Trump Admin. Cuts ESA 'Harm' Definition, Groups Vow Fight

By Tom Lotshaw

The Trump administration on Friday said it's scrapping a long-standing definition of "harm" for the Endangered Species Act that included habitat degradation, with environmental groups promising a legal challenge and warning the change will put imperiled species at greater risk of extinction.

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7th Circ. Revives BIPA Suit Over Virtual Try-On Tool

By Celeste Bott

The Seventh Circuit on Friday revived a proposed class action against an eyewear company accused of violating Illinois' biometric privacy law with its online "virtual try-on" tool, saying a lower court dismissed the case too early and more evidence is needed to see if the law's exemption for data collected for health care purposes bars the claims.

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What To Know About New US Atty For Texas' Southern District

By Lynn LaRowe

Aaron Reitz, who was previously a top deputy to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and served in the U.S. Department of Justice before a failed bid for state attorney general, is now U.S. attorney for the Lone Star State's Southern District.

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Over 2,600 Attys, Professionals Urge Blocking Blanche As AG

By Emma Cueto

More than 2,600 lawyers and legal professionals on Friday urged lawmakers to oppose the nomination of Todd Blanche for attorney general, saying Blanche's dismissal of the idea that the U.S. Department of Justice should be independent from the White House and his record as interim attorney general make him unfit for the role.

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Housing Bill Becomes Law Without Trump's Backing

By Nate Beck

A bipartisan bill to promote more housing supply and limit Wall Street firms from investing in single-family homes became law Saturday by default after President Donald Trump withheld his signature but did not veto the measure.

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Judge Tosses Free Speech Suit Against Flint City Council

By Melanie Dorsey

A Texas man failed to plausibly claim that Flint officials and police removed him from a city council meeting because of his political views, a Michigan federal judge ruled at a hearing Friday, finding the individual defendants were protected by qualified immunity.

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4 Takeaways From Probe Of Feb. 2025 Calif. Bar Exam Fiasco

By Emily Sawicki

Poor implementation of the February 2025 California Bar Exam resulted in millions of dollars in extra costs and negatively affected "a significant portion" of test-takers, according to a new report by the California State Auditor.

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Biggest Illinois Decisions Of 2026: Midyear Report

By Lauraann Wood

One of the biggest decisions to come down in Illinois so far this year applies a 2-year-old Biometric Information Privacy Act amendment retroactively in an appellate ruling experts anticipate will deflate settlement values even though it came from a federal court.

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House Duo Push Agencies To Tackle AI-Related Election Risks

By Allison Grande

A bipartisan pair of members of the U.S. House of Representatives is calling on several federal agencies to coordinate efforts to ensure technologies fueled by artificial intelligence aren't operating in a way that undermines voters' ability to access "accurate, neutral and reliable" information about the upcoming midterm elections.

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CFPB, Union Seek Pause On Review Of Layoff Plan

By Sarah Jarvis

The Trump administration and a federal labor union that represents staffers at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have jointly asked a D.C. federal court to pause weighing a response to the administration's plan to lay off about half of the agency's remaining workforce, arguing the president's nominee to head the agency should be given the chance to review the plan if he is confirmed.

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Del. Justices Nix $16M Fee Award In SpaceX Investment Fight

By Katryna Perera

The Delaware Supreme Court on Friday erased a $16 million fee award stemming from a dispute over a fund manager's handling of a failed $50 million SpaceX investment, concluding that although the fund manager committed a limited breach of a "duty of candor," shifting all litigation expenses to him was unwarranted.

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Conservative Investors Ask To Drop Airbnb Investor Suit

By Sydney Price

Two right-leaning institutional shareholders who alleged Airbnb wrongly excluded shareholder proposals from proxy materials have asked a Delaware federal court to dismiss their dispute.

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Crypto Firms Urge CFTC To Tailor Rules, CME Urges Caution

By Aislinn Keely

Cryptocurrency industry groups and firms are urging the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission to make regulatory tweaks to ensure blockchain-based financial products aren't burdened by unsuitable requirements of traditional registration categories, while some traditional finance players told the agency to tread carefully as it considers deregulation for fintech businesses.

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Brief

White House Accuses Dems Of Sitting On SEC, CFTC Noms

By Jessica Corso

The White House claims that it is waiting on word from Senate Democrats before it can fill longstanding vacancies at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, saying it has asked for a list of names and one has not been provided.

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Analysis

Top 5 Enviro Cases To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2026

By Gautama Mehta

The second half of 2026 could see courts delivering important rulings that will determine whether municipalities can set their own building emissions laws, the extent of California's authority to regulate pollution and citizens' power to enforce the Clean Air Act. Here, Law360 takes a look at five environmental cases that could be resolved before the end of the year.

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Chemours Says NC Resident's PFAS 'Equity Action' Must Fail

By Abigail Harrison

DuPont entity and spinoff Chemours Inc. has told a North Carolina federal court it shouldn't have to face a PFAS contamination suit from a state resident, saying in her early-stage court filings, she's conceded that her "equity action" is doomed to fail.

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MassDOT, Contractors Ignored Environmental Rules, AG Says

By Julie Manganis

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation and a group of private contractors working on a nearly complete bridge project just outside Boston have violated multiple state environmental laws and regulations, exposing workers and nearby residents to asbestos and other hazardous materials, the state's attorney general alleged in a lawsuit launched Friday.

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Amazon Deal Would Let Casino App Users Pursue Developers

By Ben Adlin

Amazon.com Inc. has reached a tentative deal in a proposed class action accusing the e-commerce giant of promoting "social casino" mobile apps that constitute illegal gambling, agreeing to pay $2.5 million upfront and leverage indemnity rights that would allow the putative class to recover money from the app developers.

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Kalshi Fights 'Extraordinary' Bid To Halt Wash. Operations

By Rachel Riley

Counsel for Kalshi pressed a Washington state court Friday to reject the state's request for a court order blocking the prediction market from operating in Washington, arguing its attorney general's office is seeking an injunction "far broader" than orders issued in similar litigation in Nevada and Michigan courts.

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Analysis

4 Benefits Policy Issues To Watch In 2026's 2nd Half

By Kellie Mejdrich

The U.S. Department of Labor's work to finalize a 401(k) investment selection safe harbor and plans for a new mental health parity rule are among the top employee benefits policy issues that attorneys are watching for in the latter half of 2026. Here, Law360 looks at four that practitioners say they're keeping an eye on.

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Judge Shields Anti-Abortion Groups From New Mich. Bias Law

By Grace Elletson

A federal judge ruled Friday that two anti-abortion organizations do not have to comply with a Michigan law that prevents employers from discriminating against workers who have had an abortion, stating they're likely to succeed on their claims that the statute illegally infringes on their missions and free speech.

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Analysis

Hospitals, Housing Targeted In 2026 As Fed Antitrust Wanes

By Bryan Koenig

The U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division and Federal Trade Commission are confronting claims that federal antitrust enforcement is petering out even as the agencies' dockets in 2026 include actions against hospital systems' demands on insurers, rental home listings, protein industry data and criminal prosecutions.

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Brief

DOJ Appeals Order Shielding Trans Youth Medical Records

By Gianna Ferrarin

The U.S. Department of Justice asked the Ninth Circuit to review a California federal court's order blocking the government from trying to identify individuals who received gender-affirming care from a Stanford Medicine hospital as minors.

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Esco Bar Maker, FDA End Vape Suit Without Prejudice

By Jonathan Capriel

The manufacturer behind the popular vape brand Esco Bar has agreed to end its lawsuit accusing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of unfairly rejecting its $7 million application seeking permission to sell more than 100 vape products, with a federal judge sitting by designation in Texas accepting a stipulated dismissal.

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States' Stopgap Suit Aims To Shield K-12 Mental Health Grants

By Rachel Riley

Washington and 14 other states launched a preemptive lawsuit Friday to stop the Trump administration from ending federal grants for mental health programming in public schools, seeking to preserve the funding if the U.S. Department of Education succeeds in asserting new grounds for canceling the grants in a related case.

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Analysis

US-Canada Stalemate Expected To Hold Amid USMCA Review

By Dylan Moroses

The trade stalemate between the U.S. and Canada is likely to continue through a drawn-out review process for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, though companies will benefit from an underlying level of stability as the deal remains in effect, trade lawyers said.

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Iran War Has 'Severely Disrupted' Fertilizer Trade, WTO Says

By Kevin Pinner

The war in Iran has "severely disrupted" trade in fertilizers like urea and phosphate, raising concerns that agricultural yields could fall and food prices could rise, the World Trade Organization said Friday.

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Estate Says Scant Record Sinks IRS' $3.8M Win In Tax Row

By Kat Lucero

The estate of a deceased man does not owe the Internal Revenue Service $3.8 million in wage-related penalties, the estate told a North Carolina federal court, saying the government's effort to place a lien on his properties is based on a "fundamentally incomplete" record.

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Analysis

Top 6 Immigration Policies To Track In The Latter Half Of 2026

By Britain Eakin

After a cascade of unpredictable immigration policies in the first half of the year, immigration attorneys are bracing for more uncertainty through the year's end regarding final rules fixing the admission period for students, increasing prevailing wage rates and more. Here, Law360 looks at six policy issues that could feature prominently in the second half of 2026.

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5th Circ. Backs Block On Texas Dream Act Defense

By Tom Lotshaw

A split Fifth Circuit panel said a federal judge was right to block a challenge to an agreement Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Trump administration struck to end Texas law provisions allowing some unauthorized immigrants to pay in-state college tuition.

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Judge Says GEO, Not ICE, Controls Detention Center Access

By Britain Eakin

A Washington federal judge rejected claims from GEO Group that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement controls access to an ICE detention center in the state and ordered GEO to allow state inspectors into portions of the center it controls.

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Calif. Judge Blocks Grant Conditions Over DEI, Immigration

By Ganesh Setty

A California federal judge blocked the Trump administration from imposing grant funding conditions on California and Oregon municipalities concerning immigration enforcement and its opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, finding the conditions likely encroach on Congress' spending powers.

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NY Nonprofits Want ICE Docs On Courthouse Arrest Policies

By Stewart Bishop

Nonprofit groups suing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over courthouse arrest policies pressed a Manhattan federal judge to force the agency to produce documents and testimony concerning arrests it conducts outside immigration courts after the agency's revised policy concerning such arrests in Manhattan was put on hold.

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Brief

Full 5th Circ. To Reconsider 90-Day Bond Hearing Limit

By Britain Eakin

The full Fifth Circuit on Friday vacated a roughly week-old split panel decision holding that the Trump administration can't hold noncitizens for more than 90 days without a bond hearing, and said it will rehear the matter.

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8th Circ. Says SD Tribe Waited Too Long On School Debt Fight

By Crystal Owens

A panel of the Eighth Circuit has rejected a South Dakota tribe's appeal in a dispute with the U.S. Interior Department over millions of dollars of allegedly over-collected school funding debt, saying the tribe had ample opportunity to challenge the agency's findings yet chose not to do so.

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Kalshi's Contracts 'Sound Like A Bet,' 9th Circ. Judge Says

By Dorothy Atkins

A Ninth Circuit panel appeared open Friday to preliminarily blocking Kalshi and Robinhood from offering sports contracts on tribal land, with one judge saying Kalshi's contracts "sound like a bet" subject to Native American gambling laws and another saying it "wouldn't be so unreasonable" to exclude tribes from federal oversight in this area.

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Tulsa DA Tells 10th Circ. He Can Try Indians On Creek Land

By Joyce Hanson

Oklahoma's Tulsa County district attorney has asked the Tenth Circuit to deny the Muscogee (Creek) Nation's attempts to block him from exercising criminal jurisdiction on its reservation, arguing that he has the authority to prosecute nonmember Indians for nonmajor crimes.

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Groups Say Verizon's Defense Of Spectrum Deal Falls Short

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

Three groups told the Federal Communications Commission that Verizon failed to address shortcomings in the agency's decision to approve its $1 billion takeover of onetime rival UScellular's spectrum in a June filing.

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Brief

FCC Floats $200K In Fines Over 'Covered List' Probes

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission proposed fines Friday against eight companies for allegedly failing to answer letters inquiring about whether they sought to market devices in the U.S. that are restricted for national security reasons.

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Brief

Ga. Sheriff Says Call Rate Cap Waiver Needed For Rural Jails

By Nadia Dreid

A sheriff from Georgia is asking the Federal Communications Commission to grant the waiver that one of the country's largest prison phone service providers seeks, which would allow it to charge incarcerated people more for audio and video calls than the agency cap.

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Mass. Pot Repeal Measure Faces Signature Integrity Challenge

By Sam Reisman

Massachusetts cannabis business interests have filed a legal objection, challenging the integrity of signatures gathered in favor of putting a petition to repeal retail marijuana legalization before voters this fall.

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Roundup

The Most Talked-About Supreme Court Decisions Of 2026

This term, 11 U.S. Supreme Court decisions quickly became hot topics among Law360's guest writers.

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How New FERC Orders Are Prepping Grid For Large Loads

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's recent show-cause orders to grid operators to justify how their rates and regulations account for the interconnection of large and colocated loads like data centers may be just the first step in FERC's efforts to address anticipated reliability and affordability challenges in the coming years, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.

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Judge Newman Won't Reopen High Court Suspension Battle

By Theresa Schliep

Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman did not ask the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider her bid to save a suit against her fellow judges for suspending her from the bench over her refusal to undergo medical tests.

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Jackson Walker Settlements Over Judge Romance Get Greenlit

By Emma Cueto

A Texas bankruptcy judge has recommended approval of nine settlements regarding legal fees paid to Jackson Walker LLP connected to a former firm partner's romantic relationship with a then-bankruptcy judge, with the firm agreeing to pay $4.79 million in total, including $1.4 million to the estate of J.C. Penney.

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Trump-IRS Settlement Result Of Sham Suit, Judge Rules

By Jack McLoone

President Donald Trump's $10 billion suit against his own Internal Revenue Service and the resulting settlement deal lacked a legitimate controversy, given Trump's control over both the agency and the U.S. Department of Justice, a Florida district judge said Monday in an order barring Trump or others from citing the deal.

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Wells Fargo's $50M Deal In Atty's Ponzi Scheme Gets 1st OK

By Gina Kim

Wells Fargo will pay $50 million to settle a proposed class action alleging it knowingly helped a Las Vegas attorney run a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme deceiving investor victims into fronting money for borrowers awaiting personal injury settlement payouts, according to a preliminary approval order issued in Nevada federal court.

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Mass Tort Firms Hit With Suit Over AI Solicitation Calls

By Lynn LaRowe

A Michigan-based mass tort law firm and a pair of affiliate firms are violating federal and Texas state laws through an artificial intelligence-generated telemarketing campaign meant to solicit clients, according to a putative class action filed in Texas federal court.

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Senate Confirms SDTX Judge Pick Tied To Gun Group

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate voted 46-44 Monday evening to confirm Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Arthur "Rob" Jones as a U.S. district judge to serve on the Southern District of Texas bench.

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Blanche Hearing To Proceed After Graham's Death

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate Judiciary Committee will still hold the confirmation hearing for Todd Blanche's nomination to be attorney general on Wednesday, despite the death of committee member Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., over the weekend. 

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court last week handled disputes involving corporate control, post-closing competition, executive departures, arbitration awards and shareholder litigation.

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