SEC Investor Panel Presses For Corporate AI Disclosures

By Jessica Corso

A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission working group is urging the agency to adopt regulations that could standardize the way publicly traded companies report the way they use artificial intelligence, arguing Thursday that investors are not always being kept informed about the risks of the technology.

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Fla. Gov Floats AI 'Bill Of Rights' Amid Federal Pushback

By Allison Grande

Florida's Republican governor on Thursday put forth a proposed framework to protect consumers from potential risks posed by artificial intelligence systems, including unauthorized uses of their data and the harms that chatbots pose to minors, a move that comes as the Trump administration and some Republicans in Congress push for states to be blocked from regulating the emerging technology.

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Bipartisan Bill Would Set Guardrails On Employers' AI Use

By Anne Cullen

A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers introduced legislation Wednesday that mandates employers include human oversight when using automated decision-making software, regularly test their tools and disclose to workers when they're in play.

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EU To Probe Meta's WhatsApp Restrictions On AI Providers

By Matthew Perlman

European enforcers have launched an investigation into recent changes Meta made to its WhatsApp policies over concerns that they block artificial intelligence providers from communicating with their users on the messaging platform.

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Prolonged FTC Review Kills $615M Healthcare Staffing Deal

By Matthew Perlman

Talent software and staffing company Aya Healthcare Inc. abandoned its planned $615 million deal for Cross Country Healthcare Inc. on Thursday, citing uncertainty from an ongoing Federal Trade Commission review that was extended by the government shutdown.

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OFAC Fines Real Estate Firm $7M Over Sanctions Violations

By Sarah Jarvis

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control on Thursday fined a New York property management company more than $7 million for allegedly violating Russian sanctions by receiving payments on behalf of a company owned by a sanctioned Russian oligarch.

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Kimmel Brouhaha Brings Out Levity At DC's 'Telecom Prom'

By Christopher Cole

ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel's roller coaster ride at the hands of the Federal Communications Commission took center stage Wednesday at a light-hearted Washington dinner for telecom lawyers, as FCC Chair Brendan Carr served up a comedic bit over the controversy that followed Kimmel's recent war of words with the agency chief.

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Crenshaw Blasts SEC Short-Selling Rules Deadline Extension

By Sarah Jarvis

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's outgoing, lone Democratic commissioner has criticized the agency's decision to extend the compliance dates for a pair of Biden-era regulations aimed at bolstering transparency in the short-selling market, calling the move a "repeal by extension."

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Gov't Watchdog To Probe FHFA Mortgage Fraud Referrals

By Grace Dixon

The Government Accountability Office will review whether Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte weaponized mortgage fraud investigations against the president's perceived political opponents and flouted the agency's typical investigation process.

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Dems Press CFPB's Vought On Mortgage Rate Shutdown Plan

By Jon Hill

Senate Democrats are demanding clarity on the fate of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's benchmark mortgage-rate work if the Trump administration lets the agency go dark, warning of imminent potential chaos for the $13 trillion mortgage market.

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Ex-CEO Of Failed Okla. Bank Indicted On Fraud Charges

By Sydney Price

The former president and CEO of the now-defunct Oklahoma-based First National Bank of Lindsay has been charged with bank fraud involving sham deposits in customer accounts and falsified loan documents, according to a federal indictment.

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1st Spot Crypto Market To Launch Amid CFTC 'Crypto Sprint'

By Emilie Ruscoe

Derivatives exchange Bitnomial said Thursday it is poised to launch the first spot crypto exchange regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, with guidance from Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP.

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Citadel Securities Sparks Crypto Clash Over DeFi Exemptions

By Aislinn Keely

Citadel Securities ignited debate with crypto advocates this week when it told the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that decentralized finance projects dealing in tokenized securities should broadly be subject to the same obligations as traditional exchanges and broker-dealers.

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Kalshi Sues Conn. Over Online Gambling Enforcement Case

By Katryna Perera

Derivatives exchange KalshiEX LLC has sued the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection and its leaders over a cease-and-desist order issued by the department directing Kalshi to stop operations within the state.

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9th Circ. Says Species' Competing Interests Impact ESA Cases

By Juan-Carlos Rodriguez

The Ninth Circuit has ruled that when a court-ordered injunction would protect one animal or plant covered by the Endangered Species Act but harm another, the court must weigh their "competing" interests before taking action.

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Environmental Groups Sue EPA Over Methane Rule Delay

By Tom Lotshaw

Environmental groups are challenging a final rule the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published Wednesday to extend a number of compliance deadlines for methane pollution control requirements, calling it an unlawful handout for oil and gas companies.

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Data Co. Seeks To Consolidate NJ Judicial Privacy Law Cases

By Jake Maher

The data privacy firm Atlas Data Privacy has asked the New Jersey Supreme Court to consolidate over 100 ongoing cases where it is suing data brokers under the state judicial privacy statute Daniel's Law into a single multicounty litigation, according to a notice to the bar filed this week.

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NAR Says Realtor Rule Changes Not Relevant To Antitrust Suit

By Grace Dixon

The National Association of Realtors and local Realtor groups at the center of a proposed class action have urged a Michigan federal court not to allow real estate brokers and agents to bring recent NAR handbook changes before the court in their antitrust suit.

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Pharma Cos. Denied Early Win In States' Price-Fixing Suit

By Aaron Keller

Twenty-six pharmaceutical companies failed to secure a quick win on overarching conspiracy claims in an antitrust case by the attorneys general of Connecticut and most other states, with a federal judge finding the "substantial bulk of evidence" points toward a broad industry scheme to fix 98 dermatology drug prices.

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LA Fitness Says FTC Can't Expand Online Shopping Law

By Gina Kim

LA Fitness urged a California federal judge to dismiss the Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit alleging the gym has burdensome cancellation methods, arguing Wednesday that it fails to state a claim under the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act, which doesn't apply to brick-and-mortar businesses and only regulates online commerce.

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Brief

Credit Firm Fined $20K For Misleading Colorado Consumers

By Zach Dupont

The Colorado attorney general's office announced Thursday that it reached a $20,000 settlement with a credit repair service that operated a "piggybacking" scheme in violation of the Colorado Credit Services Organization Act, according to a news release.

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Mass. Justices Unlikely To Revive Verizon Tower Suit

By Julie Manganis

Justices on Massachusetts' highest court appeared unlikely to second-guess a local health board's decision to drop an enforcement action against Verizon over perceived health effects from a cell tower after the telecom filed suit.

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Boies Schiller Lands Former SEC Trial Leader In LA

By Christine DeRosa

Boies Schiller Flexner LLP has grown its securities litigation offerings in California with a former supervisory trial counsel in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Los Angeles Regional Office, the firm said Thursday.

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Nixon Peabody Hires Cybersecurity Atty For Boston Office

By Joyce Hanson

Nixon Peabody LLP has added to its cybersecurity and privacy team in Boston with a newly hired attorney from Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, saying she focuses on privacy, governance, risk, compliance and public policy matters.

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Democracy Forward Announces New Leadership Hires

By Jack Rodgers

Democracy Forward, a progressive nonprofit that has lodged some 85 actions against the Trump administration, announced Thursday it hired new staff, including a new deputy managing attorney and a new director of a collaborative initiative focused on reshaping the federal government with community-driven policies and public servants.

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What Trump's Scientific Discovery AI Order Will Mean For Cos.

Although private organizations will not see an immediate change in their compliance obligations from President Trump's recent executive order establishing a government effort to use artificial intelligence to accelerate scientific discovery, large enterprises and critical infrastructure operators will face pressure to demonstrate that their AI practices are comparable, says Shawn Tuma at Spencer Fane.

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Why Digital Asset Treasuries Are Drawing Regulator Concerns

Financial regulators’ recent focus on potential insider trading and investor risk at hundreds of publicly traded digital asset treasuries may have been summoned by how quickly this rapidly expanding market responds to asset allocation decisions, as well as variations in risk disclosure practices across the sector, say attorneys at The Brattle Group.

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9th Circ. Ruling Upholds Employee Speech Amid Stalled NLRB

The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in National Labor Relations Board v. North Mountain Foothills Apartments shows that courts are enforcing National Labor Relations Act protections despite the board's current paralysis, so employers must tread carefully when disciplining employee speech, whether at work or online, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

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Opinion

California Vapor Intrusion Policy Should Focus On Site Risks

As California environmental regulators consider whether to change the attenuation factor used in screenings for vapor intrusion, the most prudent path forward is to keep the current value for screening purposes, while using site-specific, risk-based numbers for cleanup and closure targets, says Thierry Montoya at Frost Brown.

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New Drug Ad Regs Could Lead To A Less Informed Public

A federal push to mandate full safety warnings in pharmaceutical advertising could make drug ads less appealing for companies to air, which in turn could negatively affect consumers' health decisions by removing an accessible information source, say Punam Keller at Dartmouth College and Ceren Canal Aruoba at Berkeley Research Group.

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10th Circ. Decision May Complicate Lending In Colorado

The Tenth Circuit's decision last month in National Association of Industrial Bankers v. Weiser clears the way for interest rate limits on all consumer lending in Colorado, including loans from out-of-state banks, potentially adding new complexities to lending to Colorado residents, say attorneys at Manatt.

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Series

Preaching Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Becoming a Gospel preacher has enhanced my success as a trial lawyer by teaching me the importance of credibility, relatability, persuasiveness and thorough preparation for my congregants, the same skills needed with judges and juries in the courtroom, says Reginald Harris at Stinson.

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Bonus Spotlight

Cahill Gordon Offers Associates 'Super Bonus' Of Up To $200K

By Anna Sanders

Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP won't just match BigLaw's prevailing scale for year-end bonuses — the firm will also reportedly offer outsized special bonuses, or super bonuses, up to $200,000 for high-performing associates.

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Analysis

Appeal Of US Atty Invalidations May Be 'Devastating' To DOJ

By Phillip Bantz

As the list of interim and acting U.S. attorneys found to be unlawfully appointed under President Donald Trump grows, so too does the pressure on his administration to make the next move, which could force a risky strategic decision on whether to push the issue up to the U.S. Supreme Court, experts said.

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Judge Nixes Hagens Berman's Recusal Bid After DOJ Referral

By Emma Cueto

Two days after referring powerhouse plaintiffs firm Hagens Berman to the U.S. Department of Justice for alleged misconduct, a Pennsylvania federal judge on Thursday dismissed the firm's request that he recuse himself from the long-running product liability suit, calling the firm's arguments "absurd."

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Senate Impeachment Hearing On Judges Likely In January

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate hearing on impeachment of "rogue" judges is likely going to be rescheduled for January, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who will be chairing the hearing, told Law360 on Thursday.  

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SDNY Judge Unsure Of Jurisdiction In Maurene Comey Suit

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge said Thursday he may not have jurisdiction over former prosecutor Maurene Comey's suit claiming President Donald Trump's rivalry with her father, former FBI Director James Comey, led to her firing.

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Analysis

Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action

By Jeff Overley

Is the False Claims Act constitutional? Will Mark Zuckerberg be deposed in high-profile privacy litigation? Did a major drugmaker's shenanigans cost investors nearly $7 billion? That's a small sample of the intriguing legal questions we're exploring in this preview of December's top appellate action.

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NY AG Applauds Reports Grand Jury Declined To Reindict

By Lauren Berg

New York Attorney General Letitia James Thursday hailed reports that a Norfolk, Virginia, federal grand jury had declined to reindict her on charges of mortgage fraud, refusing to revive a case that President Donald Trump had pushed prosecutors to pursue against his "guilty as hell" political opponent.

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NY Law Firm Files Ch. 11 After Hostile Takeover Allegations

By Ben Zigterman

A New York law firm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief a week after its creditors filed involuntary Chapter 7 liquidation petitions and more than a month after the firm's founder accused the creditors of a hostile takeover of his firm.

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Google Fights Unlockd's Judge Recusal Bid In Antitrust Case

By Christine DeRosa

Google is opposing a move by Unlockd Media seeking the recusal of U.S. District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam Jr. in an antitrust lawsuit in California federal court, arguing that the judge's close relationship with Google's vice president for litigation and discovery doesn't require him to step away from the case.

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Brief

Senate Confirms 4th NC Federal Judge This Week

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate on Thursday confirmed its fourth federal judge this week for North Carolina.

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Fla. Judge Admits To Ethics Breach Over Bogus Recording

By Madison Arnold

A Florida state judge has admitted to an unintentional violation of the state's judicial ethics code over her publicly sharing a fabricated recording of a chief judge disparaging another judge during her 2024 election campaign.

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