Justices To Defend Court's Budget In Rare Hill Testimony

By Courtney Bublé

U.S. Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan will testify before House and Senate committees on July 14, marking the first time in seven years that a sitting justice has gone before lawmakers.

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DOJ's 2020 Fulton County Election Staff Subpoena Quashed

By Rae Ann Varona

A Georgia federal judge Tuesday quashed a U.S. Department of Justice grand jury subpoena for names and other information of those in Fulton County who worked during the 2020 general election, saying it was too late for the DOJ to possibly prosecute anyone for any related election crimes.

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11th Circ. Upholds Block of Fla. 'Stop WOKE' Law

By David Minsky

The Eleventh Circuit upheld a lower court's preliminary injunction on a Florida law that restricts classroom discussion of race and gender, finding on Tuesday that the law violates the First Amendment's free speech protections. 

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9th Circ. Appears Icy Toward Calif. Captive Meeting Law

By Vin Gurrieri

The Ninth Circuit seemed hesitant Tuesday to unblock a 2-year-old California law that prohibits employers from punishing workers for skipping what are commonly known as captive audience meetings in which companies convey views about political or religious topics, with two judges suggesting that the statute infringes on employers' free speech rights.  

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Dem Sens. Probe CEOs On Trump-IRS Settlement Immunity

By Asha Glover & Sarah Jarvis

Three senior Democratic senators are investigating whether several companies with ties to President Donald Trump are benefiting from what they alleged was immunity for him, his family and his businesses in the settlement he reached with the Internal Revenue Service. 

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States Sue Again Over New Limits On Homeless Housing Aid

By Julie Manganis

A coalition of 21 states and the District of Columbia took the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development back to court on Tuesday over the Trump administration's renewed effort to restrict funding for programs that provide permanent housing and support services to homeless people.

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Sony Bank's Crypto Charter Bid Clears 1st OCC Hurdle

By Aislinn Keely

Sony's online banking unit is a step closer to setting up a crypto-focused U.S. trust company with a preliminary conditional charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

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Feds Say Delay Undercuts Bid To Halt Mojave Mine Restart

By Crystal Owens

The U.S. Department of the Interior is fighting a bid by the National Parks Association to block a decision to renew gold mining within the Mojave National Preserve, telling a California district court that the group's delay in challenging the action undermines its effort to establish harm.

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5th Circ. Again Nixes Challenge To La. 340B Drug Delivery Law

By Gianna Ferrarin

A Fifth Circuit panel doubled down on its decision to uphold a Louisiana law prohibiting drug manufacturers from blocking contracts between pharmacies and providers in the federal 340B drug discount program, reiterating that conclusion upon rehearing but this time allowing intervention by an advocacy group.

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Fla. Hospital Says Lilly's 340B Data Requirement Is Onerous

By Yeji Jesse Lee

A Florida hospital pushed back against pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly over the drugmaker's requirement that providers hand over drug dispensing data before federal price discounts are applied, saying the policy is overly burdensome.

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Brief

USPTO To Set Up Outreach Centers At Ga., Ala. HBCUs

By Adam Lidgett

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is planning to launch projects in Georgia and Alabama to connect historically Black colleges and universities in those states with partners to help develop and commercialize inventions.

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Brief

Legal Tech Co. Drops Suit After Anthropic Embargo Is Lifted

By Emily Sawicki

Legal tech company Legion has voluntarily dropped its claims against the Commerce Department over an order forcing artificial intelligence platform Anthropic to shut down two of its advanced models to foreigners, days after news broke that the government had rescinded the directive.

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Baltimore County Defends Bid For Bridge Economic Losses

By Linda Chiem

Baltimore County has told a Maryland federal judge that it's entitled to recover "concrete and calculable" economic damages and search-and-rescue expenses over the Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster, rejecting efforts to slash damages owed by the owner and manager of the cargo ship that rammed into the bridge.

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IOC Lets Russia Back Into Olympics Over Ukrainian Protests

By David Steele

The International Olympic Committee on Tuesday lifted the suspension of Russia and its athletes put in place shortly after the country invaded Ukraine, with Ukraine's Olympic committee saying that the IOC's move set "a dangerous precedent.''

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House Dems Push To Ban Judges From Prediction Markets

By Emily Sawicki

Ranking members of the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday called on the federal judiciary to ban judges from taking part in prediction markets amid growing concerns that court-related wagers could undermine judicial integrity.

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Kalshi Says Federal Law Bars Wash. 'Gambling' Clampdown

By Ben Adlin

Prediction market KalshiEX LLC urged a Washington state judge on Monday to reject state officials' effort to halt the company's operations under Washington gambling laws, arguing that federal law preempts the regulatory effort and that Washington has failed to show that the platform has caused meaningful harm.

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Data Co. Not Covered In Meta Glasses Privacy Suit, Court Told

By Hope Patti

A data annotation company accused of using private recordings collected by Meta's smart glasses to train artificial intelligence models is not entitled to insurance coverage, a Travelers unit told a California federal court, saying the company's policy bars coverage for the wrongful collection of protected personal information.

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Willow Bridge Reaches DOJ Deal To End Price-Fixing Claims

By Nate Beck

Dallas-based residential property manager Willow Bridge Property Co. has become the latest to reach a settlement with authorities in a North Carolina federal lawsuit accusing a host of landlords of fixing apartment prices using software from RealPage.

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NYC Hits Walgreens, 3 Others With $2.3M In Wage Fines

By MJ Koo

New York City has secured more than $2.3 million in settlements from four companies including Walgreens for violating worker scheduling and paid time off protections, the city's consumer and worker protection agency announced Monday.

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Ex-DOJ Employees Tell Senate To Reject Blanche Nomination

By Emily Sawicki

Hundreds of former Justice Department employees and appointees urged the Senate in a Tuesday letter to reject the nomination of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for the permanent role, particularly noting what they called Blanche's work toward politicizing the department.

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NJ Panel Backs Atty's Trimmed Government Pension Credits

By Grace Elletson

A New Jersey state appeals court said the state's public employee pension system was right to shave eight years of service off a government prosecutor's retirement credits, finding he couldn't skirt a change in law that blocked contractors of professional services from collecting benefits.

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Feds Push 3rd Circ. To Restore ACA Birth Control Exemptions

By Matthew Santoni

Lawyers for the Trump administration and a Catholic religious order Tuesday asked the Third Circuit to restore broad exemptions to the Affordable Care Act's birth control coverage mandate, arguing federal agencies had discretion to pass rules that effectively enabled employers to "opt in" to the mandate rather than opt out.

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NJ Union Loses Appeal In Insurance Opt-Out Arbitration Row

By Carla Baranauckas

A New Jersey appellate panel Tuesday affirmed a state labor agency's decision blocking arbitration over Essex County's refusal to pay health insurance opt-out reimbursements to correction officers who receive state health benefits through their spouses, finding state law preempted the union's grievance.

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CFPB Eyes Credit-Card Late Fees For Possible Rulemaking

By Jon Hill

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is readying a request for information on credit-card late fees, signaling a renewed look at an affordability issue that the agency's Biden-era $8 fee cap sought to address before banking industry opposition helped sink it in court.

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FTC Warns 7 Retailers About Unqualified 'U.S. Origin' Claims

By Gina Kim

The Federal Trade Commission announced Monday that it has notified seven retail businesses that sell drums, industrial laser machinery and e-cigarettes that they may be making unqualified "Made in  the USA" or "Made in Texas" claims about their respective products, and have advised them to comply with the agency's labeling rules. 

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NC Gov. Signs Delayed Budget Gutting Civil Legal Aid Grants

By Hayley Fowler

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein on Tuesday signed into law the state's long-overdue budget, which includes a provision that largely strips funding for civil legal aid services provided by the state's Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts program.

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10th Circ. Revives Voter Intimidation Suit Over Canvassing

By Benjamin Morse

The Tenth Circuit revived voter intimidation claims against three Colorado election activists and a private group they formed to investigate alleged voter fraud after the 2020 election, holding that a lower court wrongly tossed the group from the case and too narrowly limited evidence about its canvassing campaign.

