Groups Can't Freeze Order Mandating Contractor DEI Rule

By Grace Elletson

A Maryland federal judge refused Wednesday to block an executive order from President Donald Trump requiring government contractors to disavow "racially discriminatory DEI activities," finding the directive's critics haven't shown that it likely shirks free speech protections.

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Hegseth Trans Slur May Lead To Deposition, Judge Says

By Jared Foretek

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will have to answer questions in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's transgender troops ban, after a D.C. federal judge said Wednesday that his recent use of a slur for trans people could show that the policy was motivated by animus.

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DOJ To Drop Foreign Agent Case Against Ex-CIA Analyst

By Phillip Bantz

The U.S. Department of Justice has halted the prosecution of an ex-Central Intelligence Agency analyst accused of secretly aiding the South Korean government in exchange for pricey gifts, according to an agreement filed in New York federal court Tuesday.

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US Urges 4th Circ. To Reverse Afghan Families Entry Orders

By Elaine Briseño

The Trump administration urged the Fourth Circuit to reinstate a travel ban on families seeking to join Afghan refugees granted asylum in the United States, arguing a lower court lacked authority to override the State Department's decision.

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4 Questions After US, China Announce Tariff Shield

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. and China's recent announcement that they will shield a subset of goods from tariff actions and extend a trade truce is welcome by importers and advisers, though those stakeholders recognize more substantive policy outcomes between the world's two largest economies continue to face obstacles. Here, Law360 looks at four questions on the subject.

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Utah Broadband Settles FCC Probe Over Lost Huawei Gear

By Christopher Cole

A broadband provider serving Utah admitted it could not confirm that it properly destroyed foreign gear under a network security program and agreed to pay $11,000 to resolve the matter, the Federal Communications Commission said.

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Judge Questions Limits On National Guard Deployment

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

Tensions rose in a D.C. federal courthouse Wednesday when a federal appeals court judge asked the government what the limiting principle is in the president calling up the National Guard.

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Union Seeks Early Exit In Lockheed Guard's Firing Suit

By Katherine Smith

A union urged a Connecticut federal court to toss a former security officer's claims that it improperly declined to arbitrate his grievance over his termination from Sikorsky Aircraft and parent company Lockheed Martin Corp., claiming he failed to show the union breached its duty to fairly represent him.

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What Lawyers Should Know Before Accepting Crypto Payment

As clients increasingly request to pay legal fees, retainers and escrow funds using cryptocurrency, lawyers should consider how only a handful of state bar authorities have addressed the issue with varying ethics opinions, as well as the related questions that no authority has yet answered, says attorney Felix Shipkevich.

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Cyber Incident Halts Bankruptcy Court Noticing Nationwide

By Hilary Russ

The nationwide system for providing notice to creditors in bankruptcy cases has been disrupted by a cybersecurity incident, and it is not currently known when the outage will end.

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Analysis

Missouri AG Alumni Make Their Mark In Trump 2.0

By Courtney Bublé

Missouri is hundreds of miles from Washington, D.C., but the legal community of the Show-Me State has taken a significant hold in the second Trump administration.

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Norton Rose Beats $100M Suit Over Withdrawn Patent App

By Celeste Bott

Norton Rose Fulbright has defeated a former client's malpractice suit over a missed patent fee payment, after an Illinois state judge ruled that the deadline to sue began before the firm allegedly acknowledged its mistake and dismissed the company's $100 million lawsuit against the firm with prejudice.

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Murdaugh Tells 4th Circ. To Revive Jury Tampering Civil Suit

By Cara Salvatore

Disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh asked the Fourth Circuit on Thursday to revive his suit accusing a court clerk of interfering in his murder trial, arguing he has standing because the alleged tampering "destroyed the value" of his $600,000 defense.

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Judge Who Called For Philly DA Probe Rejects Recusal Bid

By Matthew Santoni

A federal judge who called for an investigation of the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office will not reconsider or recuse himself from the underlying habeas corpus case, calling DA Larry Krasner's bid to undo his rulings "frivolous" and "intemperate."

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Crowell Faces DQ Bid Over AI Tool At Heart Of Client's IP Suit

By Dorothy Atkins

DeviantArt urged a California federal judge Wednesday to disqualify Crowell & Moring LLP from representing Evox Productions in litigation alleging multiple AI companies used Evox's copyrighted car photos to train artificial-intelligence image generators, arguing the firm "unquestionably" represented DeviantArt and has "sued its own client on behalf of another client."

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Gov't Urges Justices To Reject Google, Intel Fight Over Fintiv

By Adam Lidgett

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject Intel Corp. and Google LLC's challenge to a precedent allowing Patent Trial and Appeal Board petitions to be denied based on related litigation.

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Would-Be Kavanaugh Assassin Slams Feds' Skewed Facts

By Lauren Berg

A woman accused of trying to kill U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh told the Fourth Circuit that federal prosecutors have presented a "wildly inaccurate description" of a Maryland federal judge's sentencing decision, rejecting their argument that she got off too easy because of her gender identity.

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NYC Sanctuary Policies Survive Trump Admin. Lawsuit

By Rae Ann Varona

A New York federal judge on Thursday tossed the Trump administration's lawsuit challenging New York City policies that the administration alleged unconstitutionally obstruct federal immigration enforcement, saying federal law the administration leaned on does not preempt the sanctuary provisions.

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