Analysis

New SEC Reporting Plan May Not Sway Energy Cos.

By Keith Goldberg

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission wants to let publicly traded companies move from a quarterly to a semiannual earnings reporting schedule, but energy industry volatility and investor expectations may make oil and gas firms reluctant to embrace the option.

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6th Circ. Upholds $10M Verdict Against Detective In Brady Suit

By Melanie Dorsey

The Sixth Circuit has upheld a $10 million jury verdict for a Michigan man who spent more than six years in prison before prosecutors concluded he was not guilty of murder, ruling that a Detroit detective could not use the man's vacated conviction to block his civil rights suit.

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DOJ Says Conn. Has No Right To Regulate Feds' Use Of Force

By Aaron Keller

The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday sued Connecticut in federal court over a recently enacted state law that subjects in-custody deaths to state oversight, requires federal agents to wear identifying badges, and bans law enforcement officers from wearing facemasks, calling the act "blatantly unconstitutional."

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MLB's Rays, Local Officials Reach $2.3B Ballpark Framework

By Nate Beck

Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays, along with city and county officials, announced Friday that they've reached the basics of a $2.3 billion deal using public and private money to pay for a new ballpark for the team.

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US Backs Pause On Tatneft Discovery Over Ukraine Risks

By Caroline Simson

The Trump administration seeks to keep a nearly decade-old case filed by one of Russia's largest oil companies to enforce a $173 million arbitral award against Ukraine on ice until hostilities in the region have ended, saying Kyiv has "credibly asserted" that its national security is at risk.

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Texas Hospital Creates 'De-Transition Clinic' After Settlement

By Spencer Brewer

The Texas attorney general announced a settlement with Texas Children's Hospital that will see the creation of a detransition clinic, saying Friday that the hospital will pay $10 million for billing Texas Medicaid for "illegal 'gender-transition' interventions."

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Fed. Circ. Urges Justices To Reject Newman Suspension Case

By Ryan Davis

The Federal Circuit has urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to hear Judge Pauline Newman's appeal targeting a suspension imposed on her by the court's other judges, arguing that a lower court correctly held that her challenges to the order are not subject to judicial review.

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Girardi Trial Judge Josephine Staton To Take Senior Status

By Ryan Boysen

The California federal judge who sentenced disgraced trial attorney Tom Girardi to prison for wire fraud last year has announced that she'll be taking senior status in the fall, allowing President Donald Trump to appoint her successor.

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New Jersey AG Traces Her Path To Public Service

By George Woolston

New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport talked shop at the State Bar Association's annual meeting, dishing on what it was like to get the call to be the state's top law enforcement officer, how her time as general counsel for a public utility informs her new role and what it's like to be both friend and foe to the federal government. The Cape May County native also revealed her favorite diner.

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7th Circ. Eyes Sanctions In 'Are We Dating The Same Guy' Suit

By Lauren Berg

The Seventh Circuit Friday refused to revive a Chicago-area man's suit over allegedly false reports of his "obnoxious behavior" on an "Are We Dating the Same Guy?" Facebook page, while questioning why he shouldn't be sanctioned for "frivolously appealing" the tossed claims and submitting a brief containing "fictitious" citations.

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Justices Deny Va. Dems' Emergency Redistricting Bid

By Katie Buehler

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday rejected Virginia Democrats' request to stay a state high court ruling that invalidated a newly drawn, voter-approved congressional redistricting map. 

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Analysis

4 Key Takeaways From SEC's Semiannual Reporting Proposal

By Jessica Corso

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently put forth a plan that could allow publicly traded companies to move from a quarterly to a semiannual reporting schedule, but whether they choose to do so and how that could impact both the growth of the public markets and insider-trading plans for corporate leaders remains up for debate.

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OCC Adopts Rules To Curb State Escrow-Interest Laws

By Jon Hill

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency moved Friday to shield many of the nation's biggest banks from state requirements to pay interest on homeowner mortgage escrow accounts, finalizing a pair of rules that extend its push to bolster federal banking preemption.

