Boston Defeats Feds' Challenge To Sanctuary Policies

By Carolyn Muyskens

A Massachusetts federal judge tossed the Trump administration's lawsuit against Boston over the city's policies limiting cooperation with immigration agents on Thursday, continuing the government's winless streak in such cases nationwide.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

High Court Says First Step Act Can't Inform Early Releases

By Matthew Santoni

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that changes in mandatory minimum sentences cannot be considered retroactively when weighing if a federal prisoner should be granted early release.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Justices Say First Step Act Not 'Vehicle' For Innocence Claim

By Phillip Bantz

The U.S. Supreme Court held Thursday that judges lack wide discretion to pare down sentences for criminal defendants under the First Step Act based on questions about the validity of a conviction, shutting the door on a potential wave of postconviction relief petitions, experts said.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Justices Revive Mississippi Death Row Inmate's Batson Claim

By Marco Poggio

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a Black Mississippi death row prisoner who argued racial discrimination tainted his jury selection is entitled to habeas corpus relief, finding that Mississippi's courts improperly rejected his challenge to the prosecutor's juror strikes.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Justices Urged To Probe Post-Mallory Forum-Shopping Flood

By Linda Chiem

Legal advocates said Thursday that the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 Mallory ruling unleashed a wave of forum-shopping by plaintiffs lawyers using states' business-registration laws to sue out-of-state companies, and that the justices should take up the case again to stop litigants from unconstitutionally interfering with interstate commerce.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-Prosecutor Wants Trump 'Slush Fund' Payments Blocked

By Hailey Konnath

A former federal prosecutor who worked on Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection cases was among a handful of individuals and groups Thursday who pressed federal courts to issue temporary restraining orders blocking payouts from President Donald Trump's $1.8 billion "slush fund," according to motions filed in Virginia and Washington, D.C.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

CFPB's Return-To-Office Plan Could Spur More Exits

By Jon Hill

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is moving forward with a return-to-office plan that will involve shifting to new headquarters, ending most telework and requiring field employees to relocate to the Washington, D.C., area starting this summer, Law360 has learned.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Bilt Faces Dem Grilling Over Bank Partner Transition 'Turmoil'

By Sarah Jarvis

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Thursday that she wants answers from Bilt Rewards on reports that customers of the rent payment reward business have experienced transaction and payment issues stemming from the company's transition between bank partners.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trans Patients Say Stanford Can't Give DOJ Medical Records

By Gianna Ferrarin

A group of transgender adolescents who received gender-related care at a Stanford Medicine hospital urged a California federal court to order the hospital not to turn over any of their medical records in response to a criminal subpoena issued by a grand jury in Texas.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Squires To Review TikTok Foreign Ties In Another IPR

By Adam Lidgett

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires is going to review his own decision to institute review of a computer hardware patent challenged by TikTok, saying he was considering whether a foreign government should have been listed as an interested party.

Decision attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Illinois Nears Frontier AI Safety Law With Audit Mandate

By Rae Ann Varona

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is set to sign into law a landmark bill requiring artificial intelligence developers to undergo annual third-party audits and provide transparency reports, the governor announced on social media Wednesday, the same day the bill received a unanimous vote in the Illinois House of Representatives.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FCC Warns Of More Broadcast License Reviews

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission's leadership gave notice to broadcasters Thursday that it could review their licenses early and potentially act to revoke them if it decides the stations are failing to "operate in the public interest."

Notice attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Broadcasters Want Rules Relaxed Due To 'Fierce' Competition

By Christopher Cole

Broadcast industry advocates in Washington doubled down on their view that it's time to relax media ownership limits at all levels because the regulations unfairly pit them against "fierce" competitors like audio and video streamers.

Comments attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Land Co. Says Greeley Lowballed Water Storage Payout

By Zach Dupont

A Colorado landowner said the city of Greeley shorted them out of millions of dollars by using an old survey to undervalue the maximum water storage amount for a set of reservoirs the city has been attempting to build for over 25 years, according to a complaint filed in state court Thursday.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Mackinac Ferry Cos. Seek Sanctions In Deposition Fight

By Melanie Dorsey

Ferry companies suing a northern Michigan resort island say the city is improperly trying to cancel upcoming depositions of its mayor and council members without a court order, accusing it of using a last-minute protective order motion as a delay tactic. 

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Athletes Decry Antitrust Immunity In College Sports Bill

By David Steele

College athlete advocacy groups have criticized a proposed bipartisan U.S. Senate bill that provides congressional oversight to college sports and allows athletes to have agents, but also limits player movement and compensation and grants the NCAA antitrust immunity.

Bill attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Kalshi Targets Minnesota Prediction Market Ban In New Suit

By Aislinn Keely

Kalshi is taking aim at a Minnesota ban on prediction markets that it says would turn it into a felon for operating in the state, filing a suit that follows a similar bid by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission to block the state law.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fla. Justices Say Ex-Power Co. Welder Didn't Prove Retaliation

By David Minsky

The Florida Supreme Court rejected a welder's appeal alleging that a power company terminated him in retaliation for blowing the whistle on unsafe work conditions, ruling Thursday he didn't prove beyond a subjective belief that his former employer violated the law. 

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Curaleaf Can't Block NJ Pot Law's Labor Deal Requirement

By Mike Curley

A New Jersey federal judge won't allow Curaleaf to block enforcement of a provision of the state's cannabis law requiring labor peace agreements between cannabis operators and their employers, saying the company's slow movement doomed its motion.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ad Tech Rivals Say Google Can't Cull Antitrust Claims

By Bryan Koenig

Google's rival advertising placement technology providers urged a New York federal judge not to dramatically reduce their antitrust claims, arguing the court has already rejected the statute of limitations assertions raised against other multidistrict litigation plaintiffs "and it should do so again."

Response attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Colo. Residents Challenge Police Use Of Flock Cameras

By Rachel Konieczny

A Colorado police department's use of a network of Flock cameras to photograph and track vehicles is unconstitutional, according to a proposed class action brought by Boulder residents in state court.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

GreenSky Pays $10M To Settle Fraudulent Loan Claims

By Spencer Brewer

The Texas attorney general on Thursday announced that financial technology company GreenSky Holdings LLC has settled claims brought by multiple states accusing it of issuing fraudulent loans, paying $10 million in consumer restitution, civil penalties and other fees to the states.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Roundup

Injury Law Roundup: Freight Brokers, Uber Lose Key Cases

By Y. Peter Kang

The U.S. Supreme Court's green light of negligent hiring claims against freight brokers in highway crash cases and an adverse verdict against Uber in the sexual assault multidistrict litigation lead Law360's Injury Law Roundup.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ To Speed Up Review Of Qui Tam Benefits Fraud Claims

By Madeline Lyskawa

The U.S. Department of Justice announced that it's speeding up the agency's review of whistleblower complaints accusing contractors of defrauding state-administered benefits programs that are funded by the federal government, in violation of the False Claims Act. 

Memorandum attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NJ Comptroller Asked If It's Auditing Or Investigating Vendor

By George Woolston

A New Jersey appeals court on Thursday questioned whether the state comptroller's office exceeded its authority when it subpoenaed a private company that provides services to charter schools, asking whether the agency was conducting an audit of or an investigation into the company.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Senate Democrats Seek CBO Tally Of Iran War Costs

By Tom Lotshaw

A coalition of Democratic senators asked the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to weigh in on the cost of the Trump administration's war in Iran, expressing concern that it has not been transparent in its public accounting.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Lawmakers Raise Alarm Over PE-Backed DOD Contractors

By Madeline Lyskawa

Three Democratic lawmakers wrote to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressing concern over the Pentagon's growing reliance on private equity-backed defense contractors, which they said could pose risks to taxpayers and national security.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

States Say Fed. Circ. Should Keep Tariff Block During Appeal

By Jack McLoone

The Federal Circuit shouldn't stay an injunction blocking the collection of Section 122 tariffs from two businesses and Washington state while the federal government appeals the trade court ruling because the appeal is likely to fail, the businesses and 24 states said Thursday.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ohio Governor Pauses Data Center Tax Breaks

By Maria Koklanaris

Ohio became the most recent state to signal the growing unease in giving tax breaks to data centers as Gov. Mike DeWine said he directed the state tax credit authority to pause consideration of any new exemption requests.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Tenn. Allows Property Tax Refund Installments As Credits

By Zak Kostro

Tennessee authorized counties and municipalities to pay property tax refunds via installments applied as future credits if taxpayers agree to such arrangements under a bill signed by the governor.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Minn. Adds Property Tax Break, Adopts Federal Changes

By Sanjay Talwani

Minnesota will conform with recent federal corporate tax changes, extend its workaround of the cap on deductions for state and local tax payments and provide property and vehicle tax breaks under an omnibus bill signed by Gov. Tim Walz.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Dem Sens. Ask DOJ To Preserve Trump-IRS Settlement Docs

By Jack McLoone

Two Democratic Senate leaders asked the U.S. Department of Justice to preserve any records related to the settlement of President Donald Trump's suit against the IRS in a letter published Thursday, signaling that further investigations may be coming.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Hospital's $11.5M COVID Tax Credit Suit Clears Dismissal Bid

By Ben Adlin

A Washington federal judge refused to throw out a hospital's lawsuit seeking $11.5 million from the federal government under a COVID-19 relief program, ruling on Thursday that Tri-State Memorial Hospital has plausibly alleged that it partially suspended its operations because of a government order.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ábrego García Fights Removal To Anywhere But Costa Rica

By Tom Lotshaw

Kilmar Ábrego García asked a Maryland federal judge to block the Trump administration from deporting him to any third country other than Costa Rica, arguing that it's trying to remove him to Liberia to punish him for challenging its unlawful actions.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

US Protections For Lebanese Extended For 6 Months

By Tom Lotshaw

A designation allowing Lebanese nationals to live and work in the U.S. will remain in place for six more months after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security missed a window to determine whether people could safely return to the country.

Notice attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Detroit Ex-Mayor Can't Prevent Seizure Of Bank Account

By Susan Smiley

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick will have 100% of the funds in a bank account tied to him garnished by the U.S. government for distribution in accordance with his criminal judgment, a Michigan federal judge ordered Thursday.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Paxton Says Mass. Court Can't Halt ActBlue Case In Texas

By Carolyn Muyskens

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton urged a Massachusetts federal judge to toss a lawsuit claiming his fraud allegations against Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue are politically motivated, saying the Bay State court cannot interfere in his Texas case.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fla. Businessmen File Bid To Seize Ex-Official's $770K Payout

By David Minsky

Two Miami businessmen asked a Florida federal court on Thursday to garnish a former city commissioner's $770,000 settlement from a state court lawsuit as payment toward a multimillion-dollar political retaliation judgment, arguing the funds can't be shielded under state law as they are compensatory in nature.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Osage Nation Asks 10th Circ. To Revisit Boundary Ruling

By Joyce Hanson

The Osage Nation is appealing to the Tenth Circuit an Oklahoma federal judge's decision that declined to vacate a 16-year-old circuit decision saying the tribe's reservation boundaries had been disestablished, arguing that no congressional language explicitly changed those boundaries.

Petition attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Wash. Tribes, River Group Fight FERC Hydro License

By Joyce Hanson

The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation and nonprofit Columbia Riverkeeper have each sued the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in the Ninth Circuit over the agency's issuance of a license for a hydroelectric project license.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

GCI Wants To End Service In 6 Alaska Communities

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

GCI Communication Corp. has asked the Federal Communications Commission for permission to end certain telecommunications services in six Alaskan communities, arguing that other carriers offer those services.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FCC Targeting ABC Licenses To Punish Speech, Station Says

By Rae Ann Varona

ABC's local New York station said Thursday that the Federal Communications Commission's order for ABC to file early license renewal applications is an "unprecedented attack" on the broadcast company's license portfolio with "no legitimate purpose" other than to suppress speech.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Legislative Update: Cannabis And Psychedelics Bill Roundup

By Sam Reisman

Tennessee became the latest state to approve a policy paving the way for more research into ibogaine; Vermont lawmakers brought a bill doubling cannabis potency and possession limits closer to the finish line; and California legislators approved a bill banning the sale of "laughing gas" used for recreational purposes. Here are the major moves in cannabis and psychedelics legislation from the past week.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump Considers Tech Entrepreneur For DOJ Grants Post

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump appears poised to nominate a real estate attorney turned tech entrepreneur for a top U.S. Department of Justice post that oversees grants and criminal justice programs.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

