The U.S. Department of Justice gave its all-clear Thursday to T-Mobile's plan to take over most of UScellular's wireless operations, finding that T-Mobile's commitments to bolster the flagging company outweigh, at least for now, worries over the disappearance of UScellular's underdog offerings.
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TOP NEWS

$4.4B T-Mobile, UScellular Deal Gets DOJ OK, With A Warning

By Bryan Koenig

The U.S. Department of Justice gave its all-clear Thursday to T-Mobile's plan to take over most of UScellular's wireless operations, finding that T-Mobile's commitments to bolster the flagging company outweigh, at least for now, worries over the disappearance of UScellular's underdog offerings.

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'Admonition' But No More Amazon Penalty For Hidden Docs

By Bryan Koenig

A federal judge in Washington state took Amazon.com to task Thursday for "bad faith" material review that labeled tens of thousands of documents as covered by attorney-client privilege despite involving no legal advice, but the judge, who is presiding over the Federal Trade Commission's Prime subscriptions case against the company, opted against further punishment.

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Crypto Exec Fights NY Suit, Cites Due Process Violation

By Sydney Price

The CEO of a venture capital firm accused of misleading investors into buying up a crypto token with the help of an endorsement from Argentine President Javier Milei just before it tanked said an attempt by New York to exercise jurisdiction over him would be unconstitutional.

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Unions Defend Block On DOGE's Social Security Data Access

By Emily Brill

The full Fourth Circuit should affirm a Maryland federal judge's decision to block the White House's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Social Security Administration data, two unions and a retirees' advocacy group argued, saying that dissolving the injunction would violate their members' right to privacy.

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9th Circ. Upholds Converse's Win In Website Chat Wiretap Suit

By Allison Grande

The Ninth Circuit has refused to revive a proposed class action accusing Converse Inc. of allowing a third-party vendor to intercept website visitors' chats, finding that there was "no evidence" that the sneaker maker had violated the California Invasion of Privacy Act.

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​​​​​​​DOJ Says Calif. Animal Welfare 'Red Tape' Inflates Egg Prices

By Bonnie Eslinger

The U.S. Department of Justice sued California and state officials over several animal welfare laws passed in the Golden State that the federal government claims has contributed to the "historic rise in egg prices by imposing unnecessary red tape on the production of eggs."

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Tyson Says $55M Del. Poultry Plants Win Blocks Ga. Damages

By Bryan Koenig

Tyson Foods wants to block any claim to damages in a poultry rendering company's antitrust lawsuit, telling a Georgia federal judge Wednesday that a Delaware state court already ruled that it overpaid to buy out the company and asserting that precludes any claims that it forced the firm into an underpriced buyout.

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Boehringer Wins Another Zantac Cancer Trial In Illinois

By Lauraann Wood

Boehringer Ingelheim notched another Zantac cancer trial win in Illinois state court this week, after a jury rejected a prostate cancer patient's claim that his seven-year use of the brand-name heartburn drug played a role in his diagnosis.

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WilmerHale, US Trustee Spar Over Work In 23andMe Ch. 11

By Emlyn Cameron

The U.S. Trustee's Office argued Thursday the consumer privacy ombudsman in genetic testing company 23andMe's Chapter 11 shouldn't be allowed to hire lawyers from WilmerHale over conflict of interest concerns the firm disputed, an issue the presiding Missouri bankruptcy judge promised to rule on promptly.

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POLICY & REGULATION

Texas Judge Partially Voids DOL's ERISA Rollover Rule

By Patrick Hoff

A Texas federal judge partially invalidated an investment advice regulation from President Donald Trump's first administration involving employee retirement savings and rollover transactions, ruling the U.S. Department of Labor exceeded its authority when it handed down a new interpretation of federal benefits law.

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House Dem Says FCC Must Follow Law On DEI Probes

By Christopher Cole

A House Democrat who helps oversee the Federal Communications Commission says agency chief Brendan Carr must avoid any hint of targeting companies' diversity initiatives for political reasons rather than legal rationale against discrimination.

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Navigation Co. Says Study 'Validates' GPS Backup Plan

By Tom Lotshaw

Geolocation company NextNav Inc. told the Federal Communications Commission in a letter Wednesday that detractors of its proposal to use the lower 900 MHz spectrum to deploy an Earth-based backstop for the Global Positioning System have raised unfounded concerns and mischaracterized an engineering study supporting its proposal.

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Broadcast Groups Want Status Quo On AM Band Licenses

By Jared Foretek

AM broadcasters urged the Federal Communications Commission to allow them to continue dual operations in both the expanded and standard AM bands, telling the commission in a new filing that it should go ahead and shut down two AM-related dockets if it means that the status quo is maintained.

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ENFORCEMENT

States Fine Payment Co. Wise $4.2M Over Compliance Lapses

By Sarah Jarvis

Wise has agreed to pay $4.2 million and take various remediating actions to end six states' claims that the global money transfer fintech had inadequate anti-money laundering programs.

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Tegna To Pay $222K To Resolve FCC Probe Into Obscene Video

By Nadia Dreid

Broadcast giant Tegna has agreed to pay more than $222,000 to put an end to an inquiry that began almost four years ago when an unknown party played a 13-second pornographic video clip during an evening weather report on a Spokane, Washington, news station.

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Brief

Mass. Man Agrees To $10K Fine For Pirate Radio Stations

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission slapped a $10,000 fine on a Massachusetts man in a consent decree for operating pirate radio stations from three locations, though it was a reduction from the nearly $598,000 fine the FCC initially proposed.

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LITIGATION

9th Circ. Backs Geico Win In COVID Auto Rebate Class Action

By Gina Kim

The Ninth Circuit affirmed Geico's victory in a certified class action alleging it owed additional refunds to drivers who overpaid their auto insurance premiums during COVID-19 stay-home orders, ruling on Wednesday that Geico charged rates that were previously approved by California's insurance commissioner, which bars the plaintiff's state Unfair Competition Law claim.

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Apple Tees Up Bid To End App Store Antitrust Class Action

By Matthew Perlman

Apple is preparing to file a summary judgment motion in California federal court seeking to end claims from a class of more than 185 million users in a long-running case accusing it of monopolizing the distribution of apps on its devices.

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Groups Ask 9th Circ. To Sink EPA Pesticide Seed Exemption

By Juan-Carlos Rodriguez

Green groups on Wednesday asked the Ninth Circuit to revive their lawsuit alleging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is violating federal law by failing to regulate pesticide-coated crop seeds.

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Texas Cop's Estate Can't Redo Trial Over Accidental Evidence

By Mike Curley

A Texas federal judge turned down a new trial bid from the estate of a Texas police officer who alleged he suffered carbon monoxide poisoning because of a defect in his Ford-made patrol vehicle, saying the inadvertent admission of a chart into evidence toward the close of trial is not enough to show prejudice.

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Student Loan Lender Settles AI Bias, Fair Lending Claims

By Sydney Price

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell on Thursday said her office has reached a $2.5 million deal with a Delaware-based student loan company to settle allegations that it utilized artificial intelligence models that could disproportionately harm Black and Hispanic applicants.

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Bettors Fight To Keep Suit Over DraftKings Promos Afloat

By Alex Lawson

DraftKings customers alleging the online betting giant's advertisements fuel gambling addiction are pushing to keep their proposed class action against the company alive, throwing water on its effort to escape the lawsuit by leaning on its extensive disclaimers and fine print.

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Judge Trims IP Claims In Voice Actors' Suit Against AI Co.

By Ivan Moreno

A New York federal judge ruled Thursday that two voice actors accusing an artificial intelligence startup of cloning their voices for narration software without permission can proceed with their state-level claims, but their trademark and most of their copyright claims must be dismissed for now.

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Brief

Calif. Vape Co. Drops Claims Over Allegedly Counterfeit G Pen

By Jonathan Capriel

California-based GS Holistic LLC has reached a deal with a Michigan smoke shop that will end claims the retailer was selling counterfeit versions of its G Pen e-cigarettes without authorization at a fraction of the price, according to a notice issued by a federal judge.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

Examining TCPA Jurisprudence A Year After Loper Bright

One year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Chevron deference in Loper Bright v. Raimondo, lower court decisions demonstrate that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act will continue to evolve as long-standing interpretations of the act are analyzed with a fresh lens, says Aaron Gallardo at Kilpatrick.

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Capital One Deal Approval Lights Up Path For Bank M&A

The federal banking regulators' recent approval of Capital One's acquisition of Discover signals the agencies' willingness to approve large transactions and a more favorable environment generally for bank mergers under the Trump administration, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

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Gauging The Risky Business Of Business Risk Disclosures

With the recent rise of securities fraud actions based on external events — like a data breach or environmental disaster — that drive down stock prices, risk disclosures have become more of a sword for the plaintiffs bar than a shield for public companies, now the subject of a growing circuit split, say attorneys at A&O Shearman.

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Series

Georgia Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

The second quarter brought a number of significant legislative and regulatory changes for Georgia banking, including an extension of the intangibles tax exemption for short-term notes, modernization of routine regulatory practices, and new guardrails against mortgage trigger leads, says Walter Jones at Balch & Bingham.

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Series

Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

VC Giant Andreessen Rips Del. Courts, Plans Move To Nev.

By Rae Ann Varona

Venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz on Wednesday announced plans to reincorporate in Nevada, saying that it was no longer a "no-brainer" to launch a company and incorporate in the historically corporate-friendly state of Delaware.

