Keep your finger on the legal world's pulse

Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr has signalled that the watchdog will not seek to block Paramount’s $110bn deal to buy Warner Bros and played down competition concerns over a combination of CBS and CNN, the Financial Times reports. Carr told the FT at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Monday ​that concerns had been raised in Washington about the concentration ​of power stemming from Warner Bros’ previously agreed deal ⁠with Netflix, but said that the market share implications of a ​potential Paramount purchase were “drastically different.” Law.com reports that five Big Law firms - Wachtell, Debevoise, Cravath, Latham and Cleary - are playing key roles in the merger.

 

Law

Financial Times

Reuters

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has appointed former federal prosecutor David Miller to lead its enforcement division. Miller was most recently at law firm Greenberg Traurig. "Under Chairman [Michael] Selig’s leadership, I look forward to working closely with the talented Commission staff to advance the chairman’s mission of fostering innovation and protecting the integrity of U.S. ​markets, including from ​fraud, abuse, and ⁠manipulation," Miller said in a statement.

 

Blockonomi

Law.com

Reuters

The Supreme Court has declined to hear a dispute over whether art generated by artificial intelligence can be copyrighted under U.S. law. The case involved Stephen Thaler, a computer scientist from Missouri who was denied a copyright for a piece of visual art made by his AI system. Thaler had appealed to the justices after lower courts upheld a U.S. Copyright Office ​decision that the AI-crafted visual art at issue was ineligible for copyright protection ​because it did not have a human creator. The Trump administration had urged the Supreme Court not to hear Thaler's appeal. "Although the Copyright Act does not define the term 'author,' multiple provisions of the act make clear that the term refers to a human rather than a machine," the administration said.

 

Reuters

A U.S. appeals court has directed tariff-related lawsuits back to the U.S. Court of International Trade, in a move which could determine decisions on how to return over $130bn in collected duties to importing companies. The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals issued a single-page ruling approving importers’ request to transfer the litigation back to the trade court where proceedings began earlier this year. The Trump administration had fought against this move, seeking a delay of up to four months to evaluate its legal strategy.

 

Reuters

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is facing significant challenges in vetting new hires amid a historic recruitment push. An internal email reveals concerns about the “high volume of new hires” and stalled background checks, which could create uncertainty for field ‌offices when allegations arise related to actions before joining ‌ICE. “If a Field Office receives derogatory information about a newly hired employee's conduct prior to . . . employment, please refer the matter to [the internal Integrity Investigations Unit],” the email stated. Despite hiring 12,000 officers, critics, including U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, warn that accelerated recruitment may allow unqualified candidates into the agency, potentially increasing officer misconduct. Claire Trickler-McNulty, a former ICE official, emphasized the importance of thorough background checks, saying: “To speed, shortcut, or limit background checks or training puts the public and other law enforcement officers at risk.”

 

U.S. News

The digital activity of Iranian-linked cyber groups has increased tenfold since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, according to Tel Aviv-based cyber security company Check Point Software Technologies. Attacks and activities have focused on Israel and Arab countries and have included phishing attempts and alleged “hack and leak” operations, Check Point has said.

 

Wall Street Journal

Gabriel Salinas has joined White & Case as a partner in the firm's global mergers & acquisitions practice and energy industry group in Houston. Previously with Mayer Brown, Salinas specializes in advising private equity sponsors, funds, sovereigns, multinational corporations, and financial institutions on both international and domestic mergers and acquisitions, as well as joint ventures. His expertise includes energy and infrastructure investments in areas such as low-carbon technologies, carbon capture and storage (CCS), clean hydrogen, clean ammonia, and LNG projects.

 

Bloomberg Law

Australia's Super Retail Group has absorbed a A$23.8m ($16.9m) legal bill stemming from a workplace scandal involving its former chief executive, significantly denting first-half 2026 earnings and overshadowing new chief executive Paul Bradshaw’s debut results. The costs, largely linked to settlement payments to two former executives-turned-whistleblowers, Rebecca Farrell and Amelia Berczelly, were disclosed in fine print within the retailer’s results. The pair had alleged bullying, misuse of corporate funds and an undisclosed relationship between former CEO Anthony Heraghty and head of HR Jane Kelly. The A$23.8m expense consumed almost 20% of the group’s statutory net profit of A$104.1m for the December half.

 

The West Australian

The Australian Financial Review

The Australian

Tesla and the German union IG Metall are for now to set aside their dispute over a labor meeting at the company's factory near Berlin last month, the union has said. The automaker had filed a criminal complaint against a union member it accused of secretly recording the meeting on February 10. IG Metall had described the claim as a "calculated lie". Local IG Metall leader Jan Otto said: "Now, just a few days before the works council election, we can concentrate fully on the issues [over working conditions] . . . there's a lot to do," said 

 

Reuters

Supporters of a proposed California billionaire tax are racing to gather 875,000 signatures to place the measure on the November ballot, launching an expensive and politically charged campaign that has already divided Democrats and alarmed the state’s wealthiest residents. Backed by the Service Employees International Union–United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), the proposal would impose a one-time 5% wealth tax on California residents with net worth exceeding $1bn. Organizers estimate it could raise $100bn over five years, largely to offset anticipated federal healthcare funding cuts, with additional funds directed toward education and food assistance. The union has committed $25m to initial efforts, deploying thousands of volunteers and paid petition circulators. While internal polling cited by supporters suggests majority backing, independent surveys show narrower margins. Even if it qualifies for the ballot, the measure faces significant opposition, including from Governor Gavin Newsom, who has warned it could drive wealthy residents out of the state.

 

Wall Street Journal