US To Impose Widespread Tariffs As Temporary Duties Expire

By Dylan Moroses

Tariffs covering most imports into the U.S. at 10% and 12.5% will take effect Friday as President Donald Trump's temporary global duty expires, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced Thursday.

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Senate Confirms 2 Judges, Advances Ohio And Colo. Picks

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate on Thursday voted 48-47 to confirm Judge Daniel Traynor of the District of North Dakota to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and 49-44 to confirm Antonio M. Pozos, a partner at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, as a judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

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NJ Rule Change Proposed To Shield AG's Atty Training Docs

By Jack Karp

A potential rule change would exempt New Jersey's attorney general from having to publicly release certain government attorney training materials, like those at the center of a government watchdog's recent lawsuit.

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Jack Smith's Lawyers Say Criminal Referral Twists Testimony

By Courtney Bublé

Former special counsel Jack Smith's legal team has said the criminal referral a U.S. Congress member sent the Department of Justice to investigate Smith is based on a "spurious claim."

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Feds Withdraw Subpoenas To NYT Over Trump Jet Reporting

By Pete Brush

The Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office on Thursday withdrew grand jury subpoenas served on four New York Times journalists who reported on security flaws aboard a jet gifted to President Donald Trump for use as Air Force One, after a federal judge threatened to quash the inquiries.

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ABA Rips DOJ's 'Absurd' Firm Subpoenas In Documents Fight

By Emily Sawicki

The American Bar Association has blasted as "absurd" the government's move to subpoena law firms as an attempt to avoid a documents request from the organization amid allegations the Trump administration worked to intimidate law firms into conforming with his policy goals through executive orders last year.

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Feature

2026 Marks Banner Year For AI Changes To Insurance Industry

By Abraham Gross

The first half of 2026 has seen continued development of artificial intelligence systems in the insurance industry, including new coverage terms for policyholders and evolving regulatory scrutiny for insurers. The changes promise to alter the insurance market in the months to come.

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FEMA Is Illegally Tying Funds To Election Rules, States Say

By Lauren Berg

A group of mostly Democratic-led states asked a Rhode Island federal court Thursday to stop the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from withholding disaster-relief funds unless they comply with the Trump administration's election administration and immigration enforcement demands.

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OCC Denies Wise Trust Charter Over Compliance Gaps

By Aislinn Keely

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency shared Thursday it has denied a national trust bank application from Wise US Inc. over concerns the money transfer fintech wouldn't meet compliance and anti-money laundering standards.

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Conn. Banking Dept. Says Debt Servicer Lacks Key Atty Ties

By Aaron Keller

An Illinois servicing company that says it provides administrative services to debt relief lawyers cannot avoid Connecticut Department of Banking enforcement efforts because it does not appear to be connected to licensed in-state attorneys, the department has said, urging a state judge to dismiss a challenge to its authority.

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Trump Touts Pledge As Ratepayer Protection From AI Boom

By Nate Beck

President Donald Trump during a Thursday event urged utilities, data center developers and states to sign a voluntary pledge to prevent average ratepayers from shouldering the cost of artificial intelligence infrastructure.

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11th Circ. Argues Legality Of Fishery Council Over Catch Limits

By Kelcey Caulder

An Eleventh Circuit panel appeared wary Thursday as it weighed whether members of a regional fishery management council were lawfully appointed, in challenge to a National Marine Fisheries Service regulation that sharply reduced how many gag grouper fish could be caught in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Judge OKs $27.5M Cost Agreement For Calif. Cleanup Suit

By Tom Lotshaw

A California federal judge Wednesday approved a $27.5 million agreement a Golden State regulator and seven companies submitted for litigation over the cleanup of a former lead smelting and battery recycling facility near Los Angeles.

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Hawaii, Green Groups Fight EPA Rebuff Of Regional Haze Plan

By Tom Lotshaw

Hawaii and environmental groups asked the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday to overturn a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency decision to partially reject a plan the Aloha State submitted to improve air quality in national parks that would have retired some older power plants.

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Texas Panel Overturns Abortion Injunction Against Midwife

By Gianna Ferrarin

A Texas appellate court overturned a temporary injunction against a licensed Houston-area midwife accused by state prosecutors of violating Texas' abortion ban, finding Thursday a trial court wrongly admitted probable-cause affidavits from a related criminal case.

