Only weeks after U.S. Supreme Court conservatives took a hatchet to the judicial deference shown to federal agencies, right-leaning lawyers are imploring the justices to rock the administrative law realm again by gutting a New Deal-era precedent at the heart of the modern regulatory system. This development follows a significant ruling impacting the Chevron doctrine,…
JetBlue Airways Corp. announced Tuesday that it has appointed a former member of its legal leadership team as the company’s next general counsel and corporate secretary. This move marks a significant internal promotion within JetBlue’s legal division, reflecting a strategic decision to leverage internal expertise to navigate the airline’s complex legal landscape. As the new…
The top antitrust officials from the U.S. Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission, the European Commission, and the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority presented a unified international commitment on Tuesday to closely monitor artificial intelligence (AI) technology. These officials warned that companies could potentially wield AI in an anticompetitive manner, prompting a need for coordinated…
In a significant development within the EU diplomatic circles, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell has moved the venue for informal EU Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministers meetings from Budapest to Brussels. This decision follows Borrell’s recent critical remarks on Hungarian President Viktor Orbán’s stance, which Borrell described as disloyal to the EU….
In a notable decision, a Texas federal judge dismissed Samsung’s efforts to overturn a $303 million verdict related to the infringement of server memory patents. The case, involving allegations from Netlist, centered around accusations that were deemed insufficient by the court. Judge’s opinion, dated July 12 and unsealed on Tuesday, addressed Samsung’s claims that certain…
The Fifth Circuit recently overturned a ruling that relied on the now-defunct doctrine of Chevron deference to uphold a U.S. Department of Labor rule covering socially conscious retirement plan investing. Despite the setback, some experts remain optimistic about the rule’s chances of survival even without the Chevron precedent. Chevron deference had long allowed courts to…
Hogan Lovells US LLP has approached a New York federal court with a request to enforce a substantial arbitration award exceeding $1.2 million against Afghanistan. The legal dispute centers around fees the firm contends it is owed for representing Afghanistan in various legal matters, notably including litigation related to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This represents…
The revolving door from the European Commission to Brussels-based law firms has frequently stirred controversy, but the reverse phenomenon—from law firms to one of the world’s top antitrust enforcers—has received much less attention. Many lawyers are now leaving lucrative private sector jobs to join the European Union’s powerful antitrust agency. These moves provide lawyers with…
In a significant move towards increased transparency, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., introduced legislation on Tuesday that aims to expand the provisions of the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to cover the work of the judicial branch. The proposed bill seeks to grant the public extended rights to access judicial records and documents, enhancing transparency…
Elon Musk’s X Corp. is seeking to shield its financial connections with Tesla amidst an ongoing defamation lawsuit against Media Matters for America. The reason behind such a move stems from a possible conflict of interest, as the Texas federal judge overseeing the case is suspected of holding Tesla stock, which would necessitate his recusal….
In a rapidly evolving legal market where flexibility and adaptability are increasingly valued, some firms are managing to outpace their more rigid competitors. A recent article from Above the Law highlights the strategic adjustments leading firms are making to remain competitive, specifically focusing on the approach of Fennemore, under the leadership of James Goodnow. Goodnow…
The ongoing economic uncertainties have cast a significant shadow over many sectors, and the legal industry is not immune. According to a new report from Axiom, titled Bridging the Divide: Optimizing Legal Department Performance through Legal Ops, AI, and In-House Collaboration, a notable percentage of in-house legal departments have faced substantial budget cuts and hiring…
The botched “Rust” trial of Alec Baldwin and Donald Trump’s election interference case in Georgia have highlighted rare instances where prosecutors take the stand, showcasing how ethics scandals can escalate and force government attorneys to make a difficult choice between protecting their careers or the integrity of their cases. These examples shed light on the…
Sonos has expressed significant concerns to the Federal Circuit regarding a recent federal judge’s decision to overturn its jury win in a patent case against Google. The wireless audio company highlighted that this decision could endanger approximately 100,000 patents. The case, initially resulting in a $32.5 million award for Sonos, now poses broader implications for…
The administrative law judge handling the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) challenge to the proposed $25 billion merger between Kroger and Albertsons has granted the parties a modest extension. The decision follows the FTC’s report that a worldwide Microsoft outage had rendered several counsel laptops inoperable, necessitating additional time for filing deadlines. The extension provides the…
Authorities in Sint Maarten have arrested a person of interest in relation to the shooting of prominent politician Oliver Arrindell, leader of the Oualichi Movement for Change (OMC) party. The incident occurred on July 17 when Arrindell, along with his wife Sabrine and their 10-year-old daughter, were ambushed in their vehicle. Though Arrindell sustained injuries…
Proposals aimed at limiting the power of the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in pursuing device manufacturers have sparked significant controversy. A prominent Republican in the House, identified as a patent owner, expressed strong disapproval during Tuesday’s discussions. He described one proposal as “appalling” and compared another suggestion to communism. This reaction highlights the deep…
In a pointed response to remarks by House Speaker Mike Johnson, prominent election lawyer Marc Elias has issued a stark warning to those considering legal action against the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for nominating Vice President Kamala Harris as the presidential candidate. Johnson had suggested that legal challenges could be mounted to remove President Biden…
In what appears to be an increasingly contentious clash, two Phoenix-based attorneys, Gil Negrete and Brandon Rafi, have taken their disputes from verbal confrontations to the courtroom. The roots of this conflict trace back to a client disagreement in 2022, where a client moved from Rafi’s firm to Negrete’s, prompting an irrevocable rupture in their…
In a recent decision, the Federal Circuit has mandated that the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) must reevaluate Netflix’s petitions that contest the validity of a software performance monitoring patent held by a Broadcom unit. The judicial panel highlighted shortcomings in the PTAB’s initial refusal to initiate reviews. This ruling offers Netflix another opportunity…
Mike Paisner, a key lawyer at Boeing who was instrumental in leading compliance matters for the 737 Max, has made a significant career move. Joining Perkins Coie in their Seattle office, Paisner will serve as a litigation partner, as confirmed by the firm on Tuesday. Prior to this transition, Paisner held the role of vice…
The legal landscape has been busy with a recent significant transaction involving notable law firms. Sullivan & Cromwell, Simpson Thacher, and Freshfields have provided legal counsel on Bosch’s $8 billion acquisition of assets from Johnson Controls and Hitachi. This all-cash transaction marks the largest acquisition to date for the privately held German technology group. For…
Steve Bannon, former advisor to President Donald Trump, is set to face trial in December for allegedly defrauding donors of the “We Build The Wall” fundraising campaign. Acting Manhattan Supreme Court Justice April Newbauer scheduled jury selection to begin on December 9. The case involves allegations that Bannon and other defendants siphoned millions from the…
King & Spalding attorneys have successfully prevailed on appeal for client Baystar in a legal dispute against a subsidiary of McDermott International Ltd. The case centered around Baystar’s enforcement of a contractual right to $75.4 million in liquidated damages. The dispute involved two engineering and construction projects worth a combined $2.5 billion, initiated in 2017…
A federal jury in Delaware previously awarded VoiceBox $46.7 million in damages last year, holding Amazon liable for technology infringement related to its voice-based search innovations. Despite the significant verdict, VoiceBox has recently filed another suit claiming that Amazon continues to infringe upon the same four patents and has additionally encroached on five other patents….