Judiciary AI Rule Draws Fire As Judges Get Deepfakes Survey

By Jeff Overley

Federal judiciary policymakers heard extensive concerns Thursday regarding high-profile plans to formally screen evidence generated with artificial intelligence, and they set the stage for more feedback by preparing an AI survey for every federal trial judge.

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

Wash. Judges To Pick US Atty As Floyd's Term Set To Expire

By Gina Kim

The chief judge for the Western District of Washington on Wednesday announced the court's intent to select a U.S. attorney to serve on a temporary basis if President Donald Trump's pick, Charles Neil Floyd, who has been serving on an interim basis, isn't confirmed by the Senate by next month. 

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

Fed. Circ. Won't Stop Injunction Against BMW Foe In IP Fight

By Adam Lidgett

The Federal Circuit has declined for now to halt a Texas federal court's order blocking a patent company from pursuing legal action against BMW in Germany.

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

As Goldstein Trial Begins, Gov't Points To 'Lavish' Lifestyle

By Jared Foretek

An accountant for billionaire investor Alec Gores said that Thomas Goldstein had suggested he open a foreign account for Gores' poker-related transactions or even classify him as a professional player for tax purposes, although Gores was just getting started in the high-stakes poker world.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Split 3rd Circ. Finds Khalil Can Be Detained Again

By Carla Baranauckas

The Third Circuit vacated on Thursday a series of New Jersey federal court orders blocking the detention and removal of Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident targeted for deportation under a rarely used foreign policy provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

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

7th Circ. Backs $22M Restitution For Convicted Fraudster

By Celeste Bott

The Seventh Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a lower court's order that a man convicted of a fraudulent investment scheme causing investors to lose roughly $23 million must fork over $21.6 million in restitution, finding he had waived his challenge to the amount the district judge credited for what had already been recovered.

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

Calif. Justices Order Prosecutors To Explain Alleged AI Errors

By Dorothy Atkins

The California Supreme Court has ordered Nevada County prosecutors to explain to a lower court why they shouldn't be sanctioned for "apparent serial submission" of artificial intelligence-generated briefs with nonexistent legal citations in multiple criminal proceedings.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Air Force Asks Justices Not To Hear COVID Vax Back Pay Case

By Ganesh Setty

The U.S. Air Force urged the U.S. Supreme Court to not hear a reservist's bid for back pay after he refused to follow its now-overturned COVID-19 vaccine mandate on religious grounds, arguing its sovereign immunity bars compensatory damages claims. 

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

GEO Group Urges Justices To Pick Up Wage Immunity Case

By Irene Spezzamonte

The Ninth Circuit ignored intergovernmental immunity when it ruled that the GEO Group needed to follow Washington's minimum wage to pay detainees in a voluntary work program, the private prison operator told the U.S. Supreme Court, urging the justices to weigh in.

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

Trump Admin Asks DC Circ. To Ax CBA-Protecting Injunctions

By Emily Brill

The Trump administration has urged the D.C. Circuit to vacate injunctions protecting union contracts at a dozen federal agencies, saying the unions should have challenged the agencies' attempts to oust them through internal dispute resolution processes, not in federal court.

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

2nd Circ. Seems Reluctant To Wrap Up EEOC Union Bias Suit

By Anne Cullen

The Second Circuit appeared skeptical Thursday of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's push to wind down a more than half-century-old race discrimination case against unions and apprenticeship programs, questioning whether bias still pervaded the organizations' practices.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Getty Loses 2nd Circ. Bid Over $88M Stock Sale Breach Order

By Jessica Corso

A divided Second Circuit on Thursday upheld a ruling requiring Getty Images to pay out nearly $88 million to investors who said they were blocked from purchasing shares in the company once it became public, finding Getty breached a contract promising the investors those shares.

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

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Loses 3rd Circ. Appeal In CBA Fight

By Emily Brill

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has lost its latest bid to duck an injunction compelling it to restore its 2014-17 collective bargaining agreement, with the full Third Circuit refusing to reconsider a panel's decision to issue the injunction in 2025.

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

4th Circ. Denies Former CEO's Bid To Delay Prison Term

By Anna Scott Farrell

A former software executive found guilty of failing to pay employment taxes reported to prison Thursday after the Fourth Circuit denied his emergency request for a delay of his yearlong sentence while he fights his conviction.

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

Whistleblower Seeks Removal Of DOJ In Price-Gouging Case

By Elaine Briseño

A whistleblower told the Fourth Circuit that the U.S. Department of Justice can be removed as a plaintiff from his False Claims Act suit accusing major defense contractors of price gouging because the agency has a conflict of interest.

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

Brief

4th Circ. Axes Distributor Wage Suit That Went To High Court

By Benjamin Morse

The Fourth Circuit has dismissed a lawsuit accusing an international food distributor of unpaid overtime, almost a year to the day the U.S. Supreme Court held in the case that the Fair Labor Standards Act's exemptions do not call for heightened evidence standards, according to a court filing.

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

CVS Ducks Antitrust But Not Biz Interference Claim At 5th Circ.

By Bryan Koenig

A Fifth Circuit panel has largely sided with CVS Pharmacy and its Caremark affiliate by preserving a district court's dismissal of federal antitrust claims over a Mississippi pharmacy's rejection from participating in the pharmacy benefit manager's network, although the judges did revive state law claims.

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

5th Circ. Revives Allstate's Fraud Suit Over Car Crash Billing

By Gina Kim

The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday revived Allstate's racketeering suit alleging doctors and personal injury lawyers unleashed a barrage of unnecessary treatments for car accident patients and caused Allstate to pay $4.7 million in claims, finding the insurer sufficiently pled details about the conspiracy and specifics surrounding each allegedly fake medical billing.

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

5th Circ. Rejects Challenge To Texas LNG Construction Delay

By Elaine Briseño

The Fifth Circuit greenlighted work on a liquefied natural gas terminal in the Port of Brownsville, Texas, saying state regulators followed the correct rule when granting a third construction deadline extension for the project.

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

6th Circ. Favors Comerica Bank In Ch. 7 Fraud Suit

By Emily Lever

Comerica Bank is not liable for the actions of a former Chapter 7 liquidator, to whom the bank was paying fees during the bankruptcy of a tool manufacturer, the Sixth Circuit has found.

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

6th Circ. Says Cop's Rap Videos, Not Race Bias, Got Him Fired

By Grace Elletson

The Sixth Circuit declined to revive a suit from a Black cop who said race bias cost him his job, ruling he couldn't overcome evidence that he was actually terminated for creating and posting rap videos that depicted him brandishing guns and simulating shooting a homeless person.

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

6th Circ. Rejects Kentucky Mom's Bid For Copyrighted Survey

By Ivan Moreno

A Kentucky mother cannot rely on copyright's fair use doctrine to obtain a copy of a student mental-health survey because her dispute with the school district arises under the state's open records law, a panel of the Sixth Circuit has concluded.

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

Rehab Center's Suit Against Atty Can Proceed, 6th Circ. Says

By Emily Sawicki

An Ohio attorney accused of mishandling the sale of a substance abuse treatment center in West Virginia is facing revived malpractice claims after the Sixth Circuit reversed a federal district court ruling that found the client waited too long to file suit against the lawyer.

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

8th Circ. Finds Insurer Must Face Loss-Of-Consortium Claim

By Mark Payne

The Eighth Circuit on Wednesday overturned a lower court ruling favoring Auto-Owners Mutual Insurance Company, finding that the wife of an insured driver injured in a car crash may be able to file separate insurance claims for loss-of-consortium damages. 

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

11th Circ. Told Everglades Detention Site Upsets Enviro Law

By Joyce Hanson

Five conservation groups have urged the Eleventh Circuit to uphold a preliminary injunction halting operations of an immigrant detention center in the Florida Everglades, saying state and federal actions commissioning the site run contrary to the National Environmental Protection Act.

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

Wrong Word Dooms Med Mal Suit Against UT Cancer Center

By Y. Peter Kang

A Texas appeals court on Thursday dismissed a suit accusing the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center of causing a cancer patient's injuries from "chemotherapy," saying that because the treatment was actually "immunotherapy," an exception to governmental immunity did not apply.

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

Cal-Maine Gives Free Eggs To Settle Texas Price Gouging Suit

By Spencer Brewer

Cal-Maine Foods Inc. agreed to fork over 2 million free eggs to the state of Texas to settle claims of illegal price gouging, ending a suit brought by the state alleging Cal-Maine tripled the price of its eggs during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Texas Justices Seem Open To Nixing Roofer's $4M Verdict

By Spencer Brewer

The Texas Supreme Court seemed skeptical of a worker's claim that evidence of his consumption of a beer and half a joint six hours before he fell off a roof should not have gone before a jury, hinting Thursday that the contractor being sued may win its bid for a new trial.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Sheep Grazing Won't Make Solar Farm Agriculture, Court Says

By Matthew Santoni

A proposed 25-acre solar facility can't be built in a Lancaster County agricultural zone because the planned inclusion of sheep grazing among the panels did not transform the whole project into a farm, a Pennsylvania appellate panel ruled Thursday.

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

Healthcare In Court

Pa. Court Refuses To Involuntarily Medicate Murder Suspect

By Elizabeth Daley

A man accused of killing his neighbor in 2024 due to paranoid delusions cannot be forcibly medicated in order to stand trial, the Pennsylvania Superior Court has ruled, finding the state hadn't proved that the man would be competent if he were treated.

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

Seattle Judge Fights Removal Rec Over Forged Parking Doc

By Rachel Riley

Washington state's high court seemed split Thursday on whether to bar a substitute county judge from the bench for using an official court stamp without permission in pursuit of a parking discount, with one justice remarking she "can't even imagine" behaving that way, while another suggested removal would be a disproportionate sanction.

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

Mass. Court Lets Insurer Off Hook For Grandson's Judgment

By Julie Manganis

A grandmother's financial support doesn't trump other factors in determining whether her adult grandson is a member of her household for insurance purposes, Massachusetts' intermediate-level appeals court said on Thursday, reversing an order that Arbella Mutual Insurance Co. cover a personal injury settlement.

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

9th Circ. Copyright Ruling Highlights Doubts On Intrinsic Test

Two concurring opinions in Sedlik v. Von Drachenberg may mark an inflection point in the Ninth Circuit's substantial-similarity jurisprudence, inviting copyright litigants to reassess strategy as the court potentially shifts away from the intrinsic test, say attorneys at Troutman.

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

Series

Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q4

The regulatory and litigation developments for California financial institutions in the fourth quarter of 2025 were incremental but consequential, with the Department of Financial Protection & Innovation relying on public enforcement actions to articulate expectations, and lawmakers and privacy regulators playing a role as well, says Stephen Britt at Stinson.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

4 Ways GCs Can Manage Growing Service Of Process Volume

As automation and arbitration increase the volume of legal filings, in-house counsel must build scalable service of process systems that strengthen corporate governance and manage risk in real time, says Paul Mathews at Corporation Service Co.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Series

Fly-Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Much like skilled attorneys, the best anglers prize preparation, presentation and patience while respecting their adversaries — both human and trout, says Rob Braverman at Braverman Greenspun.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Simpson Thacher Offers Stipend To Lure Summer Associates

By Tracey Read

In an effort for Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP to attract top students who want to pursue public interest work, the firm said it will pay a stipend of $42,500 for the 2026-2027 cycle for those who opt to spend their 1L summer in a qualifying public service, government, academic, in-house legal or nonprofit role.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

ICE Detention Facilities Nearly Doubled Last Year, Report Says

By Tom Lotshaw

An American Immigration Council report said the Trump administration detained record numbers of noncitizens last year, most without criminal records, and held them in a rapidly expanding network of facilities that could soon rival the federal criminal prison system.

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

Fla. High Court Opens Door To Non-ABA Accrediting Entities

By Carolina Bolado

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday changed the bar exam admission requirements to allow graduates of law schools accredited by entities other than the American Bar Association to sit for the Florida bar exam.

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

Sens. Advance Indiana Judge Nominee Grilled Over Sermons

By Courtney Bublé

A federal judicial nominee for Indiana who came under scrutiny by a Republican senator for his past sermons as an ordained elder was voted out of committee Thursday alongside five other judicial nominees.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump US Atty Pick In NM Bumped To First Assistant

By Emily Sawicki

A New Mexico federal judge has ruled the Trump-appointed interim U.S. Attorney for New Mexico is not validly serving in the role but declined to disqualify the prosecutor from a slate of cases pending in the district, instead determining the lawyer may continue to work in the federal prosecutor's office as first assistant.

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