AFGE opposed the changes, arguing that the rule violates the ALA and the APA. The Office of Personnel Management has finalized regulations that formally authorize federal agencies to use administrative leave as a workforce restructuring tool, including in deferred resignation programs and certain reduction-in-force situations, while also establishing new restrictions on how such leave may be used. The rule takes effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. The final rule amends…

More details about an assignation did not change the result. A district court dismissed with prejudice an action brought against The Boeing Company and its former CEO, holding that an assignee lacked standing to assert fraud claims. The court acknowledged that the assignment did not appear to have been a tactical effort to create standing, but the determinative fact that the plaintiff did not actually purchase or sell securities remained. As a result, the assignee lacked standing and the…

A presidential directive that seeks to recruit private-sector entities to conduct offensive cyber operations against overseas cyber criminals would be codified under legislation introduced by Rep. Pat Fallon (R., Texas). The National Coordination Center and Commercial Cyber Capabilities Coordination Act (H.R. 10777 , 119th Cong. (2026)) would codify two recent directives issued by the White House, including a national security presidential memorandum (NSPM) that sought the private sector’s…

The government alleged that the pharmacy chain illegally filled prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances and then billed Medicare and other federal health care programs. U.S. pharmacy giant CVS Pharmacy, Inc. and its related corporate entities have agreed to pay a total of $315 million to resolve allegations that for more than 12 years it illegally filled prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances in violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and then…

FinCEN asked institutions to place “FIN-2026-IRANCHARITYABUSE” in Suspicious Activity Report field 2 and the narrative when referencing its alert on potential charity abuse. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an alert identifying four red flags to help financial institutions detect, prevent, and report suspicious activity potentially involving Iranian abuse of religious charity networks (FIN-2026-Alert008 , Oct. 15, 2026). The indicators cover activity even when Iran’s…

The petition urges the Court to resolve an intra-circuit split of authority on an issue that can be outcome-determinative in patent eligibility cases. A patent holder is seeking Supreme Court review of an adverse Federal Circuit decision in its patent infringement case involving tools for designing semiconductor chips for computers. The petition for certiorari identifies an intra-circuit split of authority on the issue of patent eligibility under § 101 of the Patent Act that the Court should…

Deputy Attorney General Greco emphasized how the Trump Administration views the practical certainty of an expeditious settlement at case outset as “the ideal result,” but she warned the DOJ will follow the law and facts to block deals when necessary. Department of Justice Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stephanie A. Greco delivered remarks presenting her view of Trump Administration antitrust enforcement at the 2026 Antitrust Tech Summit. Cooley LLP hosted the half-day event at the…

The court affirmed dismissal for “impossibility” preemption; however, amendment was not certainly futile because the estate made a presentation of newly acquired information forming a basis for a label change. A state law complaint about the labeling of Aimovig, an Amgen Inc. biologic drug, could not withstand Amgen’s affirmative defense of “impossibility” preemption, held the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, in affirming dismissal. That Amgen could have proposed a different…

“Plaintiffs lack a protectable First Amendment interest in speech that is prohibited by the Contractors Order because they lack an interest in speech that is prohibited by federal antidiscrimination law.” Denying a request by five organizations whose members include government contractors to preliminarily enjoin an executive order issued by President Trump in March 2026—which directs executive departments and agencies to ensure that agreements with contractors and subcontractors include…