Keep your finger on the legal world's pulse
10th April 2026
 
THE HOT STORY
Musk's xAI sues Colorado over state's new AI law
Elon Musk’s xAI has filed a lawsuit challenging Colorado’s state-level initiative to impose protections against “algorithmic discrimination” in AI systems. The lawsuit, ‌filed in U.S. District Court in Colorado, challenges Senate Bill 24-205, which imposes disclosure and risk-mitigation requirements on developers ​of so‑called "high‑risk" AI systems used in decisions involving employment, housing, ​education, health care and financial services. The law is scheduled to take effect on June 30. "Government regulation that is ​applied at the state level in a patchwork across the country ​can have the effect to hamper innovation and deter competition in an open market," ‌xAI ⁠said.
LAW
White House warned staff not to place market bets amid Iran war
The ⁠White House ⁠warned U.S. government ​staff against improperly ‌leveraging their positions ‌to ⁠place ⁠bets in futures markets in an email ​on March 23. The  announcement was made hours ​after ⁠U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on ⁠Truth Social he would order the military ⁠to postpone any strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure. The White House confirmed the authenticity of ⁠the warning reported by the Wall Street Journal. Trump spokesman Davis Ingle said that “the only special interest that will ever guide President Trump is the best interest of the American people.”
Kennedy rewrites membership rules for U.S. Vaccine Advisory Panel
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is revising the membership rules for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) after a judge deemed many of his previous selections to be unqualified. The March ruling by U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy found that Kennedy's reconstitution of the panel violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act. In his decision, Murphy said the members Kennedy appointed were "distinctly unqualified," with only six of the 15 members having any meaningful experience in vaccines. A new charter is said to broaden the requirements for membership, listing examples of specialists in biostatistics and toxicology.
CASES
Trump is still seeking to expunge his civil record in New York
Donald Trump wants the New York Court of Appeals to vacate a judge’s finding that he was liable for inflating the value of his real estate assets, saying that his former lawyer Michael Cohen has since cast doubt on his own testimony against the president. The appeal was precipitated by a Substack post by Cohen, who testified in the civil fraud case. In the post published at the beginning of the year, Cohen said he had felt “compelled and coerced” to testify at the behest of New York Attorney General Letitia James.
LAWSUITS
Anthropic loses appeals court bid to temporarily block Pentagon blacklisting
A Washington, D.C., federal appeals court has denied a request by Anthropic for a stay in its lawsuit against the Department of Defense. The DOD officially designated Anthropic a supply chain risk last month and said the company threatened national security. The decision is not a final ruling. A spokesperson for Anthropic said in ​a statement following Wednesday's ruling that the company is confident the court will ultimately agree the supply chain risk designation is unlawful.
Abbott Laboratories must pay at least $53m in cases over infant formula
A Chicago jury has said Abbott Laboratories must pay $53m in compensatory damages to a group of families that had accused the company of failing to warn that its formula for premature infants can cause a potentially deadly bowel disease. The verdict ​is the latest among hundreds of lawsuits alleging that Abbott's ‌cow's milk-based formula products for preterm infants can cause necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Abbott has denied that the products, which it says ​are essential for premature babies when their mothers cannot produce enough breast milk, cause NEC. The disease is often fatal in babies born prematurely. Four families’ lawsuits were consolidated for trial.
Paramount president Jeff Shell steps down amid lawsuit despite internal clearance
Paramount President Jeff Shell has resigned and stepped down from the board following a lawsuit alleging he disclosed confidential company information, despite an internal investigation finding no wrongdoing. The claims, brought by R.J. Cipriani, accuse Mr. Shell of sharing nonpublic details about major deals, including a $7.7bn UFC media rights agreement, though Paramount has dismissed the allegations as baseless and said Mr. Shell is leaving to focus on legal action. Mr. Shell has filed a counterclaim for defamation and extortion, and his departure was reportedly expected amid broader leadership changes following Skydance Media’s takeover.
EMPLOYMENT LAW
Trump proposes to cut 9,400 TSA workers
The Trump administration is proposing to ​cut more than 9,400 workers and just over $1.5bn from the 60,000-employee Transportation ‌Security Administration (TSA), according to a budget document for the Department of Homeland Security - which oversees the agency that handles airport security operations - that is part of the White House budget proposal ​for the next fiscal year. President Donald Trump on Friday proposed mandating smaller airports to use private security instead of TSA as a first step toward privatization of the agency, which was created after the ​September 11, 2001, attacks. The American Federation of Government Employees, the union that represents TSA security officers and which opposes privitization, said it would make air travel less safe.
REGULATION
FDIC proposes guidelines for institutions issuing stablecoins
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) is laying out guidelines for U.S. banks and their fintech units to use stablecoins. The new guidelines would establish requirements related to reserve assets, redemptions of outstanding stablecoins, permissible activities and capital, among other areas. The proposal would reaffirm by regulation that deposits in tokenized form remain deposits under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act. The FDIC plans to seek comment on 144 specific questions, FDIC Chair Travis Hill said. “We genuinely invite robust feedback on key issues in the proposal,” he said. “This includes feedback on permissible and prohibited activities, capital requirements for stablecoin issuers and for their parent companies, the FDIC’s approach to pass-through insurance, and the prohibition on yield.”
TAX
IRS demands $371m from tax evader
Paul Daugerdas, a former tax attorney, has been ordered by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to pay the IRS $371m in restitution immediately. Daugerdas was previously convicted in 2013 for tax evasion, mail fraud, and conspiracy. He contended that the IRS could not collect the full amount upfront, but the court clarified that federal tax law allows the IRS to “assess and collect restitution as a civil tax liability without waiting for payments under a criminal judgment.” This ruling enables the IRS to pursue immediate collection through asset seizures and other means, despite Daugerdas' previous arrangement for gradual payments post-release in 2024.
INTERNATIONAL
CK Hutchison starts London arbitration against Maersk
CK Hutchison has started arbitration against Maersk after Panama’s forced takeover of its two ports in the country. The arbitration, filed by CK Hutchison's local unit Panama Ports, will be heard in London and is separate from CK Hutchison's damages claim against the Panamanian government. The dispute over the Balboa and Cristobal ports along the strategic Panama Canal has become a proxy in U.S.-China rivalry. Beijing has warned of a “heavy price” after the contract annulment and has advised state firms to halt talks over new projects in Panama.

 

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