Detroit Judge May Be Immune Despite 'Outrageous' Fake Trial

By Danielle Ferguson

A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday said that while a Detroit judge's decision to put a teen through a "judicial-like" proceeding for falling asleep in his courtroom while on a field trip may have been "outrageous," it may not strip his ability to claim he is immune from her lawsuit.

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Michigan Supreme Court's Chief Justice To Step Down

By Carolyn Muyskens

The Michigan Supreme Court's chief justice said Wednesday that she plans to resign this spring, giving Gov. Gretchen Whitmer an opportunity to make her second appointment to the seven-member court.

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Michigan Expert Defends State's Abortion Counseling Law

By Carolyn Muyskens

Michigan kicked off its defense of a waiting period and mandatory counseling requirements for abortions Wednesday with a physician's testimony that abortion seekers should receive information about parenting and adoption before undergoing the procedure.

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Funkadelic Keyboardist Won't Face Sanctions In Royalty Fight

By Danielle Ferguson

A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday declined to issue sanctions against the estate of a former Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist suing the band's frontman in a royalty dispute, finding that the keyboardist's widow did not seem to intentionally lie about or conceal an agreement with a former defendant in the case.

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Trump Wants Birthright Citizenship EO Enacted Amid Appeal

By Hailey Konnath

The Trump administration on Wednesday urged a Massachusetts federal judge to set aside his preliminary injunction blocking the president's executive order limiting birthright citizenship, arguing that the federal government should be permitted to implement it while the First Circuit considers its appeal.

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Mich. Gaming Board Can't Block Horse-Race Betting App

By Carolyn Muyskens

A federal judge said Michigan cannot stop the horse-race betting platform TwinSpires from taking bets from users in the Great Lakes State, finding Wednesday that federal law trumps the state's licensing requirements.

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Judge Won't Narrow Injunction In Birthright Citizenship Case

By Madeline Lyskawa

A Maryland federal judge declined to narrow an injunction blocking the enforcement of President Donald Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship, saying a nationwide injunction is appropriate given the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project's 680,000-person membership across all 50 states.

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3D Printing Co. Escapes Chancery Suit Over $575M Merger

By MJ Koo

An ExOne Co. investor failed to show why the 3D printer manufacturer should have postponed a shareholder vote over its rival's purchase of the company, a Delaware vice chancellor has ruled, tossing the investor's proposed class action that alleged the company's board of directors breached its fiduciary duties.

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Brief

PVC Pipe Giant Atkore Discloses DOJ Grand Jury Probe

By Bryan Koenig

Atkore Inc.'s antitrust woes have grown from civil price-fixing litigation targeting the company's PVC pipe manufacturing, according to a new investor filing disclosing a U.S. Department of Justice criminal investigation.

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Orgs. Fear 'Complete Dismantling' Of Migrant Kids' Rights

By Britain Eakin

Legal service providers that help unaccompanied children navigate the immigration court system warned on Wednesday that the children's due process rights are at risk after the Trump administration turned off the federal funding tap.

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The Case For Compliance During The Trump Administration

Given the Trump administration’s shifting white collar enforcement priorities, C-suite executives may have the natural instinct to pare back compliance initiatives, but there are several good reasons for companies to at least stay the course on their compliance programs, if not enhance them, say attorneys at Riley Safer.

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US Atty Pick In DC Probes Dem Lawmakers Over 'Threats'

By Rachel Scharf

President Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia, who is already serving on an interim basis, has sent letters to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and at least one other Democratic lawmaker as part of a larger probe into supposed "threats" to Elon Musk and other federal government employees.

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Analysis

Snapshot: Delaware Lawmakers Target Hefty Atty Fee Awards

By Rose Krebs

Amid a push by Delaware lawmakers to overhaul the First State's corporation law provisions, the state Senate is seeking recommendations aimed at avoiding "excessive" attorney fee awards in corporate litigation, drawing a mixed reaction from lawyers and a corporate law scholar.

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DOJ Says Job Protections For ALJs Are Unconstitutional

By Hailey Konnath

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that it no longer backs long-standing job protections for administrative law judges, saying it has determined that the "multiple layers of removal restrictions" shielding ALJs are unconstitutional because they violate the separation of powers doctrine.

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Weil Says Executive Partner To Retire, Adds Global Committee

By Rachel Rippetoe

Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP announced Thursday that it will be restructuring its leadership team in anticipation of its executive partner Barry Wolf's retirement in a few years.

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9th Circ. Won't Roll Back Birthright Citizenship Injunction

By Rachel Riley

The Ninth Circuit rejected President Donald Trump's emergency bid to partially halt a Washington federal court's injunction on his executive order limiting birthright citizenship.

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Judge's Son Concedes Misstatement To Police After Shooting

By Gina Kim

The son of a California judge on trial for allegedly murdering his wife with a handgun acknowledged during cross-examination Thursday that he didn't see his father pull the gun out and aim it at the victim before firing, despite telling police otherwise.

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McConnell Stresses Courts' Role In Retirement Announcement

By Courtney Bublé

Longtime Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell announced Thursday that he will not seek reelection next year and used the occasion to advise against questioning the "fundamental duty" of the courts.

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Texas Bar Forbids Revenue Sharing With Non-Atty Companies

By Emily Sawicki

In a new opinion, the State Bar of Texas' ethics watchdog said lawyers shouldn't pay revenue percentages to nonlawyer-owned businesses that provide legal support services, though attorneys may own equity interests in such companies under certain conditions.

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Senate Confirms Kash Patel As FBI Director 51-49

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate voted 51-49 on Thursday to confirm Kash Patel to be the next director of the FBI.

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Ga. Panel Rips Willis' 'Delay Tactic' Over Trump Case Probe

By Jake Maher

A Georgia state Senate committee investigating Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis over her prosecution of President Donald Trump in an election interference case has blasted her attempt to dismiss multiple subpoenas against her as a "bald-faced delay tactic."

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New Jersey Courts To Explore Adoption Of NextGen Bar Exam

By Matt Perez

New Jersey's highest court has announced it will explore whether to adopt the Next Generation bar exam developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

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