11th Circ. Says Fla. Can Enforce Social Media Teen Ban

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

The Eleventh Circuit has ruled that Florida can enforce its restrictions on social media for children, vacating and reversing a preliminary injunction that blocked the state's enforcement.

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High Court Won't Pause Mich. Activist Pretrial Jail Order

By Parker Quinlan

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a bid by a self-described "antifa" member to halt a Sixth Circuit order sending him back to jail pending charges that he cyberstalked and threatened a social media supporter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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Justices Appear Wary Of Broad Reach For Video Privacy Law

By Allison Grande

Several U.S. Supreme Court justices seemed hesitant Wednesday to take a more expansive view of the online activities protected by the Video Privacy Protection Act, raising concerns that such an approach would buck the statute's original intent and invite a flood of litigation against a wide range of companies.

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Judge Questions Limits On National Guard Deployment

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

Tensions rose in a D.C. federal courthouse Wednesday when a federal appeals court judge asked the government what the limiting principle is in the president calling up the National Guard.

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Unions, Nonprofits Get USDA Reorganization Plan Blocked

By Rae Ann Varona

A California federal judge has temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture from closing offices and reshuffling staff, saying the department's planned reorganization likely amounted to "reprogramming" prohibited by statutory spending restrictions.

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Hegseth Trans Slur May Lead To Deposition, Judge Says

By Jared Foretek

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will have to answer questions in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's transgender troops ban, after a D.C. federal judge said Wednesday that his recent use of a slur for trans people could show that the policy was motivated by animus.

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Trump Dodging Deposition In Defamation Suit, BBC Says

By David Minsky

The BBC asked a Florida federal court to convene a hearing on whether President Donald Trump should be forced to sit for a deposition, saying he's not following through with obligations in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster over a documentary on the January 2021 U.S. Capitol attack.

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US Backs Alaska In High Court Fight Over Plane Forfeiture

By Linda Chiem

The federal government has told the U.S. Supreme Court that Alaska is well within its right to confiscate "instrumentalities of crime" and the state's attempted forfeiture of an 83-year-old bush pilot's $95,000 plane for transporting a six-pack of beer to a dry village wasn't excessive.

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Kushner Is Unlawfully Serving As Envoy, Watchdog Says

By Lauren Berg

Jared Kushner is unlawfully wielding power on behalf of the United States government, an ethics watchdog alleged Wednesday, asking a Washington, D.C., federal judge to block the president's son-in-law from acting as a top diplomat without disclosing his personal finances and potential conflicts of interest.

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DOJ Pushes Congress To Expand Death Penalty

By Courtney Bublé

The U.S. Department of Justice has proposed a bill to Congress to bolster the use of the death penalty in both state and federal courts, in a bid to advance a related executive order President Donald Trump signed at the beginning of his second term.

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Watchdog Wants Probe Of Trump Press Secretary's Atty Claim

By Jack Karp

A nonprofit government watchdog on Wednesday asked the State Bar of California to investigate whether the new White House press secretary has claimed to be an attorney without being licensed to practice law.

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Voting Groups Tell High Court To Block Citizenship Proof Rule

By Crystal Owens

A number of voting rights groups are urging the Supreme Court to reject the Republican National Committee's bid to undo a Ninth Circuit ruling over two Arizona voting laws, saying the RNC failed to show that documentary proof of citizenship is necessary to vote by mail and in presidential elections.

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Ga. Justices Zero In On Precedent In Election Board Battle

By Kelcey Caulder

The Georgia Supreme Court on Wednesday considered whether a decades-old state high court ruling allows Fulton County officials to reject two of the county Republican Party's nominees for the local election board, hinting that precedent could support the county's power to turn away the would-be board members.

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OCC Says Big Banks Cut Off Customers Over Reputation Risk

By Jon Hill

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is leveling fresh criticism at the biggest U.S. banks over so-called debanking, releasing a report that finds their use of reputational risk policies led to numerous instances of customers being "disadvantaged" based on their ideological views.

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Conn. Committee Backs Monitored Return For Convicted Atty

By Aaron Keller

A former Connecticut attorney who pled guilty to moving money during a client's $3 million securities scheme can be readmitted to the bar subject to monitoring, insurance and mentorship conditions, a local ethics committee has recommended, though a three-judge panel will now decide whether to accept or reject that guidance.

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Trustee Asks 1st Circ. To Nix Shuttered Bank Owner's Claims

By Zak Kostro

A Puerto Rico federal court properly dismissed claims against a trustee appointed to administer the receivership of a shuttered online bank suspected of facilitating tax evasion and money laundering, he told the First Circuit, saying he's entitled to 11th Amendment immunity because he was sued in his official capacity.

