3rd Circ. Weighs If AR-15s Are 'Dangerous,' 'Unusual' Arms

By P.J. D'Annunzio

The full Third Circuit on Wednesday quizzed counsel in a gun rights case about whether AR-15s, other widely owned semi-automatic firearms, and high-capacity magazines should be considered so "dangerous" or "unusual" as to not be protected by the Second Amendment, with the panel giving no clear leanings as to how it might rule.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Chancery 'Rewrote' $3.4B Merger Deal, J&J Tells Del. Justices

By Carla Baranauckas

Johnson & Johnson told the Delaware Supreme Court on Wednesday that the Chancery Court "rewrote" its $3.4 billion agreement for the acquisition of surgical robotics firm Auris Health, wrongly using the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing to impose obligations the company never accepted.

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

Glock Loses Bid To Toss New Jersey AG's Gun Violence Suit

By Emily Field

A New Jersey state judge has declined to dismiss a suit brought by the state's attorney general seeking to hold Glock Inc. liable for gun violence, finding that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in a case brought by Mexico against gunmakers doesn't bar the state's claims.

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

AGs Concerned About Landlord Settlements In RealPage Case

By Isaac Monterose

Attorneys general of the District of Columbia and three states told a Tennessee federal court Wednesday that they have concerns about a combined $141.8 million worth of class settlements for antitrust claims against several multifamily landlords that allegedly used property management software company RealPage Inc.'s technology for rent price-fixing.

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

Seward & Kissel Faces Bid To Expand NJ Malpractice Suit

By Jake Maher

The wife of a co-founder of hedge fund Two Sigma Investments LP asked a New Jersey state court this week to expand her malpractice suit against Seward & Kissel LLP with counts of fraud and conspiracy to defraud, based on documents turned up in discovery.

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

States Seek To Revive FEMA's Disaster-Mitigation Funding

By Ganesh Setty

A group of 22 states and the District of Columbia urged a Massachusetts federal court Wednesday to block the Trump administration's termination of a disaster mitigation program under the Federal Emergency Management Agency, arguing such authority lies with Congress.

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

3rd Circ. Clears Cannabis REIT In Investor Fraud Suit

By Katryna Perera

The Third Circuit on Wednesday affirmed the dismissal of a securities fraud class action against a cannabis-focused real estate investment trust that alleged the trust violated securities laws by ignoring red flags about a tenant, with the panel finding that investors failed to show they were intentionally misled.

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

Roundup

3rd Circ. Preview: US Atty, Columbia Activist, Ex-Union Prez

By Matthew Santoni

The Third Circuit's late October arguments will include two nationally watched cases scrutinizing President Donald Trump's power to name "interim" government officials and his promise to deport foreign nationals who allegedly supported Hamas or took part in protests against Israel's war in Gaza.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Client Service

Law school teaches you how to interpret the law, but it doesn't teach you some of the key ways to keeping clients satisfied, lessons that I've learned in the most unexpected of places: a book on how to be a butler, says Gregory Ramos at Armstrong Teasdale.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-Trump Aide Bolton Indicted Over Classified Info Handling

By Lauren Berg

John Bolton, the former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, was indicted Thursday by a Maryland federal grand jury on charges related to the handling of classified information.

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

Judge Shields Migrants From ICE After Courthouse Arrests

By Bonnie Eslinger

A California federal judge on Thursday barred U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from detaining two asylum-seeking mothers without notice and a hearing, ruling the agency's courthouse arrest tactics likely violate due process.

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

Many NY Trial Judges Elevated In Secret, Report Finds

By Frank G. Runyeon

Hundreds of New York state judges are permanently elevated to top trial courts via a secretive appointment process, according to a report released Thursday.

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

Analysis

Why Ethics Complaints Against Halligan Face 'Very High Bar'

By Phillip Bantz

Interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan for the Eastern District of Virginia could face bar disciplinary action or court sanctions if the prosecutions she's pursuing at President Donald Trump's behest are found to be politically motivated or baseless, although proving ethics allegations will be an uphill battle, experts say.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-Va. Federal Prosecutor Joins NY AG James' Defense Team

By Lauren Berg

The former deputy criminal chief for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Norfolk, Virginia, Thursday joined the team defending New York Attorney General Letitia James in the government's case accusing her of mortgage-related fraud, filed after the president encouraged prosecutors to take action against his "guilty as hell" political opponents.

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

5th Circ. Calls For Narrow Sanctions In Southwest Bias Fight

By Grace Elletson

The Fifth Circuit stood by its decision to scuttle a contempt order mandating religious bias training for attorneys representing Southwest Airlines in a flight attendant's discrimination suit, but tweaked a May panel ruling to instruct a trial court to impose "narrowly tailored" sanctions.

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

Saul Ewing Asks For End To Ex-Conrail CEO's Legal Mal Suit

By P.J. D'Annunzio

Following a federal court decision upholding an $11 million arbitration award against former Conrail CEO David LeVan that stemmed from a failed Gettysburg casino project, Saul Ewing has urged a Philadelphia judge to find that LeVan is time-barred from bringing his malpractice case against the firm, in which he accused it of poorly advising him during the fallout of the collapsed deal.

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

IRS Agents Lose Defamation Suit Against Hunter Biden's Atty

By Anna Scott Farrell

An attorney who defended Hunter Biden against criminal tax charges was only expressing his legal opinion when he accused Internal Revenue Service agents of illegally disclosing his client's private tax information, a D.C. federal judge ruled in dismissing the agents' complaint for defamation.

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

Analysis

Kirk-Related Visa Revocations May Rub Against Court Rulings

By Britain Eakin

The Trump administration's revocation of visas from individuals who criticized Charlie Kirk after his death raises First Amendment concerns that could run up against a recent federal court ruling holding that noncitizens have the same free speech rights as U.S. citizens.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Bannon Tells Justices Legal Advice Dooms Contempt Rap

By Cara Salvatore

A lawyer's advice to Steve Bannon not to respond to a congressional subpoena over the Jan. 6 insurrection means he couldn't have "willfully" flouted the subpoena and negates his conviction, the onetime Trump adviser has told the U.S. Supreme Court.

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

Justices Told Presidential Firing Limits Rely On 'Soured' Logic

By Katie Buehler

President Donald Trump and a cadre of supporters have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to wipe out what remains of a 90-year-old ruling that empowers Congress to prohibit the president from firing certain agency officials at will, arguing the decision was flawed when originally issued and is now well past its prime. 

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

US Chamber Sues To Block Trump's $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee

By Jared Foretek

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sued the Trump administration on Thursday to block a planned increase in the cost of highly coveted H-1B visas, saying the proposed $100,000 fee would have a "devastating effect" on American businesses, particularly those in the tech, healthcare, higher education and manufacturing sectors.

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

ABA Says Attys Must Be Clear About Neutrality In Mediations

By Emily Sawicki

Attorneys who agree to work as neutral, third-party mediators must make it explicitly clear that they are not advising or holding privilege with participants, the American Bar Association has warned in its latest ethics opinion.

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

Brief

US Attorney Nominations For Missouri And Indiana Advance

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to approve, along party lines, two U.S. attorney nominees for Missouri and Indiana on Thursday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »