A legal advocacy group asked the Virginia State Bar to investigate whether U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Andrea Lucas violated ethics rules by declining to investigate LGBTQ+ bias complaints and sending letters demanding information from law firms on their diversity, equity and inclusion practices.
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Bar Complaint Calls Out EEOC Chair's Law Firm DEI Letters

By Grace Elletson

A legal advocacy group asked the Virginia State Bar to investigate whether U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Andrea Lucas violated ethics rules by declining to investigate LGBTQ+ bias complaints and sending letters demanding information from law firms on their diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

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6th Circ. Hints Support For Superintendent's Suit Over Leave

By Anne Cullen

A Sixth Circuit panel signaled during a hearing Thursday that a trial court prematurely dismissed a school superintendent's lawsuit challenging her continued placement on leave, but the judges wondered if the school official had enough evidence to win at a later phase of litigation.

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DC Circ. Doubts Legality Of Trump's Ouster Of VOA Chief

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. Circuit panel appeared Thursday not to buy the Trump administration's argument that the president had free rein to summarily fire the head of Voice of America last year and suggested that Congress had directly stipulated that the VOA director could only be removed by its board.

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Pa. DA Offices Sued Over Interview Questions In Bias Suit

By Matthew Santoni

A 61-year-old lawyer says members of the district attorney's offices in Montgomery and Chester counties asked him questions during job interviews intended to make him uncomfortable and to highlight age and racial disparities he faced as a Black attorney, according to a federal suit he filed in Pennsylvania.

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'Serious Misconduct' At Live Nation, Ex-VP Says In $35M Suit

By Bonnie Eslinger

Live Nation has been sued in California state court for $35 million by a former vice president claiming it fired him for blowing the whistle on company-wide corporate misconduct, including project revenues that were inflated to score business deals and venue development projects, as well as hiding "junk fees" for tickets.

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Colo. Court Mulls JBS' Bid To Toss Haitian Workers' Bias Suit

By Rachel Konieczny

A Colorado federal judge declined Thursday to rule on meatpacking giant JBS USA Food Co.'s bids to dismiss a suit and strike class allegations that Haitian workers suffered race-based discrimination and labor violations while working at the facility.  

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Ex-EEOC Official Accuses Agency Of 'Ironic' LGBTQ+ Bias

By Hailey Konnath

A former U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission director sued the agency in California federal court Thursday, alleging it forced him, a queer and transgender man, to participate in the "erasure" of LGBTQ+ individuals, a move his attorney called "ironic" for the agency tasked with upholding antidiscrimination laws.

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DISCRIMINATION

7th Circ. Won't Revive Ex-Indiana Worker's Disability Bias Suit

By Patrick Hoff

The Seventh Circuit backed the Indiana Department of Transportation's defeat of a former employee's lawsuit alleging she was fired for needing to work from home because of her kidney transplant, saying she couldn't overcome the agency's explanation that she was insubordinate and performed poorly.

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Cosmetic Surgery Co. Fights Proposed Penalty In EEOC Suit

By Kelcey Caulder

A cosmetic surgery provider objected to a magistrate judge's recommendation that it be sanctioned for neglecting to keep sales data and messages that may have been relevant in a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission disability bias suit, saying the data has already been provided in other records.

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Mercedes Fired New Dad After Bias Complaints, Suit Says

By Kelcey Caulder

Mercedes-Benz ignored a Vietnamese American employee's complaints about a manager's racial bias before ultimately firing him after he took leave for the birth of his child, he told a Georgia federal court.

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Race 'Not A Factor' In Black Teacher's Firing, NC School Says

By Hayley Fowler

A Black teacher in North Carolina was fired for failing to teach his students the necessary curriculum to pass their end-of-grade-level testing, not because he injected race into his lessons, the school argued Thursday in seeking a pretrial win on his discrimination claims.

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NASCAR Not Required To Defend Manager In Harassment Suit

By Susan Smiley

NASCAR and Michigan International Speedway do not have to defend a MIS supervisor or pay his legal fees in a sexual harassment suit filed by a former MIS security guard, a Michigan federal judge said Thursday.

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Delta Used Coaching Plan To Deny Raise, Sex Bias Suit Says

By Zak Kostro

A female Delta Air Lines aviation maintenance planner working under all-male management was placed on a coaching plan that didn't apply to her male colleagues and was used to deny her a merit raise and suggest performance deficiencies that didn't exist, she said in a complaint in Georgia federal court.

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Brief

Ex-Emory Healthcare Nurse Takes Race Bias Suit To 11th Circ.

By Kelcey Caulder

A Black travel nurse claiming Emory Healthcare fired her for complaining that she got less training than white colleagues is turning to the Eleventh Circuit after losing her lawsuit, according to a notice filed in Georgia federal court.

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WAGE & HOUR

NC Judge Denies Class, Collective In Yearslong Wage Dispute

By Benjamin Morse

A North Carolina federal judge refused to certify a new round of collective and class claims against an auto parts manufacturer, finding that workers challenging off-the-clock work failed to show their claims could be efficiently resolved on a group basis after several years of litigation.

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SC County Beats EMT's OT Suit With Firefighter Exemption

By Benjamin Morse

A federal jury sided with a South Carolina county in a lawsuit accusing the county of failing to pay overtime wages to an emergency medical worker, finding that she qualified for a firefighter exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

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Worker Says H&M Shorted OT For Preshift Setup

By MJ Koo

H&M has been hit with a proposed collective and class action in Illinois federal court alleging that the fashion retailer denied overtime pay to customer service workers who were required to complete computer setup tasks before clocking in each day.

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Home Improvement Co. Nailed With Misclassification Suit

By Benjamin Morse

A home improvement company's nationwide sales model is built on a misclassification scheme that shortchanged workers, a group of former sales representatives said in a proposed collective and class action filed in Colorado federal court.

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LABOR

Judges Call Ruling On USAID Shutdown Standing Unusual

By Jared Foretek

At least two D.C. Circuit judges on Thursday appeared to take some issue with a lower court's ruling that Oxfam and the union for U.S. Agency for International Development workers couldn't bring their challenges to the agency's dismantling in district court, with one panelist calling the district judge's ruling "unconventional."

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Unions Urge Judge To Keep AI Surveillance Case Alive

By Britain Eakin

Unions challenging the Trump administration's alleged surveillance of noncitizens' viewpoints to find targets for immigration enforcement urged a New York federal judge Wednesday to reject the government's dismissal bid, saying First Amendment injuries to their members give them standing.

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BENEFITS

5-Hour Energy Founder Blasts Fired Exec's Severance Claims

By Pete Brush

Billionaire energy drink mogul Manoj Bhargava told a Manhattan federal jury Thursday that he fired an executive from a publishing business he bought because the executive helped run it "into the ground" — pushing back against the man's severance claims.

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Meijer Escapes Most Claims In Tobacco Fee ERISA Suit

By Grace Elletson

A Michigan federal judge significantly narrowed a proposed class action that accused Meijer Inc. of charging employees an illegal health plan fee for using tobacco, ruling Thursday that the shopping center company complied with federal benefits law by giving workers a six-month window to dodge the full charge.

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NONCOMPETES

Axiom Space Says Ex-Lobbyist Can't Work At Rival

By José Luis Martínez

Axiom Space Inc. urged a Texas federal judge Thursday to stop its former policy adviser from working for rival commercial space infrastructure firm Vast Inc., arguing that a noncompete deal and his knowledge of confidential information warrant a temporary restraining order.

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WORKER PRIVACY

Alaska Air Credit Union Left Members' Info Exposed, Suit Says

By Ben Adlin

A Las Vegas woman has lodged a proposed class action against a Washington-based credit union that provides services to Alaska Airlines employees and their families, claiming the financial institution failed to use reasonable security measures to protect members' personal data that was exposed in a cyberattack.

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WORKER SAFETY

11th Circ. Affirms Arbitration In Ex-Sears CEO Yacht Case

By Caroline Simson

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed much of an order compelling arbitration in the Cayman Islands of claims brought by a seaman who was injured aboard a luxury 288-foot yacht allegedly owned by billionaire and former Sears CEO Edward Lampert, saying its precedent on such matters remains good law.

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PEOPLE

Jones Day Adds Labor Attorney From McDermott In SF

By Katherine Smith

Jones Day has added a former McDermott Will & Schulte partner who advises leading companies on a wide range of labor and employment matters as a partner in its labor and employment practice in its San Francisco office, the firm has announced.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

New DEI Clauses Will Reshape FCA Exposure For Contractors

As federal agencies mandate new procurement language aimed at curbing contractors' DEI practices and embedding False Claims Act materiality concepts into antidiscrimination obligations, contractors should account for both compliance and litigation risks before signing, and understand the legal constraints that govern FCA materiality, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

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Series

Officiating Football Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Though they may seem to have little in common, officiating football has sharpened many of the same skills that define effective lawyering in management-side labor and employment: preparation, judgment, composure, credibility and ability to make difficult decisions in real time, says Josh Nadreau at Fisher Phillips.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

The 2026 Lawyer Satisfaction Survey: Where Do You Stand?

How is your work-life balance? Are you content with your compensation and opportunities for advancement at work? Take the 2026 Law360 Lawyer Satisfaction Survey and share your thoughts.

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Analysis

Judge Albright Changed The Landscape Of Patent Litigation

By Dani Kass

U.S. District Judge Alan Albright of the Western District of Texas became infamous in 2019 when he drew repeated chastising from the Federal Circuit for hoarding patent cases, but in the wake of his plans to step down, attorneys say the judge's biggest legacy has become his efficient, common sense approach to litigation.

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'Cheap' Judge OKs $19.5M Snap Deal Fees But 'No Bentleys'

By Craig Clough

After warning counsel who negotiated a $65 million securities settlement with Snap that he is "notoriously cheap," and in a tentative order gave a "haircut" to their $19.5 million fee request, a California federal judge talked himself out of the trim at a hearing Thursday but quipped, "No Bentleys."

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Paul Clement, Abbe Lowell To Argue For Firms In EO Appeals

By Lauren Berg

Four BigLaw firms and a national security attorney informed the D.C. Circuit on Thursday that heavyweight litigators Paul D. Clement of Clement & Murphy PLLC and Abbe David Lowell of Lowell & Associates PLLC will present their arguments against the Trump administration's appeal seeking to reinstate executive orders that were deemed unconstitutional.

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Another 'Inventing Anna' Attorney Gets Disbarred

By Emily Sawicki

A New York state appeals court has accepted the resignation of a New York City attorney amid a misconduct investigation, reportedly leaving high-profile socialite scammer Anna Sorokin without legal counsel while facing fee claims from her former lawyer, according to a Thursday notice by opposing counsel.

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DOJ Watchdog To Review Handling Of Epstein Files

By Courtney Bublé

The U.S. Department of Justice watchdog announced Thursday that it will be reviewing the department's release of the Epstein files after much bipartisan pushback that it has been slow and error-ridden.

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Ex-DA's Defamation Claims Tied To Menendez Work Risk Toss

By Rae Ann Varona

A Los Angeles County prosecutor-turned-public defender fought uphill Thursday to pursue defamation claims against a former colleague who criticized her advocacy for the release of Erik and Lyle Menendez, with a California state court judge saying that alleged comments like calling the attorney a "quisling" — or traitor — were nonactionable opinions.

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ICE Courthouse Arrest Policy Faces New Stay Bid After Error

By Adrian Cruz

Civil rights groups suing the U.S. government to block immigration courthouse arrests asked a New York federal judge to stay the enforcement of the arrest policy, arguing that government attorneys have retracted their original position on the legality of the arrests.

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Immigration Board Says Judge Glossed Over Inconsistencies

By Tom Lotshaw

An immigration judge failed to address and explain inconsistencies before finding a Cameroonian man credible and granting him withholding of removal protection, the Board of Immigration Appeals said in a decision designated as precedential.

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LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Baker Botts

Bienert Katzman

Bird Marella

Bracewell LLP

Clark Hill

Clement & Murphy

Constangy Brooks

Cooley LLP

Davant Law

Delaporte Lynch

Dickinson Wright

Ellis George

Emery Celli

Epstein Becker

Faegre Drinker

Fish & Richardson

Fisher & Phillips

HKM Employment Attorneys

Hartzog Law Group

Jenner & Block

Jones Day

Katz Banks

King & Spalding

Koskoff Koskoff

Lehotsky Keller

Lewis Brisbois

Llopiz Wizel

Lowell & Associates

Macey Swanson

Martenson Hasbrouck

McDermott Will & Schulte

McKool Smith

McNaul Ebel

Mike Kelly Law Group

Milberg PLLC

Miller Barondess

Munger Tolles

Nichols Kaster

Ogletree Deakins

Orrick Herrington

Paladin Employment Law

Paul Weiss

Perkins Coie

Quinn Emanuel

Rasor Law Firm

Rosenberg Fortuna

Saxena White

Scheef & Stone

Seyfarth Shaw

Shegerian & Associates

Siri & Glimstad

Smith & Downey

Spencer Fane

Stephan Zouras

Susman Godfrey

Williams & Connolly

WilmerHale

Zuckerman Spaeder

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

5-Hour Energy

Acrisure LLC

African Communities Together

Alaska Air Group Inc.

American Civil Liberties Union

American Federation of Government Employees

American Federation of Teachers

Apple Inc.

Axiom Space Inc.

Axon Enterprise Inc.

Bank of America Corp.

Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Communications Workers of America

Delta Air Lines Inc.

Democracy Forward Foundation

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Emory Healthcare Inc.

GKN PLC

Getty Images Holdings Inc.

Google LLC

H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB

Hawaiian Holdings Inc.

Horizon Air Industries Inc.

JBS USA Holdings Inc.

LinkedIn Corp.

Live Nation Entertainment Inc.

Lockheed Martin Corp.

Make the Road New York

McDonald's Corp.

Meijer Inc.

Mercedes-Benz USA LLC

Meta Platforms Inc.

Microsoft Corp.

Muslim Advocates

NASCAR Digital Media LLC

New York Civil Liberties Union

Novant Health Inc.

Outokumpu

Public Citizen Inc.

Public Co. Accounting Oversight Board

Salesforce.com Inc.

Seattle Mariners

Snap Inc.

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

Tesla Inc.

The Kraft Heinz Co.

The New York Times Co.

TikTok Inc.

United Auto Workers

Universal Health Services Inc.

Virginia State Bar

Voice of America

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Clayton County, Georgia

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Executive Office for Immigration Review

Executive Office of the President

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Labor Relations Authority

Federal Trade Commission

Indiana Attorney General's Office

Indiana Department of Transportation

Judicial Conference of the United States

Los Angeles Superior Court

National Labor Relations Board

New York State Unified Court System

New York Supreme Court, New York County

Patent Trial and Appeal Board

U.S. Agency for International Development

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York

U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. Department of State

U.S. District & Bankruptcy Courts of Southern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

United States District Court for the District of Colorado