FCC Approves Windstream-Uniti Tie-Up

By Jared Foretek

The Federal Communications Commission signed off on Windstream's merger with Uniti Group Inc. on Wednesday, approving the transfer of Windstream, Uniti and their respective subsidiaries to the newly formed New Windstream LLC.

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

Bills On Both Sides Of Capitol Hill Seek Tech Deployment Help

By Christopher Cole

Rural wireless companies praised the recent filing of bills in both chambers of Congress to expand responsibility for funding phone and broadband subsidies to edge providers and tech companies, saying the programs are "no longer sustainable" without more revenue sources.

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

Sens., AGs Unite To Raise Alarm On State AI Moratorium

By Allison Grande

A sweeping proposal being considered by Congress to strip states of the ability to regulate artificial intelligence for a decade would do more harm than good, especially if there continues to be no similar protections in place at the federal level, a bipartisan quartet of U.S. senators and state attorneys general said Wednesday. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Mississippi Social Media Law Blocked Again By Federal Judge

By Craig Clough

A Mississippi federal judge reinstated a preliminary injunction Wednesday that blocks a state law requiring digital service providers to verify users' ages and social media platforms to acquire parental consent for a minor's account, preventing it from taking effect after the Fifth Circuit lifted the court's previous injunction.

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

Brief

Senate Adds Full 5-Year Term For New FCC Commissioner

By Christopher Cole

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Olivia Trusty, a newly added member of the Federal Communications Commission, to serve another five years in addition to the term ending June 30 that lawmakers had approved the day before.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump Set To Delay TikTok Sale-Or-Ban Deadline For 3rd Time

By Allison Grande

President Donald Trump is planning to extend for an additional 90 days a looming deadline for TikTok to cut ties with its Chinese parent company or face a nationwide ban, according to the White House, which said that the administration would use the extra time to finalize a deal to keep the popular social media app from going dark. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

India Says Justices' Ruling Doesn't Change Its $156M Appeal

By Joyce Hanson

India has told the D.C. Circuit that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision involving personal jurisdiction under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act does not address whether it is entitled to constitutional due process protections as it fights a nearly $156 million judgment against it.

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

Seychelles Co. Brings $22M Guinea Award To DC Circ.

By Ali Sullivan

A consulting company is asking the D.C. Circuit to revive its bid to enforce a $22 million arbitration award against the Republic of Guinea, contending that the lower court was wrong to toss the case on jurisdictional grounds.

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

FTC, Amazon Trade Blows Over Attempts To End Prime Case

By Rachel Riley

The Federal Trade Commission and Amazon have slammed one another in federal court filings over their competing bids to win regulators' case targeting Prime subscription enrollment practices, continuing to spar over the applicability of a consumer protection law shielding online shoppers.

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

Judge Warns Overeager Samsung, ZTE Attys Not To Bug Staff

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge has issued a short, stern warning to counsel in Samsung's antitrust fight against ZTE over its standard essential patents' licensing practices, telling counsel not to contact court staff again about the status of their pending stipulation and noting "future improper communications to court staff may result in sanctions."

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Altice France Files Ch. 15 In New York With $22B In Debt

By Yun Park

Telecom company Altice France SA has asked a New York bankruptcy judge to recognize its French insolvency, saying it has over €19.2 billion ($22 billion) in debt and citing pressures from rising costs and increased competition.

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

DOJ Defends Using Written Depos In HPE-Juniper Merger Trial

By Jared Foretek

The U.S. Department of Justice is defending its proposal to include written deposition testimony into the record for its upcoming antitrust trial against Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks, saying that playing depositions live would waste crucial time in what is scheduled to be an eight-day trial.

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

Space And Satellite Partner Jodi Goldberg Joins Pillsbury In DC

By Madeline Lyskawa

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP announced Wednesday that the firm is bolstering its communications practice with the addition of Jodi Goldberg, a new partner in its Washington, D.C., office.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Teaching Yourself Legal Tech

New graduates often enter practice unfamiliar with even basic professional software, but budding lawyers can use on-the-job opportunities to both catch up on technological skills and explore the advanced legal and artificial intelligence tools that will open doors, says Alyssa Sones at Sheppard Mullin.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

'Absolutely Disgusting': Litigant's Stashed Gum Irks Judge

By Hailey Konnath

A Florida federal judge admonished a plaintiff for sticking her chewed gum to a courtroom table, leading to a federal prosecutor getting the gum stuck to her skirt later, calling it "absolutely disgusting" and saying he "never dreamed" he would have to "write an order like this."

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

9th Circ. Backs 'Legitimate' Bar Membership Admission Rules

By Lauren Berg

The Ninth Circuit on Friday tossed a challenge to local rules in district courts in the circuit requiring lawyers to be bar members in the state where the court is located in order to seek general admission, saying admission rules aren't unconstitutional and there are several "legitimate reasons" for the rule.

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

In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton and Andrea Keckley

WilmerHale leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Federal Circuit vacated a $300 million patent infringement jury verdict against Apple, based on instructions by a Texas federal judge that the appellate court panel determined to be erroneous.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Feature

Current And Former GCs Urge Law Grads To 'Rise Up'

By Michele Gorman

From sharing details about being part of the first class of female graduates at Washington and Lee University School of Law to explaining how a middle-school teaching job led to obtaining a law degree, five commencement speakers — all current or former general counsel — recently shared their wisdom for the next generation of attorneys.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump Taps Atty Dropped By Biden For Eastern Ky. Fed. Court

By Ali Sullivan

President Donald Trump has announced plans to nominate former Kentucky Solicitor General Chad Meredith to serve as a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NJ Court Greenlights Beasley Allen Attys In Talc Litigation

By George Woolston

A New Jersey state judge will allow two Beasley Allen Law Firm attorneys to represent a California couple in their suit accusing Johnson & Johnson of selling carcinogenic talc-based baby powder and appear pro hac vice despite the company's vehement opposition.

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

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Sue Reisinger

A new report showed a dip in the average size of corporate legal teams over the last year, and an attorney focused on special purpose acquisition companies is predicting the Trump administration's friendly stance on cryptocurrency will spawn a wave of new cryptocurrency-related ventures going public in the coming months. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Attys Face Sanctions For 'Sweeping' Copying Of Firm's Motion

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge has ordered The Neil Jones Food Co.'s defense counsel to explain why she shouldn't sanction them for filing a dismissal motion that appears to plagiarize a losing motion filed by another firm in another case in the district, slamming the "sweeping copy and paste" conduct as "patently unacceptable."

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

Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Laura Stewart Liberty

This past week in London has seen Pogust Goodhead face legal action from mining giant BHP Group, Trainline bring a procurement claim against the Department for Transport, Sworders auction house sue Conservative peer Patricia Rawlings, and Nokia hit with a patents claim by Hisense. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »