A federal judge in Boston has again ruled against President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting mail voting, handing the administration another setback as it pushes for Supreme Court intervention before the November 3, 2026 midterm elections. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani’s decision keeps in place a barrier to federal efforts that challengers say would reshape election administration by creating a federal voter list and drawing the U.S. Postal Service into election-related functions traditionally handled by states.

The ruling comes in consolidated litigation brought by voting-rights groups and Democratic state attorneys general, including League of Women Voters of Massachusetts et al v. Trump et al and State of California et al v. Trump et al in the District of Massachusetts.

A federal judge in Miami has thrown out a proposed settlement in President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, finding the case was pursued for an improper purpose and concluding that the deal itself could not stand. In a sharp rebuke, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams also referred Trump attorney Alejandro Brito and senior Justice Department officials to bar authorities for possible professional-conduct violations.

The rejected agreement reportedly would have provided unusually broad protections for Trump and established a compensation fund approaching $1.8 billion.

A new petition at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, IPR2026-00413, was filed on August 14, 2026, and names Luxottica of America Inc. in the proceeding caption. For patent practitioners tracking activity in the eyewear, retail, consumer products, or branded technology spaces, this is a matter worth watching as the record develops.

At this early stage, the publicly available docket information identifies the proceeding title, filing date, and PTAB docket number, but key details that practitioners will want—most notably the patent number being challenged, the full party alignment between petitioner and patent owner, and the specific invalidity grounds asserted under 35 U.S.C. §§ 102 and/or 103—will likely become clearer as the petition and accompanying papers are added to the docket.

That said, the filing itself is significant.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has announced a $3.2 million settlement with OpenAI OpCo LLC and Statsig Inc. over allegations that the companies discriminated against U.S. workers. The resolution is notable not only because it involves a major AI company, but also because it underscores the government’s continued focus on employment practices at the intersection of immigration law, recruiting, and workforce compliance.

While the public attention around AI companies often centers on data use, intellectual property, and product liability, this matter is a reminder that hiring practices remain a significant enforcement risk.

A new post-grant review petition has been filed at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board against Straumann USA, LLC, opening what could become a closely watched dispute for practitioners in the dental and medical-device patent space. The proceeding, PGR2026-00070, was filed on August 11, 2026. View full case on Docket Alarm

At this early stage, the PTAB docket identifies Straumann USA, LLC in the case caption, but practitioners will want to watch the filing record closely to confirm the specific patent number at issue, the named petitioner, and the precise claims challenged once the petition and related papers are available through the docket.

The Justice Department’s recent public announcements underscore a familiar but increasingly urgent message for companies: federal enforcement remains active across corporate crime, fraud, and compliance-related matters, even during quieter stretches in the court-news cycle. Over the past several days and weeks, DOJ press activity has continued to highlight criminal prosecutions, civil enforcement actions, and policy messaging that together reinforce the government’s expectation that companies maintain credible, well-documented compliance programs.

For legal professionals, the significance is less about any single headline than about the aggregate signal.

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has issued its Final Written Decision in IPR2025-00070, bringing the inter partes review to its merits-stage conclusion and giving practitioners another look at how the Board is applying patentability standards in contested post-grant proceedings. View full case on Docket Alarm

Because a Final Written Decision is the PTAB’s definitive resolution of the challenged claims and grounds that were instituted, the opinion matters well beyond the immediate dispute.

A federal judge in Boston has again blocked key provisions of President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at expanding the federal government’s role in election administration, marking another significant judicial check on the administration’s effort to reshape voting rules ahead of the 2026 midterms.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, ruled against provisions that would have helped create a federal voter list and more directly inserted federal authority into functions traditionally handled by states.

The Eleventh Circuit’s August 7, 2026 filing in Opinion, No. 25-13883, is now available on Docket Alarm. At the time of writing, the key takeaway for practitioners is the release of the appellate disposition itself and the need to review the opinion closely for its treatment of the issues on appeal, procedural posture, and any statements that may affect future briefing strategy in the circuit.

Because appellate opinions can turn on narrow procedural grounds as often as on merits questions, lawyers should focus first on three things: what judgment the panel entered, whether the court affirmed, reversed, vacated, or remanded; the standard of review it applied; and whether the holding is expressly limited to the facts before it or framed in broader doctrinal terms.

The Department of Justice’s recent press-release activity points to a notable trend for legal professionals: federal enforcement remains active on multiple fronts at once. In late July and early August, DOJ announcements reflected a steady mix of healthcare-fraud resolutions, terrorism-related charges, and other criminal prosecutions, underscoring that the government is continuing to deploy both its criminal and civil tools aggressively across industries and fact patterns.

That matters because the news is not just about any single headline-making case.

A new post-grant review at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board could be worth close attention for companies operating in the dental implant and medical device space. In PGR2026-00070, filed on August 11, 2026, the proceeding is captioned Straumann USA, LLC, signaling a challenge to a recently issued patent associated with one of the best-known names in dental technology.

At this stage, the docket entry identifies the matter by party name and PTAB number, but practitioners will want to watch for the petition and related filings to clarify the specific patent claims at issue, the identity of the petitioner, and the precise invalidity theories being advanced.

The FTC has secured what it says is the largest civil penalty ever obtained for a Hart-Scott-Rodino filing failure: a combined $12 million settlement with Edwards Lifesciences and Genesis MedTech over the acquisition of JC Medical. According to the agency, the companies structured the transaction to avoid premerger notification and waiting-period requirements under the HSR Act, prompting an enforcement action filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by the DOJ on the FTC’s behalf.

That headline number matters.

Meta Platforms, Inc. has launched a new inter partes review at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, filing IPR2026-00420 on August 7, 2026. The petition opens another closely watched PTAB contest involving a major technology company and underscores how frequently the Board remains central to high-stakes patent strategy.

At this early stage, the docket identifies the proceeding by petitioner name—Meta Platforms, Inc.—but the publicly available case caption information does not yet disclose the full patent details or the patent owner in the materials summarized here.

The Justice Department has authorized a $400 million settlement to resolve litigation brought by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium over contract support costs under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA). The dispute centered on the federal government’s obligation to fund the overhead and administrative expenses tribal entities incur when they assume responsibility for delivering healthcare services that the government would otherwise provide.

The settlement is notable not just for its size, but for what it says about the federal government’s continuing exposure in ISDEAA funding disputes.

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