Analysis

DOJ Envisions 'Full-Fledged Law Firm' To Combat Gov't Fraud

By Phillip Bantz

The National Fraud Enforcement Division was created less than six months ago, but it is rapidly reshaping the U.S. Department of Justice and spurring an uptick in internal corporate investigations, white collar experts say.

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Analysis

3rd Circ. AI Ruling May Reach Beyond Westlaw Content Fight

By Ivan Moreno

The Third Circuit went out of its way to say its ruling against a defunct legal research startup was not a generative artificial intelligence case, but copyright lawyers expect the reach of its reasoning to be tested almost immediately in pending AI litigation.

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Up First At High Court: Climate Torts & Munitions Disposal

By Katie Buehler

The U.S. Supreme Court will begin its new term on Monday, when the justices consider whether state courts have the authority to hear climate change lawsuits that seek to hold fossil fuel companies liable for local damages caused by greenhouse-gas emissions and whether federal courts can hear constitutional challenges to veterans benefits laws.

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Feds Will Appeal Order Striking Down Noncitizen Voting Ban

By Carolina Bolado

The U.S. government indicated Friday that it will appeal a decision striking down a federal law preventing noncitizens from voting and dismissing a voter fraud case against a Florida woman who voted in the 2020 federal election.

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Texas Judge Blocks Border Wall Construction In Big Bend

By Spencer Brewer

A Texas federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from building a border wall in the Big Bend region, siding with conservationists and advocates who claim the federal government unconstitutionally repealed environmental laws to fast-track the construction.

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8th Circ. Temporarily Blocks Minn.'s 'Nudification' Image Ban

By Hailey Konnath

The Eighth Circuit has agreed to temporarily block Minnesota from enforcing its ban on image "nudification" technology while Elon Musk's SpaceXAI appeals a lower court's order leaving the ban in place, according to an order issued Friday.

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Trump Asks 9th Circ. To Pause Seattle US Atty Reinstatement

By Rachel Riley

The Trump administration called on the Ninth Circuit Friday to suspend a federal judge's Thursday order reinstating Roger Rogoff as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington, seeking to keep Charles Neil Floyd as acting head of the Seattle office pending the government's appeal.

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Judge Clevenger Retires After 36 Years On Fed. Circ.

By Dani Kass

U.S. Circuit Judge Raymond C. Clevenger III has retired from the Federal Circuit, 20 years after taking senior status, the court said Friday.

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Pa. Justices Reject Federal Limits On Agency Deference

By Matthew Santoni

Pennsylvania courts do not have to follow federal precedents that limit deference to a state agency's interpretation of unclear regulations, with a majority of the state's highest court finding Thursday that an agency interpretation can be one of multiple factors for analyzing an ambiguous regulation.

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Press Group Again Seeks Bondi Memo On Qatar Jet Gift

By Courtney Bublé

A press freedom organization is trying again to force the U.S. Department of Justice to release the legal opinion signed by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi last year allowing President Donald Trump to accept a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar.

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5 Supreme Court Cases To Watch This Fall

By Katie Buehler

The U.S. Supreme Court will convene Monday to begin its 2026 October term, which includes several cases that could determine the future of climate change tort litigation, expand religious freedoms and parental rights, and grant states authority to require proof of citizenship when individuals register for presidential elections using state forms. 

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Roberts Wants Less Talk. Supreme Court Attorneys Disagree.

By Katie Buehler

Near the end of last term, Chief Justice John Roberts voiced his frustration with the U.S. Supreme Court's lengthening oral argument sessions and suggested the justices might tweak their format over the summer. But as the new term begins Monday, the court has yet to announce any changes, and advocates see little need for improvement.

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Trump Urges Ga. Court To Keep DA Out Of $16M Fee Dispute

By Kelcey Caulder

President Donald Trump and other former defendants in a dismissed election interference case urged a Georgia appellate court to uphold an order blocking Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from intervening in their bid to recoup $16 million in legal fees.

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DOJ Won't Revive Powell Probe Over Fed HQ Project, AG Says

By Jon Hill

The U.S. Department of Justice won't restart its criminal investigation into former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell over the costly renovations of the central bank's headquarters, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday.

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Bank Lobby Sues OCC Over Crypto Trust Charter Approvals

By Aislinn Keely

The Independent Community Bankers of America sued the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Friday over the wave of national trust charters granted to crypto firms, arguing the rule underpinning the approvals exceeds the office's authority and ran roughshod over commenters' concerns.

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AGs, Enviros Sue Over Rollback Of Biden-Era Fuel Standards

By Dorothy Atkins

The Trump administration was hit with multiple suits by a coalition of 27 attorneys general and environmental groups Friday challenging the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's recent decision to roll back Biden-era fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks.

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Judge OKs Provider Not Telling Clients Of Deal End, For Now

By Rachel Konieczny

A Colorado state judge granted Friday a home personal care services company's bid to delay notifying clients of a state regulatory agency's decision to terminate its provider agreement amid an upcoming administrative appeal hearing, citing a potential care gap for the providers' clients — all of them insured by Medicaid.

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Brief

Major League Soccer Wins Copyright Registration For Crest

By Adam Lidgett

The U.S. Copyright Office Review Board has ruled that Major League Soccer's 2014 crest is eligible for copyright protection, overturning an earlier refusal that found the logo lacked sufficient creative authorship.

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Parler Ex-CEO Wins $11M Over Ouster From Social Media Site

By Cara Salvatore

A jury in Nevada found Friday that Parler co-founder John Matze is owed nearly $11.1 million, including $250,000 in punitive damages, for the stake he was stripped of after billionaire business partner Rebekah Mercer and others allegedly changed the social media company's constitution to get rid of him.

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Gannett, Daily Mail Get April '27 Date For Google Ad Tech Trial

By Bryan Koenig

A New York federal judge Friday teed up the Daily Mail and Gannett for the first trial in the sprawling antitrust multidistrict litigation targeting Google's advertising placement technology business, penciling in a start date of April 5, 2027.

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CH Robinson CLO Talks Montgomery, Dallas Verdict Impacts

By Linda Chiem

Nearly five months after the U.S. Supreme Court delivered its pivotal ruling reshaping freight brokers' liability exposure, C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. said lingering uncertainty over protracted litigation and volatile verdicts will upend the U.S. supply chain without some intervention by regulators or Congress.

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Texas Justices Agree To Hear BNSF, Zurich Asbestos Suit

By Spencer Brewer

The Texas Supreme Court Friday agreed to take up Zurich American Insurance Co.'s challenge to a finding that it must continue to pay for the defense of BNSF Railway against hundreds of asbestos exposure suits.

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Feds Can't Ax Unions' Suit Over AI Monitoring Of Noncitizens

By Craig Clough

A New York federal judge has declined to toss a lawsuit by unions accusing federal immigration agencies of using artificial intelligence to surveil noncitizens' online activity, finding that immigration law does not bar the suit because it does not challenge the removal proceedings of any individual.

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NJ Township Accused Of Discriminatory Paving Contract

By Katherine Smith

An apprenticeship and training fund has sued a New Jersey township in state court over a project labor agreement in its 2026 paving project, claiming the agreement prevents the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union from placing apprentices on the project.

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Southern Glazer's Agrees To Pricing Limitations In FTC Deal

By Hailey Konnath

Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits agreed to pricing restrictions barring it from charging smaller stores more than large retailers to resolve the Federal Trade Commission's landmark, Biden-era price discrimination suit, according to an announcement made Friday.

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States Seek OK Of $400M Sandoz Generic Price-Fixing Deal

By Brian Steele

A coalition of 43 states and territories is seeking court approval of a $400 million settlement that would resolve allegations Sandoz Inc. and its subsidiary Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc. participated in a widespread price-fixing and market allocation conspiracy that raised the prices of generic drugs in the U.S.

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Live Nation Fights States' Latest Bid For Insight Into DOJ Deal

By Dorothy Atkins

Live Nation has fired back against the latest request in New York federal court by some state attorneys general seeking material related to Live Nation's midtrial antitrust settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, arguing the states are seeking burdensome discovery, including communications between third parties and outside counsel.

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Bipartisan Duo Intros Bill To Regulate Undersea Data Cables

By Nadia Dreid

Two congressmen think it's time that Congress adopt a new legislative regime for regulating the submarine cables that connect the United States to the rest of the world and transmit internet and electricity, and they've introduced a bill they said will do that.

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Brief

G7 Pledges 100M Oil Barrel Release With Front-Loaded Diesel

By Dylan Moroses

Group of Seven countries pledged to release 100 million barrels of oil beginning immediately, with a front-loaded diesel deployment, according to a statement released by the European Commission.

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Foggy Precedent Gives Deportee Shot At Venue Appeal

By Elaine Briseño

A Venezuelan man suing the U.S. over his deportation to the CECOT megaprison in El Salvador can appeal the transfer of his case from Washington, D.C., to Texas, as a D.C. federal judge has decided clarity is needed on how the court determines where to adjudicate federal tort claims. 

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DOJ Sues University Of Del. Over Immigrant In-State Tuition

By Jarek Rutz

The U.S. Department of Justice has alleged in federal court that the University of Delaware has violated immigration law by allowing some students who live in the state without lawful immigration status to qualify for lower in-state tuition at the school while U.S. citizens living outside Delaware must pay the higher nonresident rate.

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NC Residents Seek Class Certification, Block On DHS Tactics

By Tom Lotshaw

North Carolina residents asked a federal judge to certify a proposed class action and temporarily block the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from continuing what they called a dragnet campaign of unlawful immigration stops and warrantless arrests in the Tar Heel State.

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ICE Crowded Migrants Into Makeshift Fla. Facility, Groups Say

By David Minsky

Civil rights groups on Friday brought a Florida federal proposed class action against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on behalf of several migrants who alleged they were deprived of basic needs after getting crowded into a government office converted for use as a secretive, makeshift detention facility.

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Former Fla. Rep. Gets 10 Years In Venezuela FARA Case

By Carolina Bolado

A Florida federal judge on Friday sentenced ex-Florida Rep. David Rivera to 10 years in prison for failing to register as a foreign agent and laundering the proceeds of a $50 million contract with a unit of Venezuela's state-owned oil company.

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Texas Justices Won't Review Nixed $64M Credit Suisse Verdict

By Spencer Brewer

The Texas Supreme Court on Friday declined to hear an appeal of a decision that wiped away a $64 million award to a subsidiary of a Dallas investment company following alleged fraud by Credit Suisse surrounding lending for a luxury Nevada community.

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Senate Clears 2 Tribal Bills On Land, Digital Evidence

By Crystal Owens

The U.S. Senate has passed two bills that will transfer more than 500 acres to California's Pit River Tribe and will allow tribal courts the same ability to issue warrants for electronic evidence as their non-tribal counterparts.

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Calif. Tribe Loses Bid To Restore Gaming Eligibility

By Crystal Owens

A Washington, D.C., federal court has rejected a California tribe's request to pause the government's reversal of its gaming eligibility on 160 acres in Vallejo, ruling the Indigenous nation did not clear the high bar to prove the feds' decision would cause economic losses or sovereign harm.

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Brief

Verizon Must Answer Complaint Over Data Speed Cut

By Nadia Dreid

The Federal Communications Commission has rejected Verizon's request to suspend all deadlines in a proceeding tied to a customer's complaint that the telecom titan broke agency rules by slowing down his internet speed after he reached his data limit.

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Cannabis Co. Says Mass. Town Keeping License In Limbo

By Carolyn Muyskens

A cannabis business has alleged in state court that Provincetown, Massachusetts, is holding up the company's license renewal with a demand that it waive claims against the town regarding overpayment of fees, calling the move a "strong-arm tactic."

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Texas Judge Suspended On Child Support Perjury Charge

By Jonathan Capriel

A Texas judicial commission has suspended a justice of the peace without pay after a grand jury indicted him on claims that he lied under oath during a hearing where he sought to reduce his child support payments.

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Greenberg Traurig Adds Food, Drug Law Atty In DC

By Emily Johnson

Greenberg Traurig LLP has added to its Washington, D.C., office a director from Hyman Phelps & McNamara PC who has more than three decades of experience in guiding clients in regulatory, compliance and transactional matters involving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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Visa Ruling Exposes APA Risks For DHS Grace Period Repeal

Four defects described in a September district court decision halting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's new restrictions on student visas as arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act can also be seen in the agency's recent proposal to eliminate a long-standing grace period for laid-off skilled foreign workers, says Jun Li at Reid & Wise.

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FTC Proposal Puts Personalized Pricing On Notice

The Federal Trade Commission’s recent proposed policy statement on undisclosed personalized pricing signals the potential for harm when business practices diverge from consumer expectations, indicating a need to disclose not only data usage, but also how it influences the prices consumers see, says Linda Goldstein at CM Law.

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Religious Accommodation Lessons From Recent EEOC Focus

With several recent U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforcement actions focusing on religious accommodations, employers should identify the actual burden an accommodation imposes, distinguish operational hardship from co-workers' objections, and pay attention to how the accommodation is implemented, says Crystal Banse at Spencer West.

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HSR Compliance Lessons Abound In Proposed $250M Deal

The U.S. Justice Department's recently proposed $250 million Hart-Scott-Rodino Act settlement with KKR sheds light on additional safeguards that companies can put into place to mitigate risk as they prepare for their next deal, including implementation of a robust document process, say attorneys at White & Case.

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Series

Mich. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3

We are at an inflection point for Michigan financial services law, with a state Supreme Court decision recently overruling more than 25 years of precedent on the Michigan Consumer Protection Act, and pending legislation that could significantly shift the regulatory landscape, say attorneys and advisers at Dykema.

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Justice Alito Says He's Weighing The Best Time To Retire

By Katie Buehler

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has confirmed that he considered retiring at the end of the high court's latest term, and that he will continue to weigh that decision "every term." 

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Munger Tolles Announces Clerkship Bonus Increases

By Matt Perez

Munger Tolles & Olson LLP announced Thursday that it is increasing its clerkship bonuses to $180,000 for one qualifying clerkship and $200,000 for two or more qualifying clerkships.

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Legal Sector Adds 2K Jobs, For 6th Straight Month Of Growth

By Tracey Read

While the overall U.S. economy's unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2% last month, the legal industry was in the midst of a six-month hot streak.

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Jackson Walker May Face New Sanctions Over Old Romance

By Rick Archer

A Texas bankruptcy judge Friday threatened Jackson Walker LLP with sanctions over yet another bankruptcy case where the firm's retention was approved by a judge in a relationship with a former attorney at the firm.

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Keesal Young Owes Duty To Safeguard 316K People's Data

By Matt Perez

A California federal judge has kept negligence and consumer privacy claims intact against law firm Keesal Young & Logan over a 2024 data breach that exposed the personal information of more than 316,000 people, finding the plaintiffs have standing because their data apparently landed on the dark web.

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Thomson Reuters Hit With Antitrust Case Over 'Killer' AI Deal

By Matthew Perlman

A California law firm has accused Thomson Reuters of violating antitrust law when it purchased artificial intelligence research tool Casetext for $650 million and then shuttered the platform to extinguish a rising competitor to its Westlaw service.

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Amazon Seeks Records Around Lawyer's USPTO Suspension

By Ben Adlin

An attorney Amazon has accused of furthering a scheme to fraudulently register thousands of trademarks and use them to report infringement by rival Amazon merchants must hand over documents related to her discipline in California and Washington, the retail giant argued in a Washington federal court filing Thursday.

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Tenn. High Court Keeps ABA As Law School Accreditor

By Emma Cueto

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Friday declined to follow other conservative states in dropping the American Bar Association as the state's law school accreditor, though it indicated it is open to approving other accreditors in addition to or instead of the ABA in the future.

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Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

The Department of Justice has unveiled new corporate fraud enforcement priorities, and a report found that more than four out of five legal departments have adopted artificial intelligence. These are among the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions after a California federal jury said Apple owes $5.7 billion to headphone-maker Taction for infringing two vibration technology patents, issuing the largest patent verdict in U.S. history.

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In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

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