Keep your finger on the legal world's pulse

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court's decision blocking the Trump administration from terminating 19 career intelligence officers at the CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence who were involved in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) roles. “The Agencies have never suggested that any of the Intelligence Officers engaged in workplace misconduct or that the terminations were motivated by performance concerns. Rather, the Director of the CIA stated affirmatively that the decisions to terminate the Intelligence Officers were taken to ‘effectuate the directives in' DEIA Executive Order” signed by President Trump, the majority wrote in its opinion. U.S. Circuit Judge Nicole ⁠Berner, writing for the majority, said that among the promises of the U.S. Constitution's Fifth Amendment "is the requirement ​that no person be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law . . . This promise of due process ​has been construed to require federal government agencies to adhere to their own binding regulations."

 

The Hill

U.S. lawmakers has launched national ⁠security ⁠investigations into whether drugmakers Merck and AbbVie have ⁠been involved in clinical trials in China that helped Beijing's military capability. Lawmakers led by Republican Representative John Moolenaar of Michigan, chair of ‌the China Select Committee, called on the drugmakers to provide ‌by July 17 details of due diligence, data protection processes and other standards at their trial sites in China, particularly in the Xinjiang region - home to the Turkic Uyghur people - and ⁠at military hospitals. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act of 2021 does not specifically address clinical ⁠trials, ⁠but it reflects best practices to help ensure operations do not involve forced labor, the lawmakers said. "Through a combination of regulatory reforms, state subsidies, and (at best) questionable ethics, China ​has transformed itself into the cheapest and ⁠fastest place in the world to run early-stage human drug trials," they observed.

 

U.S. News

Home rental company Airbnb must face a lawsuit by the city ​of Los Angeles, which claims price ‌gouging during the January 2025 wildfires in southern California. Judge Robert Broadbelt of the California Superior Court said that ​even if it is hosts who set prices, Los ​Angeles' allegations that Airbnb's advertising of those prices and charging for ⁠rentals violated the state's penal code and Los Angeles' municipal code. The lawsuit accuses Airbnb of violating a California law that prohibits prices of essential goods and services from rising more than 10% following a state of emergency.

 

Reuters

7-Eleven has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Nike, alleging the sportswear group’s new Air Max 95 trainers unlawfully copy its distinctive orange, green and red color scheme and are deliberately scheduled to launch on July 11th, the retailer's annual 7-Eleven Day, to create consumer confusion. The convenience store chain claims Nike has infringed multiple registered trademarks and engaged in unfair competition, and is seeking a court order to block the launch, recall and destroy the trainers, as well as recover damages and profits linked to the alleged infringement.

 

Bloomberg Law News

Reuters

Alibaba has agreed to pay $600m to settle a dispute with the U.S. government regarding the sale of  illegal pharmaceuticals, controlled substances, regulated chemicals, and pill-making equipment. The allegations state that Alibaba's U.S.-based payment processor, AUS Merchant Services, failed to prevent merchants from selling unlawful products through its platforms, Alibaba.com and AliExpress.com. Between January 2016 and December 2024, approximately 80,000 illegal product sales occurred. Jarod Koopman, Chief of IRS Criminal Investigations, said: "The resolution underscores IRS Criminal Investigation's commitment to following the money and ensuring compliance with federal law.”

 

U.S. News

Louisiana's Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill has been indicted by a grand jury in New Orleans on criminal charges related to alleged intimidation of local officials opposing a controversial law. Murrill told eight New Orleans officials, including Mayor Helena Moreno and District Attorney Jason Williams, that they could face removal from their jobs because of their opposition to the law, which eliminated the position of Orleans Parish criminal court clerk after Calvin Duncan, who had spent decades in prison for a wrongful conviction, was elected to the post with 68% of the vote. Duncan's supporters saw the law as a move by a majority white conservative Legislature to thwart the will of voters in a largely Black Democratic hub in a Republican state.

 

The Gazette Cedar Rapids Iowa

U.S. News

The IRS has agreed to stop confiscating National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) materials from employee workstations and common areas after the union sued, alleging the agency violated workers' First Amendment rights. Under the agreement, the IRS will pause enforcement of its directive, allow employees to display union materials again, return confiscated items where possible, and provide the union with five days' notice before reinstating any similar policy.

 

Bloomberg Law

GovExec

CNBC reports on companies that have walked back their hiring plans after rapidly changing their minds that artificial intelligence can “do it all,” to focus more on human capital. Ford has rehired hundreds of experienced human engineers to work on quality issues that automated systems couldn’t fix, and Commonwealth Bank of Australia and IBM are also said to be refocusing on human capital after making layoffs while investing in AI. IBM replaced its HR functions with AI that handled around 94% of routine requests but was unable to meet the other 6%, which included ethical dilemmas. “Budgeting on ‘tech to replace humans’ without investing in training or upskilling left teams unprepared to leverage AI,” a report from Intuition Labs observed. “Notably, among companies pushing automation, many later ‘regretted’ layoffs, having cut the very people needed to oversee AI,” it added.

 

CNBC

The U.S. government is in advanced talks with AI companies to create voluntary standards for the release of new models. The guidance could be announced as soon as next week.

 

Financial Times

Ryan Moore has joined Greenberg Traurig as a litigation practice shareholder in Philadelphia. He specializes in representing corporations, private equity funds, and individual clients in various legal matters, including shareholder class actions and corporate governance issues. Moore previously worked at Klehr Harrison Harvey Branzburg and is noted for advising clients on litigation risks associated with strategic transactions.

 

Bloomberg Law

A Swedish court has ordered Google to pay around SKr14.3bn ($1.5bn) in damages to PriceRunner, the price comparison website owned by Klarna, after ruling that the technology giant unfairly favored its own shopping comparison service in search results. Including interest, the award totals around $2bn, making it the largest competition damages award in Swedish legal history, although substantially below the SKr78bn originally sought. The case stems from a long-running dispute over Google's search practices, which the European Commission first ruled against in 2017. PriceRunner argued that Google's preferential treatment of its own shopping service significantly reduced traffic to rival comparison websites, resulting in lost profits across the U.K., Sweden and Denmark. Google said it disagrees with the ruling and is reviewing its legal options.

 

Financial Times

Reuters

Ghana has been sued by an international coalition of human rights lawyers and advocates. The government of the West African nation is accused of forcing deportees from the U.S. back to the home countries they had fled in violation of their rights. The lawsuit was filed at a regional court, the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States. It's the first case ever brought under a 1979 regional treaty that guarantees free movement across West Africa.

 

Los Angeles Times

Cryptocurrency companies have spent $189m ​so far - more than one-third of all corporate money - to influence the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, according to a report from Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy organization. Companies in the AI, big tech and ​online betting sectors have also contributed heavily, the report said. "The big ​takeaway is that corporate money is playing a bigger role than ever in our elections, and it's only expanding," observed Rick Claypool, a ​research director at Public Citizen.

 

Reuters