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3rd Circ. Backs Pa. Regulator In Pipeline Approval Fight

By George Woolston

The Third Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a Pennsylvania regulator's approval of a Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co. project, ruling there was no evidence the water quality information pushed by environmental groups would have altered the outcome of the application.

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DC Circ. Not Fan Of EPA's Citation Habits In Methane Appeal

By Nadia Dreid

The D.C. Circuit didn't seem too sure Wednesday morning whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had behaved how it ought to have when extending compliance deadlines for initiating requirements to reduce methane pollution from the oil and gas sector.

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Conn. AG, Advocate Want Utility Regulator To Probe AI Use

By Aaron Keller

Citing Avangrid Inc. and Eversource Energy statements about adopting artificial intelligence tools, Connecticut's attorney general and a ratepayer advocate office have urged state utilities regulators to launch an "extensive" review of whether AI is being employed to help manage electric, gas and water systems statewide.

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NC Health Plan Can't Block Atrium's Cost-Sharing Program

By Hayley Fowler

Atrium Health can move forward with a program to offer lower healthcare costs to members of North Carolina's state health plan, a state court judge ruled, handing a loss to the state treasurer in his lawsuit claiming Atrium's program will ultimately saddle the plan with more debt.

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Brief

Fed. Circ. Upholds Patent Denial In SAWS-Bias Challenge

By Celeste Bott

The Federal Circuit on Wednesday swiftly upheld the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's decision to deny an inventor's internal combustion engine patent application after he argued his constitutional rights were violated when his case was sent to the USPTO's controversial, now-discontinued Sensitive Application Warning System, or SAWS, program.

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Challenges To VOA Cuts Moot After Policy Shift, Agency Says

By Benjamin Morse

The U.S. Agency for Global Media told a D.C. federal judge that consolidated suits by a coalition of journalists, federal employees and labor unions seeking to overturn cuts that slashed staffing at Voice of America are moot because the agency has changed the policy at issue.

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Delay In 39% Audience Cap Lift Not Needed, Broadcasters Say

By Christopher Cole

The broadcast lobby urged the Federal Communications Commission to reject a bid from several cable industry groups to pause the agency's repeal of the 39% national audience share limit on TV station chains.

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LSU's Relent Hasn't Cooled College Football Roster Litigation

By Alex Lawson

The Southeastern Conference is looking to proceed with its suit over Louisiana State University's efforts to add former NFL players to its roster, telling an Alabama federal judge that its claims are live despite the school's decision not to bring those players aboard.

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Fla. Horse Trainer Asks Court To Toss Doping Sanctions

By David Minsky

A thoroughbred horse trainer asked a Florida federal court to rule that sanctions imposed on him for allegedly using banned substances violated his constitutional rights, arguing he was denied a jury trial and that a private regulator overstepped its authority by handing out punishment. 

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NY Asks Court To Undo RealPage's Software Law Injunction

By Isaac Monterose

The New York attorney general has asked a federal court to reconsider and vacate RealPage Inc.'s preliminary injunction win in its suit challenging a state law that forbids residential property owners from using technology that lets them engage in rent price-fixing.

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Jail Policy Referendum Needed Union Input, Pa. Justices Told

By Matthew Santoni

A referendum to limit certain methods of restraining inmates at the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh was void from the start because it had interfered with jail guards' safety and should have been bargained with the union, the guards' attorney told the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday.

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Judge Probes Public Disclosure Bar In Fluor FCA Lawsuit

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. federal judge said Wednesday that a whistleblower's qui tam False Claims Act lawsuit accusing defense logistics contractor Fluor of labor trafficking could ultimately fall under the statute's public disclosure bar, given that "a bunch of stuff" had been floating around on the company prior to his complaint.

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Groups Can't Freeze Order Mandating Contractor DEI Rule

By Grace Elletson

A Maryland federal judge refused Wednesday to block an executive order from President Donald Trump requiring government contractors to disavow "racially discriminatory DEI activities," finding the directive's critics haven't shown that it likely shirks free speech protections.

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4 Questions After US, China Announce Tariff Shield

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. and China's recent announcement that they will shield a subset of goods from tariff actions and extend a trade truce is welcome by importers and advisers, though those stakeholders recognize more substantive policy outcomes between the world's two largest economies continue to face obstacles. Here, Law360 looks at four questions on the subject.

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Trade Court Spares Attys Sanctions Over 'Outlandish' Errors

By Jack McLoone

A U.S. Court of International Trade judge said Wednesday that he won't hit a trio of attorneys with sanctions after they convinced him their "outlandish" errors were editing mistakes, not artificial intelligence hallucinations, chastising them for overall "sloppiness" in their brief.

