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
Before We Predict The End Of Lawyers, Let’s Take A Deep Breath
Generative AI is being touted as a productivity breakthrough for law firms, but the author argues it may actually increase workload. Drawing on the Solow paradox, the piece suggests that more information leads to more analysis, verification, and billable hours rather than efficiency gains. The article cautions against premature predictions that AI will render lawyers obsolete. It calls for a measured assessment of AI’s real impact on legal practice.
Before We Predict The End Of Lawyers, Let’s Take A Deep Breath
Stephen Embry argues that generative AI, while touted as a productivity miracle for law firms, may actually generate more work rather than reduce it. He frames this counter‑intuitive outcome with the Solow paradox, which observes that new technologies often raise...
Online News Act: Game‑Changer for Press, Irritant to Tech Giants
Online News Act is a “trade irritant “to Google and Meta, and govt carrying its water, but it’s a “game changer” for a free and plural press living with a massive imbalance in bargaining power - now in the case...
Anticipated Applicability Date for Future Final RMD Regs. Announced
The IRS announced in Announcement 2026‑7 that final regulations amending RMD rules will not take effect until at least the 2026 calendar year, roughly six months after their Federal Register publication. The interim guidance requires taxpayers to rely on a good‑faith...
Delaware High Court Finds Investor Pact Suit Delay Fatal, Clarifies “Void/Voidable” Difference
The Delaware Supreme Court in Moelis & Co. v. West Palm Beach Firefighters Pension Fund reversed a Chancery ruling, holding that the 2014 stockholder agreement was voidable rather than void, and therefore the nine‑year‑old lawsuit was barred by the doctrine...
District Court in Washington Refuses to Block State SPCP
A Washington district court declined to issue an injunction against the State's Secure Property Credit Program (SPCP), allowing the program to continue operating. Plaintiffs argued the SPCP violated federal mortgage regulations, but the court found insufficient evidence of immediate harm....
Other News in Brief
Bank holdings of residential mortgage‑backed securities dropped in Q4, while investor appetite for GSE‑eligible non‑agency loans surged. The CFPB reported a lower share of complaints receiving relief, and fintech Better turned to stablecoins for warehouse funding. M&A activity is reshaping...
SCOTUS Rejects Boeing Appeal Regarding MAX Suit
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Boeing's appeal, allowing the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association lawsuit to continue in Texas appellate courts. The case alleges Boeing interfered with the union’s business and fraudulently induced pilots to operate the 737 MAX, seeking...
AI and Real Estate Data: Who’s Making the Rules?
The real‑estate industry is racing to set data rules before AI triggers another wave of litigation. California has enacted a law requiring agents to disclose AI‑altered listing photos, prompting brokerages to add similar language to agreements. MLS providers are revising...
Ohio School District Sues Microsoft, Roblox over Video Game Harm to Students
The Champion Local School District in Ohio filed a 185‑page lawsuit against Microsoft (including its Mojang subsidiary) and Roblox, alleging that their games such as Minecraft and Roblox are engineered to create addiction and mental‑health issues among students. The district...
San Francisco Seeks Breakaway From PG&E to Create Public Utility
California State Senator Scott Wiener introduced Senate Bill 875 to let San Francisco municipalize its electric distribution, aiming to break away from PG&E. The move follows repeated blackouts, rates that are roughly double those of neighboring areas, and safety failures...
Supreme Court Declines COVID Vaccine Mandate Cases
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear two Air Force cases challenging the Department of Defense’s COVID‑19 vaccine mandate, deeming them moot after the Pentagon began reinstating service members who had refused the shot. Plaintiffs, citing the Religious Freedom Restoration...
Wisconsin Taxpayers Accuse Legislature of Wasting Funds on Private Attorneys
Three Wisconsin taxpayers have sued the state Legislature, alleging it misused about $26 million of public funds to hire private attorneys to challenge Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul. The lawsuit targets a 2018 lame‑duck package that gave the Legislature authority to...
There’s No Such Thing as a “Clean” Environmental Site
It's only Monday and I've already heard 2 people refer to a "clean" environmental. There is no such thing. It's just a casual way of describing an environmental site assessment that ostensibly has no issues or concerns. But not only is it misleading,...
Pilots Win Court Fight Over Housing Near California Airport
A Santa Cruz County judge ruled that Watsonville violated the State Aeronautics Act and CEQA by approving a 21‑unit housing project inside the safety zone of Watsonville Municipal Airport. The court ordered the city to adopt state‑mandated airport compatibility standards...
ABA Administrative Law Section Seeks Nominations
The ABA Administrative Law Section announced that four council member positions will become vacant beginning August 2026. Candidates must already be Section members, and those who join now will qualify for the 2027 nomination cycle. Council members serve three-year terms,...
Asylum Pact 2.0: The EU Amends the Rules on ‘Safe Third Countries’ and ‘Safe Countries of Origin’
The EU Council approved two amendments to the asylum pact, tightening rules on both ‘safe countries of origin’ and ‘safe third countries’. Designations become mandatory, with the option to label parts of a country or specific groups as safe, and...
STAT+: Bayer Sues J&J over ‘False and Misleading Claims’ About Competing Prostate Cancer Treatments
Pharmaceutical giant Bayer has filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, accusing the latter of false advertising around its prostate‑cancer drug Erleada. Bayer claims J&J’s February 2 press release and website slides used flawed data to portray Erleada as more effective...
Crypto.com Secures Conditional Approval for National Trust Bank Charter
Crypto.com has secured conditional approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to charter Foris Dax National Trust Bank, operating as Crypto.com National Trust Bank. The bank will deliver custody, staking and trade‑settlement services under OCC supervision,...
Joseph Gatti Joins Morgan Lewis as Structured Finance Partner
Morgan Lewis announced the addition of Joseph Gatti as a partner in its structured transactions practice, based in Washington, D.C. Gatti brings deep experience in structuring and executing asset‑backed securities, particularly single‑family residential assets and mortgage deals. He arrives from Amherst Residential, where...
Penn Settles Long-Running Fight With Activist Investor
Penn Entertainment announced the appointment of three independent directors—Heather Ace, Jeffrey Fox and Fabio Schiavolin—expanding its board from eight to eleven members and ending a two‑year dispute with activist investor HG Vora Capital Management. In exchange, Vora withdrew the lawsuit it...
June 13 2026 Deadline Ends Tariff Refund Protests
The key deadline your company needs to be aware of to make sure you're eligible for tariff refunds is June 13, 2026. After that date you will not be able to file protests for entries filed on February 4th,...
First Brands Adequate Protection Fight with Evolution Yields Appellate Court Ruling Friendly to Allegedly Secured Lenders – Legal Analysis
An appellate court in the Southern District of Texas ruled that a creditor’s prima facie showing of a security interest entitles it to adequate protection under Chapter 11, remanding the First Brands‑Evolution dispute back to the bankruptcy court for further...
Securities and Exchange Commission Schedules Roundtable to Discuss “Retailization” Of Private Securities
The SEC will host a Private Markets Roundtable on March 4, 2026 to discuss the retailization of private securities. Currently, non‑accredited investors are limited to Reg A and Reg CF, while most private offerings remain inaccessible. Pending legislation could relax accredited‑investor thresholds, adding a...
Palantir Deals Are a Threat to Our Data Rights as UK Citizens | Letters
Palantir Technologies, the US data‑fusion and AI firm, has secured contracts with the UK National Health Service and the Ministry of Defence. Critics argue the deals give a surveillance‑focused company access to sensitive citizen data. The firm’s platforms, already employed...
Salt-N-Pepa File Notice of Appeal over UMG Lawsuit Dismissal, with ‘Blurred Lines’ Lawyer as Counsel
Grammy‑winning rap duo Salt‑N‑Pepa have filed a notice of appeal after a district judge dismissed their lawsuit against Universal Music Group seeking to terminate UMG’s ownership of their master recordings. The lower‑court ruling held that the duo never owned the...
Transaction in Own Shares
Shell plc announced on 23 February 2026 that it repurchased 1,028,319 of its own shares for cancellation, executing trades on six European venues. The GBP‑denominated purchases (LSE, Chi‑X, BATS) were made at volume‑weighted average prices around £29.54 per share, while...
Consequences of New MA and ACA Marketplace Regulations
CMS has released draft regulations that will reshape Medicare Advantage (MA) and Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace operations beginning in the 2027 compliance year. The proposals tighten enrollment verification, mandate greater cost and benefit transparency, and introduce stricter documentation standards...
Are Senior Executive Service Officials Officers?
In early 2025 the Trump Administration, via the Justice Department, asserted that every member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) should be treated as an "inferior officer" under the Appointments Clause. The claim challenges the long‑standing view of SES positions...
ProtonVPN Says It Shouldn’t Have to Cut Off Pirates - but Fails to Convince French Courts
A French court rejected ProtonVPN’s arguments against mandatory blocking of sports piracy sites, compelling the Swiss VPN provider to enforce the order in France. ProtonVPN claimed the block violated the EU’s Open Internet Regulation and would cause technical overreach, but...
Guidance: OFSI General Licence INT/2024/4761108
On 28 May 2024 the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) re‑issued General Licence INT/2024/4761108 under Regulation 64 of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. The licence authorises individuals to use retail banking services of a designated credit or financial institution, provided any payments...
Brussels’ Privacy Reforms Stumble Out the Gate
The European Commission’s digital‑omnibus package proposes to reshape the GDPR by redefining personal data, allowing pseudonymized information to fall outside strict privacy rules. National governments, led by the Cypriot Council presidency, have pushed back, warning the change could erode core...
Climate Change Goes Back to the Supreme Court -- Colorado Edition
The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) v. County Commissioners of Boulder County, the latest climate‑change tort suit filed by a local government against a fossil‑fuel producer. The Court not only adopted the petitioner’s question on whether...
Modernising Case Management Systems: What Every Law Firm Needs to Know in 2026
Law firms are confronting sluggish, legacy case management systems that erode margins and impede AI adoption. A February 26 webinar hosted by LIMA’s product head Ollie Potts will outline why CMS optimisation has become a profitability and data‑strategy priority. Attendees...
District Court Reinforces Role of Article III Standing Limits in Post-Cunningham ERISA Litigation
A federal district court in North Carolina dismissed a 401(k) plan participants’ prohibited‑transaction and fiduciary‑breach claims against Bayada Home Health Care, finding they lacked Article III standing and presented only speculative allegations. The plaintiffs failed to show that advisory or record‑keeping...
AIs Can Generate Near-Verbatim Copies of Novels From Training Data
Recent Stanford and Yale studies show that leading large language models—including OpenAI's, Google’s Gemini 2.5, Anthropic’s Claude 3.7, and xAI’s Grok 3—can generate near‑verbatim excerpts from copyrighted novels, reproducing up to 77% of the original text when prompted. The findings reveal that LLMs...
Supreme Court Rules Trump Tariffs Illegal, Congress Holds Tax Power
Trump's IEEPA tariffs are illegal, as per the SC, and he's going to have to work with Congress and subject to the law now to sustain the tariff regime in various other ways. Or go back to court. China and...
Litigation Breeds Litigation + Follow-Up to Lawsuit Against Pro-Palestinian / Anti-Semitic Protesters Outside Synagogue
A federal district court dismissed Marc Susselman’s lawsuit against the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission, holding that the case must proceed through the state disciplinary process. The court invoked Younger abstention and related precedents, finding Susselman failed to raise his constitutional...
Prosecutors Allege UK Aircraft Parts Firm’s Fraud Caused Millions in Losses
London‑based airline parts firm director Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala forged documents to sell tens of thousands of CFM56 engine components, injecting roughly 60,000 suspect parts into the global supply chain. The scheme, spanning January 2019 to December 2023, generated £6.9 million in revenue for...
Sebi Chief Tuhin Kanta Pandey Flags Big PMS Overhaul, to Examine New RBI Funding Rules
Sebi chair Tuhin Kanta Pandey announced a sweeping review of portfolio‑management‑services (PMS) regulations, citing the sector’s Rs 10.5 lakh‑crore asset base and 17% CAGR growth. The draft overhaul will prioritize investor suitability, governance, and technology, with a public consultation slated before the...
DAT's Hidden Clause Lets Them File UCCs—Seek Lawyer
This is sketchy even for DAT standards. DO NOT SIGN DAT’s standard agreement without an attorney reviewing. We’ve had multiple reports of DAT filing UCCs against companies that sign their standard agreement. They snuck language into their terms and conditions that...
Local Communities File Final Legal Challenge Against Marinus Link
Locals launch last-ditch legal challenge in bid to stop Marinus Link #energysky -- via Renew Economy: https://t.co/3JXw7onas3 https://t.co/YacCtryQP3
Clarity Act Helps Banks, Blocks Stablecoin Interest
The Clarity Act, promoted as good for crypto, is actually a win for banks. It allows them to enter the crypto space while keeping any interest earned, effectively regulating stablecoin companies and preventing them from offering interest. #CryptoRegulation #ClarityAct #IvanClips...
Insider Take‑Private Looms as Settlement Clears Weedmaps Squeeze‑Out Path
No Cheap Squeeze-Outs: My Process Letter to the Weedmaps Board The settlement AIP cleared the path for insiders to strike. With a renewed take-private looking imminent before the proxy, I just served formal notice to the $MAPS Special Committee. See full presentation,...
Lawyers Grade SCOTUS Tariffs Opinions; Plural
What letter grade does my audience of lawyers and law students assign to the #SCOTUS opinions in the tariffs case? The pick of the plurality is where I end up (for reasons given in my analysis of the ruling). LINK: https://t.co/6HIRtu5Cha https://t.co/Q1m3W3MmMQ
30 Years Later: Telecomm Act's Enduring Impact
Join @publicknowledge & @HowardUCOMM tomorrow (2/24)to celebrate 30th anniversary of the Telecommunications Act of 1996! @RepMcClellan, policy advocates & academics explore the lasting legacy of this cornerstone of communication policy. RSVP https://t.co/to98DpEh9L
FDA Issues Guidance on New Individualized Therapy Pathway
Building off the Baby KJ success story: FDA unveils long-awaited guidance on new pathway for individualized therapies - https://t.co/Uetp1cGFq2
Presidential Remarks Won’t Sway DOJ Approval, but May Affect Sale
The president's comments about Netflix/Susan Rice shouldn't have bearing over the approval of any WBD deal — a decision to sue to block would be made by the DOJ which would face an indp judge in court — BUT his...
Demand Risk Mitigation Details for Efficient Money Transfers
My unsolicited comms advice: if you're going to go on at length about making it more "efficient" to move money to places like Venezuela (sanctions risk) and Colombia (narcotrafficking/money laundering risk), also explain how (if?) you mitigate these risks. https://t.co/rN8g9ibBhf
Treasury Unveils AI Lexicon and Risk Framework for Finance
Risk says "model risk." Tech says "ML system." Compliance says "automated decision tool." Legal says "algorithm." US Treasury just fixed this: AI Lexicon + Risk Framework for financial services. 230 control objectives. NIST-adapted. "Treasury releases AI lexicon and sector-specific risk framework"...