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Groups Drop CFPB Suit Over Stalled Biden-Era Small-Biz Rule

By Sarah Jarvis

Consumer-aligned groups that sued to force the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to implement its Biden-era reporting requirements for small-business lenders have voluntarily dropped their case, according to a Friday federal court filing.

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Analysis

4 Key Issues Enviro Attys Are Watching In The Farm Bill

By Gautama Mehta

After a contentious passage in the House, the Farm Bill may face a similarly thorny path in the Senate. Here, Law360 previews the key issues environmental attorneys are watching in the proposed legislation.

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4th Circ. Halts Md. Law Banning Electricity Greenwashing

By Gautama Mehta

The Fourth Circuit on Friday halted a Maryland law aimed at preventing electricity companies from falsely marketing their power as environmentally friendly, saying it may be overly broad in a likely violation of the First Amendment.

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Michigan Says DOE Lacked Crisis To Extend Coal Plant Life

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. Circuit panel attempted Friday to find the limit on the U.S. Department of Energy's emergency authority to keep power plants running without a regional utility's request, with Michigan arguing that no emergency existed to justify the federal government's orders to keep a Consumers Energy plant online.

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Buddhists' Fla. Temple Suit Is Moot, Army Corps Says

By David Minsky

The Army Corps of Engineers asked a Florida federal court Friday to either pause or dismiss Buddhists' lawsuit alleging environmental and religious violations, arguing that an Everglades restoration project surrounding a temple was paused because of funding reallocation and because relief isn't possible since some construction was already completed.

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Sherwin-Williams Hit With Nuisance Suit Over Pa. Paint Plant

By P.J. D'Annunzio

Sherwin-Williams has been hit with proposed class claims in Pennsylvania federal court alleging noxious odors have been spewing out of one of its western Pennsylvania manufacturing plants, causing nuisance to nearby residents.

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IRS Asks Fed. Circ. To Overturn COVID-Era Deadline Ruling

By Kat Lucero

The IRS announced Friday that it will ask the Federal Circuit to overturn a claims court decision allowing a California business owner to recover penalties and interest he had tried to get refunded during the COVID-19 pandemic, challenging an interpretation that offered potential relief for others. 

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Texas Justices Revive Anti-SLAPP Bid In Abortion Fund Suit

By José Luis Martínez

The Texas Supreme Court on Friday revived a woman's anti-SLAPP bid in an abortion fund's suit against her, holding that the suit was filed in response to the woman's earlier attempt to investigate the fund's deputy director for potential violations of state abortion law.

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Spokane Firefighters Denied Early Win In Vax Exemption Suit

By Patrick Hoff

A federal court refused Friday to hand a quick win to a group of firefighters who said the city of Spokane, Washington, refused to accommodate their religious objections to a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, ruling they hadn't provided enough information about their beliefs.

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Meta Safety Monitor Would Create Roadblock, Judge Told

By Cara Salvatore

Putting Meta under the supervision of a court-ordered monitor would only cause a slowdown in the development of new child safety features, a compliance executive testified Friday in the New Mexico attorney general's bench trial seeking changes to company practices.

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Detroit Says Robinhood Sports Contracts Imperil Its Economy

By Ganesh Setty

The city of Detroit has urged a Michigan federal court to deny Robinhood Derivatives LLC's bid to block the state from enforcing its state gaming laws, arguing the company's sports-related event contracts threaten Detroit's tax revenue and local economy.

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Renters Seek Approval For $218M In RealPage Landlord Deals

By Isaac Monterose

A class of renters asked a Tennessee federal court to preliminarily approve more than $218 million worth of settlements that aim to resolve antitrust claims against a group of multifamily landlords accused of using property management software company RealPage Inc.'s technology for rent price-fixing.