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Dems Say 3rd Circ. Nominee Urged DOJ To Ignore Courts

By Courtney Bublé

Senate Democrats on the Judiciary Committee on Thursday unveiled 150 pages of documents, which they say substantiate whistleblower allegations against Third Circuit nominee Emil Bove and raise concerns about his conduct during his tenure at the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Another Atty Sanctioned For Allegedly Hallucinated Case Law

By Andrea Keckley

A Florida judge on Wednesday issued a blistering order against an attorney who became the latest of many to face sanctions over filings with case law suspected of being hallucinated by generative artificial intelligence, ordering him to take AI ethics courses and repay opposing counsel's fees.

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Trump Taps Holland & Hart Partner For Montana Bench

By Lauren Berg

President Donald Trump announced on social media Thursday he has chosen a Holland & Hart LLP partner and veteran government attorney to serve on the federal bench in Montana.

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Senate Tees Up 6th Circ. Nom Vote As 1st Of 2nd Trump Term

By Courtney Bublé

The first judicial confirmation of the second Trump administration was readied on Thursday, with the U.S. Senate voting 51-43 to end debate on the nomination of Whitney Hermandorfer to the Sixth Circuit.

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Judge Blocks Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order Nationwide

By Britain Eakin

A New Hampshire federal judge on Thursday issued a nationwide block of President Donald Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship, and granted certification to a nationwide class that will cover all affected children born in the U.S.

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Analysis

5 Employee Benefits Takeaways On The GOP Tax Bill

By Kellie Mejdrich

Congressional Republicans' sweeping tax and policy bill, which President Donald Trump sought and then signed, contains multiple provisions that caught the attention of employee benefits and executive compensation attorneys, including new changes to high-deductible health plans and an employer-side deduction limit affecting highly compensated employees. Here are five takeaways from employee benefits and executive compensation attorneys on what's in — and out of — the GOP megabill.

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LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

A&O Shearman

Arnold & Porter

Balch & Bingham

Bryan Cave

Bush Seyferth

Carmody MacDonald

Coblentz Patch

Complex Appellate Litigation Group

Covington & Burling

Davis Wright Tremaine

Duane Morris

Gibson Dunn

Groom Law Group

Holland & Hart

Holland & Knight

Hoppin Grinsell

Hueston Hennigan

Husch Blackwell

Jenner & Block

Keller Postman

Kellogg Hansen

Kilpatrick Townsend

King & Spalding

Loevy & Loevy

McCarthy & Kelly

McDermott Will & Emery

Morrison & Foerster

Nichols Kaster

Paul Weiss

Pollock Cohen

Poulin Willey

Quinn Emanuel

Rimon PC

Seyfarth Shaw

Simon Paschal

Skadden Arps

Snell & Wilmer

Stephan Zouras

Tauler Smith

Thompson Coe

Troutman

WilmerHale

Wolf Haldenstein

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

23andMe Inc.

AT&T Inc.

Adidas AG

Amalgamated Bank

Amazon.com Inc.

American Civil Liberties Union

American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts

American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire

American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees

American Federation of Teachers

Andreessen Horowitz LLC

Apple Inc.

Asian American Center for Advancing Justice

Bloomingdale's Inc.

Boehringer Ingelheim Corp.

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc.

Capital One Financial Corp.

Chevron Corp.

Comcast Corp.

Converse Inc.

Credit Suisse Group AG

Democracy Forward Foundation

Discover Bank

Discover Financial Services Inc.

DraftKings Inc.

EE Ltd.

Epic Games Inc.

Ford Motor Co.

Frontier Communications Parent Inc.

Geico Corp.

Halliburton Co.

Harvard University

Icebreaker Health Inc.

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Inc.

Koch Foods

Los Angeles Times

M&T Bank Corp.

Meta Platforms Inc.

Metronet

NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund Inc.

Natural Resources Defense Council

PYMNTS

Papa John's International Inc.

Pfizer Inc.

QuinStreet Inc.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Root Inc.

Salesforce.com Inc.

Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television & Radio Artists

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

Tegna Inc.

Tellabs, Inc.

Tesla Inc.

The Walt Disney Co.

TripAdvisor Inc.

Tyson Foods Inc.

Verizon Communications Inc.

Wayne Farms LLC

YouTube Inc.

Yum Brands Inc.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

California Attorney General's Office

California Department of Justice

California Department of Public Health

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Department of Financial Protection & Innovation

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Executive Office of the President

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Federal Reserve System

Federal Trade Commission

Food and Drug Administration

Georgia Department of Banking & Finance

Georgia General Assembly

National Labor Relations Board

New York Department of Financial Services

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

Social Security Administration

Supreme Court of Nevada

Tennessee Attorney General's Office

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. Department of State

U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington

U.S. District Court of the District of New Hampshire

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

United States District Court for the District of Montana

United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio