Keep your finger on the legal world's pulse

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has terminated a collective bargaining agreement covering 47,000 TSA officers. The agency said it will dissolve the 2024 agreement covering the airport screening officers on Jan. 11. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) said it would file a lawsuit to challenge the decision. “[Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's] decision to rip up the union contract for 47,000 TSA officers is an illegal act of retaliatory union-busting that should cause concern for every person who steps foot in an airport,” observed AFGE National President Everett Kelley. The agency said that union representation is “inconsistent with efficient stewardship of taxpayer dollars and impedes the agility required to secure the traveling public.” 

 

Politico

Reuters

Managing People? These Are the Employment Laws You Can’t Afford to Miss

One compliance misstep can drain budgets and morale—so let’s get ahead of it.

Traliant’s Employment Law Fundamentals Certificate Program helps your workforce navigate employment laws in all 50 states. Created with the guidance of our in-house team of legal experts, the program consists of 4 interactive training courses that help your company avoid violations and costly claims.

Complete all 4 self-paced courses in about 2½ hours and walk away with a shareable certificate (and a calmer legal team).

The 4-course lineup:

• Interviewing & Hiring Lawfully: Ask better questions, avoid the EEOC nightmare.
  
• Wage & Hour Fundamentals: Apply FLSA, overtime, and exemption rules right the first time.
  
• Disability, Pregnancy & Religious Accommodations: Grant requests with empathy and iron-clad compliance.
  
• Family, Medical & Other Protected Leave (FMLA): Turn “life happens” moments into smooth, policy-backed decisions.

Ready to bullet-proof your managers?

👉 Trial the course here.

Join Traliant’s webinar, 2026 Employment Law Changes: Preparing for What's Next, Jan 14 at 2 pm ET. Experts help you get ready for new federal and state laws in the year ahead. Earn SHRM/HRCI credit.

👉  Register for webinar

 

Sino-Australian international law firm King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) is set to split next year. Leading Australian firm Mallesons Stephen Jaques combined with China’s King & Wood to form KWM in 2012. From 31 March 2026 the Chinese and Australian partnerships will operate respectively as King & Wood and Mallesons under independent brands, with the Hong Kong partnership operating as King & Wood.

 

Law

Global Legal Post

Legal Business

Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) has said Chinese intelligence is continuing a massive hack of U.S. telecom networks in a cyber campaign that allows it to access the communications of almost every American. Warner told reporters that he still gets “conflicting” assessments from various intelligence agencies on whether the China-linked hacking group known as Salt Typhoon can still access the data from nine of the largest U.S. telecommunication companies. “I believe they’re still inside. Some parts of our government think we’ve got them out. They have not shown us,” Warner said. “I had conflicting information.”

 

Financial Times

Washington Examiner

Suhail Kwatra, a longtime personal shopper at Saks Fifth Avenue in Boston known as the “Fashion Whisperer,” has been charged with stealing over $400,000 from the retailer through fraudulent returns and misuse of store gift cards, according to a criminal complaint. The allegations state Mr Kwatra processed refunds for uncollected items, kept the money via gift cards, and misused promotional incentives and a corporate credit card. Though Mr Kwatra initially confessed in a handwritten note detailing losses totalling $429,400, he now denies wrongdoing and claims Saks is retaliating after he explored other job opportunities. Saks has declined to comment, while Mr Kwatra awaits arraignment later this month.

 

Wall Street Journal

Palantir has escalated its lawsuit against rival AI firm Percepta, accusing chief executive Hirsh Jain, co-founder Radha Jain, and former employee Joanna Cohen of orchestrating a campaign to poach Palantir staff and clients while misappropriating confidential information. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court, alleges that the trio violated nonsolicitation agreements and that Mr. Cohen stole internal documents before joining Percepta, a start-up backed by General Catalyst. Percepta has denied wrongdoing, calling Palantir’s claims baseless and an attempt to stifle innovation in applied AI. The suit follows growing legal battles in the competitive AI sector over trade secrets and talent.

 

CNBC	Wall Street Journal

A federal judge in California has ruled that millions of Ticketmaster customers can proceed as a class in an antitrust lawsuit accusing Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary of using monopoly power to boost ticket prices. U.S. District Judge George Wu in Los Angeles said the plaintiffs met the criteria to expand their lawsuit into a class action seeking 15 years of alleged damages tied to the purchase of more than 400 million tickets.

 

Music Business Worldwide

Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to “increase oversight” of proxy advisers that guide shareholder votes made by pension funds and some other money managers, saying top firms often "advance and prioritize radical politically-motivated agendas." Trump directed the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and the Labor Department to review if Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis had violated rules or antitrust law related to their treatment of environmental and social issues. The executive order calls for a review of regulation relating to proxy advisers and to consider “revising or rescinding those rules, regulations, guidance, bulletins, and memoranda that are inconsistent with the purpose of this order, especially to the extent that they implicate ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ and ‘environmental, social, and governance’ policies.” The order also directs the agencies to consider steps such as new regulations.

 

Bloomberg

Financial Times

Reuters

Brazilian airline Azul has received approval from a U.S. court to exit bankruptcy and implement a restructuring plan backed by creditors, facilitating a significant debt reduction. Judge Sean Lane confirmed the airline's reorganization during a hearing in New York, allowing Azul to leave Chapter 11 in early 2026. The restructuring will alleviate over $2.6bn in debt and lease obligations, while also securing up to $950m in new equity investments from United Airlines and American Airlines Group.

 

Bloomberg

LexisNexis has launched a next-generation AI tool, enhancing its Protégé General AI platform. The update integrates LexisNexis content, customer documents, and web insights, with a new 'Best Fit' mode that selects the optimal AI model for user requests. Sean Fitzpatrick, CEO of LexisNexis North America, said: "Legal professionals want one trusted legal AI workflow solution." The tool aims to provide a secure alternative to consumer-facing AI, helping lawyers navigate their work more efficiently while maintaining confidentiality.

 

Above The Law

Reddit has filed a lawsuit in Australia’s High Court to contest the new ban on social media access for children under 16, claiming it infringes upon the constitutional right to free political communication. The company argues that the law undermines political discourse, observing that “Australian citizens under the age of 16 will . . .  become electors” who require exposure to political dialogue before they turn 18. The Australian government, which implemented the world-first ban on December 10, defends the measure as essential for protecting minors and said it plans to contest Reddit's legal action vigorously.

 

Bloomberg

Reuters

The U.S. and Mexico have agreed to end a dispute over water at the border with Texas. The agreement seeks to “strengthen water management in the Rio Grande basin” within the framework of the 1944 Water Treaty. Both governments agreed that Mexico will deliver an additional 202,000 acre-feet of water beginning the week of Dec. 15. The U.S. administration said that Mexico is 865,000 acre-feet short of water delivery requirements and warned that additional tariffs on Mexican imports may be imposed if the country continues to violate the water treaty.

 

Fortune

Bloomberg