China Aims For Early Rollout Of $30B US Tariff Cut Package

By Dylan Moroses

China and the U.S. are working toward implementing a package of tariff reductions for $30 billion worth of goods that cross the countries' borders, a Chinese official for the Ministry of Commerce said during a press briefing Thursday.

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Feds' Cut To NY Funding In CDL Fight Justified, 2nd Circ. Told

By Linda Chiem

The Trump administration has told the Second Circuit that it's well within its rights to penalize New York by withholding $74 million in highway funds over the state's failure to revoke commercial driver's licenses that were issued to ineligible foreign drivers.

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9th Circ. Clears Boeing Of Liability In Police Helicopter Crash

By Dorothy Atkins

The Ninth Circuit affirmed a ruling Wednesday tossing product liability litigation over a 2022 Huntington Beach Police Department helicopter crash that killed an officer and injured another, finding the victims' claims against Boeing and other aircraft-makers are time-barred under the General Aviation Revitalization Act's 18-year statute of repose.

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Brief

DOT Launches Task Force To Advance US Space Transport

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

The Department of Transportation has launched a Space Policy Administration, Coordination, and Execution task force intended to coordinate space policy activities on behalf of the agency.

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EU Beats Challenge To Block €1.6B Booking.com Buy

By Bryan Koenig

A European Union court refused to upend an EU decision blocking Booking.com's €1.63 billion ($1.89 billion) purchase of Swedish flight booking service eTraveli, rejecting Booking's assertions that the European Commission went against its own merger review guidelines.

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EY Says E-Scooter Co. Must Arbitrate Ch. 11 Clawback Suit

By David Minsky

Ernst & Young asked a Florida federal bankruptcy court on Thursday to stay an adversary lawsuit brought by an e-scooter company's liquidating trustee seeking to claw back $7 million for alleged malpractice that contributed to a Chapter 11 filing, arguing that the parties agreed to arbitrate claims in auditing contracts. 

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Expedia Must Face Copyright Claims Over Car Photos

By Elliot Weld

A Washington federal judge on Thursday denied a request from Expedia to exit a copyright infringement suit brought by EVOX Productions LLC claiming the travel booking website made unauthorized use of hundreds of car images.

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States Press Court To Block DOT's CDL Data Request

By Jared Foretek

A Virginia federal judge on Thursday questioned the Trump administration's claim that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's chief counsel wasn't speaking for the agency itself when she told a nationwide commercial driver database operator to either hand over millions of driver files or see its federal funding slashed.

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TransX, Georgia Driver End Personal Injury Suit Over Crash

By David Aaro

A Georgia resident reached an agreement Thursday to end his personal injury lawsuit accusing TransX Ltd. of negligence for allowing an unsafe driver to use the truck that crashed into his vehicle.

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Brief

Yellow Corp.'s Ch. 11 Agreements With Pension Funds Approved

By Yun Park

A Delaware bankruptcy judge has approved agreements between former trucking giant Yellow Corp.'s liquidating trust and certain pension funds totaling $525.9 million, resolving withdrawal liability claims and adding to an earlier batch of settlements approved in the company's Chapter 11 case.

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Brief

Calif. Certifies Gig Union To Represent Ride-Share Drivers

By Katherine Smith

A state agency has certified the California Gig Workers Union as the representative for hundreds of thousands of ride-share drivers working in California, according to a recent announcement posted by the agency.

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Brief

Gig Cos.' Suit Over NYC Tip Law Paused For 2nd Circ. Review

By Benjamin Morse

A New York federal judge has paused a suit by DoorDash and Uber challenging New York City's delivery tipping laws, putting the case on hold while the Second Circuit considers the companies' First Amendment appeal.

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Lima Seeks Vacatur Of Toll Road Award In Long-Running Feud

By Caroline Simson

The capital of Peru asked a D.C. federal court Thursday to vacate an arbitral award favoring an embattled contractor in a bitter dispute over a toll highway project, saying the tribunal ignored relevant domestic law and improperly maintained its own jurisdiction.

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9th Circ. Seeks Calif. Justices' Input On USAA Rate Bias Row

By Hope Patti

The Ninth Circuit on Thursday sought the California Supreme Court's input on a class action claiming that USAA discriminated against service members, certifying a question about whether the state insurance code prohibits insurers from charging lower-ranking military members who qualify as good drivers more than higher-ranking members who also qualify.

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Hess Corp. Says Insurers Must Cover Cancer Suits

By Danielle Ferguson

Hess Corp. has told a New Jersey federal court that insurers must defend and indemnify it against personal injury suits brought by employees of a transportation company who allege their exposure to benzene in Hess gasoline contributed to their cancer diagnoses.

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FERC Chair Maintains Push To Fast-Track Gas Pipeline Work

By Keith Goldberg

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Laura Swett on Thursday lauded the agency's efforts to speed up permitting of gas infrastructure, and emphasized that projects that won't have major impacts on pipeline operations or ratepayers shouldn't be subject to unnecessary additional scrutiny.

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Wash. High Court Takes Up Yakama Nation Fuel Tax Dispute

By Joyce Hanson

The Washington State Supreme Court has granted a Yakama Nation fuel distributor's bid for direct review in a case challenging the state Department of Licensing's attempt to collect on a state fuel tax assessment.

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Series

Juggling And Unicycling Make Me A Better Lawyer

Because I juggle (sometimes with fire) and ride the unicycle, friends and family used to joke that I should join the circus, but I pursued the practice of law instead and learned that my hobbies benefit my profession in several important ways, says Morgan Eddy at Smith Currie.

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ABA Study Shows 20% Of Attys Under Severe Mental Distress

By Tracey Read

About one-fifth of attorneys across the country meet moderate-to-extremely severe symptom thresholds for depression, anxiety and stress, according to the largest-ever study of mental health and well-being in the legal profession.

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Mass. Judge Sanctioned Over Handling Of ICE At Courthouse

By Julie Manganis

Massachusetts' highest court on Thursday sanctioned a judge over her handling of a case involving a defendant wanted by immigration agents in 2018, an incident that led to federal charges that were dismissed after the judge agreed to a disciplinary process.

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Ed Martin Reprimanded Over Unauthorized FBI Contacts

By Courtney Bublé

Last summer, when Ed Martin was still head of the weaponization working group at the U.S. Department of Justice, he was reprimanded after his team communicated with the FBI without authorization, according to recently released emails.

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2 At DOJ Sued Over Conn. Immigration Court Record Access

By Christine DeRosa

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Connecticut has filed suit in Connecticut federal court challenging the Hartford Immigration Court's refusal to provide access to immigration court records.

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JPMorgan Aided Ex-Atty Kossoff's $18.5M Theft, Trustee Says

By Hailey Konnath

The Chapter 7 trustee representing bankrupt firm Kossoff PLLC on Wednesday sued JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, claiming the bank helped the firm's principal steal at least $18.5 million from clients, and it "should be made to account."

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Analysis

Executive Privilege Questions Cloud Congressional Probe Prep

By Phillip Bantz

As corporate leaders brace for the possibility of Democrats retaking control of Congress and launching aggressive investigations into the Trump administration's dealings with a vast array of companies, attorneys say a U.S. Justice Department opinion on executive privilege could complicate the probes.

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DOJ Urges High Court To Revisit 9th Circ.'s Bar Of Nev. US Atty

By Madison Arnold

The Justice Department has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit a recent Ninth Circuit ruling disqualifying the Trump administration's top federal prosecutor in Nevada, calling it a decision that imposes "ongoing confusion" in the executive branch.

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Jay-Z Can't Undo Buzbee's Win In Rapper's Defamation Suit

By Y. Peter Kang

A California state appeals court has refused to revive claims that Texas attorney Tony Buzbee defamed and extorted music superstar Jay-Z by roping him into a sexual abuse suit against Sean "Diddy" Combs, saying the case was properly thrown out under California's free speech statute.

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