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
Mozambique to Seize 15% State Stake and Ban Raw Mineral Exports
Mozambique's draft mining law, set for a May 7 parliamentary debate, would guarantee the state a minimum 15% equity share in every mining project and prohibit the export of unprocessed minerals. The move is framed as a bid to capture more revenue, create jobs and spur domestic processing.
Harvey Deploys 500 Legal AI Agents Globally and Opens Open‑Source Benchmark
Harvey has launched more than 500 pre‑built legal AI agents on its platform and opened early access to an Agent Builder tool, while simultaneously releasing the open‑source Legal Agent Benchmark (LAB) that evaluates agents across 1,200 tasks. The moves aim...
EU AI Act Compromise Extends High‑Risk Deadline to 2027 and Bans Non‑Consensual Nudification Apps
The European Parliament and Council have struck a compromise on the AI Act, moving the high‑risk AI compliance deadline to December 2027 and adding a ban on AI tools that create non‑consensual intimate images. The deal also widens SME relief, giving...
Paul, Weiss Faces First Reported Associate Cuts Amid Recession‑Linked Slowdown
Paul, Weiss has terminated an unknown number of litigation associates, allegedly using performance reviews as a cover. The move, described as a stealth layoff, challenges the firm's long‑standing claim of never cutting staff during downturns and may foreshadow broader employment...
Outside Counsel Crucial: NJ's PASPA Victory Highlights Need
New Jersey won the PASPA case because it had Ted Olson on its side. And even he went 0-7 before winning at SCOTUS. It is beyond reckless for the States (besides NV and OH) not to be using outside counsel...
New Jersey Issues First State Guidance on Algorithmic Discrimination for Employers
The New Jersey Attorney General and the Division on Civil Rights have issued formal guidance that extends the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination to decisions made by artificial‑intelligence systems. The advisory warns both public and private employers that AI‑driven hiring,...
Former OpenAI Employees Testify at Musk Trial that Company Prioritized Product Launches over Safety Processes
Former OpenAI engineers and a former board member testified at the Musk v. Altman trial in Oakland, saying the company prioritized rapid product releases over safety protocols. Rosie Campbell, who led the AGI readiness team before it was dissolved, described...
CFTC Chair Michael Selig Pushes Formal Rules on Broker Registration for Crypto Software Developers
CFTC Chairman Michael Selig announced that the agency will move toward formal rulemaking to clarify when developers of non‑custodial crypto software must register as brokers. The proposal follows a 2026 no‑action letter to Phantom wallet creators and could reduce regulatory...
Peter Harrell Nails
Hard to beat Peter Harrell's take on the Court of International Trade's ruling on the section 122 tariffs -- 1/ a few
Court of International Trade Rules Against The 10% Global Tariff
A three‑judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade declared the 10% global import surcharge imposed by President Trump’s Proclamation 11012 unlawful, finding it exceeded the authority granted under Section 122(a) of the Trade Act of 1974. The court’s injunction is limited...
Disney Says FCC Threatens ‘Protected Speech’
Disney filed a petition with the FCC, arguing that an ABC "The View" segment featuring Texas Senate candidate James Talarico falls under the program’s long‑standing bona‑fide news exemption. The company cites a 2002 declaratory ruling that exempted the show from...
What Zoning Codes Get Wrong About Families
Zoning ordinances across the United States continue to define “family” using a narrow, nuclear‑family model, a relic of exclusionary planning. The article argues that proving such definitions is practically impossible and raises privacy concerns, especially when used to block student...
Pretrial Hearing Sets the Stage for Dali Trial to Begin June 1
More than two years after the *Dali* container ship collapsed Baltimore’s Key Bridge, a bench trial is slated to start on June 1 and run for 18 days. Judge James K. Bredar will first rule on the owners’ attempt to invoke...
US Court Finds 'Section 122' Tariffs Unlawful
A federal Court of International Trade ruled 2‑1 that the 10% “section 122” tariffs imposed by President Trump in February are unlawful under the 1974 balance‑of‑payments law. The court found the proclamation lacked a proper deficit determination, permanently blocking collection...
Solicitors Start Again After Selling Firm to Multi-Disciplinary Group
London‑based husband‑and‑wife team Kush and Leena Birdi have relaunched a boutique law firm, Birdi Group, after selling their original practice to Fusion Consulting Group. The new platform targets SMEs and entrepreneurs, emphasizing a culture of “infectious enthusiasm” and a client‑centric,...
(At Least) Thirteen Ways in Which OfS’s Guidance on Free Speech May Now Need to Change
The Office for Students’ Regulatory Advice 24 (RA24) on free‑speech compliance, built around 54 illustrative vignettes, now appears misaligned with the University of Sussex v OfS judgment. The court rejected the guidance’s absolutist view that any policy touching lawful speech...
“Panicked” Solicitor Who Backdated Document Struck Off
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal struck solicitor Michael Carl Lillywhite off the roll after he back‑dated a probate memorandum and sent a misleading email to a client. Lillywhite, a partner at George Green, claimed panic and severe depression impaired his judgment, but...
Bullish PI Group Eyes “Latent Market” As It Reports Strong Results
NAHL Group posted a 3.2% revenue increase to £40 m (≈$51 m) and more than tripled underlying profit before tax to £5 m (≈$6.4 m) for 2025, after writing off a £39 m goodwill loss the prior year. Net debt continued to shrink, falling to...
BSB Seeks Power to Appeal Decision of Health Panels
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is proposing a rule change that would give the regulator the right to appeal decisions of its health panels, a power currently reserved for the individual barrister. The consultation also seeks to move the publication...
No Standing in the Parking Lot: Court Dismisses DPPA Suit
The Southern District of Florida dismissed a class‑action lawsuit alleging violations of the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) by a parking‑management firm. The plaintiff claimed the company used license‑plate readers to match plates with DMV records and mailed fee notices...
Getting the Financial Action Task Force’s Travel Rule Right: Delivering on Guidance
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is finalising guidance for its revised Recommendation 16, the “Travel Rule,” which will require detailed originator and beneficiary data for cross‑border payments above roughly $1,000. The revisions introduce a de‑minimis threshold, mandate the use of...
US Treasury ‘Privately Demanded’ Binance Comply with Monitoring Deal: Report
The U.S. Treasury privately demanded that Binance adhere to the monitoring program established in its 2023 settlement after reports surfaced that roughly $1 billion flowed through the exchange to Iran‑linked entities. The 2023 deal, which included a $4.3 billion settlement with Treasury...
French Prosecutors Seek Charges Against Musk and X over Grok Content
French prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into Elon Musk and his social platform X, alleging complicity in the possession and distribution of child sexual‑abuse images, non‑consensual deepfakes, and Holocaust denial content generated by the AI chatbot Grok. The probe...
The Next Big Insider-Trading Case Won’t Look Anything Like This | Semafor
Federal prosecutors have charged 30 elite lawyers and their associates with a decade‑long insider‑trading scheme that exploited confidential merger information. The indictment highlights traditional tactics such as options trades through Caribbean brokers, but the article warns that future violations will...
Moves to Curb Youth Account Misuse
Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob led a crackdown on the misuse of youth bank accounts as mule accounts for illicit transactions. Authorities have identified about 6,500 youth accounts within a broader pool of 3.56 million mule accounts, and...
Dems Blast FCC Disney Probe As `Egregious Abuse of Power’
A coalition of senior Democratic senators sent a sharply worded letter to FCC Chair Brendan Carr, condemning the commission’s recent order that forces Disney’s eight ABC broadcast stations to file early license renewals. The senators labeled the action an “egregious...
Google Judge Says Too Early to Pause DOJ Remedy in Search Case
A federal judge denied Alphabet’s bid to pause a DOJ‑ordered remedy that compels the company to share its underlying search data with rivals. The decision keeps the data‑sharing requirement in force while Google appeals a finding that it illegally monopolized...
AI Chatlogs Promise Discovery Risk, Windfall
Apple will pay $250 million to settle a class action alleging it overstated iPhone 16 AI capabilities. Attorneys are grappling with how AI tools affect discovery, fee structures, and client expectations. IBM’s legal chief highlights trust as the cornerstone for broader AI...
AI Chatlogs Promise Discovery Risk, Windfall
Judges across several federal districts have begun issuing rulings that treat AI‑generated chat logs as discoverable evidence in civil litigation. The emerging jurisprudence forces law firms to preserve and produce interactions with tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, creating...
CLARITY Act Markup Could Happen as Early as Next Week: Coinbase Exec
Coinbase’s U.S. policy chief Kara Calvert told the Consensus 2026 conference that the CLARITY crypto market‑structure bill could see a markup in the Senate Banking Committee as early as next week. The legislation requires a 60‑vote supermajority and bipartisan backing to...
Texas Supreme Court Holds That Expert Testimony On Informal Marriage Was Inadmissible and Reverses Lower Courts’ Judgments
The Texas Supreme Court reversed a lower‑court verdict that found a common‑law marriage after ruling that expert testimony from former family‑court judge Alicia York was inadmissible. The Court held that the elements of an informal marriage—agreement, cohabitation, and representation—are within the...
Court Rules Against Trump’s 10% Tariff
A federal panel of the Court of International Trade ruled that President Trump’s 10 percent tariff on most U.S. imports violates trade law, imposing new limits on the president’s authority to impose across‑the‑board duties. The split decision finds the administration misused...
COPA Returns, with Tenant Advocates Crafting the Bill
The New York City Council is poised to reintroduce the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA) within 30 days, with mayoral support from Zohran Mamdani. The bill would temporarily halt sales of distressed multifamily properties, giving a small pool of...
