New SCOTUS term …
The U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 2 opens a new nine-month term loaded with important cases on issues including the right of domestic abusers to have guns, the power of federal agencies, Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy settlement, the legality of Republican-drawn electoral districts and even one involving the size of Donald Trump’s hands. Read about the cases the justices are due to decide.
In addition to its caseload, the U.S. Supreme Court must also decide on the ethics standards of the justices themselves. The nation’s top court has been buffeted for months by revelations involving some of the nine justices concerning hobnobbing with the rich and powerful – private jets, luxury vacations, real estate deals and more.
Sam Bankman-Fried fraud trial …
The fraud trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, is due to start on Oct. 3, marking a major test for a broader crackdown on white collar crime led by Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor Damian Williams. The trial is expected to last for six weeks during which a federal jury in Manhattan will weigh dueling narratives from the former billionaire and U.S. prosecutors on why FTX collapsed. The 31-year old has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of fraud and conspiracy. Bankman-Fried has been preparing for trial from behind bars since Aug. 11, when U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan jailed him for likely tampering with witnesses – including by sharing former Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison’s private writings with a New York Times reporter.
Trump civil fraud trial …
Jury selection will kick off Monday in a case that could force Donald Trump to pay up to $250 million for lying about the value of his business assets for more than a decade.
Week in review …
FTC v. Amazon …
FTC Chair Lina Khan’s years-long push to challenge the power of Amazon.com reached a turning point this week when her agency filed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against the online retailer. Several legal experts told Reuters that the FTC faces a high bar in trying to show that U.S. consumers would be better off in a world without Amazon’s policies in place. Still, the lawsuit poses perhaps the biggest legal test so far for the platoons of lawyers who have defended the technology giant for years against allegations of antitrust and consumer protection violations. Other retailers have launched online marketplaces since the FTC began investigating Amazon in 2019. Here’s more about attempts by regulators to rein in big companies’ clout.
Diversity & Inclusion …
A divided Michigan Supreme Court approved a new rule requiring judges to refer to attorneys by their preferred pronouns … Former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch is helping to lead a new practice at Paul Weiss advising companies whose diversity programs are under fire, as a legal backlash against race-focused initiatives gains steam following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June to strike down race-conscious admissions policies at colleges and universities … A federal judge in Atlanta rejected a bid by Edward Blum’s American Alliance for Equal Rights to bar a small venture capital fund from awarding grants to businesses run by Black women … Washington Trust Bank, the largest community bank in the country, will pay $9 million to settle civil rights charges that it discriminated against primarily Black and Hispanic mortgage applicants in Rhode Island … The EEOC sued Tesla, claiming the electric carmaker has tolerated severe harassment of Black employees at its flagship Fremont, California, assembly plant.
