Justices Reject Colorado's LGBTQ+ 'Conversion' Ban

By Dan McKay

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a Colorado ban on therapy intended to change a minor's sexual orientation or gender identity amounts to viewpoint discrimination against a Christian therapist, a finding that split the court's liberal wing and crossed ideological lines.

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Judge Vacates DHS' Termination of Noncitizens' Parole Status

By Britain Eakin

A Massachusetts federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration has broad authority to mass terminate parole, but failed to justify canceling parole for hundreds of thousands of noncitizens who used a government app to be admitted to the U.S.

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'Construction Has To Stop!': Judge Blocks Trump's Ballroom

By Dorothy Atkins

A Washington, D.C., federal judge Tuesday granted a historical preservation nonprofit's request for a preliminary injunction halting President Donald Trump's plans to turn the White House's East Wing into an "enormous" 89,000-square-foot ballroom, saying "unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization, construction has to stop!"

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Judge Further Delays Trump Admin's College Data Demand

By Julie Manganis

A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday again pushed off a deadline for public colleges in 17 states to provide seven years of detailed admissions data to the U.S. Department of Education, as two organizations representing private schools seek to join a legal challenge to the new survey.

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Bias Challenge To Juror Strike Wasn't Waived, Justices Told

By Marco Poggio

A Black man on Mississippi's death row told the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday that state courts failed to properly address his objections to the prosecution's peremptory juror strikes at his 2006 trial, which he said were racially motivated.

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Nonprofit Says Colo. County Jail Censors Incoming Mail

By Rachel Konieczny

Weld County, Colorado, officials have mail policies that unconstitutionally prevent a nonprofit from sending educational and outreach materials to people incarcerated at the county's jail, the nonprofit alleged Tuesday in Colorado federal court.

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7th Circ. Scolds Ex-Judge For Citing Fake Cases In Brief

By Celeste Bott

A Seventh Circuit panel admonished an attorney and former chief federal immigration judge for submitting a brief citing two nonexistent cases and a false quotation, saying while such errors can be "tell-tale signs" of AI hallucinations, her denial she used AI is "plausible" and the court won't consider further sanctions.

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Analysis

'Best Judicial System In The World': Alsup Reflects On Career

By Bonnie Eslinger

Before taking inactive status late last year, U.S. District Judge William H. Alsup presided over historic litigation in California's Northern District for 26 years, arriving at his San Francisco chambers every weekday before dawn to prepare for the day's work.

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Ariz. Seeks Pause In Voter ID Fight Pending High Court Order

By Crystal Owens

Arizona and its top lawmakers are asking a district court to stay a dispute on remand from the Ninth Circuit over state legislation that allows for ineligible voter roll purges until the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in on the overall litigation.

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OCC Scraps Recovery Planning Standards For Big Banks

By Jon Hill

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said Tuesday that it is dropping its requirements for large banks to keep contingency plans for handling severe financial stress scenarios, finalizing the withdrawal of guidelines that date back to the Obama administration.

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Fed Will Take Fresh Look At Insider Loan Rules, Bowman Says

By Jon Hill

Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman signaled Tuesday that changes could be on the horizon for a set of longstanding rules that limit banks' lending to their own executives and other insiders, identifying them as an upcoming target for reconsideration.

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CFTC Enforcement Chief Touts Self-Reporting Policy

By Aislinn Keely

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's enforcement chief said Tuesday that the agency plans to give entities a "clear path" to avoiding cases if they self-report issues early, but warned that the agency plans to staff up to pursue fraud and manipulation, including in burgeoning prediction markets.

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Senate Dems Probe Musk's Alleged Role In CTA Retreat

By Sarah Jarvis

Three Democratic senators have asked U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to provide information on Elon Musk's possible involvement in the rollback of the Corporate Transparency Act, saying the department's moves allow entities tied to the billionaire to operate in obscurity.

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Brief

Ga. Lawmakers OK Opening Damages To Fraud Victims

By Chart Riggall

Georgia lawmakers gave final approval to legislation that would allow state securities regulators within the secretary of state's office to force fraudsters to repay damages directly to investor victims.

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'God Squad' Exempts Gulf Drillers From Species Protections

By Gautama Mehta

A federal committee with the power to waive Endangered Species Act protections convened for the first time in 34 years on Tuesday and granted an exemption for oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Chubb Investor Can't Add Climate Proposal In Proxy Material

By Gina Kim

A D.C. federal judge declined to grant a preliminary injunction to a shareholder advocacy group suing Chubb for excluding its climate-related proposal from Chubb's yearly proxy materials, ruling Tuesday it hasn't shown the proposal falls outside U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regulations exempting proposals involving issues related to a company's ordinary business operations.

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Feds Ask For Early Win In Hookless Cactus FOIA Suit

By MJ Koo

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior have asked a federal judge for an early win in a conservation nonprofit's suit over withheld records about a proposed rule to remove the Colorado hookless cactus from the endangered species list.

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Public Health Groups Challenge EPA's Mercury Limits Repeal

By Jared Foretek

The American Academy of Pediatrics and more than a dozen environmental and public health groups are calling on the D.C. Circuit to vacate the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's repeal of Biden-era limits on mercury and air toxins, saying the move will jeopardize children's health across the country.

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Wash. Creates Electric Transmission Authority With New Law

By Rachel Riley

Washington passed a law on Monday forming a state electric transmission authority to supercharge efforts to build out the Evergreen State's power grid through public-private partnerships and other initiatives, with a focus on shifting to renewable energy sources to meet the state's decarbonization goals. 

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Split 4th Circ. Affirms Injunction On W.Va. Drug Discount Law

By Abigail Harrison

A split Fourth Circuit panel sided with a trio of pharmaceutical manufacturers Tuesday that opposed a West Virginia law addressing drug delivery in the 340B program, saying the law attempted to reshape the "contractual bargain" Congress makes with private parties through its spending powers.

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Novartis Seeks To Block New Wash. 340B Drug-Pricing Law

By Rachel Riley

Novartis has called on a Washington federal judge to block a new state law it claims illegally expands the subsidies manufacturers must pay under the federal government's 340B Drug Pricing Program, arguing drugmakers will lose millions of dollars annually if the law is allowed to take effect in June.   

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Squires Ends TikTok IP Challenges For Not Listing Foreign Ties

By Adam Lidgett

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has terminated Patent Trial and Appeal Board challenges to seven Cellspin Soft patents that TikTok has argued were invalid, saying TikTok didn't list all the interested parties in the case, particularly those outside the U.S.

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Ariz. Judge Keeps Oak Flat Stay Pending 9th Circ. Rehearing

By Joyce Hanson

An Arizona federal judge has agreed with Apache tribal members and environmental groups that a stay should remain in place as they await a Ninth Circuit decision on their legal fight to block the transfer of 2,500 acres to a copper mining company.

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Trump Order Cutting Off Funds For NPR, PBS Blocked

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. federal judge ruled that President Donald Trump's executive order stripping all federal funding from the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio was unconstitutional Tuesday, writing that the order met all three elements of retaliation for protected speech.

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Cruz, Dems Rip FCC's Staff-Level OK Of $6.2B Nexstar Deal

By Christopher Cole

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, joined Senate Democrats to attack the Federal Communications Commission's decision to approve the planned $6.2 billion tie-up of broadcast chains Nexstar and Tegna at the staff level without a vote by the regulatory body.

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DC Circ. Clears Maritime Commission's Refusal-To-Deal Rule

By Bryan Koenig

A D.C. Circuit panel sided Tuesday with the Federal Maritime Commission as it defended a regulation governing how it will consider whether an ocean shipping company unreasonably refused to deal with would-be shippers, rejecting a trade group challenge and concluding the agency rightly baked rate analysis into its considerations.

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Roundup

Transpo Tracker: Congestion Pricing Survives, EV Rule At Risk

By Linda Chiem

In our inaugural Law360 Transportation Tracker, a New York district court walloped the Trump administration's effort to cancel Manhattan's congestion pricing, the federal government continued its assault on California's vehicle emissions regulations, and Boeing investors scored class certification in 737 Max-related securities fraud litigation.

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FTC Backs Florida's Move To Kill ABA's Accreditation Monopoly

By Hailey Konnath

The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday that it supports the Florida Supreme Court's recent decision to end the American Bar Association's longstanding accreditation monopoly, agreeing with the finding that it is "not in Floridians' best interest for the ABA to be the sole gatekeeper" in deciding who sits for the bar exam.

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Analysis

DOL's Push To Curb 401(k) Suits Could Face Court Challenges

By Kellie Mejdrich

The U.S. Department of Labor's recent proposal to give retirement plan fiduciaries legal cover to select a broader range of investments aims to reduce ERISA litigation, but attorneys on both sides of the bar say they expect the rule to face legal challenges if finalized as proposed.

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4th Circ. Revives Va. Worker's OT Retaliation Suit

By Irene Spezzamonte

A worker's suit accusing a production supervisor at a packaging company of firing him after he reported violations for unpaid overtime should have stayed alive, the Fourth Circuit ruled, saying a Virginia federal court erroneously ruled that he couldn't support his claim and that he fraudulently joined an in-state supervisor.

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9th Circ. Won't Rethink Apple App Store Injunction

By Dorothy Atkins

The Ninth Circuit on Monday refused Apple's bid to reconsider part of a panel decision in Epic Games Inc.'s favor that largely affirmed an injunction blocking Apple from charging developers "prohibitive" commissions on iPhone app purchases made outside its payment systems, declining to clarify what fees Apple can charge.

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Students Can Become Aid Fixing Class, With New Lead Attys

By Lauraann Wood

Students pursuing financial aid fixing claims against Cornell University and several other elite schools can proceed as a class if they tap different lead counsel, since misrepresentations regarding one firm's purportedly contingent casework caused a significant trust impairment, an Illinois federal judge said Tuesday.

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FCC Floats Adding Yet More Foreign Gear To 'Covered List'

By Nadia Dreid

The Federal Communications Commission wants to block the importation of telecommunications gear that was put on its so-called covered list — a list of equipment the agency has deemed poses national security risks — before it had passed rules banning the authorization of such equipment.

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State Privacy Enforcers Broadening Work As Resources Grow

By Allison Grande

Privacy regulators from California, Connecticut and two other states said Tuesday that their behind-the-scenes enforcement work will soon yield public actions that focus not only on established topics such as consumer opt-outs and transparency, but also fresh issues like harms stemming from artificial intelligence and ensuring fines are more than just "a cost of doing business."

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70+ Republicans Ask Justices To Review NY Gun Liability Law

By Courtney Bublé

More than 70 Republican lawmakers from both the House and Senate have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review an appellate court decision that upheld New York state's public nuisance statute, which allows lawsuits against gun manufacturers that cause public harm.

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Protest Targets Noem-Approved $641M Border Barrier Deal

By Madeline Lyskawa

U.S. Customs and Border Protection violated federal contracting law when it awarded a $641 million contract to construct waterborne barriers in the Rio Grande Valley without conducting a competitive bidding process, a joint venture told the U.S. Government Accountability Office on Monday.

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US Blames Brazil, Turkey For Sinking E-Commerce Duty Deal

By Jack McLoone

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said an extension of a 28-year prohibition on e-commerce duties at the World Trade Organization was blocked by just two of the 166 members — Brazil and Turkey — and criticized the broader ministerial conference as disappointing.

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Tariff Refunds On Liquidated Goods To Come, Customs Says

By Dylan Moroses

U.S. Customs and Border Protection will enable refunds for imports already liquidated that were subject to tariffs struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, but that functionality still requires more time to develop, according to an official's declaration filed Tuesday in the U.S. Court of International Trade.

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IRS Can Collect $371M From Convicted Ex-Atty, 7th Circ. Says

By Anna Scott Farrell

The Internal Revenue Service can assess and collect restitution against a former attorney who served prison time in connection with $7 billion in tax fraud, making the amount immediately due and payable, the Seventh Circuit ruled, saying it was the first circuit court to address the issue.

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11th Circ. Won't Revisit Order Keeping Migrant Facility Open

By David Minsky

The Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday denied a request from environmental nonprofits to allow a lower court's order halting operations of a Florida immigrant detention facility, saying in a split decision that new issues were improperly raised for the first time. 

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Blumenthal Presses DHS Chief To Scrap ICE Warrant Memo

By Courtney Bublé

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, is looking for assurances from the newly installed secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, that he will honor his apparent pledge to rescind a policy that allows immigration agents to enter private property without a judicial warrant.

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Admin Says Apple Had Own Reasons To Ax ICE Tracking App

By Ganesh Setty

The Trump administration told a D.C. federal court that an app maker cannot support his claims that the administration coerced Apple to remove an app letting users report sightings of immigration enforcement authorities, noting Apple had independent authority to do so.

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Feds Ask 1st Circ. To Nix 'Slapdash' 3rd Country Notice Order

By Julie Manganis

A Massachusetts federal judge overstepped his authority in ordering the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to provide deportees being sent to so-called "third" countries where they have no prior ties an opportunity to challenge their destinations, the Trump administration told the First Circuit.

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Wash. Gov. Signs 2 Employment Bills For Immigrant Workers

By Ben Adlin

Two new Washington laws aim to protect immigrants in the workplace, including by requiring employers to notify workers of upcoming immigration enforcement activity and by allowing state government workers to donate their leave time to coworkers facing immigration actions or hate crimes.

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Ex-FirstEnergy Execs' Bribe Trial Ends After Jury Hits Impasse

By Cara Salvatore

An Ohio judge on Tuesday dismissed a jury weighing charges that two former FirstEnergy Corp. executives bribed a utility regulator to help secure a controversial $1.3 billion bailout for two of the company's nuclear plants, after the jury reported an impasse following more than a week of deliberations.

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Lobbyist Blocked Rivera After Tying Him To $50M Oil Deal

By Carolina Bolado

Republican lobbyist Brian Ballard was "exceptionally angry" and blocked former Florida Congressman David Rivera's number after Rivera insinuated Ballard was tied to a $50 million consulting agreement Rivera signed with the U.S. affiliate of Venezuela's state-owned company, Ballard testified Tuesday in federal court.

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Pa. Restitution Pay Can't Be Docked For Unpaid Fines, Costs

By Matthew Santoni

A Pennsylvania court can't withhold or redirect restitution owed to a victim in a criminal case to cover fines and court costs the victim owes in other cases, a state appellate court ruled Tuesday.

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Atlanta, Ex-IG Freed From Lobbyist's Bank Subpoena Suit

By Kelcey Caulder

A Georgia federal judge freed the city of Atlanta and its former inspector general from a lobbyist and city contractor's suit accusing them of illegally issuing subpoenas for the lobbyist's bank records to bolster a frivolous corruption probe.

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Wash. Gov. Signs Bills Expanding Powers Of State AG

By Elizabeth Daley

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson has signed two bills requested by the office of the state attorney general, including one aimed at enhancing its ability to demand document production and testimony in civil matters, allowing prosecutors to seek documents from elected officials and law enforcement agencies.

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NC Attys Oppose DOJ Interference In State Ethics Complaints

By Hayley Fowler

A group of North Carolina lawyers is opposing the U.S. Department of Justice's proposed rule allowing the attorney general to review state-level ethics complaints against the department's attorneys, saying such a change would undercut the Tar Heel State's ability to regulate government lawyers.

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US Bipartisan Bill Will Extend Key Tribal Housing Program

By Crystal Owens

U.S. lawmakers have proposed bipartisan legislation that will update and extend the key law for tribal housing support through 2032, arguing that for too long Indigenous communities have gone without the resources they need to build and maintain affordable housing.

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Mich. Judge OKs Bias Training For Healthcare Workers

By Carolyn Muyskens

A Michigan judge has upheld a state requirement that healthcare professionals undergo implicit bias training to obtain or renew their licenses, finding the mandate was within the state licensing bureau's power.

