Texas Judge Among 6 Indicted For Alleged Vote Harvesting

By Lynn LaRowe

A Texas county judge is among the six individuals facing charges over an alleged vote harvesting scheme related to the 2022 election, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Wednesday.

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Analysis

Texas Bill May Limit Full Redress For Personal Injury Victims

By Spencer Brewer

A Texas bill aimed at reining in allegedly excessive jury awards granted to personal injury victims would be a boon for insurance companies, but it may threaten victims' ability to get full compensation for the consequences of another party's negligence.

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FDA Gets Win In Eli Lilly Weight Loss Drug Shortage Fight

By Hailey Konnath

A Texas federal judge on Wednesday refused to reverse a U.S. Food and Drug Administration decision to remove Eli Lilly & Co.'s popular weight loss drug from a national shortage list, denying a request from pharmacies that produce copycat doses of the drug and entering judgment in favor of the FDA.

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Judge Affirms $9.4M Verdict For American Airlines In IP Case

By Andrea Keckley

A Texas federal judge has finalized a $9.4 million judgment for American Airlines over airfare search engine Skiplagged Inc.'s unauthorized use of copyrighted booking content, while also upholding the jury's finding that Skiplagged's use of American's trademarks was fair and declining to revive the lawsuit's contractual claims.

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Bill Bolstering AG's Power In Election Crimes Heads To Abbott

By Catherine Marfin

A bill that would allow the Texas attorney general's office to be more involved in prosecutions under the state's election code is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk.

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Chancery Arrest Order Sought In Family Holding Co. Feud

By Jeff Montgomery

Two principals in real estate venture Regency Holdings LLC sought a rare Delaware Court of Chancery civil contempt and arrest order Wednesday, accusing their sister — Regency's ex-manager and purported majority interest holder — of diverting millions of dollars in company assets despite the appointment of two receivers.

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Texas AG Warns Chinese Cos. To Get In Step With Privacy Law

By Allison Grande

The Texas attorney general has informed Alibaba, CapCut, TP-Link and several other companies with ties to the Chinese government that they have 30 days to remedy alleged violations of the state's comprehensive data privacy law or face "additional legal action," marking the latest escalation of the agency's privacy enforcement efforts.

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3rd Circ. Backs Judge's Authority In Bankruptcy Appeal

By Emlyn Cameron

The Third Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a magistrate judge's jurisdiction over a partnership's mineral royalties fight against a company tied to a bankrupt driller, but it sent a dispute over whether the partnership was owed almost $140,000 in royalty payments back to the judge for further consideration.

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Similar Federal Suit Found To Bar A&M Texarkana Bias Case

By Catherine Marfin

A state appeals court has said Texas A&M University-Texarkana could escape an employment discrimination lawsuit brought by a former employee, ruling that his claims are barred by a nearly identical suit he previously filed in federal court.

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Judge Seeks Details On U.S.-El Salvador Detainee Deal

By Ali Sullivan

A D.C. federal judge on Wednesday said the Trump administration would have to turn over more information about its arrangement with El Salvador to imprison alleged Venezuelan gang members deported under the Alien Enemies Act, as he considers whether they should be returned to the United States.

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Tesla Accused Of Infringing Vehicle Shift Patents

By Andrea Keckley

Bulletproof Property Management LLC has filed a lawsuit accusing Tesla of infringing its patents with a feature that allows its cars to automatically shift between drive and reverse.

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Samsung Gets PTAB To Ax Claims In 3 Broadphone Patents

By Adam Lidgett

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has found that Samsung was able to show that claims across a trio of patents covering a way to keep track of mobile devices were invalid, ruling they were obvious.

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V&E Lands Baker Botts Export Controls Ace In Houston

By Lynn LaRowe

Vinson & Elkins LLP announced Wednesday that the firm has enhanced its offerings in its export controls and economic sanctions practice with a Houston-based international trade lawyer who arrived from Baker Botts LLP.

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What To Watch For As High Court Mulls NRC's Powers

If successful, Texas’ challenges to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s authority — recently heard by the U.S. Supreme Court and currently pending before a Texas federal court — may have serious adverse consequences for aspiring NRC licensees, including potential nuclear power plant operators, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

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Series

Adapting To Private Practice: From NY Fed To BigLaw

While the move to private practice brings a learning curve, it also brings chances to learn new skills and grow your network, requiring a clear understanding of how your skills can complement and contribute to a firm's existing practice, and where you can add new value, says Meghann Donahue at Covington.

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Judge Seems To Favor Susman Godfrey In Trump Challenge

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. federal judge appeared poised Thursday to allow Susman Godfrey LLP's challenge to President Donald Trump's executive order targeting the firm to proceed or to grant the firm a summary judgment win altogether, after she pressed a government attorney on the president's basis for alleging discrimination at the firm.

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Analysis

Rising Tide Of Trump Pardons Not Lifting All Boats, Attys Say

By Phillip Bantz

President Donald Trump signed off on more pardons and commutations during his first 100 days in office than any president in modern history while bypassing the traditional clemency process that goes through the U.S. Department of Justice, potentially giving false hope to those who believe they have a chance to benefit from the executive actions but lack White House connections.

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Law360's Guide To Trump's Judicial Picks

During his first term, Trump got 234 lifetime judges confirmed. Here Law360 looks at the vacancies, appointments and confirmations of the federal judiciary as Trump attempts to further shape the courts.

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Musk Objects To New Job For SEC's Former Litigation Chief

By Jessica Corso

Elon Musk is opposing a move by plaintiff-side firm Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP to hire the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's former chief litigation counsel, arguing in a court filing that the lawyer "played a personal and substantial role" in suing Musk while at the SEC.

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Trump Admin Defends Gov't Restructuring As Lawful

By Beverly Banks

The Trump administration defended what it says is a lawful executive order looking to reorganize agencies and terminate workers, telling a California federal judge that unions, nonprofits and local governments "waited far too long" to seek a temporary restraining order.

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Ex-Binance CEO Says He's Asked Trump Admin For A Pardon

By Aislinn Keely

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao said he has applied for a pardon from the Trump administration in the wake of a four-month prison term he served as part of a historic plea deal over the cryptocurrency exchange's anti-money laundering failures.

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Trump Replaces Martin With Pirro As US Atty Pick

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump said Thursday he will withdraw the nomination of Ed Martin for U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia and will announce a new nominee within two days.

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ABA Defends Free Speech In Response To DOJ's Grant Cutoff

By Jake Maher

The American Bar Association has told the D.C. federal court the U.S. Department of Justice's decision to cut domestic violence-related grants to the ABA violates its First Amendments rights and sets a precedent that would allow the government to "silence all manner of opposition."

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Dentons Europe, Houston Co. To Settle $4.7M Fee Dispute

By Catherine Marfin

Dentons Europe CS LLP and Houston-area Guidry & Associates Inc.'s $4.7 million fee dispute was dismissed Thursday after the parties notified the court of settlement talks. 

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McCarter & English Partner To Be Picked As US Atty In Conn.

By Aaron Keller

Hartford-based McCarter & English LLP partner David X. Sullivan will be nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut, his law firm confirmed to Law360 on Thursday.

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Critics Warn Tenn. Middle District Rule Could 'Chill' Speech

By Emily Sawicki

Two public interest nonprofit law firms have expressed concerns that local rule changes proposed by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee regarding public communications by lawyers amid litigation are unconstitutionally vague and could impede attorneys' constitutional right to free speech.

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5th Circ. Wipes Out Southwest Attys' Religious Training Order

By Hailey Konnath

The Fifth Circuit on Thursday held that a lower court overstepped by ordering several in-house Southwest Airlines attorneys to undergo "religious liberty training" following a flight attendant's win in a wrongful termination suit, finding that the training wouldn't benefit the flight attendant or persuade Southwest to comply with an earlier order.

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Trump Names 8 More For US Attorney Spots

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump has nominated eight more individuals for U.S. attorney posts, several of whom already are serving in the roles on an interim basis.

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Convicted Atty In Embassy Attack Seeks To Avoid Restitution

By Carolina Bolado

A Florida attorney sentenced to 8 ½ years in prison for damaging a San Antonio sculpture and unsuccessfully trying to detonate explosives outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., has asked the court to eliminate his $325,000 restitution obligation because of his inability to pay.

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