Musk, Ramaswamy Say High Court Rulings OK Federal Cuts

By Lauren Berg

Billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, President-elect Donald Trump's picks to lead a newly created "Department of Government Efficiency," on Wednesday said two recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings will give them the authority to cut off power to regulatory agencies and conduct massive federal layoffs.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

US Called Upon To Lead Cross-Border Payment Overhaul

By Sarah Jarvis

A senior official with the U.S. Department of the Treasury has warned that wide adoption of a poorly designed, cross-border payment system could threaten international financial stability and economic security, advising the U.S. to take the lead in developing and governing such systems.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

RJ Reynolds Loses Early Exclusion Bid In ITC Vape IP Case

By Adam Lidgett

A U.S. International Trade Commission judge has refused for now to block imports of certain vape products during an investigation into R.J. Reynolds' allegations that a variety of companies were infringing an electronic smoking patent.

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

'Rip And Replace' Woes Underscored By Senate Hearing

By Christopher Cole

A major industry group has again called on lawmakers to address the lack of funding needed to completely remove risky Chinese-made gear from U.S. telecommunications networks.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Adani Group Chairman Charged In Sprawling Bribery Case

By Dorothy Atkins

Prosecutors unsealed a sprawling criminal indictment in New York federal court Wednesday, accusing Adani Group Chairman Gautam S. Adani and seven others of orchestrating a $250 million bribery scheme to secure lucrative Indian government renewable energy contracts, while misleading investors about the Adani Group subsidiary's dealings.

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

Bankman-Fried Tech Deputy Who Parsed Code Avoids Prison

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge allowed tech expert Zixiao "Gary" Wang to avoid jail Wednesday for his role in the $11 billion FTX fraud, crediting his effort to detail programming "back doors" that enabled Sam Bankman-Fried to loot the bankrupt crypto exchange.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

German Tesla Supplier Says Mich. Is Wrong Venue For Parts Suit

By Danielle Ferguson

A German auto parts supplier referenced Elon Musk's diverse business ventures in an attempt to convince a Michigan federal judge Wednesday that it doesn't belong in a lawsuit over one of its North American affiliates' alleged breach of a supply contract for Tesla vehicles, arguing the foreign entity has no ties to the Wolverine State.

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

Cross-Border Sales Were Unlawful Monopoly, Feds Say

By Elliot Weld

Prosecutors have urged a Texas federal judge to deny a dismissal bid from two people accused of using violence to monopolize cross-border sales of used cars, saying the individuals were not operating the lawful clerical service they claimed to be running.

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

US Garlic Cos. Push To Keep Duties On Chinese Imports

By Elliot Weld

Domestic garlic producers urged the U.S. Court of International Trade to reject a Canadian food trader's challenge to duties on the boiled cloves from China, saying the product is covered by an antidumping duty order issued in 1994.

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

$3B TD Bank AML Settlement Is A Wake-Up Call For All Banks

TD Bank’s historic settlement over anti-money laundering violations, resulting in over $3 billion in penalties, reminds banks of all shapes and sizes why they need to take financial crime compliance seriously, and highlights three areas that may be especially vulnerable to enforcement, says Jack Harrington at Bradley Arant.

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

BigLaw Begins Matching Milbank On Associate Bonuses

By Aebra Coe

Following the news Tuesday that Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP will pay associates year-end and special bonuses in line with those handed out by Milbank LLP this year, the firms' peers have begun to respond, with swift matches Wednesday by Paul Hastings LLP and McDermott Will & Emery LLP.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ Settles With Atty Who Reported Judge's Sexual Misconduct

By Lauren Berg

A former Alaska federal prosecutor who made allegations of sexual misconduct against then-U.S. District Judge Joshua Kindred has reached an undisclosed settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice resolving claims she suffered retaliation for speaking up, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel said Wednesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Foley Shouldn't Face Data Breach Claims, Calif. Panel Says

By Dorothy Atkins

A California appellate panel affirmed the dismissal of Accellion Inc.'s cross-complaint against law firm Foley & Lardner LLP in an insurance company's lawsuit claiming the software-maker should be held liable for a $1 million ransomware attack that targeted the law firm, finding that Accellion's cross-claims are untimely.

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

Weil Litigation Leaders Jump To Paul Weiss In NY

By Tracey Read

The co-chair of Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP's global litigation department and the co-head of Weil's patent litigation practice will soon be joining Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP in New York, the latter firm announced Wednesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Akerman Opens In Charlotte With 2 Moore & Van Allen Hires

By Xiumei Dong

Akerman LLP announced Wednesday the firm opened its second North Carolina office in Charlotte and brought on two new partners from Moore & Van Allen PLLC, including the former head of its renewable energy project finance team and a tax law expert.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judiciary Touts Reforms In Handling Workplace Complaints

By Ryan Boysen

The federal judiciary is successfully reforming the controversial process that aims to protect its 30,000 employees from sexual harassment in the workplace, according to a new internal report released Wednesday, even as lawmakers have called for scrapping that process altogether and replacing it with a new one.

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

Trump Wants 'Immediate Dismissal' Of NY Hush Money Case

By Frank G. Runyeon

President-elect Donald Trump's legal team told the New York judge who presided over his hush money trial that his conviction should be thrown out due to his "overwhelming victory" at the polls, according to a filing released Wednesday.

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

House Dem Proposes Vote Forcing Release Of Gaetz Report

By Hailey Konnath

U.S. Rep. Sean Casten on Wednesday introduced a resolution that would require the House of Representatives to vote on whether the House Ethics Committee must release its report on the allegations against former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a proposal unveiled the same day the ethics committee failed to reach a consensus.

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

Fed. Judges Still Seek New Bench Seats Amid Dems' Loss

By Courtney Bublé

The Federal Judges Association is urging the House to pass the bipartisan bill that would expand the federal courts in order to meet rising caseloads, even as the Biden administration appears to be cooling on the idea it once supported.

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

Calif. Judicial Nominee Asked About Race, Parenting Writings

By Courtney Bublé

A California judicial nominee's previous writing about the murder of George Floyd in 2020, which sparked a national reckoning on race, was the subject of debate during a Senate nomination hearing on Wednesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Washington State, DC District Court Picks Secure Seats

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate on Wednesday voted 50-48 to confirm Washington Court of Appeals Judge Rebecca L. Pennell to the Eastern District of Washington and 50-49 to confirm Amir Ali, former president and executive director of the MacArthur Justice Center and co-director of the Criminal Justice Appellate Clinic at Harvard Law School, to the District of Columbia.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Girardi Pushes For New Trial Over Competency Claims

By Cara Salvatore

Counsel for Tom Girardi told a federal judge the disbarred attorney is plainly mentally incompetent and deserves a new trial over charges he defrauded clients of $15 million worth of settlement money.

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