Judges Scrutinize DOD's Claim Of Hesai's China Military Ties

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. Circuit panel on Thursday raised serious questions about the U.S. Department of Defense's broad interpretation of a law used to designate companies as "contributors" to the Chinese military-industrial base, pressing a government attorney on the basis for finding links between Shanghai LiDAR-maker Hesai and the Chinese military.

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Judge Says 9/11 Claimants Can Pursue Alleged Iranian Bitcoin

By Ganesh Setty

A New York federal court gave hundreds of individuals injured in the 9/11 terrorist attacks the green light to recover damages against Iran, following the federal government's recent forfeiture action against billions worth of bitcoin allegedly belonging to the country.

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Judge Certifies Military Reservist Class In Differential Pay Suit

By Madeline Lyskawa

A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge certified a class of military reservists who sued the U.S. government to recover the difference between active duty pay and pay received for their federal civilian jobs, finding there are enough reservists with common claims.

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Ex-Judges Say Anthropic Case Doesn't Merit Court Deference

By Jared Foretek

Nearly 150 former judges are backing Anthropic's fight against its designation as a "supply chain risk" by the U.S. Department of Defense, telling the D.C. Circuit in an amicus brief that the judiciary shouldn't simply defer to the executive just because it invokes national security.

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Senate Panel To Vote On Satellite Security Bills Next Week

By Christopher Cole

U.S. senators next week will consider sending to the floor two bills designed to beef up satellite security, one of which had already gained bipartisan backing in the U.S. House of Representatives during the last Congress.

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Squires Concludes That Foreign Gov'ts Can't File AIA Petitions

By Theresa Schliep

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires said foreign governments cannot file patent challenges under the America Invents Act, providing the reasoning for his February rejection of a Chinese company's proceeding against an LG touch screen patent.

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Ericsson Paid Terrorists At Americans' Expense, Families Say

By Lauren Berg

Families of U.S. civilians and service members killed or wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan allege in a lawsuit filed in D.C. federal court that telecommunications giant Ericsson made protection payments to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, helping to fund the terrorist groups' efforts to kill and kidnap Americans.

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Navy Loses Protest Over Ignored Proposal Extension Request

By Elaine Briseño

The Court of Federal Claims has sided with a shipbuilder challenging its disqualification from competing for a contract to dismantle and dispose of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, finding the U.S. Navy unreasonably failed to consider the company's extension request.

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USAID Contractor Sues Feds Over $610K In Unpaid Invoices

By Tom Lotshaw

A Maryland business told a Court of Federal Claims judge the government failed to pay it more than $610,000 for work under a pair of contracts for U.S. Agency for International Development initiatives in Zambia and Jordan.

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How Data Centers Can Prep For Legal Challenges Amid War

Amid conflict in the Middle East, data centers may now be exposed to state-level kinetic threats, creating significant legal, regulatory and contractual implications, so operators should update their legal and operational frameworks in order to withstand future disruptions and meet the regulator expectations, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

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5 Gov't Contractor Tips Following Anthropic Risk Designation

The Pentagon's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk is an unprecedented action that raises significant legal questions, and with government contractors already receiving directives and inquiries concerning their use of Anthropic products and services, there are several strategies contractors can use to manage risk, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

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Series

Coaching Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Coaching youth soccer for my 7-year-old son's team has sharpened how I communicate with clients, prepare witnesses, work within teams and think about leadership, making me a more thoughtful and effective lawyer in many ways, says Joshua Holt at Smith Currie.

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HSF Kramer Hires Axinn Antitrust Lawyer In DC

By Jack Rodgers

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP has hired a former Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider LLP partner, who represented Google in an antitrust investigation into its advertising technology, and who has represented other global companies in competition and related matters.

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Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Laura Stewart Liberty

The past week in London has seen an ex-professional footballer revive a dispute with Charles Russell Speechlys, Virgin Media face a group data protection claim after hundreds of thousands of customers' personal details were exposed online for months, and Mishcon de Reya sued by a real estate private equity firm founded by a former Morgan Stanley executive.

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Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

Major shareholder groups sued the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, claiming the agency violated the Administrative Procedure Act. In the meantime, some attorneys think the sanctions that judges are issuing to lawyers over AI-generated errors won't be enough to stop the problem. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

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DOJ Rebuked Over Lack Of Candor For 'Imperious Client'

By Jack Karp

A Florida federal judge has rebuked government attorneys for failing to be up-front about legal authority that contradicts their position in a habeas case, warning them not to let their "imperious client" get between them and their ethical obligations.

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Beasley Allen Can't Halt DQ Ruling In J&J Talc Litigation

By George Woolston

A New Jersey state appeals court has refused to pause its decision disqualifying the Beasley Allen Law Firm from representing plaintiffs in multicounty litigation over Johnson & Johnson's talc-based baby powder, according to a court order.

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Where Calif. State Courts Landed On Generative AI Use Rules

By Emily Sawicki

The majority of California's 58 superior courts — together making up the country's largest trial court system — have decided to greenlight the use of generative artificial intelligence in their work this year, a Law360 investigation found.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Baron & Budd PC, Walden Macht Haran & Williams LLP and Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville PC lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Ninth Circuit revived a major hospital chain's False Claims Act suit accusing large pharmaceutical companies of massive overcharges in a prominent drug discount program.

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Top SEC Enforcer Signals Continuity After Ryan Departure

By Sarah Jarvis

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's acting enforcement chief said Friday that the agency will continue to "focus on quality over quantity" when it comes to the cases it brings, projecting continuity with his predecessor's approach after her abrupt departure from the agency earlier this week.

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Roundup

Balancing The Scales: $3M Jury Verdict, GEO Appeal Denial

By Orlando Lorenzo

A Philadelphia federal judge rejected bids to disturb a $3 million jury award and impose sanctions on plaintiff's counsel arising from proceedings he described as "near-daily Festivus celebrations, where everyone got to air their grievances 'for the sake of the record'" and a Detroit man saw his murder conviction vacated after 27 years due to the case's reliance on a coerced confession and a lack of physical evidence, among other access to justice stories you may have missed.

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Bondi Keeps Ousted Wisconsin US Atty With New Title

By Lauren Berg

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi swapped Brad D. Schimel's title from interim U.S. attorney to first assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin in order to keep him in charge of the office after his tenure expired earlier this week.

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