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
Satisfying The Landeck Ruling With Advanced Search Profiles In ADF Pro
The EU Court of Justice’s Landeck ruling clarified that law‑enforcement must obtain independent authorization and meet proportionality tests before accessing data on seized devices. This decision impacts prosecutions by making improperly obtained evidence potentially inadmissible and forces agencies to adopt stricter procedural safeguards. ADF’s forensic platform, ADF Pro, addresses these requirements through customizable search profiles and capture groups that enable laser‑focused, legally compliant data extraction. Upcoming version 6.3 adds targeted extraction deletion and hash‑preview sanitization to further reduce privacy intrusion.
The National Security Case for Judicial Review | Lawfare
Lawfare’s new article argues that judicial review of executive national‑security claims enhances democratic legitimacy and strengthens defense outcomes. The authors contend courts can competently assess sensitive security matters without compromising classified information, preventing abuse and improving decision‑making. They link judicial...
Court Requires That Vulgar Criticism of Mayor Be Obscured, but Eventually Changes Course
McMinn County Circuit Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by District Attorney Stephen Hatchett that sought to block a vulgar political message painted on a Liberty Property Services building. The DA argued the phrase was obscene and violated Tennessee campaign‑finance rules,...
New York Bill Would 'Shackle' Media Firms, 'Washington Post' Editorial Board Argues
New York lawmakers are advancing a bill that would compel media companies to disclose any artificial‑intelligence tools used in their operations, a move the Washington Post editorial board warns could stifle innovation. At the same time, veteran CBS correspondent David...
Ukraine Pushes Tighter Telegram Regulation, Citing Russian Recruitment of Locals
Ukrainian officials are urging tighter regulation of Telegram after Russian intelligence allegedly used the app to recruit saboteurs for attacks, including a deadly Lviv strike that killed a police officer. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko and SBU deputy head Ivan Rudnytskyi...
TR’s CoCounsel Hits 1 Million Users Despite Claude Crash
Thomson Reuters announced that its CoCounsel AI platform has reached one million professional users across 107 countries, covering legal, risk, compliance, tax, accounting, audit and global trade functions. The milestone was highlighted alongside a 10.25% intraday rise in TR’s share...
Reddit Fined £14m for 'Concerning' Child Age Check Failings
Reddit has been hit with a £14.47 million fine from the UK Information Commissioner’s Office after the regulator found the platform’s age‑verification process inadequate and that it processed personal data of users under 13 without a lawful basis. The ICO criticised...
LawNext on Location: The View From Tiburon – A Conversation with Pablo Arredondo, Casetext Cofounder
In this Law Next on Location episode, co‑founder of Casetext Pablo Arredondo reflects on the rapid evolution of legal AI—from early brief‑analysis tools like CARA to the launch of Co‑Counsel, the first AI legal assistant built on GPT‑4, and its...
Britain Targets Russia’s Oil Revenues with Nearly 300 New Sanctions
Britain announced its largest sanctions package to date, targeting Russia’s oil pipeline operator Transneft and adding nearly 300 new measures. The package, timed with the fourth anniversary of the invasion, also sanctions 48 oil tankers linked to Russia’s shadow fleet...
Hotshot + Legora Partner For AI Training Program
Hotshot, a legal learning platform, has teamed up with AI‑driven contract tool Legora to deliver a joint training program for law firms. The collaboration will produce high‑level, use‑case‑driven videos and instructor‑led workshops that let lawyers practice Legora on simulated matters...
Arrest of Commenter at City Council Meeting for Accusing Police of Being "Fascist" And "Pro Domestic Abuse" Violated First Amendment
A federal district court in Iowa ruled that Newton’s Derogatory Comments Rule was unconstitutionally vague, overbroad, and viewpoint‑discriminatory, overturning the city’s arrests of commentator Tayvin Petersen. Petersen was acquitted of disorderly conduct after being handcuffed for calling the police chief...
Oklahoma Supreme Court to Rule on Utilities' Winter Storm Bonds
The Oklahoma Supreme Court is set to rule on $1.45 billion of winter‑storm bonds issued by Oklahoma Gas & Electric and Public Service Company of Oklahoma. Republican lawmakers allege the Oklahoma Corporation Commission violated state audit and ethics rules when authorizing...
SEC Says Former Edison Nation Executives Made False PPE Claims
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a fraud action against former Edison Nation chief executive Christopher B. Ferguson and former chief strategy officer Brian P. McFadden, alleging they fabricated purchase‑order data for personal protective equipment during the early...
Meta’s Addiction Trial Could Spell Trouble for Sports Betting
A Los Angeles jury is hearing the KGM trial, which alleges Meta and other social platforms are engineered to addict minors through features like infinite scrolling, autoplay and dopamine‑triggering rewards. The case, while focused on social media, raises the prospect...
Solar Firm Told to Refund ₹8.1 Lakh for Failed Panel Installation
The Karnataka District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission ordered a solar‑panel distributor to refund ₹8.1 lakh and pay ₹35,000 for mental anguish after a rooftop system, promised to generate 40 units daily, failed shortly after installation. The ruling highlights inadequate after‑sales support...
Texas V. Epic: Market Definition and Whataburger Edition
Texas filed its antitrust suit against Epic Systems in state court to avoid federal consolidation and the stricter Twombly/Iqbal pleading standards. Epic’s motion to dismiss challenges the state’s market definition, arguing that the split between acute‑care and academic hospital EHR...
Financial Crime’s Forgotten Statute: SDNY Rediscovers a Powerful Tool | Law.com
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has revived the rarely used Section 225 of the federal fraud statutes, filing the first indictments under the provision in a decade. The recent cases—First Brands and United States v....
Elevate Launches ELMA Agentic Capability
Elevate has introduced ELMA, an agentic capability that extends its cloud‑based ELM platform for in‑house legal teams. ELMA lets users create workflows via natural language and integrates with over 200 enterprise applications, automating document processing, data extraction, and browser‑based tasks....
ESMA Reminds Firms of Their Obligations Under CFD Product Intervention Measures Amid Rising Offerings of Perpetual Futures
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) issued a reminder that firms must verify whether newly offered perpetual futures and similar derivatives fall within the scope of existing CFD product‑intervention measures. The regulator highlights that many of these instruments, including...
Kalshi Clears ‘Backlog’ of Suspicious Activity, Plans to Disclose Actions Against Insider Trading – Decrypt
Kalshi, a regulated U.S. prediction‑market platform, has finished reviewing a backlog of suspicious trading activity. The effort, led by new head of enforcement Robert DeNault, uncovered multiple potential insider‑trading violations and other rule breaches. Kalshi plans to publicly disclose the...
Neutrogena Owner Agrees $4.7 Million Settlement over Skin360 Biometric Data Privacy Claims
Johnson & Johnson’s consumer arm, now Kenvue, agreed to a $4.7 million settlement over claims that its Neutrogena Skin360 app captured and stored users' facial biometric data without proper consent, violating Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). Plaintiffs alleged the app...
Kenya Streamlines Access to Legal and Digital Identity
President William Ruto signed the Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Bill 2024, mandating at least one civil registration office in each of Kenya's 290 sub‑counties. The legislation streamlines birth and death registration, targeting remote and border communities that have struggled...
Rule 14a-8 Shareholder Proposals: Proponents Are Litigating Exclusion Decisions
Three shareholder‑proponent lawsuits have been filed this week, marking the first challenges under the SEC’s revised Rule 14a‑8 no‑action letter process for 2026. The cases target AT&T’s exclusion of an EEO‑1 diversity disclosure, Axon’s exclusion of a political‑spending proposal, and...
Financial & Legal
Financial & Legal, a UK‑based insurer founded in 1995, provides in‑house underwritten After the Event (ATE) and Before the Event (BTE) insurance alongside assistance and ancillary cover. The firm is regulated by the PRA and FCA, fully Solvency II compliant, and...