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Next-Gen TV Switch Must Happen Soon, Lawmakers Say

By Christopher Cole

More than 90 lawmakers called on the Federal Communications Commission to advance next-generation TV by setting a timeline for the switch to the latest broadcast standard.

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Sanctions Nixed In Suit Over Calif. County's Hemp Destruction

By Mike Curley

A California federal judge has vacated sanctions imposed on Kern County's attorney in a suit alleging the county and state law enforcement illegally destroyed 500 acres of legal hemp owned by Apothio LLC, saying a magistrate judge didn't follow the proper rules in imposing those sanctions.

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Pot Opponents Seek To Block CMS Hemp Benefit Program

By Sam Reisman

A coalition of anti-cannabis activists is suing federal health regulators to block a program designed to reimburse Medicare beneficiaries for the use of federally legal hemp products that have small amounts of THC.

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OCC Rule Tests Nonfiduciary Powers Of Trust Banks

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's updates to its final rule on national bank chartering, effective April 1, may augur a showdown between the OCC, states and traditional banking institutions over both the authority of national trust banks to engage in nonfiduciary activities under the National Bank Act, and the scope of federal preemption, says Audrey Carroll at Stinson.

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In First For DOJ, Action Signals New CFIUS Enforcement Era

The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking judicial enforcement of a divestment order, an unprecedented action for the agency that ushers in a new phase for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, one in which judicial proceedings complement administrative oversight and presidential divestment orders may be enforced through litigation, says attorney Sohan Dasgupta.

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OhioHealth Suit Signals Higher Antitrust Heat On Hospitals

The recent antitrust lawsuit against OhioHealth by the U.S. Justice Department and Ohio attorney general shows that federal and state enforcers are closely examining the competition issues in the healthcare sector, including restrictive contracts and antisteering practices, say attorneys at Freshfields.

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Berk May Spur More Pushback Against Med Mal Gatekeeping

The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Berk v. Choy may appear to be a run-of-the-mill reminder that a federal procedural rule trumps its state counterpart, but it could inspire more challenges to state-created prerequisites to filing medical malpractice lawsuits, say attorneys at Decof Mega.

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Getting The Most Out Of Learning And Development Programs

Junior associates can better develop the legal, business and interpersonal skills they need for long-term success by approaching their firms’ learning and development programs armed with five tips for getting the most out of these resources, says Lauren Hakala at Reed Smith.

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Feature

Rats, Vapes And Vodka: Strange But True Cases For April Fool's

By Emily Field

A dead rodent in a burrito bowl delivery, a mix-up with vodka seltzer in the wrong cans and the Toys R Us brand taking on a Connecticut vape shop are among Law360's list of strange cases suitable for April Fool's Day.

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Habba, Ex-Firm Get Defense Redo In Suit Over Divorce Advice

By Jake Maher

A New Jersey appeals court gave former acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba another chance to pursue an anti-abusive litigation motion against an attorney suing her for malicious prosecution on Tuesday.

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Beasley Allen Seeks Stay Of DQ In Federal J&J Talc MDL

By Jake Maher

The Beasley Allen Law Firm asked a New Jersey federal court on Monday to hold off on disqualifying it from talc litigation against Johnson & Johnson while it appeals the disqualification order which it called "unprecedented and incorrect."

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Analysis

Defamation Litigation Roundup: Unilever, Afroman, Musk

By Theresa Schliep

In this month's review of defamation fights, Law360 highlights a new suit against Unilever by an ousted member of a Ben & Jerry's board, as well as Afroman's defeat of a case by Ohio police officers after a raid of the comedic rapper's home.

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FBI Fired Agents Over Trump 2020 Election Inquiry, Suit Says

By Bonnie Eslinger

Former FBI agents who say they were illegally fired for working on the investigation into President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss filed a proposed class action in D.C. federal court Tuesday accusing the government of unconstitutional "political retribution."

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Brief

Moye White, Ex-Landlord Settle $4M Denver Lease Dispute

By Zach Dupont

Days before the start of a bench trial between a Denver landlord and defunct law firm Moye White LLP in state court, the two parties reached a settlement, ending the litigation where the landlord accused the firm of owing almost $4 million.

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