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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Split Congress Could Spur Competing Probes, Cleary Finds

By Courtney Bublé

If the new year brings an era of divided Congress, then "dueling investigations" into the same topics should be expected, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP said in a report it released Thursday.

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Baker Donelson Elects Department Chair As President, COO

By Tracey Read

Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC has elected a litigator who chairs the financial services department as its next president and chief operating officer, the Memphis, Tennessee-headquartered firm announced Thursday.

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Morgan Lewis Forms Council To Steer EMEA Strategy

By Kevin Penton

Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP is creating a 12-member council for Europe, the Middle East and Africa that it anticipates will work to advance regional priorities, enhance collaboration opportunities and improve services to global clients, the firm announced Thursday.

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DLA Piper Taps 2 O'Melveny Lawyers For Leadership Roles

By Jack Rodgers

DLA Piper has hired two O'Melveny & Myers LLP lawyers as the new leaders in two D.C.-based intellectual property groups, one of whom was the leader of his prior firm's International Trade Commission litigation group.

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Foley & Lardner Adds Ex-DOJ Antitrust Official In DC Office

By James Boyle

A former assistant chief in the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division moved back recently into the private sector and joined Foley & Lardner LLP's Washington, D.C., office.

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Sheppard Mullin Hit With Class Action Over Data Breach

By Jake Maher

A former Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP paralegal launched a proposed class action against the firm in California federal court on Wednesday over a cyberattack it had in August, in which she says at least 1,000 people's names and Social Security numbers were stolen.

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Buzbee Faces $970K Fee Bid In Dismissed Conspiracy Cases

By Lynn LaRowe

A Mississippi lawyer is asking a Texas state court to award her more than $970,000 in fees after defeating claims that she and her law firm conspired with rapper Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP to retaliate against prominent Houston plaintiffs attorney Tony Buzbee and two of his former clients.

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Analysis

New Fraud Division Flexes Might In Latest Enforcement Policy

By Phillip Bantz

The National Fraud Enforcement Division's new corporate enforcement policy emphasizes the quick pursuit of certain types of fraud through data analysis and staff resources, expands the target list beyond traditional healthcare providers and highlights the division's growing dominance within the U.S. Department of Justice, experts say.

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IP Rights Group Urges Against Litigation Funding Disclosure

By Elliot Weld

An inventor rights advocacy group has told a federal courts rules committee that requiring the disclosure of who is funding civil litigation would put independent inventors at a disadvantage when trying to enforce patents against a larger company.

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