Staff Writer

  • Ex-Bankruptcy Judge Ordered To Attend Ethics Training Over Law Firm Interview

    Former U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Jones must attend ethics instruction as a sanction for engaging in an off-the-record discussion with his romantic partner’s former law firm, ruled Chief Bankruptcy Judge Eduardo Rodriguez on Friday. Rodriguez determined that Jones violated judicial policy by participating in a July 18 interview with members of the Jackson Walker law…

  • Lawyer Who Tipped SEC Can’t Claim Whistleblower Award, Appeals Court Rules

    A corporate attorney who alerted the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to possible fraud within his company was rightly denied eligibility for a whistleblower award, according to a ruling unsealed on Friday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The court determined that the attorney, whose identity remains confidential, did not…

  • Law School Courses To Become More Uniform Under New ABA Accreditation Rule

    Law schools will soon need to establish “minimum learning outcomes” for every class and ensure consistency across all sections of required courses. On Friday, the American Bar Association’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar adopted changes to its student learning outcomes standards, aiming to clarify the obligations of law…

  • SCOTUS Won’t Allow LGBT Student Protection In Certain States

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday refused to allow President Joe Biden’s administration to enforce a crucial part of a new rule designed to protect LGBT students from discrimination in schools and colleges based on gender identity. Ten Republican-led states had challenged this rule. The justices denied the administration’s request to partially lift lower court…

  • California Finalizes Deal To Give Its Own Bar Exam

    The State Bar of California has finalized an $8.25 million deal with Kaplan Exam Services to produce the state’s bar exam for the next five years, the attorney licensing body announced on Tuesday. Starting in February, California will no longer use any test components developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and will…

  • Montana’s Top Court Strikes Down Parental Consent Law For Minors Seeking Abortion

    Montana’s highest court ruled on Wednesday that a law requiring minors to obtain parental consent before seeking an abortion violated the state’s constitution, siding with Planned Parenthood in a legal challenge. Justice Laurie McKinnon, writing for the unanimous court, asserted that “a minor’s right to control her reproductive decisions is among the most fundamental of…

  • Judge Says ‘Monopolist’ Google Can’t Avoid App Store Reforms

    A U.S. judge announced on Wednesday plans to issue an order compelling Alphabet’s Google to provide Android users with more options to download apps, following last year’s jury verdict in favor of “Fortnite” maker Epic Games. U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco listened to technology experts and lawyers from Epic and Google as…

  • Boeing Plea Deal Should Be Accepted, DOJ Says

    The U.S. Justice Department urged a court on Wednesday to accept a plea deal struck with Boeing after some relatives of the 346 victims of two fatal 737 MAX crashes demanded its rejection. Last month, Boeing finalized an agreement to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge and to pay at least $243.6 million…

  • AI Companies Lose Bid to Dismiss Parts Of Visual Artists’ Copyright Case

    A group of visual artists can continue pursuing certain claims against Stability AI, Midjourney, DeviantArt, and Runway AI, alleging that these companies’ AI-based image generation systems infringe on their copyrights, according to a ruling on Monday by a California federal judge. U.S. District Judge William Orrick ruled that the artists presented a plausible argument that…

  • Trump Loses Third Bid For Judge To Step Aside In Hush Money Case

    A New York judge, for the third time, refused to step aside from the case in which Donald Trump faced conviction on charges related to hush money paid to a porn star. The judge dismissed Trump’s claims of a conflict of interest, which Trump had linked to the political consultancy work of the judge’s daughter.…