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Massachusetts
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June 30, 2025
Trump Administration Says Harvard Violated Civil Rights Law
The Trump administration on Monday informed Harvard University that it had run afoul of federal civil rights law by failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students on campus from harassment, and threatened to cut all funding from the nation's oldest university.
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June 30, 2025
Justices Turn Away Fired Teacher's Prehire Speech Case
The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to review a Massachusetts high school teacher's claim that individuals' speech rights should extend to things they say before being hired to a public job, though Justice Clarence Thomas wrote to express dismay with the First Circuit's approach toward controversial political commentary.
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June 30, 2025
Justices Rebuff American Airlines' Bid To Revive JetBlue Pact
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rebuffed American Airlines' bid to revive its codeshare agreement with JetBlue in Boston and New York.
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June 27, 2025
Groups Quickly Switch Tactics In Birthright Citizenship Cases
Just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court limited federal judges' ability to issue nationwide injunctions Friday, groups challenging the constitutionality of President Donald Trump's birthright citizenship executive order fired off a volley of new lawsuits, switching their legal actions to class action complaints.
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June 27, 2025
How States Are Rethinking Life Without Parole For Youth
A wave of recent state high court rulings, including a landmark decision in Michigan in April, has curtailed the use of mandatory life without parole for defendants under 21, citing evolving standards of decency and brain science. Hundreds of incarcerated individuals in Michigan are now eligible for resentencing, but the reforms face resistance from prosecutors, victims’ rights advocates, and dissenting justices who warn of consequences for public safety and judicial overreach.
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June 27, 2025
Parolees Say Feds Not Processing Benefits As Required
Noncitizens challenging the Trump administration's termination of Biden-era parole programs called on a Massachusetts federal judge to make the government explain how it's not violating a court order to restore processing of their immigration benefits requests.
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June 27, 2025
RE Developer Cops Plea, Settles SEC's $3M Fraud Suit
A New Hampshire-based real estate developer has agreed to plead guilty and settle parallel U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission claims that she defrauded investors out of more than $3 million through a series of real estate investment projects between 2018 and 2024.
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June 27, 2025
Mass. High Court Says Bias In Police Stop Taints Evidence
A Massachusetts judge should have granted a motion to suppress evidence — in this case, a bag of cocaine — found after a driver ran from police who had presumably racially profiled him, the state's highest court said Friday.
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June 27, 2025
Mass. Cannabis Labs Call Rival's Suit 'Publicity Stunt'
Seven Massachusetts cannabis testing labs are asking a state court judge to toss out a lawsuit brought by a competitor accusing them of manipulating test results, with three of the defendants calling the complaint a "publicity stunt" driven by the plaintiff's declining market share.
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June 27, 2025
Justices Limit Universal Injunctions But Defer On Citizenship
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that President Donald Trump can partially implement his executive order aimed at limiting birthright citizenship, in a ruling that significantly limits the ability of federal district court judges to issue nationally applicable orders against presidential edicts and policy initiatives.
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June 26, 2025
DHS Releases Grant Funds After Chicago Suit Targets 'Pause'
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has released at least some of the counterterrorism grant fund reimbursements it had recently suspended for Chicago and certain other cities, but Chicago officials say the move isn't enough to end a lawsuit it launched over the allegedly unconstitutional pause.
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June 26, 2025
Flaws In Expert Report Doom Mass. Suit Over Patient's Death
A Massachusetts appellate court on Thursday affirmed the dismissal of a medical malpractice suit blaming a physician assisting on a gastric sleeve surgery for the patient's death, saying the plaintiff's expert failed to identify the relevant standard of care for the assisting doctor.
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June 26, 2025
Immigrants Tell 1st Circ. DHS Can't Justify Parole Program Ax
A class of nearly 500,000 immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela told the First Circuit on Wednesday that the Trump administration can't show that a Massachusetts federal judge abused her discretion in blocking the government's rescission of temporary Biden-era removal protections.
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June 26, 2025
Mass. Court Lets Man Try Again To Escape Ankle Monitor
A convicted rapist in Massachusetts who spent nearly 16 years in prison will get a second shot at challenging how long he must wear a GPS monitor now that he's been released, after a state appellate court on Thursday ruled a lower court did not properly weigh his constitutional rights.
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June 26, 2025
Judge Casts Doubt On Plea Deals In Blood Test Defect Case
A set of plea agreements between Massachusetts federal prosecutors and former Magellan Diagnostics executives has been thrown into uncertainty amid a dispute over whether the executives admitted to fraud related to defective blood tests or merely an intent to mislead, a question a judge said Thursday might be "a very expensive rabbit hole."
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June 26, 2025
Natixis Beats Suit Claiming Self-Serving Funds Hurt Its 401(k)
Natixis defeated a 1,200-member class action Thursday claiming the French investment firm burdened its retirement plan with funds that performed poorly and benefited the company over employees, after a Massachusetts federal judge ruled the case lacked evidence of actionable lapses.
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June 26, 2025
ICE Agents Could Testify Anonymously In 1st Am. Trial
A Massachusetts federal judge suggested Thursday he is open to allowing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to testify anonymously at an upcoming bench trial in a suit brought by academic groups challenging the detention of noncitizen students and faculty who express pro-Palestinian views.
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June 26, 2025
Trans Passport Applicants Say Gov't Flouting Court Order
Members of two recently certified classes of transgender and nonbinary people seeking passports that reflect their gender identity accused the Trump administration of "slow-walking compliance" with a Massachusetts federal judge's order requiring the U.S. Department of State to resume issuing passports with the requested designations.
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June 26, 2025
Air Force Contractor Agrees To Pay $1M To Settle FCA Claims
A Massachusetts company will pay approximately $1 million to settle allegations it overcharged the government under a contract supporting Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico, federal prosecutors have announced.
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June 25, 2025
Michigan Man Gets 2 Years In 'Despicable' Pill, Fraud Scheme
A Michigan resident was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison by a Massachusetts federal judge who called the defendant's role in a prescription pill smuggling and pandemic aid fraud scheme "despicable."
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June 25, 2025
Stroller Maker Can't Escape Rival's Patent Suit
A Massachusetts federal judge has denied a bid from a baby products company to escape patent infringement claims from a rival, saying the eight years of inaction between the case being filed and when the parties last corresponded about the patent was not enough to reasonably assume that the patent wouldn't be enforced.
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June 25, 2025
Spirit Flags Competition Concerns Over United-JetBlue Pact
Spirit Airlines LLC has filed a complaint with federal transportation regulators contending that a recently announced partnership between United Airlines and JetBlue raises issues similar to an alliance between American and JetBlue that was blocked over competition concerns.
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June 25, 2025
Mass. Atty Gets 18 Mos. For 'Greed' In Pot Shop Bribery Plot
A Massachusetts lawyer, whose conviction for attempting to bribe a police chief to endorse his client's retail cannabis license application had been partly reversed at the First Circuit, was re-sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in prison by a federal judge who said the attorney should have known better.
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June 25, 2025
Power Infrastructure Biz Takanock Nabs $500M Investment
Digital and power infrastructure solutions provider Takanock LLC, advised by Vinson & Elkins LLP, on Wednesday announced it had secured a $500 million investment from asset managers ArcLight and DigitalBridge.
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June 25, 2025
Curaleaf Says Class Cert. Wrong For Budtenders' Tips Suit
Curaleaf Inc. is urging a Maryland federal court to deny conditional class certification to a class of budtenders who allege the company illegally shares tips with store leads, arguing that they haven't shown any common policy or practice among its dispensaries that warrants class treatment.
Expert Analysis
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How Attorneys Can Become Change Agents For Racial Equity
As the administration targets diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and law firms consider pulling back from their programs, lawyers who care about racial equity and justice can employ four strategies to create microspaces of justice, which can then be parlayed into drivers of transformational change, says Susan Sturm at Columbia Law School.
