GOP Reps Question Georgia Judge's 'Lenient Punishment'

By Emily Johnson

Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee have demanded answers from the federal judiciary after a Georgia federal judge was privately reprimanded for lying about having sex in her chambers and attending a political event.

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Ga. Panel Weighs Bid To Toss Blood Evidence In Crash Case

By Kelcey Caulder

The Georgia Court of Appeals on Wednesday considered whether a trial court should have suppressed blood sample evidence in the case of a man arrested and charged with vehicular homicide after colliding with a church van in Habersham County.

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11th Circ. OKs Refusal Of $1.5M Offer To End $140M Tax Debt

By Kat Lucero

The Eleventh Circuit rebuffed a software company founder's $1.5 million offer to settle his $140 million tax debt from 1999, ruling Wednesday that the IRS properly rejected the lowball offer in a case tied to sham arrangements.

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Firms Vie For Lead Counsel Role In Vestis Derivative Suit

By Christine DeRosa

Plaintiffs in a shareholder derivative action against the top brass of Vestis Corp. are in a tussle to get different law firms appointed as lead counsel, with the original plaintiff backing The Brown Law Firm PC and the additional plaintiffs pushing The Rosen Law Firm PA and Johnson Fistel PLLP.

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11th Circ. Revives Some Of Pot Co.'s License Bias Claims

By David Aaro

The Eleventh Circuit revived Wednesday a cannabis company's suit against Georgia regulators over a denied production license, saying the company showed it suffered an injury from the state's "pay to play" system and had the right to bring a lawsuit despite cannabis being federally illegal.

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NOAA Fisheries Lays Out Priorities For Trump Seafood Order

By Tom Lotshaw

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's fisheries division announced several dozen priorities to boost the U.S. seafood industry Wednesday, prompting one environmental group to call it a "depraved laundry list" of ways the Trump administration is willing to sacrifice ocean life.

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Danish Researcher Pleads Guilty To CDC Grant Money Theft

By Kelcey Caulder

A Danish researcher who spent more than 14 years as a fugitive from U.S. authorities pled guilty Tuesday to operating a wire fraud scheme that diverted more than $1 million in grant money intended to fund overseas research into autism and other developmental disorders.

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Logistics Co. Says Ex-Workers Gave Trade Secrets To Rival

By David Aaro

A supply chain and logistics management company is accusing two former employees and a rival trucking company of carrying out a scheme to steal its trade secrets and confidential information, according to a lawsuit filed in Georgia federal court.

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11th Circ. Axes Ethics Complaint Over Fla. Judge's Israel Book

By Christine DeRosa

The Eleventh Circuit's chief judge has dismissed an ethics complaint against a Florida federal judge, finding the district judge's alleged actions promoting his book about Israel, including appearances from his judicial chambers, didn't violate the judicial ethics code.

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What Cos. Should Know About DOE Energy Dominance Loans

With the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Dominance Financing set to become a vital resource for funding U.S. energy and critical minerals projects, interested companies must understand the terms of potential loans and take into account the applicable financial, technical, legal and regulatory requirements, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

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Thomson Reuters Cyberattack Hits North American Courts

By Bonnie Eslinger

A recent cyberattack on Thomson Reuters' court management software affected files associated with court systems in 11 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada, and may have exposed sealed documents and individuals' personal information, according to a Wednesday announcement from the technology and information services company.

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Calif. Bill Regulating Atty AI Use Heads To Newsom's Desk

By Emily Sawicki

A bill regulating attorneys' and arbitrators' use of generative artificial intelligence has unanimously passed the California State Legislature and is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk.

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'Astonished' Homebuyer Says Atty Email Lapse Caused Hack

By Pete Brush

A New York City law firm has been ordered to provide internet security and login information to a homebuyer who claims she was left in "shock" when an impostor with access to her lawyer's email tricked her into wiring away over $730,000.

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House Rejects Amendment To Fix Court At 9 Justices

By Courtney Bublé

The House failed to pass a proposed constitutional amendment on Wednesday that would keep the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices at nine.

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Dems Call Subpoenas' Secrecy Request 'Abuse Of Authority'

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

Democratic lawmakers Sen. Ron Wyden, Ore., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Wash., have called for an investigation into subpoenas issued from federal law enforcement to private companies that contain nondisclosure provisions and carry threats of legal consequences for noncompliance.

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Tyson's Price-Fixing Deal Merits $27.5M Atty Fees, Buyers Say

By Dorothy Atkins

Beef direct purchasers asked a Minnesota federal judge Tuesday to award class counsel $27.5 million in fees, or one-third of Tyson's $82.5 million price-fixing settlement, arguing that the deal was reached after six years of hard-fought antitrust litigation and adds to another settlement, bringing the total recovery to $135 million.

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JPMorgan Seeks Stay Of $20M Javice, Amar Fee Order

By Jarek Rutz

JPMorgan Chase & Co. urged the Delaware Chancery Court on Wednesday to pause enforcement of an order requiring it to advance more than $20 million in disputed legal fees to convicted Frank founder Charlie Javice and former executive Olivier Amar, arguing the bank could permanently lose the money before it gets a chance to challenge the ruling.

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ABA Outlines Attys' Duties To Clients With Intellectual Limits

By Jack Karp

Attorneys have the same obligations to clients with decision-making limitations, should abide by those clients' decisions regarding their representation and must work to maintain an ordinary client-lawyer relationship as much as possible, the American Bar Association said in an opinion released Wednesday.

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