Latest Stories

Judge Pushes Justice Department on Mandatory Immigrant Detention

A federal judge pressed a US Department of Justice lawyer to explain how or whether the Trump administration would continue its widespread mandatory detention of noncitizens if she formally vacates the Board of Immigration Appeals decision that she has already declared “no longer good law.”

California AG Bonta Fails to Shield Himself From Exxon Lawsuit

Exxon Mobil Corp. advanced defamation claims against California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who failed to convince a federal judge in Texas that he should be shielded from liability for statements made in his official capacity as the state’s top attorney.

Netflix Appeal Deals DivX’s Streaming Patent a Staggering Blow

The Federal Circuit said an administrative tribunal wrongly rejected Netflix Inc.‘s challenge to a DivX LLC streaming patent based on a misinterpretation of a key term relating to data encryption—and that under the correct reading the patent would be invalid.

Ghost Gun Coding-as-Speech Loss Holds Line on Tech Regulation

A landmark Third Circuit ruling has increased tech companies’ chances of getting First Amendment protections for their computer code. But the power to assert that shield against the state will depend on how “expressive” judges consider the coding.

Best Buy, Apple, Others Make Millions From California Tax Deals

A few dozen California cities have lucrative deals with retail giants like Apple, Best Buy, and Nike. These deals result in the cities paying millions of dollars from their local tax revenue back to the companies. In this video, we explore how these deals work and what some city and state lawmakers are hoping to do about it.