Keep your finger on the legal world's pulse

The Supreme Court has weakened a landmark Civil Rights-era law that had increased minority representation in Congress and elsewhere. The court's striking down of a majority Black congressional district in Louisiana introduces the possibility for more redistricting across the U.S. that could aid Republican efforts to control the House. In a 6-3 ruling, the court’s conservative majority found that the Louisiana district represented by Democrat Cleo Fields relied too heavily on race. Chief Justice John Roberts said the 6th Congressional District was a “snake” that stretches more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) to link parts of Shreveport, Alexandria, Lafayette and Baton Rouge. “That map is an unconstitutional gerrymander,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the six conservatives. All three liberal justices joined a dissent by Justice Elena Kagan. Kagan said that what the majority claimed were mere updates actually “eviscerate the law” and amount to the “demolition of the Voting Rights Act.”

 

AP News

Jurist

Legal Tech Monitor

Washington Post

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, whose office joined seven other states in suing over Nexstar's $6.2bn acquisition of rival broadcaster ​Tegna in March, has said five other states - Massachusetts, Vermont, Indiana, Kansas, and Pennsylvania ⁠- are joining the antitrust lawsuit challenging the deal, making the suit a bipartisan effort. U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley ​in Sacramento said in an April 17 ruling that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on their claims that the deal will substantially ​lessen competition in dozens of local television markets. “This is not controversial stuff - this merger is illegal and will give Nexstar and Tegna the ability to control and raise prices, fire journalists, and dominate the media landscape,” Bonta said. “We welcome our sister states into the fray and look forward to fighting alongside them.”

 

NBC News

Reuters

A lender to First Brands has filed a lawsuit against auditor BDO USA, alleging it failed to identify multiple warning signs of fraud at the auto parts supplier prior to its bankruptcy, including extensive factoring arrangements and large transfers to the founder’s personal trust. The claimant, affiliated with Black Diamond Capital Management, is seeking damages equivalent to its roughly $70m debt exposure, accusing BDO of negligence and misrepresentation, while BDO has rejected the claims, arguing the fraud was deliberately concealed and that its audits complied with professional standards.

 

Bloomberg

Financial Times

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has reinstated over a dozen employees who were placed on leave after they signed a public letter of dissent against the agency's leadership and policies. The reinstatement was confirmed by Democratic U.S. Senator Andy Kim and the non-profit group Stand Up for Science, which said that "all signers who are ​placed on administrative leave have been given the return to work order." The initial action had raised concerns about the Trump administration's intolerance of dissent, particularly following the appointment of loyalists in leadership roles. A FEMA spokesperson said the agency was "addressing outstanding personnel actions to ensure workforce stability . . . As we approach the 2026 hurricane season and the FIFA World Cup, FEMA is taking targeted steps to stabilize our workforce ​and strengthen readiness." 

 

U.S. News

More than half of “long-shot” bets on military action made on Polymarket are successful, according to analysis by the Anti-Corruption Data Collective (ACDC), a non-profit research and advocacy group. ACDC says it supports a regulatory approach that prohibits or restricts categories of political markets most vulnerable to insider trading, and recommends that Polymarket should be required to collect government-issued identification for all bettors.

 

ACDC	Financial Times

The House has passed the IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act (H.R. 7959) with a 346-10 vote. Co-sponsored by Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), the bill introduces a more favorable review standard for whistleblower appeals, allowing new evidence and protecting anonymity. It also mandates timely award payments, imposing interest if the IRS delays recommendations beyond 12 months. Mr. Kelly emphasized: "The IRS Whistleblower Program leverages insider knowledge to identify noncompliance that would otherwise have gone undetected." Since 2007, the program has recovered over $7.37bn in unpaid taxes, proving essential in combating tax evasion. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.

 

Accounting Today

Alphabet's Google has signed a deal with the U.S. Department of Defense to use its artificial intelligence models for classified work. The agreement allows the Pentagon to ​use Google's AI for “any lawful government purpose.” It states: "the parties agree that the AI System is not intended ​for, and should not be used for, domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weapons (including target selection) without appropriate human oversight and control." The ‌agreement ⁠does also however observe that Google does not have the right to control or veto lawful government operational decision-making.

 

Reuters

The Information

Sheppard has significantly strengthened its intellectual property litigation practice by hiring a 15-lawyer team from Perkins Coie, including partners Veronica Ascarrunz, Robin Brewer, Andrew Klein, Tom Millikan, and Joseph Reid. This latest move follows a previous recruitment of a three-partner team from Perkins Coie in June. The firm is expanding its presence in high-stakes patent litigation across various locations, including Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Del Mar, California.

 

Bloomberg Law

A Swiss court has dismissed money laundering proceedings against Gulnara Karimova, a daughter of the former president of Uzbekistan. Karimova is accused of taking bribes and ​running a criminal organization known as "The Office" that allegedly channelled hundreds of millions of dollars to accounts in Switzerland ​between 2005 and 2013. She has previously denied ​any wrongdoing. The Swiss Federal Criminal Court dismissed the case because it would not be able to reach a judgment before the statute of limitations starts to expire in 2028.

 

Financial Times

Reuters

Washington Post

A provincial court in Argentina has lifted a suspension on the Vicuna copper project, a ​50-50 joint venture operated by Australia's BHP and ​Canada's Lundin Mining. The court in San Juan said the project could continue operating just days after a judge in neighboring ‌La Rioja ordered a temporary suspension. "In proceedings initiated by Vicuna before the provincial courts ​of San Juan, a precautionary measure requested by the company was granted, ​guaranteeing continuity of operations at the Vicuna mining project," the mine said in a ‌statement.

 

Reuters