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Judge lets former Meta engineer testify in youth safety trial
No. 161
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Judge lets former Meta engineer testify in youth safety trial

A spoliation motion asks the court to sanction a party or witness for destroying evidence after a preservation duty attaches; denial leaves the witness available and the dispute for the advisory jury.

Court Allows DOJ To Keep Hunting QueerDoc Patient Medical Records
No. 160
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Court Allows DOJ To Keep Hunting QueerDoc Patient Medical Records

How an administrative subpoena under 18 U.S.C. 3486 works, the presumption of regularity, the heavy burden to prove improper purpose, and what a remand on overbreadth actually leaves open.

Feds Find California Women's Prisons Failed to Stop Staff Sexual Abuse
No. 159
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Feds Find California Women's Prisons Failed to Stop Staff Sexual Abuse

CRIPA gives the state a 49-day remediation window before the Attorney General may sue; the findings are an executive conclusion of reasonable cause, not a court judgment.

HHS Refers Hospitals To DOJ For Improper Puberty Blocker Billing
No. 158
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HHS Refers Hospitals To DOJ For Improper Puberty Blocker Billing

How a diagnostic code on an insurance claim becomes a paid claim, what a referral to DOJ and an Inspector General actually triggers, and the high bar the False Claims Act sets for knowing falsity.

Federal Regulator Blocks New York From Shutting Down Kalshi Prediction Markets
No. 157
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Federal Regulator Blocks New York From Shutting Down Kalshi Prediction Markets

Federal exclusive jurisdiction under the Commodity Exchange Act versus state consumer-protection and anti-gambling police power, still unresolved in court.

ICE Plans Sole Source Purchase Of Ten Million Dollar Shock Gloves
No. 156
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ICE Plans Sole Source Purchase Of Ten Million Dollar Shock Gloves

A procurement notice with no competition, estimated $10 to $20 million, solicitation as early as August 14, and no published independent safety testing or use-of-force policy attached.

Daniel Kinahan extradited from UAE to face Irish criminal charges
No. 155
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Daniel Kinahan extradited from UAE to face Irish criminal charges

A new permanent bilateral extradition treaty, in force since 18 May 2025, enabled the first return of an Irish national under its terms, placing a single statutory charge before a non-jury court while the presumption of innocence remains intact.

New Mexico judge orders Meta to pay $567 million for teen harm
No. 154
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New Mexico judge orders Meta to pay $567 million for teen harm

A state court applied public-nuisance liability to platform design features while Section 230 and the First Amendment still limited some design injunctions, and the science of causation remains contested.

GAO Cannot Verify Most DOGE Savings Claims From Provided Data
No. 153
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GAO Cannot Verify Most DOGE Savings Claims From Provided Data

Self-reported government efficiency savings face the same verification gap across administrations; GAO asked for disclosure of limitations, not a finding that every dollar was fabricated.

Federal Agency Shutting Down Kentucky Organ Group Over Donation Handling Problems
No. 152
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Federal Agency Shutting Down Kentucky Organ Group Over Donation Handling Problems

CMS is using its certification authority under 42 CFR 486 to end an OPO's Medicare agreement when it finds the organization no longer meets performance standards, with the action subject to administrative appeal and temporary extension possible during transition.

West Virginia Man Arrested For Removing License Plate Cameras Sparks National Debate
No. 151
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West Virginia Man Arrested For Removing License Plate Cameras Sparks National Debate

Prosecutors applied a felony statute written for emergency-responder equipment to automated license-plate readers, while the same cameras sit at the center of a documented privacy-versus-utility dispute that crosses ideological lines.

Judge blocks Energy Department from forcing FOIA requesters to reconfirm old requests
No. 150
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Judge blocks Energy Department from forcing FOIA requesters to reconfirm old requests

FOIA does not authorize agencies to impose a blanket affirmative-reassertion requirement that shifts the burden onto requesters.