1st Circ. Revives Constitutional Challenges To RI Pot Scheme

By Sam Reisman

The First Circuit on Tuesday said a federal judge erred in dismissing a pair of constitutional challenges to Rhode Island's cannabis licensure program, and ordered the lower court to promptly weigh the merits of the cases before regulators award retail marijuana licenses.

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Mass. Justices Clarify Access To Sealed Records For Appeals

By Julie Manganis

A Massachusetts law intended to give defendants acquitted of criminal charges a fresh start by automatically sealing a court's record does not prevent them or their attorneys from accessing the files, the state's high court ruled on Tuesday.

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Feds Say Judge's Review Of Third Party Removals Is Barred

By Tom Lotshaw

The Trump administration has called on a Massachusetts federal judge to toss a class action challenging a policy to deport noncitizens to countries they don't have ties to, arguing the suit is "barred multiple times over" under federal statutes.

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Medical AI Co. Accused Of 'Smear Campaign' Against Rivals

By Julie Manganis

Two rivals of medical artificial intelligence platform OpenEvidence have told a Massachusetts federal judge the startup has used the courts in a campaign of "deceit, harassment and defamation" against competitors.

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HUD Housing Aid Limits Will Drive Homelessness, States Say

By Rachel Riley

Washington and 19 other states launched a lawsuit Tuesday against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Rhode Island federal court, seeking to stop abrupt policy changes they claim will result in tens of thousands of formerly homeless people being ousted from publicly subsidized housing and onto the streets.

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Cruz Says Biden DOT Pressured Airports To House Migrants

By Britain Eakin

A new report spearheaded by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, concluded that the Biden administration pressured several airports to house migrants and let poorly vetted migrants board domestic flights, despite security risks associated with doing so.

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Veralto Nabs In-Situ Water Quality Biz In $435M Deal

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Water industry company Veralto on Tuesday announced plans to acquire water quality company In-Situ in a $435 million deal, subject to customary closing adjustments.

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1st Circ. Offers Diversity Jurisdiction Lessons For Assignees

A recent First Circuit opinion in Gore v. SLSCO, dismissing a case after years of litigation, serves as a cautionary tale about what can go wrong if an assignee has not alleged sufficient facts to demonstrate there is complete diversity jurisdiction, says Ray Gauvreau at Robinson & Cole.

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NBA Gambling Probes Highlight Sports Betting's Broad Risks

Recent NBA gambling scandals illustrate the integrity risks arising from legal sports betting, but organizations, which must navigate a patchwork of state laws, can protect their reputations by drafting and enforcing internal policies to address betting-related risks and complying with league and institutional rules, say attorneys at Littler.

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Considerations When Invoking The Common-Interest Privilege

To successfully leverage the common-interest doctrine in a multiparty transaction or complex litigation, practitioners should be able to demonstrate that the parties intended for it to apply, that an underlying privilege like attorney-client has attached, and guard against disclosures that could waive privilege and defeat its purpose, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

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Bonus Spotlight

Magic Circle Firms Enchant Associates With Top-Tier Bonuses

By Tracey Read

U.S. associates at Linklaters LLP and Clifford Chance LLP have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season, as the Magic Circle firms Wednesday became the latest to match the BigLaw standard for this year's associate bonuses.

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Analysis

After Big Win For 2 Trump Foes, A Third Faces 'Tougher Job'

By Phillip Bantz

The recent dismissal of federal criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI director James Comey does little to help President Donald Trump's ex-national security adviser John Bolton, whose defense in a classified-materials case presents a thornier set of legal and factual issues, experts say.

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Roundup

Up Next At High Court: ISP Liability & State Subpoena Suits

By Katie Buehler

The U.S. Supreme Court will return Monday for the first week of its December oral argument session, during which the justices will consider whether internet service providers can be held liable for contributing to their customers' infringing activity online and whether the subjects of state subpoenas are required to first challenge them in state court. 

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Interview

For Covington's Adrian Perry, Music Is A Family Affair

By Theresa Schliep

Despite having a famous rock star dad, Covington & Burling LLP partner Adrian J. Perry wasn't all that interested in being a musician as a young child, but he knew as early as 6 years old that he wanted to be a lawyer.

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Analysis

Calif. Privacy Agency Gaining Steam Ahead Of 5th Anniversary

By Allison Grande

California's data privacy regulator has taken several notable steps in recent months, including handing down its first penalty upward of $1 million dollars and finalizing long-awaited rules on topics such as cybersecurity audits and technologies that use artificial intelligence, and the groundbreaking agency shows no signs of slowing down as its fifth anniversary approaches. 

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Split 6th Circ. Shields Baker Donelson, Not City Councilman

By Matt Perez

In a published opinion, the Sixth Circuit has found that Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC is shielded by qualified immunity as outside counsel for the city of Nashville in litigation over the law firm's firing of a city election commission chair and member of the firm.

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Foley & Lardner Hit With Malpractice Suit Over Chancery Loss

By Rose Krebs

Foley & Lardner LLP has been sued in Delaware Superior Court by three officers of a now-defunct food recycling company who say the firm was negligent when representing them in a Chancery Court case that led to a $1.6 million judgment against them and another officer.

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DOJ Asks Court If It Can Release Epstein Files Under New Law

By Lauren Berg

The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking a New York federal court's permission to publicly release the files related to the investigation of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, clarifying Wednesday that it wants to release search warrant results, travel and financial records, police reports, and other materials.

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Keesal Young Poaching Suit Against Stradley Ronon Trimmed

By Madison Arnold

A California state judge cleared Keesal Young & Logan to pursue most of its lawsuit alleging Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young crossed the line when it recruited 10 former Keesal Young attorneys, finding that claims such as inducing breach of contract could move forward, in part, because of conversations among the attorneys.

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DOJ Says Ex-Employees Can't Challenge Firings In Fed. Court

By Rose Krebs

The government says a D.C. federal court lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate a lawsuit filed by a former assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted defendants charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and two other ex-Department of Justice employees, alleging they were unlawfully fired.

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Hub Hires: Todd & Weld, Freshfields, Shipman

By Julie Manganis

It was a busy November in Boston's legal community as another firm expanded into the market, and a longtime judge traded his gavel for the ability to address his growing concerns about the Trump administration.

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