Broad Deficit Definition Risks Non-Delegation, Constitutional Challenge
CIT: "I]f the President has the ability to select among the sub-accounts to identify a balance-of-payments deficit, unless every sub-account is balanced, the President would always be able to identify a balance-of-payments deficit…. Such an expansive reading of the statute...
Mayor Parker Signs Contested Philly Renter Protection Bills
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker signed two contentious renter‑protection bills on May 7, part of Councilmember Nicholas O’Rourke’s Safe Healthy Homes Act. The measures expand retaliation safeguards, impose penalties on repeat violators, provide rent‑relief when landlords lack proper licenses or delay repairs,...
Jason Derulo Wins ‘Savage Love’ Copyright Trial: Session Guitarist Can’t Get Royalties
A Los Angeles jury ruled on May 7 that Jason Derulo and Columbia Records owe no royalties to session musician Matthew Spatola for the 2020 hit “Savage Love.” Spatola, who was paid a $2,000 fee for two studio sessions, claimed...
Supreme Court Keeps Abortion Pill Mail Access in Place for Now
The U.S. Supreme Court has left in place lower‑court rulings that allow the abortion pill mifepristone to be mailed while the case proceeds. By refusing emergency relief, the Court maintains the current federal framework for medication abortion. The decision highlights...
Trump Runs Into A Brick Wall As His 10% Tariff Ruled Illegal
The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that the administration’s 10% flat global tariff, adopted after the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s targeted tariffs, is illegal. The decision reaffirms that the president cannot unilaterally impose duties without congressional authority. The...
Colorado Passes Bipartisan Balcony Solar Bill, Becomes Fourth State
Today, I was proud to sign bipartisan HB26-1007, which will open the door to balcony solar, making it easier and more affordable for Coloradans to access solar energy right from their homes. With this bipartisan bill, Colorado becomes the 4th...
Court Rules Trump's 2026 Tariff Illegal Under Trade Law
Check, meet balance: federal judges found President Donald J. Trump had violated the law when he imposed a 10% tariff on most U.S. imports in February 2026. “In a split ruling, the Court of International Trade found that Trump had...
C.H. Robinson Gave Thousands of Loads to Double-Brokering Chameleon Carrier: Court Docs
C.H. Robinson is embroiled in a Supreme Court‑linked liability case after a deposition revealed that carrier owner Alexander Delgado moved roughly 900 loads for the broker while regularly double‑brokering shipments. Delgado testified that a C.H. Robinson employee urged him to...
US Court of International Trade Rules Against Trump's Section 122 Tariffs
The U.S. Court of International Trade issued a 2‑1 decision striking down the Trump administration's Section 122 tariffs, which imposed a uniform 10% duty on a broad swath of imports. The majority held that the government failed to demonstrate the...
Courts Block Section 122 Tariffs, Push Power to Congress
Section 122 tariffs which replaced the IEEPA tariffs have been struck down by the first court. Appeals court then Supreme Court is next (maybe one other lower court but not sure). These tariffs will expire in July 24th...
DHS Can’t Create Vast DNA Database to Track ICE Critics, Lawsuit Says
Four protesters arrested during an ICE operation in Chicago have filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, alleging unlawful collection of their DNA. They contend the government invoked the 2006 amendment to the DNA...
Coinbax Wins $20,000 PitchFest Prize at Consensus Miami for Stablecoin Compliance
Coinbax captured the $20,000 grand prize at Consensus Miami’s PitchFest by showcasing a programmable escrow platform that embeds compliance checks into on‑chain stablecoin payments. The solution uses smart contracts to hold funds while third‑party services perform identity, sanctions and risk...
Banks Favor Regulated XRPL, DeFi Likely Delayed
Banks want regulated infrastructure, not chaos. KYC, AML, OFAC compliance on chain. The XRPL delivers that. The DeFi component of the Clarity Act is what Democrats and banks both push back on because accountability is missing there. Scams, no disclosures,...
Maryland's Swap Argument Weakens Its Gambling Defense
It went very well at the beginning for Maryland — the panel was hammering the “gambling” similarities and Rule 40.11(a)(1)— but on MD's turn it was all about the broad definition of a “swap” and I’m not sure MD pushed...
Crooked Crap Game
The SEC has issued a proposal allowing public companies to choose between quarterly and semi‑annual interim reporting, with the option to switch each year by marking a box on the annual 10‑K filing. The rule, backed by two Republican commissioners,...
Supreme Court Lets Nonprofits Pre‑empt Donor Subpoena Harms
A recent Supreme Court ruling says nonprofits can challenge donor-info subpoenas before enforcement because the harm may already be occurring. Here’s why → https://t.co/zBhjQcufZb
South Korea Sets 22% Crypto Gains Tax for 2027
JUST IN: South Korea confirms a 22% crypto capital gains tax taking effect in January 2027 for investors earning over $1,800 annually.