Washington

  • March 16, 2026

    States Sue Over Trump Cuts To Housing Bias Programs

    A group of 15 states and the District of Columbia claimed on Monday that the Trump administration is undermining their enforcement of fair housing laws by threatening to cut off funding from local government programs that enforce fair housing protections for people who are discriminated against for traits such as their sexual orientation.

  • March 16, 2026

    State AGs Sue OneMain Over Expensive Loan 'Add-Ons'

    Thirteen states and their attorneys general filed a federal lawsuit against OneMain Financial and its associated companies over its alleged practice of charging customers for "add-ons" to their loans like insurance programs without disclosing the extra interest that comes with them.

  • March 16, 2026

    Judge Says Live Witnesses Not Needed For HPE Deal Hearing

    A California federal judge will not permit live witnesses during a hearing next week on a U.S. Department of Justice settlement for Hewlett Packard Enterprise's purchase of Juniper Networks but asked the state enforcers opposing the deal to have an expert available.

  • March 16, 2026

    Target, Employees Get OK For $1.25M Deal On Shift Breaks

    Target will pay $1.25 million to resolve a proposed class action alleging it failed to provide employees proper meal and rest breaks, according to a Washington federal magistrate judge's order granting preliminary approval of the deal.

  • March 13, 2026

    States To Head Live Nation Antitrust Trial After Feds Settle

    Over two dozen states and the District of Columbia are forging ahead with monopolization claims against Live Nation in Manhattan federal court after the federal government unexpectedly agreed to settle with the live entertainment giant after a week of trial.

  • March 13, 2026

    'Swinging Dicks' Dissent Stirs Uproar Across 9th Circ. Bench

    A raunchy dissent in litigation over transgender spa patrons prompted dozens of Ninth Circuit judges to denounce the "vulgar barroom talk" of a colleague, who returned fire by ridiculing his peers for adopting the "fastidious sensibilities of a Victorian nun."

  • March 13, 2026

    9th Circ. Judges Seem Split Over NCAA's 5-Year Rule Appeals

    Ninth Circuit panel judges expressed differing opinions Friday over whether a dispute between the NCAA and junior college graduates challenging the NCAA's five-year rule are moot since they graduated, with one judge saying lower courts' injunctions still block NCAA from seeking restitution against universities, while another judge called that relief "illusory."

  • March 13, 2026

    Alaska Airlines Pilot's Military Leave Benefits Suit Trimmed

    A Seattle federal judge has narrowed a pilot's class action accusing Alaska Airlines of denying employees sick leave and vacation accrual during military leave, while recognizing in the same Thursday order that a "reasonable jury" could find service members are entitled to certain benefits during absences spanning one to two months.

  • March 13, 2026

    9th Circ. Keeps Block On Montana 'Drag Story Hour' Ban

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday upheld a preliminary block on a Montana state law that prohibits drag performers from hosting book-reading events for children at state-funded libraries and schools, saying the law's definition of a "drag king" or "drag queen" broadly covers G-rated movie characters, like Cinderella and Mulan.

  • March 13, 2026

    Wash. Leg. Greenlights Bill To Undo 2025 Estate Tax Hike

    The Washington State Legislature passed a bill that would walk back estate tax rate increases approved by lawmakers last year for estates with taxable value of at least $1 million.

  • March 13, 2026

    American Cruise Lines Sues To Block Duty In Worker Crash

    American Cruise Lines sued an ex-deckhand involved in an alcohol-related car crash that occurred on shore just after her five-and-half-week stint on the ship was complete, arguing that it's not obligated to cover her costs under maritime law because she violated the company's zero-tolerance drug and alcohol policy.

  • March 13, 2026

    9th Circ. Upholds Death Sentence For 1990 California Murder

    A California man sentenced to death for the murder of a female co-worker had his habeas petition challenging his conviction denied by a Ninth Circuit panel, which said a lower court had sufficient reason to prevent his arguments from moving forward.

  • March 13, 2026

    States Seek To Block Trump's Latest 10% Tariff Order

    President Donald Trump's order imposing 10% tariffs on countries worldwide is unlawful because it conflicts with the international payments authority he immediately invoked to justify it, two dozen states argued Friday while asking the U.S. Court of International Trade to strike down or block the regime.

  • March 13, 2026

    Schools Get Extension For College Admissions Data

    A Massachusetts judge pushed back the deadline for colleges and universities to comply with a federal government demand for years of race- and sex-related admissions data by one week on Friday, after a coalition of 17 states sued. 

  • March 13, 2026

    Ex-FTC Staff Urge Full 9th Circ. Review Of Apple Injunction

    A group of former antitrust enforcement officials threw their support behind Apple's request for the Ninth Circuit to reconsider its decision blocking the company from charging developers "prohibitive" commissions on iPhone app purchases made outside its systems, arguing the decision tries to "micromanage Apple's dealings."

  • March 13, 2026

    Wash. Panel OKs Expedited Review Of Release Petition

    A Washington appeals court has affirmed the unconditional release of a man who spent a decade in a state psychiatric facility after he was found not guilty of first-degree murder by reason of insanity, upholding a procedural order for hearing his petition.

  • March 13, 2026

    HPE Judge Has Enough Info Without Testimony, DOJ Says

    The U.S. Department of Justice is pushing a California federal judge against live witness testimony as it defends the controversial settlement permitting Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks, arguing that the three live witnesses eyed by challenging Democratic state attorneys general have nothing to add.

  • March 12, 2026

    9th Circ. Partially Lifts Block On Calif. Kids' Privacy Law

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday scrapped part of an injunction halting a groundbreaking California law requiring social media platforms to bolster privacy protections for children, finding that the tech trade group behind the lawsuit wasn't likely to succeed on its First Amendment challenge to the statute's coverage definition and age estimation mandate.

  • March 12, 2026

    Valve Faces 'Loot Box' Gambling Suits After NY AG's Action

    On the heels of the New York attorney general's accusations that Washington-based Valve Corp. promotes illegal gambling through its popular video game franchises, gamers filed two putative class actions in Seattle federal court similarly targeting the entertainment giant's use of "loot boxes."

  • March 12, 2026

    Amazon 'Sensitive Skin' Body Wash Targeted In Class Action

    Amazon has been accused of deceptively promoting its Amazon Basics-branded body wash as "hypoallergenic," "unscented" and suitable for "sensitive skin," despite containing chemical fragrance and other skin irritants, with a proposed class action launched in Seattle federal court on Thursday.

  • March 12, 2026

    Amazon Faces Revived Suit Over Teens' Sodium Nitrite Deaths

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Thursday reopened a lawsuit against Amazon brought by the families of two teens who used sodium nitrite purchased through the retailer to take their own lives, ruling that the families' negligence and product liability claims can move forward under Washington state law.

  • March 12, 2026

    Wash. Justices OK Jury Instruction In TB Malpractice Case

    The Washington State Supreme Court declined Thursday to flip a family's loss in a case blaming an Evergreen State doctor for failing to address signs of an intestinal tuberculosis infection that led to a patient's death, rejecting a challenge to a jury instruction on the physician's exercise of judgment.

  • March 12, 2026

    Wash. Lawmakers Pass Bill On Worker Eligibility Inspections

    The Washington State Legislature has passed a bill requiring employers to provide notice to their employees if the federal government requests records relating to their work eligibility. 

  • March 12, 2026

    Full 9th Circ. Deeply Divided On Rehearing TPS Vacatur

    The full Ninth Circuit delivered 51 pages of concurrences and dissents while declining to revisit a unanimous panel decision that found Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem lacked the authority to vacate a temporary protected status extension for Venezuela.

  • March 11, 2026

    Bayer AG's Monsanto Pays $1M For Misclassified PCB Docs

    Bayer AG-owned Monsanto shelled out $1 million in sanctions on Tuesday based on a Washington state court's findings that the agro-chemical giant improperly marked thousands of documents as privileged when battling PCB poisoning claims tied to an Evergreen State school in a series of cases that have since been settled.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Boost Access To Justice

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    Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Samuel A. Thumma writes that generative artificial intelligence tools offer a profound opportunity to enhance access to justice and engender public confidence in courts’ use of technology, and judges can seize this opportunity in five key ways.

  • Examining Privilege In Dual-Purpose Workplace Investigations

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    The Sixth Circuit's recent holding in FirstEnergy's bribery probe ruling that attorney-client privilege applied to a dual-purpose workplace investigation because its primary purpose was obtaining legal advice highlights the uncertainty companies face as federal circuit courts remain split on the appropriate test, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Opinion

    The Case For Emulating, Not Dividing, The Ninth Circuit

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    Champions for improved judicial administration should reject the unfounded criticisms driving recent Senate proposals to divide the Ninth Circuit and instead seek to replicate the court's unique strengths and successes, says Ninth Circuit Judge J. Clifford Wallace.

  • ERISA Litigation Trends To Watch With 2025 In The Rearview

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    There were significant developments in Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation in 2025, including plaintiffs pushing the bounds of sponsor and fiduciary liability and defendants scoring district court wins, and although the types of claims might change, ERISA litigation will likely be just as active in 2026, say attorneys at Groom Law.

  • 2025's Defining AI Securities Litigation

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    Three securities litigation decisions from 2025 — involving General Motors, GitLab and Tesla — offer a preview of how courts will assess artificial intelligence-related disclosures, as themes such as heightened regulatory scrutiny and risk surrounding technical claims are already taking shape for the coming year, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Series

    Muay Thai Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Muay Thai kickboxing has taught me that in order to win, one must stick to one's game plan and adapt under pressure, just as when facing challenges by opposing counsel or judges, says Mark Schork at Feldman Shepherd.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Intentional Career-Building

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    A successful legal career is built through intention: understanding expectations, assessing strengths honestly and proactively seeking opportunities to grow and cultivating relationships that support your development, say Erika Drous and Hillary Mann at Morrison Foerster.

  • 3 Securities Litigation Trends To Watch In 2026

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    Pending federal appellate cases suggest that 2026 will be a significant year for securities litigation, with long-standing debates about class certification, new questions about the risks and value of artificial intelligence features, and private plaintiffs' growing role in cryptocurrency enforcement likely to be major themes, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • Top 5 Antitrust Issues For In-House Counsel To Watch In 2026

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    With Trump administration enforcement policy having largely taken shape last year, antitrust issues that in-house counsel should have on the radar range from scrutiny of technology-assisted pricing to the return of merger remedies, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • 4 Developments That Defined The 2025 Ethics Landscape

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    The legal profession spent 2025 at the edge of its ethical comfort zone as courts, firms and regulators confronted how fast-moving technologies and new business models collide with long-standing professional duties, signaling that the profession is entering a period of sustained disruption that will continue into 2026, says Hilary Gerzhoy at HWG Law.

  • Top 10 Employer Resolutions For 2026

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    Heightened regulatory attention, shifting enforcement priorities and increased litigation risk mean that routine workplace decisions in 2026 will require greater discipline and foresight, including in relation to bias and inclusion training, employee resource groups, employee speech, immigration compliance, workplace accommodations, and shadow artificial intelligence, say attorneys at Krevolin & Horst.

  • Navigating AI In The Legal Industry

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    As artificial intelligence becomes an increasingly integral part of legal practice, Law360 guest commentary this year examined evolving ethical obligations, how the plaintiffs bar is using AI to level the playing field against corporate defense teams, and the attendant risks of adoption.

  • The Major Securities Litigation Rulings And Trends Of 2025

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    The past 12 months saw increased regulator focus on disclosures concerning artificial intelligence, signs of growing judicial scrutiny at the class certification stage, and shifting regulatory priorities at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — all major developments that may significantly affect securities litigation strategy in 2026 and beyond, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • How Fractional GCs Can Manage Risks Of Engagement

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    As more organizations eliminate their in-house legal departments in favor of outsourcing legal work, fractional general counsel roles offer practitioners an engaging and flexible way to practice at a high level, but they can also present legal, ethical and operational risks that must be proactively managed, say attorneys at Boies Schiller.

  • Health, Legal Employers Face Unique Online Speech Hurdles

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    Employers in the legal and healthcare industries must consider distinctive ethical obligations and professional requirements when disciplining employees for social media posts, while anticipating an area of the law in flux as courts seek to balance speech rights and the workplace function, say attorneys at FordHarrison.

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