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Judge Permanently Blocks NLRB In Constitutionality Case

By Braden Campbell

A Texas federal judge on Friday permanently blocked the National Labor Relations Board from prosecuting a social services platform, saying agency officials' job protections are unconstitutional and inseparable from federal law, and that the board's pursuit of novel remedies flouts its targets' jury rights.

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EEOC Poised To Scuttle EEO-1 Reporting Requirement

By Patrick Hoff

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is close to ending its annual collection of workplace demographic data now that a proposed rule that would rescind employers' reporting requirements has been sent to the White House for approval.

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Brief

DOL Wants English Standard In Labor Certs For Drivers

By Tom Lotshaw

The U.S. Department of Labor said new guidance clarifies that employers must include an English proficiency standard in job orders and labor certification applications for positions that would have foreign workers operate commercial motor vehicles.

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Bankers Group Backs Stricter Robocalls Regs

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

The American Bankers Association is backing a Federal Communications Commission effort to ensure that companies routing outgoing robocalls know that the communications are legitimate.

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Analysis

Trade Probes Likely To Be Strong Bulwark For Trump's Tariffs

By Dylan Moroses

President Donald Trump will likely deploy new tariffs this summer across numerous countries under a law that provides the federal government with its strongest legal footing yet in federal court for a global tariff regime.

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Brief

Senators Seek Info From SBA On Tariff Loan Gap

By Dylan Moroses

The top Democratic lawmakers on the U.S. Senate Finance and Senate Small Business committees asked the Small Business Administration for information regarding loans for companies seeking assistance following increased tariff costs, according to a letter made public Friday.

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Judge Blocks Part Of Texas Migrant Arrest Law Once More

By Britain Eakin

A Texas federal judge blocked key provisions of a state law criminalizing unauthorized entry or reentry of noncitizens into the state Thursday, ruling for the second time in less than three years that the legislation likely intrudes on an area of law controlled by the federal government.

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DOJ Says Grant Condition Stay Must Stop At 3 Programs

By Tom Lotshaw

The U.S. Department of Justice told a Rhode Island federal judge that a stay blocking grant conditions tied to immigration status and diversity efforts should apply only to several programs and that a nonprofit coalition is improperly trying to expand its reach.

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Khalil Wants Immigration Case Ended Over Bias Claims

By Britain Eakin

Mahmoud Khalil has asked the Board of Immigration Appeals to terminate his removal proceedings, arguing that new evidence shows the Trump administration interfered to sway the outcome of his case and make an example of him for his pro-Palestinian activism.

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Atty Tied To Trump Pardon Headed For August Extortion Trial

By Stewart Bishop

A New York federal judge on Friday set an August trial date for a South Carolina attorney and lobbyist on extortion charges tied to his work as a purported go-between for people with serious legal troubles seeking clemency from President Donald Trump.

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9th Circ. Won't Revisit Wash. Professor Free Speech Ruling

By Crystal Owens

The Ninth Circuit won't revisit a decision saying the University of Washington violated a computer science professor's First Amendment rights after he voiced opposition to the school's policy that acknowledges Indigenous tribes as the traditional caretakers of the campus' land.

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Lawmakers Decry USDA Plan To End Roadless Forest Rule

By Crystal Owens

Federal Democratic lawmakers are backing environmental and tribal advocacy groups' opposition to the Trump administration's plan to rescind the long-standing Roadless Area Conservation Rule, arguing the rollback will cause widespread harm to public lands, wildlife, frontline communities and regional economies.

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Interview

8 Questions For Rural Broadband Advocate Mike Romano

By Christopher Cole

Several developments in rural connectivity, from a cascade of federal grants to legislative efforts to shore up the Universal Service Fund, means a crowded plate for the NTCA's new boss, Mike Romano. Here, Law360 catches up with Romano to hear more about his plans as he settles into his role.

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Va. Resentencing Law Provides Relief To Cannabis Offenders

By Elizabeth Daley

The governor of Virginia signed a bill Friday enacting resentencing legislation that will allow people who are serving sentences for marijuana-related convictions to seek reductions for conduct that, since 2021, wasn't a chargeable offense in the state, her office said.

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Brief

Texas Justices Give Delta-8 THC Cos. More Time To Fight Ban

By Jonathan Capriel

The Texas Supreme Court on Friday gave hemp companies more time to pull together a counter-attack against its prior ruling giving the state's health commissioner the power to ban manufactured delta-8 THC goods.

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'Mobile' Sources For On-Site Generation May Be A Risky Bet

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering treating large on-site generators used at data centers as mobile rather than stationary sources under the Clean Air Act, a significant policy change that would leave developers that adopt this solution at risk of regulatory reversals, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

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Startup Founder Disputes Increasingly Turn On Governance

Recent Delaware developments suggest that as courts place increasing emphasis on board process, independence and oversight in founder-led startups, the growing intersection of governance, technology risk and investor oversight is accelerating both the emergence and escalation of founder disputes, says mediator Frank Burke.

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AI Investment Advice May Fail Investor Protection Rules

Based on an ongoing study of artificial intelligence platforms' investment advice given to retail investors, direct access to AI may not yield recommendations for typical households that are suitable under relevant securities rules, raising new and important issues in the regulation of financial markets, says Bruce Carlin at Rice University.

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What Jury Holdouts Can Teach Trial Lawyers About Strategy

Though a hung jury can be a disappointment, a psychological understanding of jury holdouts can help trial lawyers shape their damages arguments and understand leadership and group composition as a function of jury selection, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation.

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3 AI Adoption Mistakes GCs Should Avoid

The pressure in-house legal teams face to quickly adopt artificial intelligence tools, combined with budget constraints and the need to evaluate a crowded market of options, sets the stage for implementation mistakes that are often difficult to undo, says former 23andMe general counsel Guy Chayoun.

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ABA Section Votes To Scrap Law School DEI Standards

By Emma Cueto

The American Bar Association's legal education section on Friday voted to eliminate its requirements that law schools show a commitment to diversity in their student body in order to remain accredited, a policy that has been under fire since a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down affirmative action in higher education.

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Fed. Circ. Drops A Theme Song, Talks Guest Judges

By Dani Kass

The Federal Circuit's full lineup came together Friday to provide practitioners with insight about their experience sitting on other courts, in a conference where the chief judge dropped the court's first (and only) single.

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Alston & Bird, Banks Sued Again Over $328M Goliath Scam

By Jack Karp

Another proposed class of investors sued Alston & Bird LLP and a trio of financial institutions Friday over their alleged roles in a $328 million cryptocurrency scam orchestrated by Goliath Ventures Inc.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP and Haynes Boone lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal courts that have sent disputes to arbitration have jurisdiction to confirm or vacate subsequent awards.

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Brief

Colorado Passes Bill Banning Fee Sharing With Nonlawyers

By Emily Sawicki

The Colorado Legislature has approved a bill to bar attorneys and law firms operating in the state from sharing fees and revenue with non-attorney-owned firms, known as alternative business structure firms, making Colorado the latest state to tamp down the practice.

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Roundup

Balancing The Scales: Justices To Revisit Sentencing Rules

By Orlando Lorenzo

The U.S. Supreme Court will take a closer look at a circuit split over the deference that should be allotted to U.S. Sentencing Commission commentary, and a man convicted in the killing of an infant has been released after 27 years served over evidence that points to pneumonia as the likely cause of death.

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Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Megan Norcott

The past week in London has seen singer Rita Ora be sued by her management company, the billionaire Gertner brothers file a part 8 claim and Stephenson Harwood lodge a debt claim against a member of the Bulgari jewelry dynasty. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

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Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

PayPal settled with the DOJ to end a probe into what the government agency said was a discriminatory investment program for Black- and minority-owned businesses. Meanwhile, Meta's global head of legal operations during a panel discussion predicted that the billable hour will be the exception — not the rule — in five years. These are among the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

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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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