Judge Raises Eyebrow At DHS Move To Scrap TSA Union Deal

By Braden Campbell

A Washington federal judge seemed troubled by the government's February move to rip up a union deal covering Transportation Security Administration workers, but didn't tip her hand at a hearing Tuesday as to whether she thinks the American Federation of Government Employees deserves an injunction.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Musk, DOGE Fail To Nix States' Suit Against 'Limitless' Power

By Rae Ann Varona

Fourteen states can proceed in their lawsuit challenging Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency's influence in the federal government after a D.C. federal judge Tuesday refused to toss their suit, rejecting the government's contention that Musk wasn't subject to the U.S. Constitution's appointments clause.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Latest Junior Hockey Players' Abuse Suit Against NHL Tossed

By David Steele

An antitrust class action by two junior league hockey players, accusing the National Hockey League and Canadian Hockey League of collusion and abusive treatment during their development, was dismissed by a Washington state federal court, the second venue in which their suit was thrown out.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

'Gone In 60 Seconds' IP Appeal 'Stalls At Starting Line'

By Bonnie Eslinger

A Ninth Circuit panel held Tuesday that the customized Ford Mustangs called "Eleanor" that were featured in four films — most recently in the 2000 Nicolas Cage film "Gone in 60 Seconds" — is not a copyrightable character.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

9th Circ. Revives Tribes', Green Groups' Power Line Suit

By Rae Ann Varona

The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday revived a lawsuit challenging the federal government's decision to allow a 520-mile power line route through cultural sites, saying in a published opinion that a coalition of tribes and conservation groups plausibly alleged the government authorized construction before properly identifying historic sites the project affected.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge Lets United, Teamsters Appeal Arb. Order At 9th Circ.

By Beverly Banks

United Airlines and the Teamsters can appeal a lower court order concluding that the Railway Labor Act gives individual airline employees the right to take their grievances to arbitration despite the union's objection, a California federal judge ruled, saying a Ninth Circuit ruling could end the case.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

What To Know About New Wash. Community Association Law

A series of recent legislative updates that greatly expand application of the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act pose significant challenges to the volunteer board members who administer and operate condos and homeowners associations, but there are ways to lessen the newly imposed administrative burden, says Tim Feth at VF Law.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

What Employers Should Know About New Wash. WARN Act

Washington state's Securing Timely Notification and Benefits for Laid-Off Employees Act will soon require 60 days' notice for certain mass layoffs and business closures, so employers should understand how their obligations differ from those under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act before implementing layoffs or closings, say attorneys at Littler.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump's WilmerHale Order Struck Down In Forceful Decision

By Dorothy Atkins

A D.C. federal judge struck down President Donald Trump's executive order targeting WilmerHale in an impassioned opinion Tuesday, writing that Trump's entire order is unconstitutional, and "to rule otherwise would be unfaithful to the judgment and vision of the Founding Fathers!"

Decision attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Feds Ask Justices To Lift Due Process Order For Migrants

By Julie Manganis and Chris Villani

The Trump administration on Tuesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to halt a Massachusetts federal judge's order requiring the government to provide due process to deportees sent to countries where they have no ties, arguing that the ruling is "wreaking havoc" on the removal process.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Atty Avoids Sanctions After Adding AI Hallucinations To Brief

By Lauraann Wood

A California attorney who represented a software company in a trade secret dispute will not be sanctioned for filing a brief that included two ChatGPT-hallucinated case citations under circumstances so unusual they "couldn't have been made up," an Illinois federal judge said Tuesday.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

ArentFox Schiff Says Workers' 'Antics' Should Get Suit Tossed

By Lauraann Wood

An Illinois federal judge handling age discrimination claims from two longtime former ArentFox Schiff LLP information technology contractors should permanently dismiss their lawsuit as a consequence for routinely destroying case evidence and discarding their mobile phones while the litigation has been pending, the firm says.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

CFTC Member Speaks On Agency Exits: 'Not A Great Situation'

By Jessica Corso

Departing U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission member Christy Goldsmith Romero said Tuesday that a possible leadership void at the agency could do a "great disservice to regulation" at a time when Congress is thinking of handing the agency the keys to the cryptocurrency industry.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

'I Need To Be Careful': Judge Wades Into Musk-Firm Conflict

By Jessica Corso

A New York federal judge questioned his authority to weigh in on Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP's hiring decisions after it sought permission to employ a former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission attorney who Elon Musk claims could disadvantage him in a shareholder lawsuit, asking the firm and Musk to brief him on what may be an issue of first impression.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump, Ex-Copyright Head Duel Over Her Firing

By Adam Lidgett

Former U.S. Copyright Office director Shira Perlmutter on Tuesday said a Washington, D.C., federal judge should ignore the Trump administration's argument that her recent firing was legal, the latest salvo in her lawsuit against the federal government as she seeks to block her removal.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump To Pardon 'Chrisley' Stars Convicted Of Tax Evasion

By Anna Scott Farrell

President Donald Trump is planning to pardon reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, the Georgia duo sentenced to prison after being convicted of running a yearslong bank fraud scheme and dodging federal taxes, according to a post Tuesday on X by Trump's communications adviser.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Crypto Industry Urges CFTC Action On Perpetual Contracts

By Aislinn Keely

Derivatives marketplaces and cryptocurrency firms told the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission that setting rules for so-called perpetual derivatives would bring significant crypto trading activity onshore, but the regulator will have to contend with round-the-clock trading, novel risks and characteristics that don't fit neatly into existing classifications.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Tort Report: 'High-Low' Deal Nets Plaintiff Extra $10M

By Y. Peter Kang

A last-minute "high-low" agreement that turned out to be a stroke of genius by lawyers for an injured motorcyclist and a $26 million verdict for a crash caused by a postal worker lead Law360's Tort Report, which compiles recent personal injury and medical malpractice news that may have flown under the radar.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Calif. Bar Seeks More Remedies After Problematic Feb. Exam

By Emily Sawicki

The state bar of California has formally asked the state Supreme Court to approve measures including a limited provisional licensure program and a more direct pathway to admission for out-of-state attorneys, in the state bar's latest attempt to seek equitable remedies amid the fallout from the bungled February 2025 California bar exam.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Slater Slater's Adam Slater

By Jonathan Capriel

Securing multibillion-dollar settlements against major institutions like the Boy Scouts and Catholic dioceses on behalf of thousands of victims who were sexually assaulted as children has become Adam Slater's life work, but at least some of the skills he's used to secure this monetary justice come from his years as a poker player.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »