). The legislation mandates English‑only...
Walker & Dunlop Dismisses A Banking Team After Fraud Investigation
Walker & Dunlop dismissed members of its banking staff after an internal investigation revealed approximately $134 million in Freddie Mac multifamily loans were affected by borrower fraud, leading to a $29 million loss expense in Q4. The review also uncovered an additional $34 million...
Following Markup Investigation, Congress Finds Data Brokers Cost Consumers Tens of Billions of Dollars
A Congressional Joint Economic Committee report estimates that data‑broker breaches have cost American consumers roughly $20.8 billion. The analysis, sparked by investigations from The Markup and CalMatters, links the loss to four major breaches that exposed over 650 million records in the...
This Exchange Will Define IEEPA Tariff History
When we write the definitive history of IEEPA tariffs, this exchange - and what it represents - should get its own chapter.
Tribes Cheer House Bill
The Tribal Tax and Investment Reform Act of 2026 aims to eliminate a tax‑code provision that blocks tribes from issuing private‑activity bonds for non‑essential projects. By granting tribes the same bond‑issuing powers as states, the bill opens a vast municipal...
Legal AI: What Government Agencies Need To Consider
Filevine has released a comprehensive guide titled “Legal AI: What Government Agencies Need To Consider,” aimed at helping public‑sector legal teams navigate the rapidly expanding AI market. The guide outlines how AI can improve government legal workflows, offers a framework...