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Trade Court Can Order Refunds Without Suits, Fed. Circ. Told

By Dylan Moroses

A subset of importers shouldn't be required to file suits at the U.S. Court of International Trade to receive refunds for tariffs paid that were deemed unlawful by the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a technology trade organization told the Federal Circuit.

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DOJ, IRS Say Enforcement Surge Exposed $490M In Tax Fraud

By Kat Lucero

The U.S. Department of Justice prosecuted 76 people linked to more than $490 million in federal revenue losses as part of a stepped-up enforcement effort with the IRS and U.S. attorneys' offices over the past six weeks, the leader of the DOJ's new fraud division said Wednesday.

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IRS Proposes To Block Immigrants From Premium Tax Credit

By Asha Glover

Rules proposed Wednesday by the Internal Revenue Service would bar many immigrants from claiming the refundable tax credit for health insurance purchased through an exchange and impose new verification requirements for advance payments. 

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Ga. Justices Deem Fire Fee Illegal, Back $30M In Refunds

By Jaqueline McCool

A Georgia county must issue more than $30 million worth of refunds and interest to property owners to whom it charged a fire protection fee, the state's high court affirmed Wednesday, finding the fee constituted an unauthorized tax.

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Raising Capital Gains Tax A Risky Move, Ex-Labour Aide Says

By Josh White

The U.K.'s Labour government should be wary of raising capital gains tax rates in its autumn budget given the risks for businesses and investment, a former adviser to Prime Minister Andy Burnham told a parliamentary committee Wednesday.

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9th Circ. Blocks Calif. Law Requiring Fed Agents To Show IDs

By Bonnie Eslinger

A Ninth Circuit panel on Wednesday reversed the implementation of a California law requiring federal agents to display identification, saying the Trump administration is "certain to succeed" on its argument that the state statute violates the U.S. Constitution's supremacy clause.

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State Dept. Ordered To Open 2027 Diversity Visa Program

By Rae Ann Varona

A California federal judge ordered U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday to swiftly open up registration for the 2027 diversity visa program and to make a public announcement of the registration period "no later than midnight" Thursday.

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US Urges 4th Circ. To Reverse Afghan Families Entry Orders

By Elaine Briseño

The Trump administration urged the Fourth Circuit to reinstate a travel ban on families seeking to join Afghan refugees granted asylum in the United States, arguing a lower court lacked authority to override the State Department's decision.

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GAO Says ICE, CBP Should Improve Body Camera Programs

By Ganesh Setty

The U.S. Government Accountability Office issued a report recommending that immigration enforcement agencies improve their body-worn camera policies, noting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security concurred with all of its recommendations, except over automated camera activation controls.

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Healthcare CEO Gets 19 Years In $450M Medicare Scheme

By Carolina Bolado

A Florida federal judge sentenced a former healthcare executive Wednesday to 19 years in prison for running a $450 million scheme to swindle Medicare by using software that created false prescriptions for orthotic braces.

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Manhattan DA Unveils Corporate Crime & Antitrust Task Force

By Stewart Bishop

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Wednesday announced the formation of a new task force that will focus on prosecuting corporate crime and antitrust violations, as part of a push to deter industrywide misconduct and promote systemic accountability for entities that encourage and enable financial crimes.

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Ex-Oakland Mayor Thao Put 'Power Up For Sale,' Jury Told

By Dorothy Atkins

Prosecutors told a California federal jury during trial openings Wednesday that Oakland's then-mayor Sheng Thao put "power up for sale" when she and her boyfriend accepted bribes in exchange for potential city contracts to build prefab "tiny homes" for the unhoused.

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Brooklyn DA Busts Crypto Scam Targeting Russian Speakers

By Aislinn Keely

The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office said Wednesday it has taken down hundreds of servers and domains used to defraud Russian speakers in the U.S., dealing a significant blow to the international cryptocurrency scam operation.

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Groups Win Bid To Reopen Suits Over Native Monument Cuts

By Crystal Owens

A D.C. district court judge has agreed to reopen a series of stayed cases challenging President Donald Trump's removal of millions of acres from the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah, saying circumstances have changed after a Tenth Circuit decision.

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Utah Broadband Settles FCC Probe Over Lost Huawei Gear

By Christopher Cole

A broadband provider serving Utah admitted it could not confirm that it properly destroyed foreign gear under a network security program and agreed to pay $11,000 to resolve the matter, the Federal Communications Commission said.

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Cannabis Reform Foes Cite GAO In Push To Reopen Hearings

By Sam Reisman

A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration administrative law judge on Wednesday ordered the government to respond to a bid by opponents of cannabis reform to reopen hearings on a proposal to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana.

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Willkie Grows DC Office With Senior Westinghouse Atty

By Christine DeRosa

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has expanded its offerings in the nation's capital with a nuclear energy attorney who most recently worked in-house at U.S.-based global nuclear power provider Westinghouse Electric Co.

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As Congress Stalls, SEC Hits Go On 'Innovation Exemption'

While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently issued innovation exemption to facilitate on-chain trading of certain tokenized stocks isn't a replacement for a comprehensive legislative framework, it reduces the likelihood that further congressional delay will freeze market development, says Stephen Aschettino at Fox Rothschild.

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How A New Case Redefines The Birthright Citizenship Battle

After the U.S. Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling last term in Trump v. Barbara, the Trump administration issued a new executive order attempting to limit the categories of individuals eligible for this status — and a pending court challenge to the new order shows where the legal battle lines are being redrawn, say attorneys at Fragomen.

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Why Vaccine Court Inoculates Drugmakers Against Litigation

Most claimants alleging injuries from routine childhood vaccines must complete an administrative compensation proceeding before they can sue in civil court — and recent legislative efforts aimed at weakening vaccine manufacturers' legal protections do not account for the important reasons the existing framework was put in place, say attorneys at Goldman Ismail.

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What Lawyers Should Know Before Accepting Crypto Payment

As clients increasingly request to pay legal fees, retainers and escrow funds using cryptocurrency, lawyers should consider how only a handful of state bar authorities have addressed the issue with varying ethics opinions, as well as the related questions that no authority has yet answered, says attorney Felix Shipkevich.

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How To Use AI In Employment Contract Drafting

Before using artificial intelligence to draft employment contracts, law firms and employers must assess practical ethical guardrails, appropriate use cases, core risk areas and validation workflows, says Samuel Mitchell at Smith Gambrell.

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Cyber Incident Halts Bankruptcy Court Noticing Nationwide

By Hilary Russ

The nationwide system for providing notice to creditors in bankruptcy cases has been disrupted by a cybersecurity incident, and it is not currently known when the outage will end.

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Analysis

Missouri AG Alumni Make Their Mark In Trump 2.0

By Courtney Bublé

Missouri is hundreds of miles from Washington, D.C., but the legal community of the Show-Me State has taken a significant hold in the second Trump administration.

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Norton Rose Beats $100M Suit Over Withdrawn Patent App

By Celeste Bott

Norton Rose Fulbright has defeated a former client's malpractice suit over a missed patent fee payment, after an Illinois state judge ruled that the deadline to sue began before the firm allegedly acknowledged its mistake and dismissed the company's $100 million lawsuit against the firm with prejudice.

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Murdaugh Tells 4th Circ. To Revive Jury Tampering Civil Suit

By Cara Salvatore

Disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh asked the Fourth Circuit on Thursday to revive his suit accusing a court clerk of interfering in his murder trial, arguing he has standing because the alleged tampering "destroyed the value" of his $600,000 defense.

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Judge Who Called For Philly DA Probe Rejects Recusal Bid

By Matthew Santoni

A federal judge who called for an investigation of the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office will not reconsider or recuse himself from the underlying habeas corpus case, calling DA Larry Krasner's bid to undo his rulings "frivolous" and "intemperate."

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Crowell Faces DQ Bid Over AI Tool At Heart Of Client's IP Suit

By Dorothy Atkins

DeviantArt urged a California federal judge Wednesday to disqualify Crowell & Moring LLP from representing Evox Productions in litigation alleging multiple AI companies used Evox's copyrighted car photos to train artificial-intelligence image generators, arguing the firm "unquestionably" represented DeviantArt and has "sued its own client on behalf of another client."

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Gov't Urges Justices To Reject Google, Intel Fight Over Fintiv

By Adam Lidgett

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject Intel Corp. and Google LLC's challenge to a precedent allowing Patent Trial and Appeal Board petitions to be denied based on related litigation.

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Would-Be Kavanaugh Assassin Slams Feds' Skewed Facts

By Lauren Berg

A woman accused of trying to kill U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh told the Fourth Circuit that federal prosecutors have presented a "wildly inaccurate description" of a Maryland federal judge's sentencing decision, rejecting their argument that she got off too easy because of her gender identity.

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NYC Sanctuary Policies Survive Trump Admin. Lawsuit

By Rae Ann Varona

A New York federal judge on Thursday tossed the Trump administration's lawsuit challenging New York City policies that the administration alleged unconstitutionally obstruct federal immigration enforcement, saying federal law the administration leaned on does not preempt the sanctuary provisions.

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