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PTAB Eligibility Affirmance Rate Fell After Squires Took Over

By Theresa Schliep

Early data on Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions on patent eligibility determinations by examiners shows a slight dip in the affirmance rate under U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires, according to an analysis by McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP.

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Squires To Review 2024 PTAB Ax That Followed Vidal Ruling

By Adam Lidgett

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires on Thursday said he is going to review a 2-year-old Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision that found claims in an EagleView Technologies patent on measuring roofs to be invalid.

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Paramount-Warner TRO Extended As Injunction Fight Looms

By Lauren Berg

A California federal judge Thursday extended a temporary restraining order preventing Paramount Skydance Corp. from closing its proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.

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Red States Back DOT In DC Circ. Immigrant Driver Rule Fight

By Linda Chiem

Florida and 22 other GOP-leaning states have urged the D.C. Circuit to uphold the U.S. Department of Transportation's new restrictions on commercial drivers' licenses for foreign truckers, saying motorists and highways must be protected from threats posed by large commercial vehicles driven by unqualified truckers.

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DraftKings Fights Uphill To Beat Suit Over Calif. Gambling Law

By Bonnie Eslinger

U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer said Thursday he's inclined to deny DraftKings' bid to toss a putative class action accusing the sportsbook of skirting California gambling laws, saying he thinks the plaintiff consumers have sufficiently alleged a monetary injury — and that the games are likely prohibited by state law.

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7th Circ. Backs Chicago's Tenant Payout Ordinance

By Celeste Bott

The Seventh Circuit held Wednesday that a Chicago ordinance requiring owners of foreclosed rental buildings to pay tenants $10,600 to help with relocation costs is not an unconstitutional taking of property, saying that state and local authorities have broad power to regulate landlord-tenant relationships.

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HUD Says States Aren't Harmed By Fair Housing Standards

By Isaac Monterose

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development told a California federal court to toss a suit filed by the District of Columbia and 15 states over past standards for receiving funding for fair housing enforcement, arguing that the plaintiffs lack Article III standing because they have not shown how they have been harmed by the funding standards.

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USDA Workers Seek Injunction Over Religious Messaging

By Katherine Smith

The National Federation of Federal Employees and a group of federal workers urged a California federal court to halt the secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture from sending "proselytizing" religious messages to agency employees by email, arguing the messages are unconstitutional and are causing irreparable harm.

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Colo. Panel Clarifies Worker Retaliation Claim Requirements

By Rachel Konieczny

The Colorado Court of Appeals held for the first time Thursday that two Colorado statutes meant to close gender pay gaps do not require workers to allege gender discrimination, partially reviving a former human services caseworker's retaliation case against the county department she had worked for.

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Domino's Noncompete Rules Illegal In Wash., Ex-Worker Says

By Ben Adlin

Domino's Pizza LLC illegally blocked its Washington workers from moonlighting at certain businesses, a former employee claimed in a proposed class action filed Tuesday, alleging that a company conflict-of-interest policy violated two state laws barring many noncompete agreements.

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Nordstrom Worker Claims Missed Breaks Cost Wash. Staff Pay

By Ben Adlin

A Nordstrom Inc. worker has hit the Seattle-based retailer with a proposed wage-and-hour class action in Washington state court, accusing the company of failing to provide employees with legally mandated meal and rest breaks, then further failing to compensate them for the missed breaks.

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Mich. Parent Tells 6th Circ. School Limited Her Free Speech

By Susan Smiley

Counsel for a Michigan parental rights advocate told a Sixth Circuit panel on Thursday that a cease and desist letter from a Lowell Area Schools administrator barring her from contacting teachers directly violated the parent's First Amendment rights, even though the letter provided a process for Stefanie Boone to communicate through administrators.

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DOJ Looks To Streamline Some Merger Reviews

By Matthew Perlman

The U.S. Department of Justice introduced a new model timing agreement for merger reviews on Thursday, as part of what it said was an effort to help antitrust enforcers focus their investigations on key issues early in the process.

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House Panel Summons CEOs Over Private Listing Partnership

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

A House antitrust subcommittee requested a briefing with Midwest Real Estate Data CEO Rebecca Jensen and Compass International Holdings CEO Robert Reffkin over their companies' private listing partnership.

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Brazil Wants Crackdown On Alleged Media Rights Cartel

By Alex Lawson

Antitrust authorities in Brazil on Thursday called for a slew of convictions against what it described as an international cartel that colluded to fix prices and suppress competition in the market for sports broadcasting rights.

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Proposed AI Bill Lets DHS Hit 'Kill Switch' On Risky Systems

By Rae Ann Varona

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security may order the shutdown of artificial intelligence systems deemed capable of causing "catastrophic harm" under a bill bipartisan lawmakers introduced Thursday, citing OpenAI models' recent inadvertent and autonomous hack of AI startup Hugging Face.

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FCC Seeks Ban On Foreign Military-Grade Drones

By Nadia Dreid

The Federal Communications Commission is considering prohibiting people from buying foreign-made military-grade drones and is seeking public input on the idea of adding them to the so-called covered list.

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Brief

Lack Of Jurisdiction Dooms $273M 'Rip And Replace' Suit

By Nadia Dreid

The Court of Federal Claims has tossed a complaint from a telecom that says the Federal Communications Commission wrongly denied it $273 million in "rip and replace" funds for replacing Chinese-made equipment, saying that the company's dispute belongs in federal appeals court.

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Trump CFPB Pick Says He Has 'Open Mind' On Staffing Levels

By Jon Hill

President Donald Trump's choice for Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director signaled at his confirmation hearing on Thursday that he could revisit the agency's plan to shed hundreds of staff, saying he has an "open mind" about how many workers the agency needs.

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Pa. AG Criticizes 'Inadequate' Felony Murder Sentence Bill

By Matthew Santoni

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday has urged lawmakers to reject a proposed new sentencing framework for people convicted of second-degree murder, calling a proposal amended Thursday too lenient even as a deadline set by the state's Supreme Court draws near.

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Colo. Says Space Command Move Part Of Trump Retaliation

By Benjamin Morse

Colorado has urged a federal judge to reject the Trump administration's bid to pare the state's lawsuit alleging the relocation of U.S. Space Command and other federal actions were part of a campaign to punish Colorado over its mail-in voting policies and an election-related prosecution.

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USTR Says EU's Google Actions Cast Cloud On US Trade Deal

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. trade deal with the European Union may be undermined by European Commission actions against Google owner Alphabet, including penalties totaling over $1 billion and claims that the U.S. technology giant unfairly favored its own services in certain applications, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Thursday. 

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Trade Court Finds Bridgestone's Thai Tire Duties Justified

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. Department of Commerce correctly identified various shortcomings in Bridgestone's compliance during an antidumping duty administrative review for imported bus and truck tires from Thailand, according to a U.S. Court of International Trade opinion rejecting the company's challenge.

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Brief

USTR Sets Large Canadian Tariff Quotas For Sugar Products

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. will allocate a large portion of its fiscal 2027 tariff rate quotas for refined sugar products and certain sugar-containing goods to Canada, according to a notice published Wednesday by the office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

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Brief

Kate Hudson Activewear Customer Drops Tariff Refund Claim

By Lauraann Wood

A customer of Kate Hudson's activewear business Fabletics has dropped her claim for refunds of global tariffs she alleged the actress's company passed on to customers before the U.S. Supreme Court found them illegal.

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Trump Admin Sued Over Fee Waiver Ban For Immigrant Youth

By Gina Kim

Advocacy groups sued the Trump administration in California federal court Wednesday over a fee waiver ban following the enactment of the 2025 budget reconciliation bill that imposes a $250 fee for indigent youth seeking special immigrant juvenile status, even though they have no legal means of earning income.

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Judge's Deportation Probe 'Off The Rails,' DOJ Tells DC Circ.

By Britain Eakin

The Trump administration urged the full D.C. Circuit to either order U.S. District Judge James Boasberg to terminate his criminal contempt inquiry into the administration's Alien Enemies Act removals last year, or order him to forgo live testimony in the probe.

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Colo. Nonprofit Says ICE Facility Violates Town's Land Codes

By Zach Dupont

A nonprofit and a resident of Hudson, Colorado, claimed in Colorado state court Wednesday that the town is ignoring its own land use codes by allowing a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center to be built and operated within the city, and is using federal preemption as an excuse to not act.

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10th Circ. Won't Undo Crypto Firm Founder's 5-Year Sentence

By Sydney Price

The Tenth Circuit refused to alter a cryptocurrency investment firm co-founder's five-year prison sentence and obligation to pay over $174,000 in restitution to victims of a fraud scheme he orchestrated, writing the district court's sentencing and loss amount estimation was reasonable.

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NM Tribes Move To Block Kalshi Offerings On Native Land

By Alex Lawson

Four indigenous nations have asked a New Mexico federal judge to stop Kalshi from offering sports-related contracts on their lands, arguing that the prediction market giant is plainly violating laws that give the tribes sole authority over sports betting.

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BIA Justice Office Says Cocaine Ring Hit SD Reservation

By Crystal Owens

The Bureau of Indian Affairs' Office of Justice Services says it has dismantled a trafficking operation responsible for distributing cocaine throughout South Dakota and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation that has led to the indictments of 14 people and the seizure of narcotics, guns and cash.

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Creek Freedmen Sue Tribe To Enforce Citizenship Ruling

By Crystal Owens

Members of the Muscogee Creek Black Freedmen are asking a federal court to block officials with Oklahoma's Muscogee (Creek) Nation from denying them citizenship, saying in a lawsuit brought Thursday that those governmental leaders are defying a tribal Supreme Court ruling that gave them the right.

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Brief

Montana Judge Orders BIA To Reconsider Tribe Policing Bid

By Crystal Owens

A Montana federal judge says the Bureau of Indian Affairs must reconsider a Montana tribe's request to assume the agency's law enforcement operations on its reservation after a U.S. magistrate judge last month recommended the decision.

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Judge Would Void Order Halting RI Pot Licensure

By Jonathan Capriel

A court order blocking Rhode Island's social equity and adult-use cannabis licensing program will likely come to an end after a federal judge indicated that she would undo her prior ruling, if given the opportunity, since lawmakers have removed the challenged residency requirements.

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Calif. Backed By Consumer Advocates In AT&T Fight At FCC

By Nadia Dreid

As California fights to keep AT&T from convincing the Federal Communications Commission to let it stop providing plain old telephone service in the Golden State, lawmakers and consumer advocacy groups are lining up behind the state, urging the FCC not to let AT&T out of its obligations.

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Interior Energy Pro Joins Holland & Hart In DC As Of Counsel

By Tracey Read

The former U.S. Department of the Interior's deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management has a new role at Holland & Hart LLP's Washington, D.C., office.

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Brief

Crowell & Moring Adds Former UBS Bank USA GC

By Anna Sanders

Crowell & Moring LLP hired a former general counsel for UBS Bank USA this week to advise banks, fintechs and digital assets companies on regulatory matters.

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FDIC Proposals Mark Pullback In Bank Resolution Rules

A recent pair of Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. proposals would fundamentally reshape testing of banks' resolution-related capabilities from a mandatory exercise to a voluntary one supported by significant financial incentives, amounting to an overall reduction in reporting requirements, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

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Inside Differing State Approaches To Prediction Market Taxes

As states adopt divergent approaches to prediction market platforms through both legislation and litigation, and the landscape is anything but settled, the emerging patchwork of state taxes on prediction markets presents novel questions about characterization, preemption and compliance, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

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Cos. Should Act Now After US Ruling Reopens EU Data Fight

The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Trump v. Slaughter may have inadvertently undermined the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, and given the importance of data transfers for U.S. businesses, companies should start preparing for a scenario in which the framework is no longer enforceable, says Fernanda Pires Merouço at Davis Wright.

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Series

Being A Singer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Before law school, I spent seven years trying to make it as a professional singer in Los Angeles, and nearly everything I learned about preparation, humility, confidence and more has followed me into my legal practice, says Jessica Caterina at Moses & Singer.

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How Does In-House Pay Compare? Take The Law360 Survey

How do in-house salaries vary across industries, roles, and organizational revenue? What compensation tools are companies using to lure top talent? Help Law360 Pulse answer these questions and more in this year's In-House Compensation Survey.

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Simpson Thacher Warned Co. About Deal Terms, Jury Told

By Cara Salvatore

A retired Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP partner who handled the fundraising vehicle alleged to have destroyed Patriot National Inc. told a Florida jury Thursday that he flagged deal terms that later became detrimental to the insurance services company.

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500-Member NYC Public Defender Union Ends Strike

By Andrea Keckley

The first and so far only New York City public defender union to go on strike this year announced on Wednesday that its approximately 500 members are returning to work after reaching a tentative agreement with their managers.

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Patent Atty Sues USPTO Over 'Flawed' Disciplinary Procedure

By Hailey Konnath

An Ohio patent lawyer Thursday accused the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office of using an unlawful "pay for play" system for its disciplinary proceedings against attorneys, claiming the disciplinary proceedings are "inherently biased" and rigged against him and others facing discipline.

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