Justices Probe Limits Of Deference In Asylum Cases

By Britain Eakin

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday grappled with when courts can review the Board of Immigration Appeals' persecution findings, showing little appetite for allowing courts to routinely second-guess agency expertise while expressing concern that the government was advocating for too much deference.

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States, DHS File For Settlement On Sharing Data To Vet Voters

By Tom Lotshaw

The Trump administration pledged to improve a citizenship and immigration status verification system to end litigation brought by Florida and other states, which alleged it was not sharing data needed to assess voter eligibility.

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Boasberg Orders Declarations From Feds In Contempt Probe

By Tom Lotshaw

A D.C. federal judge considering whether the Trump administration willfully defied a court order temporarily blocking it from removing Venezuelans under a seldom-invoked, centuries-old wartime statute has given the government until Friday to submit declarations from officials involved.

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Ex-Immigration Judge Accuses DOJ Of Political Retaliation

By Dorothy Atkins

A former Ohio immigration judge sued the U.S. Department of Justice in D.C. federal court Monday, alleging she was discriminated against and unconstitutionally fired for her liberal political beliefs while slamming the Trump administration's recent "unprecedented assault" against longstanding civil service laws that protect millions of federal employees.

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9th Circ. Rejects Asylum Bid From Sikh Party Supporter

By Lauren Berg

An Indian man who says he was assaulted in his home country for participating in a Sikh political party cannot seek asylum in the U.S., the Ninth Circuit ruled Monday, saying he hasn't established persecution, while one judge called for a U.S. Supreme Court "course correction" ironing out the appropriate review standard.

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Feds Ask 7th Circ. To Toss 'Untenable' Use Of Force Injunction

By Celeste Bott

The Seventh Circuit should reverse an "untenable" preliminary injunction a Chicago federal judge entered to curb immigration officials' allegedly excessive force for all of the same scope and standing issues it flagged when it paused the order a couple of weeks ago, the federal government argued in a brief made public Monday.

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Series

The Law Firm Merger Diaries: How To Build On Cultural Fit

Law firm mergers should start with people, then move to strategy: A two-level screening that puts finding a cultural fit at the pinnacle of the process can unearth shared values that are instrumental to deciding to move forward with a combination, says Matthew Madsen at Harrison.

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Bonus Spotlight

Sheppard Mullin To Offer Larger Bonuses To Busy Associates

By Kevin Penton

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP associates who labored past 2,000 hours in 2025 can expect to see a little extra in their upcoming bonus checks, according to an internal memo obtained by Law360.

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Hagens Berman Referred To DOJ For Alleged Misconduct

By Emma Cueto

A Pennsylvania federal judge on Tuesday recommended to the U.S. Department of Justice that it investigate powerhouse plaintiffs firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP's conduct in connection with several since-dropped product liability cases that a special master found to be filed in bad faith.

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King & Spalding Atty Dies In Mountain Climbing Accident

By Kelcey Caulder

People at King & Spalding LLP are mourning after an appellate attorney from the firm and a mountain guide fell to their deaths climbing New Zealand's tallest mountain.

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Approach The Bench: Judge Robart On Living Under Threats

By Cara Bayles and Steven Trader

It's been nearly nine years since U.S. District Judge James Robart blocked President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order barring travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, and though the judge has had a long career — including groundbreaking patent and securities decisions — he still occasionally gets recognized as that "so-called judge."

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Twitter Investors Lose Bid To DQ Musk Counsel Spiro

By Katryna Perera

A California federal judge has denied an attempt by Twitter investors to have Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP partner Alex Spiro disqualified from serving as both lead counsel for Elon Musk and a witness in a trial over claims that Musk tried to tank Twitter's stock.

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Dentons Sees Ex-Partner's Appeal Nixed In California

By Caroline Simson

California's highest court has quietly tossed litigation filed by a former Dentons partner who was fired over a $34 million contingency fee due from a Chinese client following an arbitration matter, several months after advising the parties to prepare for oral arguments.

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The Top In-House Hires Of November

By Sue Reisinger

Elon Musk's xAI has a new but familiar general counsel, while several sports groups — including the New York Mets, PGA of America and the SEC college athletic conference — also brought on new legal leaders in November.

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SDNY Head Backs Good Deals For Quick Cooperation By Cos.

By Stewart Bishop

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton on Tuesday said he's prepared to offer "real benefits" to corporations facing criminal investigations if they quickly agree to cooperate and compensate victims, ideally in the form of comprehensive, government-wide resolutions.

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Exclusive

14 Ex-Lawmakers Tell USPTO Proposed Rules Violate The Law

By Ryan Davis

A group of 14 former members of Congress, including America Invents Act sponsor Patrick Leahy, has told the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that the agency's proposal to restrict many patent challenges "violates foundational American legal principles and the AIA."

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Monthly Merger Review Snapshot

By Matthew Perlman

The FTC urged a D.C. court to block a deal involving a new heart valve treatment, and courts rejected the commission's monopolization case over Meta's past acquisitions and the agency's challenge of a medical device coatings deal. Here, Law360 looks at the major merger review developments from November.

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2 New Judges Confirmed To NC Federal Court

By Courtney Bublé

The U.S. Senate confirmed two federal judges for North Carolina on Tuesday.

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