Trump 'Outsourced' White House Press Functions, Judge Told

By Cara Salvatore

Media organizations urged a New York federal judge on Wednesday to stop President Donald Trump from using Truth Social for his communications as long as the company offers paid early access to those posts, arguing that the private company's "entwinement" with the president violates the First Amendment.

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4th Circ. Says FCC Defied Congress Through Political Ad Rule

By Courtney Bublé

A split Fourth Circuit panel Wednesday granted a request from Democratic candidates to force the Federal Communications Commission to issue a ruling on whether broadcasters may only charge the lowest possible rate for ads purchased by political committees attached to candidates.

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1st Circ. Presses NEA On 'Gender Ideology' Grant Criteria

By Carolyn Muyskens

A First Circuit panel had sharp questions for the federal government Wednesday about its decision to disfavor National Endowment for the Arts grant applicants who "promote gender ideology," with one judge saying the arts program is supposed to be insulated from politics.

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Model Accuses Baldoni's Atty Of Perry Death Smear Campaign

By James Boyle

A Los Angeles woman has accused prominent entertainment attorney Bryan Freedman and several public relations professionals in California state court of participating in an online smear campaign that falsely linked her to the death of actor Matthew Perry, claiming the campaign was part of a broader network of anonymous websites targeting critics and adversaries of the defendants and their clients.

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GDC Owes $3.1M In Digital Rights Management Patent Trial

By Elliot Weld

A Texas federal jury has awarded nearly $3.1 million to a patent-holding company, finding that a digital cinema products business willfully infringed a patent, but cleared the company of infringement allegations on a second patent.

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Brief

Copyright Office Probes AI's Role In Streaming Fraud

By Ivan Moreno

The U.S. Copyright Office is examining whether music-streaming fraud and artificial intelligence-generated music are affecting royalty payments and licensing systems as part of a broader inquiry requested by Congress.

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House, Senate Dems Pitch Plans To Clamp Down On AI Harms

By Allison Grande

A House Democrat floated draft legislation Wednesday aimed at making it easier for those harmed by emerging artificial intelligence systems to sue developers for damages, on the same day that the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee unveiled her own comprehensive framework for addressing "catastrophic" risks posed by AI.

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Roblox Says Suicide Suit Must Be Arbitrated Or Dismissed

By Mike Curley

Roblox Corp. is asking a Kentucky federal judge to send to arbitration a mother's suit alleging her teenage daughter died by suicide as a result of using the platform, saying both the child and her parents repeatedly agreed to an arbitration clause in its terms of service, and that it is immune from liability for third-party content.

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Florida AG Seeks To Force Meta To Curb Addictive Features

By Emily Field

The Florida attorney general Wednesday asked a state court to compel Meta Platforms Inc. to impose age verification measures and curb addictive features, saying that a recent $17.1 billion settlement with other state attorneys general shows that the social media giant can do so.

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Televangelist, Network Owner Face Off In Race Bias Trial

By Susan Smiley

A Michigan federal jury was told on Wednesday that deciding a Black televangelist's race discrimination claim against the white owner of a religious network will require deciding if the owner's sharing of a meme was racist or simply a joke between old friends that was misunderstood.

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Cyber Consultant Convicted Of $53M Uranium Finance Heist

By Stewart Bishop

A federal jury in Manhattan convicted a Maryland cybersecurity consultant on Wednesday of what prosecutors say was a two-pronged heist of well over $53 million in cryptocurrency from Uranium Finance that wiped out the short-lived decentralized exchange.

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FCC Weighing Reg To Block Adversary Equipment Labs

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission will consider an order this month to block certain foreign adversaries' testing labs from clearing equipment for the U.S. market.

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FCC Proposes $10M In Fines For Alleged Lifeline Fraud

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

The Federal Communications Commission has proposed more than $10 million in fines against two providers for allegedly defrauding the agency's Lifeline program, which provides discounts on phone and internet services to qualifying low-income Americans.

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FCC Eyes Spectrum Sale To Boost 5G, Satellite D2D

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission's staff has teed up a proposal that would pave the way for a new auction of 25 megahertz worth of spectrum that could be used for advanced Earth-based wireless service and satellite connectivity to smart devices.

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Don't Let Post-Merger Iridium Disrupt Astronomy, FCC Told

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

Astronomers have warned the Federal Communications Commission that aerospace company Rocket Lab USA Inc. must fulfill its obligations to avoid harmful interference if the agency approves the license transfer needed for its proposed $8 billion purchase of satellite operator Iridium Communications.

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DNC Sues Over Trump's Taxpayer-Funded 'Propaganda Ads'

By Lauren Berg

The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday sued the Trump administration over its use of taxpayer dollars to air "political propaganda ads" promoting the president ahead of the November midterm elections.

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Davis Polk Lands Skadden's Media Head In LA Push

By Tracey Read

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP announced Wednesday that the former head of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom's global media and entertainment practice has joined the firm as a mergers and acquisitions partner.

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LIV Golf Ch. 11 Tests Limits Of Reorganizing Around Talent

In LIV Golf's recent Chapter 11 filing, players are the core enterprise value of the business and the intended majority common owners of the reorganized league, making the case a restructuring reference point for any enterprise whose core value rests on individuals rather than assets, say attorneys at Jones Walker.

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Why And How To Build A Neurodiversity-Informed Practice

By better understanding neurodiversity and implementing simple accommodations for clients with autism, ADHD or learning differences, attorneys can build stronger relationships with those who may otherwise struggle to obtain and benefit from legal services, while developing good habits that will benefit everyone they represent, says Ting Cheung at Sanford Heisler.

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Omni Bridgeway Raises $1B For New Litigation Funding

By Ryan Boysen

Litigation funder Omni Bridgeway has raised a new $1 billion fund from mostly repeat investors, with plans to deploy the money broadly across countries and case types while avoiding debt leverage.

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Alito Explains Recusal But Says It Shouldn't Become Practice

By Katie Buehler

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said this week he "reluctantly" recused himself from a dispute that could decide whether state and local government can sue Big Oil in state courts for damages related to greenhouse gas emissions, while suggesting the high court's members shouldn't make a practice of explaining their reasons for stepping away from cases.

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Justices' Docs Should Belong To Public, Gov't Watchdogs Say

By Jack Karp

Nearly two dozen government accountability groups are calling for Congress to enact a law that would make U.S. Supreme Court justices' papers government property that would someday be available to the public.

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Analysis

Uncertainty Surrounds Judge Newman's 11th Circ. Transfer

By Dani Kass

Chief Justice John Roberts' order to transfer the Federal Circuit Judicial Council's disability investigation of a suspended 99-year-old judge to another court offers the neutral evaluation the judge has long been asking for, but attorneys are concerned about the transparency of the proceeding.

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California Federal Judge Jeffrey White To Retire After 24 Years

By Bonnie Eslinger

Senior U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White will retire at the end of the year after nearly a quarter-century on the federal bench in Northern California.

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ABA Accreditor Leader Remembered For Passion And Intellect

By Emma Cueto

After her sudden death while leading the American Bar Association council that handles law school accreditation, Melissa Hart is being remembered as a passionate and fiercely intelligent jurist, mentor and leader who will be missed as the council navigates numerous challenges to its accreditor status.

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