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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Brief

Davis Polk Adds A&O Shearman Antitrust Partner In NY

By Andrea Keckley

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP has hired a former A&O Shearman partner, who joined its antitrust and competition practice in New York.

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Bonus Spotlight

Selendy Gay Doles Out Spring Associate Bonuses

By Aebra Coe

New York litigation boutique Selendy Gay PLLC paid its associates spring bonuses of as much as $25,000 this week, according to the firm.

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Ex-Calif. Appellate Judge To Take Over As Law School Dean

By Rose Krebs

A former California appellate justice, who was the first Muslim to serve as a Court of Appeal justice in the U.S., has been named Western State College of Law at Westcliff University's next dean.

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Dems Say DOJ Blocked Bondi On Trump Questions

By Courtney Bublé

Democrats were incensed on Friday that the U.S. Department of Justice attorneys who accompanied former Attorney General Pam Bondi to her committee interview stopped her from answering questions about President Donald Trump.

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Civil Rights Icon Clarence B. Jones Dies At 95

By Andrea Keckley

Civil rights icon Clarence B. Jones, a speechwriter and personal attorney to Martin Luther King Jr., died May 22 at an assisted living facility in the Santa Clara County city of Cupertino, California, his family confirmed earlier this week. He was 95.

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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 the billionaire who donated £5 million ($6.7 million) to Nigel Farage sue Ben Habib, the leader of far-right party Advance UK, for defamation; Mashreqbank bring claims against three subsidiaries of dissolved private equity giant Abraaj Group for commercial fraud; and the property and investment vehicle of the State of Kuwait be targeted by four real estate figures who filed a miscellaneous claim. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

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Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Boies Schiller's Matthew Schwartz

By Sarah Jarvis

Matthew L. Schwartz oscillated among many career aspirations as a kid, from astronaut to mayor of New York. When it was time to head off to college, the man who would go on to handle the prosecution of employees tied to Bernie Madoff and become chair of Boies Schiller Flexner LLP set his sights on science, earning an undergraduate degree in physics.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Phillips Black Inc., Hogan Lovells and Watkins & Eager PLLC lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Black Mississippi death row prisoner who argued racial discrimination tainted his jury selection is entitled to habeas corpus relief.

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DLA Piper Hires Real Estate, Construction Partner In Seattle

By Nate Beck

DLA Piper said it has added a Seattle-based real estate partner with experience advising a range of construction projects including data centers, mixed-use projects, schools and renewable energy facilities.

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GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Sue Reisinger

Kirkland & Ellis says it's investing a half billion dollars into developing its own artificial intelligence platform to better serve clients. And Law360 looks at the general counsel who is guiding BP through its latest leadership crisis after the company abruptly dismissed its board chair.

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Baker McKenzie Asks Judge Not To Toss Suit Against Ex-Atty

By Alison Knezevich

A lawyer for Baker McKenzie on Friday urged a Washington, D.C., judge not to dismiss the BigLaw firm's defamation suit against a former tax associate who accused a firm office leader of sexual assault, telling the court the accusations were false and made with "malice."

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Fla. Panel Revives Firm's Suit Over Tobacco Case Referrals

By David Minsky

A Florida state appellate court revived a law firm's complaint alleging tortious interference against a widow over a contingency fee agreement involving tobacco injury case referrals, finding that the lower court wrongly tossed the lawsuit based on extraneous information even though there was sufficient evidence to support a claim.

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NY Judge Doubts Nussbaum-Linked Firms Belong In Ch. 11

By Emily Lever

A New York bankruptcy judge on Friday questioned whether his court was the proper venue to wind down two commercial real estate law firms headed by Mark J. Nussbaum as the debtors sought to ditch an assignment for the benefit of creditors process in New York state court.

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Trump Urges 3rd Circ. To Reverse 'Bizarre' Anti-SLAPP Loss

By Dorothy Atkins

President Donald Trump urged the Third Circuit on Thursday to find a Pennsylvania anti-SLAPP statute shields him from the Central Park Five's defamation claims, slamming the lower court's "truly bizarre" ruling in an opening brief filed the same day a DLA Piper partner and others joined Trump's defense team.

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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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Akin Gump Owes Fees For Winebow's 'Self-Indulgent' Appeal

By Dorothy Atkins

The Ninth Circuit on Thursday ordered an importer's Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP attorneys to pay a European winemaker fees for having to defend against the importer's "spurious objections" to the winemaker's valid arbitral award, ruling that the importer's "self-indulgent" appeal warrants sanctions in the form of fees.

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Colo. Appeals Court Bars One-Way Fees In Eviction Cures

By Zach Dupont

A Colorado Court of Appeals panel on Thursday reversed the dismissal of a proposed class action against a group of landlords, Tschetter Sulzer PC and the Colorado Apartment Association accusing the collective of illegally extracting attorney fees from tenants during eviction proceedings.

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Double Shooting Renews Courthouse Safety Fears In NC

By Hayley Fowler

The shooting of two Fox Rothschild LLP attorneys outside a courthouse in Raleigh, North Carolina, ahead of Memorial Day weekend has renewed calls to protect the safety of judges and lawyers in an increasingly volatile justice system.

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Calif. Panel Reverses Order For Citing Atty's Bogus Case Law

By Dorothy Atkins

A California appellate panel on Thursday reversed a judgment in favor of a man accused of abusing his son, finding that "without doubt" the trial judge abused her discretion by incorporating the man's bogus legal citations into her ruling, despite being alerted to the mistakes in advance.

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