Former Goodwin COO Mary O'Carroll Joins Legal Tech Startup Sandstone as Product Adviser
Former Goodwin chief operating officer Mary O'Carroll has joined legal‑tech startup Sandstone as a product adviser. O'Carroll, who previously held senior roles at Ironclad and Google, will serve in a part‑time capacity. The appointment comes just weeks after Sandstone announced...
FMCSA Proposes Extending State Emergency Exemptions to 30 Days
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has proposed extending state‑issued emergency exemptions from the current 14‑day limit to 30 days, aligning them with federal emergency timelines. The change does not broaden the scope of exemptions, which remain limited to...
EU States Give Final Approval to Omnibus Package to Cut Sustainability Reporting and Due Diligence Requirements
The European Council gave final approval to the Omnibus I simplification package, dramatically scaling back the EU's corporate sustainability reporting and due‑diligence rules. The agreement retains a 1,000‑employee threshold for the CSRD but adds a €450 million revenue floor, cutting roughly...
The Major Tariffs Question at Econlib
The Supreme Court ruled in Learning Resources v. Trump that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not give the president authority to impose tariffs. Six justices agreed on this point but divided on the reasoning, with one side invoking...
Permissibility Is the Real Prize for Banks in Crypto Bill
The U.S. market‑structure bill’s permissibility section would formally allow banks and their holding companies to own and transact in digital assets, effectively expanding the range of activities deemed permissible under the National Bank Act. Critics argue that simply placing an...
Women Governance Trailblazers: Jen Sisson
The Women Governance Trailblazers podcast released a 31‑minute interview with Jen Sisson, CEO of the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN). The conversation covered ICGN’s mission, its member base, and current initiatives, as well as the challenge of aligning global governance...
Honigman Adds Strategic PE Duo to Growing Chicago Office
Law firm Honigman has added Alexander Moss and Injune Park as partners to its Private Equity Practice in Chicago, marking the seventh and eighth partner hires this year, both coming from Benesch. The duo brings extensive middle‑market private‑equity experience, covering...
Three Years After Launching As First AI Legal Assistant, CoCounsel Reaches 1 Million Users — and Thomson Reuters Teases What’s...
CoCounsel, the first GPT‑4‑powered AI legal assistant, celebrated hitting one million users across 107 countries three years after its March 2023 launch. Developed by Casetext, the platform was acquired by Thomson Reuters just four months after release, accelerating its market penetration....
Al Tamimi & Company Adopts Xapien to Further Enhance Compliance Efficiencies
Al Tamimi & Company, the leading full‑service law firm in the MENA region, has deployed Xapien’s AI‑powered due diligence platform to streamline its client onboarding and compliance workflows. The solution aggregates publicly available data, enabling faster assessment of sanctions exposure,...
Fintechs May Finally Get Regulatory Clarity as Kenya’s Central Bank Reviews Laws
Kenya’s Central Bank announced a consultancy to review the Central Bank Act and the Banking Act. The overhaul targets ambiguous provisions affecting digital banking, fintech regulation, consumer protection and cybersecurity. The current legal grey zone has delayed operating licences for...
Billions in Climate Grants, Frozen for a Year, Are Back in Court
The EPA, led by Lee Zeldin, froze roughly $20 billion in green‑bank grants awarded to eight nonprofits, citing alleged misconduct despite no fraud evidence from FBI and OIG investigations. The freeze has lasted a year, forcing recipient organizations to cut staff...
Shareholder Activism: Trends to Consider
Shareholder activists increasingly target CEO turnover as a catalyst for change, with 18% of U.S. campaigns launched after a CEO change—a 38% rise over the four‑year average. 2025 saw a record 32 activist‑driven CEO resignations, a 60% increase, including 16%...
Ofcom to Regulate Major UK VoD Services
The UK government is moving to bring the most popular video‑on‑demand services under Ofcom’s regulatory umbrella through secondary legislation to the Media Act 2024. Platforms with more than 500,000 UK users—including Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, ITVX and Channel 4—will be classified...
Can You Fire Employees Who Don’t Return FMLA Forms?
Employers can lawfully terminate an employee who fails to return required FMLA certification forms if the employee was reasonably able to comply and did not follow the employer’s notice procedures. The FMLA mandates 30‑day advance notice, or “as soon as...
TMI: How Your Client’s Need for Likes Is Hurting Their Case
Attorneys must proactively counsel clients on social‑media evidence because posts, likes, tags and even privacy settings can become admissible proof in criminal, civil and family matters. Deleting content after an investigation begins often triggers spoliation claims, while third‑party activity can...
Environmental, Community Groups to Challenge Regulators’ Approval of Dominion’s Gas Plant
Three climate‑justice nonprofits have filed a Virginia Supreme Court notice to appeal the State Corporation Commission’s approval of Dominion Energy’s $1.47 billion, 944‑megawatt Chesterfield natural‑gas plant. The appeal, filed through the Southern Environmental Law Center, invokes the Virginia Environmental Justice Act...
20 Associations Make (Another) Pledge Against Gigaliners Regulation
Twenty European transport associations have issued a joint statement urging revisions to the EU Weights and Dimensions Directive (WDD) before gigaliners are widely deployed. They argue the current draft fails to address modal shift, road safety, infrastructure wear and intermodal...
The Legal Implications of Hybrid Work Policies for Employers
UK employers are rapidly adopting hybrid work models to boost productivity and employee satisfaction, but the shift introduces complex legal obligations. Key areas of concern include data protection under GDPR, health and safety responsibilities for both remote and office settings,...
HK Court Issues Global Injunction Over Insider Trading
The Court of First Instance of Hong Kong has granted the Securities and Futures Commission a worldwide interim injunction order in legal proceedings against Mr Chan Ching Wa, a former staff of the Hong Kong Exchange and Clearing Limited (HKEX),...
Investigations Weaponized to Silence Media Under Trump
Exactly. Strong and important from NYT Editorial Board: “The investigation becomes the punishment, forcing media companies to spend millions on legal defenses and deterring them from publishing material that the Trump administration does not like.” 1/2
A Digital Omnibus: Identifying Interlinks and Possible Overlaps Between Different Legal Acts in the Field of Digital Legislation to Streamline...
The European Parliament commissioned a study to dissect the European Commission’s Digital Omnibus package released on 19 November 2025. The report separates administrative simplification from substantive changes to safeguards in data protection, privacy, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. It flags three hot‑button issues...
FedEx Sues to Reclaim Trump-Era Tariff Duties
A FedEx lawsuit seeks to recover—with interest—the duties the logistics company paid under President Trump’s tariffs https://t.co/bitdrQp2wv via @WSJ
Russia Probes Telegram Founder for Alleged Terrorist Support
Russia has opened an investigation into Telegram founder Pavel Durov for “abetting terrorist activities”, in the latest sign that his uneasy relationship with the Kremlin has broken down. https://t.co/HYthGGeVJG
BEREC Workshop on Copper Switch-Off in Light of the Digital Networks Act
European regulators are accelerating the phase‑out of copper broadband in line with the European Commission’s Digital Networks Act (DNA) proposal. BEREC, the EU’s body for electronic communications, announced a public workshop on 17 March 2026 to discuss migration rules, competition safeguards and...
Streaming Toward Win-Win Negotiation: Spotify Upgrades Its Negotiating Strategy
Spotify has shifted from confrontational royalty disputes to collaborative negotiations, exemplified by its 2023 royalty framework overhaul. The new model introduces a 1,000‑stream annual threshold, fraud penalties, and length requirements for non‑musical tracks, aiming to curb AI‑generated and low‑value content....
National Security Is Not a Blank Cheque: Recent Practice Curtailed Unfettered Sanctioning Power
The use of sanctions as a foreign‑policy tool is driving a surge in investment‑treaty disputes, with publicly known ISDS claims now estimated at roughly $62 billion. Recent arbitral awards, notably Qatar Pharma, have clarified that states must demonstrate a proportional and...