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Illinois Cases To Watch In 2026: Midyear Report

By Celeste Bott

Mead Johnson is set to go to trial this summer in the first case to make it to a jury in multidistrict litigation claiming baby formula caused a serious gut illness in premature infants, while the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago is facing a possible sanctions hearing over prosecutorial misconduct allegations in two Illinois cases on attorneys' radar for the rest of the year.

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Trump Seeks High Court Rehearing In Carroll Case

By Cara Salvatore

President Donald Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider its decision to let stand a jury's $5 million verdict finding he sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room.

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5th Circ. Says Gov't May Be Liable For Steward's Truck Hit

By Braden Campbell

A Fifth Circuit panel said Tuesday that the government may owe damages to a woman a Customs and Border Protection agent and union officer struck with his truck, reversing a ruling that he was on an errand outside the scope of his work.

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Consumer Says Graco, Newell Owe Tariff Refunds

By Kelcey Caulder

Graco Children's Products Inc. and Newell Brands Inc. have been hit with a proposed class action in Georgia federal court over allegations that they retained windfall profits from unlawful tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

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Brief

Commerce Opens Duty-Free Moroccan Fertilizer Process

By Jack McLoone

The U.S. Department of Commerce said Tuesday it has begun accepting written requests from those looking to take advantage of a temporary suspension of countervailing duties on Moroccan phosphate fertilizer imports.

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Exxon Seeks $324M Judgment In Dispute On Qatar Deal Tax

By Asha Glover

Exxon asked a Texas federal court to rule that it's owed a $273 million tax refund and $51 million in penalties in a dispute with the U.S. government over the tax treatment of a natural gas deal with Qatar.

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DC Circ. Backs Tax Bribery Convictions Despite Jury Error

By Jack McLoone

A D.C. Circuit panel refused on Tuesday to reverse a lower court's judgments against two men in connection to a bribery scheme carried out to evade $2.3 million in business tax obligations, finding a jury instruction error "harmless," among other unsuccessful arguments.

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Analysis

Immigration Policy Marked By Uncertainty So Far In 2026

By Britain Eakin

Immigration policy in the first half of 2026 was confusing and unpredictable as attorneys navigated sudden and drastic policy shifts, including a requirement for green card hopefuls to apply from abroad and a freeze on immigration benefits for people from countries under a travel ban.

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Immigrant Groups Seek Block On TPS Work Permit Curbs

By Tom Lotshaw

Immigrant advocacy groups are asking a Massachusetts federal court to temporarily block a series of allegedly unlawful Trump administration policies that threaten to hinder the ability of thousands of temporary protected status holders and asylum-seekers to work and remain in the U.S.

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DHS Says Warrantless Entry Challengers Lack Injury

By Elaine Briseño

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security hit back at a lawsuit from three immigrant advocacy groups challenging a policy memo authorizing ICE officers to enter private homes without a judicial warrant, saying the groups have not been personally harmed.

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Connecticut And New Haven Deny Interfering With ICE Agents

By George Woolston

Connecticut and the city of New Haven said a suit from the federal government challenging policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement should be tossed, arguing that the policies do not interfere with or prevent federal immigration officers from carrying out their duties.

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US Illegally Sharing Asylum Seekers' Info With Iran, Suit Says

By Rae Ann Varona

The Trump administration is giving the Iranian government the confidential information of Iranians seeking asylum in the United States, ignoring risks to the asylum-seekers' safety, a legal advocacy group alleges in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in D.C. federal court.

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Consultant Says FARA Verdict Should Be Erased

By Rose Krebs

A political consultant convicted of knowingly failing to register as a foreign agent as she helped draft a $50 million contract involving a former congressman and Venezuela's state-owned oil enterprise continues to argue she should be acquitted or given a new trial, saying the verdict was "against the great weight of the evidence."

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Analysis

5 Midyear White Collar Trends To Watch

By Phillip Bantz

The practice of white collar criminal defense is fraught with uncertainty halfway into 2026 as lawyers try to navigate upheaval in the U.S. Department of Justice, the prospect of big changes in Congress and the rapidly developing use of artificial intelligence.

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Kansas Tribe Looks To Block Lottery Sales On Its Reservation

By Crystal Owens

The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation is asking a district court to block the Kansas Lottery from offering games on its reservation, arguing that the sales are a direct violation of federal and tribal laws that require the tribe to have sole proprietary interest in all Class III gaming.

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Women's Law Group Asks FCC To Ditch Plan For 'The View'

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

The National Women's Law Center has asked the Federal Communications Commission to drop potential plans to withdraw its "bona fide news" exemption for ABC's "The View" over concerns it would amount to censorship.

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AT&T Asks FCC To Retire Copper Lines In 600 More Places

By Nadia Dreid

There are more than 600 locations across the country where AT&T's copper phone lines have been disrupted — by theft, accident or natural disaster — and the company is hoping the Federal Communications Commission will give it the green light to leave them as they are.

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​​​​​​​Top Groups Lobbying The FCC

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission heard from lobbyists more than 140 times in June, with AT&T at the front of the pack hoping to convince the agency to preempt California rules that the telecom giant says are hindering network modernization.

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What Ex-CFPB Head's Calif. Role May Foretell For Oversight

California Gov. Gavin Newsom's selection of former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra to lead a new consumer agency signals tougher state financial services oversight, especially for fintechs, as well as heightened enforcement activity and larger penalties, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

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Trademark Law As A Tool To Bolster NIL Rights Against AI

The meteoric rise of artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes is prompting high-profile celebrities to protect their name, image and likeness rights using federal trademark law — a powerful yet limited supplement to traditional NIL claims, says Susan Natland at BakerHostetler.

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Why SEC Climate Rule Rescission Wouldn't End Disclosure

If the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent proposal to rescind its 2024 climate-related disclosure rules is adopted, companies would no longer need to prepare for the rules' specific governance, emissions, attestation, financial statement and tagging requirements, but several important constraints would remain, say attorneys at Venable.

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Justices Stand On Statutory Specifics In Cisco And Landor

With its June 23 decisions in Cisco Systems Inc. v. Doe and Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections and Public Safety, the U.S. Supreme Court doubled down on the critical point that the statute invoked in a federal claim must authorize a private lawsuit and the remedy sought, says Patrick Judd at Phelps Dunbar.

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New Colo. Retainage Bonds Shift Construction Power Balance

A new Colorado law that can force property owners and developers to accept bonds from contractors in lieu of traditional cash retainage means owners’ practical leverage now derives from administering a risk-transfer mechanism, not from controlling cash, but key questions remain about who may assert a claim and how enforcing a bond actually works, say attorneys at Akerman.

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Sealing The Deal

How Gibson Dunn Helped SpaceX Pull Off Its $75B Global IPO

By Al Barbarino

When SpaceX completed its record-breaking $75 billion initial public offering last month, the transaction was notable not only for its size — the largest IPO ever — but also for breaking new ground in how public offerings can be structured to reach retail investors around the world.

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CEO Cops To Conspiracy In BigLaw Insider Trading Case

By Sydney Price

A Dubai-based CEO and trader has pled guilty in Massachusetts federal court to charges that he worked with a former BigLaw associate and others to carry out a far-reaching insider trading scheme.

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ChatGPT Edits Weren't 'Knowing' Errors, Conn. Justices Told

By Aaron Keller

A GLG Law LLC lawyer who blamed ChatGPT for misquotes and citation errors in three filings told the Connecticut Supreme Court on Tuesday he did not violate an ethics rule requiring candor to the tribunal because his briefs, though inaccurate, contained correct assertions about the law.

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Ogletree Co-Founder Deakins, 'Beacon Of Wisdom,' Dies At 90

By Emily Johnson

A co-founder of the global labor and employment juggernaut Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC died Monday after decades of helping shape the firm's values of honesty and transparency.

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McCarter Atty's Work 'Fell Short' In $20M Deals, Judge Told

By Brian Steele

McCarter & English LLP and one of its Connecticut attorneys failed to uphold the applicable standard of care when advising insurers on $20 million worth of loan transactions that ultimately fell apart because the borrower stopped paying, an expert witness told a Connecticut state court on Tuesday.

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