How SEC, CFTC Proposal Would Ease Private Fund Reporting

While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s recent proposal to streamline and lighten certain confidential reporting requirements could bring welcome changes for many private fund advisers, sponsors should consider important nuances of its potential impact, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

Proposed Rule attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

New Connecticut Law On Employers' AI Use Is Inventive

A recently passed Connecticut law regulating the use of artificial intelligence in employment decisions innovates by using third-party risk assessments to vet and certify AI models, and by recognizing a division of responsibility between developers and deployers, potentially influencing pending legislation in other states, say attorneys at Littler.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Opinion

International Patent Licensing System Must Be Maintained

As foreign approaches to patent enforcement threaten to distort the licensing markets that underpin modern technology, courts and policymakers must take action to ensure that the standard essential patent framework is preserved, says Brian O'Shaughnessy at Dinsmore.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Tax Highlights From Georgia's 2026 Legislative Session

Georgia's two-year legislative cycle recently concluded with the enactment of several significant tax bills that reflect efforts to modernize tax policy in response to evolving economic priorities, and a broader trend toward increased scrutiny of administrative agency interpretations, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FERC Order May Alter PJM's Framework, Spur $1B In Refunds

A recent order from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission stands to reform how grid operator PJM Interconnection assigns transmission upgrade costs, with potentially sweeping implications for transmission owners, merchant transmission facilities and load-serving entities, including an estimated $1 billion in refunds and surcharges, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Opinion

High Court's Abortion Pill Stay Reinforces Appellate Principles

The U.S. Supreme Court's recent order in Danco Laboratories v. Louisiana, staying a Fifth Circuit ruling that reinstated an in-person requirement for dispensing the abortion medicine mifepristone, should be seen not as a definitive ruling on reproductive rights, but as an affirmation of a more disciplined jurisdictional reality, says Daniel Nardo at Nardo & Associates.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Series

Studying Foreign Languages Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Studying Italian and Japanese has shown me that learning a new language can benefit a legal career in several ways, including by demonstrating the importance of approaching problems from a fresh perspective and the value of practicing patience with colleagues and clients, says Anna King at Genworth Financial.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Florida High Court Adopts AI Policy For Lawyers

By Madison Arnold

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday amended the state's rules to require those filing court documents to check any artificial intelligence-generated content for accuracy, and allow for sanctions if the content contains errors.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Goldstein Says Bad Jury Instructions Warrant New Trial

By Jared Foretek

SCOTUSblog founder Tom Goldstein said that the prosecutors who convicted him on 12 tax and mortgage fraud charges in February are now contradicting arguments they made at the end of his trial in their attempt to deny him a bench acquittal or new trial.

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

King & Spalding Blocked From Exiting $300M Fraud Lawsuit

By Brian Steele

King & Spalding LLP and Lennon Murphy & Phillips LLC can't withdraw from representing clients in consolidated litigation over an alleged $300 million stock swindle, a Connecticut state court judge has ruled, saying the firms' motions ahead of a June trial lack good cause.

6 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fla. Court Refers Atty To Bar Over Bogus Case Citations

By Madison Arnold

A Florida state appeals court has referred an appellant's attorney to the state's bar for disciplinary proceedings after filing a petition that appears to be generated by artificial intelligence and "raises frivolous arguments, misstates the law, and cites non-existent case law."

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Parents Demand 'Bad Faith' Sanctions In Camp Mystic Case

By Lynn LaRowe

Camp Mystic in Texas' Hill Country should be sanctioned over "bad faith" conduct in litigation over flooding deaths last summer, including purported misrepresentations to courts and regulators and an alleged remark by one of its attorneys to a plaintiffs' lawyer that he would "burn in hell," a state court has been told.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-Fla. Chief Justice Fred Lewis Dies At 78

By Carolina Bolado

Former Florida Chief Justice R. Fred Lewis, who spent two decades on the bench of the Florida Supreme Court, has died at 78, the court announced Thursday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Gupta Wessler's Deepak Gupta

By Daniel Moritz-Rabson

In the decade and a half since starting his own firm, Deepak Gupta has argued seven cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, has won matters in state high courts from coast to coast, and has become a mainstay in federal appellate courts while building his plaintiff-side litigation boutique into a sought-after juggernaut.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »