AGs Push Congress To Regulate AI But Not Preempt State Laws

By Brian Steele

Nearly half the attorneys general in the United States implored Congress in a letter Thursday to "immediately" regulate the artificial intelligence industry and prohibit federal action from preempting state laws, telling U.S. House and Senate leaders that national security is at stake.

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Full 9th Circ. Asked To Revisit $2B Devas Arbitral Award

By Lauren Berg

An Indian state-owned aerospace company has urged the full Ninth Circuit to review a three-judge panel's unanimous decision to enforce a $2 billion arbitral award issued to a Bangalore-based satellite communications company, saying the decision raises important questions about the constitutional limits on jurisdiction of foreign disputes with no connection to the U.S.

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Victims Say Commerzbank Owes Damages For Terrorist Aid

By Tom Lotshaw

American victims of terrorist attacks in Iraq and Israel have asked a D.C. federal judge to hold Commerzbank AG liable for damages for allegedly aiding Iran and terrorist proxies behind the attacks with illicit money laundering services.

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Bipartisan Senate Bill Aims To Tighten Telecom Cybersecurity

By Christopher Cole

A bipartisan Senate bill filed Thursday would aim to ramp up cybersecurity in the telecom industry by creating a system for providers and suppliers to voluntarily certify that they meet security standards.

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Judge Says Corps Must Revisit Kuwait Deal For Price Analysis

By Tom Lotshaw

A federal judge ruled the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers improperly treated a contractor's lower prices as a weakness before awarding a Kuwaiti construction deal to a rival, keeping the Corps' voluntary pause on task orders in place while it revisits the award.

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EPA Cuts Deal To Partially Settle U. Of Calif. Grant Fight

By Dorothy Atkins

University of California researchers urged a California federal judge Wednesday to preliminarily sign off on their proposed deal to resolve claims against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in broader litigation challenging the Trump administration's termination of thousands of UC grants.

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Ex-Tricolor CEO Says Feds Botched Warrants In Fraud Case

By Stewart Bishop

The former CEO of Tricolor Holdings on Thursday urged a Manhattan federal judge to bar any evidence seized from searches of his communications from being used to support accusations that he deceived lenders and investors about the subprime auto lender's assets before it crashed into bankruptcy with $1 billion in debt, saying federal agents ran roughshod over the Fourth Amendment.

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Holland & Knight Hires Defense Lobbyist As Partner In DC

By Jack Rodgers

A former U.S. Department of Defense senior official, who has more than 15 years of national security, economic security and government affairs experience as an attorney, lobbyist, regulator and diplomat, has joined Holland & Knight LLP, the firm recently announced.

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FCC Robotics Restrictions Raise AI Compliance Risks

A recent "covered list" update from the Federal Communications Commission places restrictions on foreign-produced advanced robotic devices’ ability to obtain new authorizations, creating a framework that is poorly suited to continuous artificial intelligence updates, and raising several transactional and contractual challenges, says Kim Larsen at Stinson.

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Series

Playing Bid Whist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

As a child, I viewed bid whist as a family tradition and a source of friendly card game competition, but as a lawyer, I see it as a tool that has helped me cultivate skills like communication, teamwork, risk assessment and composure, says Keyonn Pope at Riley Safer.

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Litigation Spending To Keep Climbing While Biz Risks Mount

By Ryan Boysen

Big companies will increase their litigation budgets yet again next year, as navigating legal risk is now an essential element of achieving strategic business goals, according to a new report.

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Seyfarth Failed To Guard Client Data From Hack, Suit Alleges

By Lauren Berg

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on Thursday was hit with a proposed class action in Illinois federal court accusing it of failing to protect its current and former clients' personal information after the Chicago-based law firm this month disclosed a recent data breach.

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PACER Experiences Outages Of Some Court Dockets

By Matt Perez

PACER, the online public repository of federal court documents, experienced technical errors on Wednesday and Thursday preventing some users from accessing certain court dockets.

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New Eastern La. Judge's 5th Circ. Bid Goes To Full Senate

By Courtney Bublé

U.S. District Judge Anna St. John of the Eastern District of Louisiana, who was confirmed to her current post in March, is one step closer to being elevated to the federal appeals bench.

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Fla. Judge To Get Reprimand For Remark On Shooting Attys

By Madison Arnold

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a public reprimand of a state district court judge for "intemperate and caustic" comments about shooting attorneys during a hearing.

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Congressional Probes Raise Legal, 'Reputational' Risks

By Phillip Bantz

An array of companies and executives may face investigations over their dealings with the Trump administration if Democrats take control of Congress, raising the possibility that some may refuse to comply. But experts say holding out hope for a mass pardon or expecting the Justice Department not to pursue contempt charges is a risky bet.

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Analysis

5 Circuit Splits To Watch At The High Court

By Katie Buehler

The U.S. Supreme Court has been deciding fewer and fewer cases over the past three decades, with its caseload reaching a historic low just last term. While attorneys believe several factors have contributed to that trend, they say one of the most consequential is the court's apparent declining interest in resolving circuit splits. 

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Trump's Antitrust Pick Advances Amid Independence Worries

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump's pick to lead the antitrust division at the U.S. Department of Justice advanced to the Senate floor on Thursday, despite Democratic concerns about agency independence.

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Sen. Hyde-Smith's Opponent Seeks Blue-Slip Transparency

By Courtney Bublé

Four years ago, Scott Colom — the son of the first African American elected to the chancery bench in her region of Mississippi — was nominated for a federal judgeship. Now he's running for Senate against the senator who blocked his confirmation.

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Ed. Dept. Committee Sidesteps ABA Accreditation Issue

By Ryan Boysen

A key U.S. Department of Education committee on Thursday declined to weigh in on whether an American Bar Association council should remain a federally recognized accreditor of law schools, a day after the panel deadlocked on different proposals over the hot-button issue.

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