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Series
Running Marathons Makes Me A Better Lawyer
After almost five years of running marathons, I’ve learned that both the race itself and the training process sharpen skills that directly translate to the practice of law, including discipline, dedication, endurance, problem-solving and mental toughness, says Lauren Meadows at Swift Currie.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Supporting A Trial Team
While students often practice as lead trial attorneys in law school, such an opportunity likely won’t arise until a few years into practice, so junior associates should focus on honing skills that are essential to supporting a trial team, including organization, adaptability and humility, says Lucy Zelina at Tucker Ellis.
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Series
Adapting To Private Practice: From US Attorney To BigLaw
When I transitioned to private practice after government service — most recently as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia — I learned there are more similarities between the two jobs than many realize, with both disciplines requiring resourcefulness, zealous advocacy and foresight, says Zach Terwilliger at V&E.
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The Ins And Outs Of Consensual Judicial References
As parties consider the possibility of judicial reference to resolve complex disputes, it is critical to understand how the process works, why it's gaining traction, and why carefully crafted agreements make all the difference, say attorneys at Pillsbury.
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Opinion
The BigLaw Settlements Are About Risk, Not Profit
The nine Am Law 100 firms that settled with the Trump administration likely did so because of the personal risk faced by equity partners in today's billion‑dollar national practices, enabled by an ethics rule primed for modernization, says Adam Forest at Scale.
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What Gene Findings Mean For Asbestos Mesothelioma Claims
Recent advances in genetic research have provided substantial evidence that significant numbers of malignant mesothelioma cases may be caused by inherited mutations rather than asbestos exposure — a finding that could fundamentally change how defendants approach personal injury litigation over mesothelioma, say David Schwartz at Lumanity and Kirk Hartley at LSP Group.
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Series
Brazilian Jiujitsu Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Competing in Brazilian jiujitsu – often against opponents who are much larger and younger than me – has allowed me to develop a handful of useful skills that foster the resilience and adaptability necessary for a successful legal career, says Tina Dorr of Barnes & Thornburg.
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Birthright Ruling Could Alter Consumer Financial Litigation
The U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming decision about the validity of the nationwide injunctions in the birthright citizenship cases, argued on May 15, could make it much harder for trade associations to obtain nationwide relief from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's enforcement of invalid regulations, says Alan Kaplinsky at Ballard Spahr.
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1st Circ. Ruling Widens Split Over Sentencing Enhancements
In U.S. v. Salvador-Gutierrez, the First Circuit recently switched sides in a circuit split by holding that certain sentencing enhancements apply only where the defendant used a minor in the commission of the crime, deepening a divide over the scope of role adjustments, says Sarah Sulkowski at Gelber & Santillo.
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Series
Power To The Paralegals: An Untapped Source For Biz Roles
Law firms looking to recruit legal business talent should consider turning to paralegals, who practice several key skills every day that prepare them to thrive in marketing and client development roles, says Vanessa Torres at Lowenstein Sandler.
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Series
Playing Poker Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Poker is a master class in psychology, risk management and strategic thinking, and I’m a better attorney because it has taught me to read my opponents, adapt when I’m dealt the unexpected and stay patient until I'm ready to reveal my hand, says Casey Kingsley at McCreadyLaw.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Becoming A Firmwide MVP
Though lawyers don't have a neat metric like baseball players for measuring the value they contribute to their organizations, the sooner new attorneys learn skills frequently skipped in law school — like networking, marketing, client development and case evaluation — the more valuable, and less replaceable, they will be, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.
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Mass. Suit Points To New Scrutiny For Home Equity Contracts
The Massachusetts attorney general’s recent charge that a lender sold unregulated reverse mortgages shows more regulators are scrutinizing mortgage alternatives like home equity contracts, but a similar case in the Ninth Circuit suggests more courts need to help develop a consensus on these products' legality, say attorneys at Weiner Brodsky.
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$38M Law Firm Settlement Highlights 'Unworthy Client' Perils
A recent settlement of claims against law firm Eckert Seamans for allegedly abetting a Ponzi scheme underscores the continuing threat of clients who seek to exploit their lawyers in perpetrating fraud, and the critical importance of preemptive measures to avoid these clients, say attorneys at Lockton Companies.