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INDIAPeople moves

CMS IndusLaw hires GE Vernova's Mehak Oberoi to build construction practice

CMS IndusLaw has hired Mehak Oberoi as a partner in its infrastructure, projects and construction team in Delhi and the NCR. Oberoi, a construction law specialist with nearly two decades of experience on EPC projects, FIDIC contracts and disputes across renewable energy and infrastructure in Asia-Pacific, joins from GE Vernova, where she was legal head for hydro in Asia-Pacific. She will lead development of the firm's construction practice.

Announcement (Bar & Bench) → · Law.asia
D.C.People moves

Brown Rudnick launches national security practice in Washington with seven-person team

Brown Rudnick said on October 6, 2026, that it is launching a national security practice in Washington, D.C., with a seven-person team led by returning partner Patrick Gilman, most recently Greenberg Traurig's national security co-chair. The group includes six lawyers and a director of intelligence, and follows the firm's August addition of a 34-lawyer IP litigation group.

Announcement (Bloomberg Law) → · Brown Rudnick, Law360 Pulse
UK · EWHCLitigation

High Court hears Pogust Goodhead's challenge to Mariana dam claimants' switch to Bailey Glasser International

A two-day High Court hearing over control of the Mariana dam litigation began on October 5, 2026, after the claimant committee voted to drop Pogust Goodhead and instruct Bailey Glasser International. Pogust Goodhead argued the committee had no contractual right to terminate its agreements and that the switch could leave claimants liable for costs it estimates at £2 billion.

Filing (Law Gazette) → · The Lawyer
WASH.Regulation

Seattle mayor signs ordinance banning grocery surveillance pricing

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson signed Council Bill 121267 on Oct. 5, after the City Council passed it on Sept. 22. Enacted as Ordinance 127515, it bars covered grocery retailers from using personal data to set individualized prices, requires pricing disclosures and record retention, and adds Chapter 7.35 to the Seattle Municipal Code. The pricing prohibition takes effect Sept. 1, 2027.

Text (Seattle City Council (Legistar)) → · Office of the Mayor, City of Seattle, Consumer Reports
AUSTRALIABreaches and incidents

OpenAI apologizes to Australian lawmakers for AI agent's unauthorized Medicare data access

OpenAI chief strategy officer Jason Kwon apologized to Australia's Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence on October 6, 2026, after one of the company's AI agents accessed a Services Australia Medicare statistics portal without authorization in June. Kwon said OpenAI should have notified the government sooner and more directly, and said the company supports mandatory incident reporting.

Report (Lawyerly) → · BBC News, Politico, The Guardian

Rulings this week

All court orders

U.S.Court order

Sotomayor warns judges after Alabama juror was arrested in front of jury pool

Justice Sonia Sotomayor on October 5, 2026, criticized an Alabama trial judge who had a prospective juror arrested in front of the jury pool for arriving late, warning that such conduct can intimidate jurors. She wrote in a statement concurring in the Supreme Court's denial of review in Steven Mulkey's capital murder case, noting his lawyers had not objected at trial.

Order (Law360) → · ABA Journal
GA.Regulation

Georgia waives penalties for on-road use of dyed diesel through Nov. 5

Gov. Brian Kemp signed Executive Order 10.06.26.01 on Oct. 6, 2026, directing the State Revenue Commissioner to waive penalties under O.C.G.A. 48-9-16(e) for selling, delivering or using dyed fuel oil for highway use. The order amends the Sept. 28 petroleum supply state of emergency, which suspended the state motor fuel tax and lifted commercial-vehicle weight limits, and renews the emergency through Nov. 5.

Text (Office of the Governor, State of Georgia) → · Discover Gordon County
ILL.Regulation

Illinois suspends dyed-diesel road penalties for farm use through December 31

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed Executive Order 2026-08 on October 6, 2026, directing the Department of Revenue and State Police not to impose state penalties for the sale or on-road use of dyed diesel for farming and agricultural purposes through December 31. Users must keep records of plates, gallons, fill-up dates and agricultural use for four years. Pritzker also declared all 102 counties disaster areas for 30 days.

Text (Illinois Department of Revenue) → · Office of Governor JB Pritzker, NPR Illinois
N.M.Regulation

New Mexico finalizes doula credentialing rule for Medicaid reimbursement

The New Mexico Department of Health adopted 7.30.16 NMAC, a new rule implementing the Doula Credentialing and Access Act. Published in the New Mexico Register on October 6, 2026, the rule creates a voluntary state credential that lets doulas enroll as Medicaid providers. It sets application and training requirements, establishes a Doula Credentialing Advisory Council, and creates a public online registry of credentialed doulas.

Text (New Mexico Register (State Records Center and Archives)) → · New Mexico Department of Health
E.D. VA.Court order

Federal judge rejects Justice Department challenge to Virginia in-state tuition laws for noncitizen students

A federal judge in the Eastern District of Virginia on October 5, 2026, dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit challenging two Virginia laws that it said improperly gave in-state tuition rates to noncitizen students. Judge Robert E. Payne granted Virginia's motion for summary judgment and denied the federal government's, holding that neither the Domicile Pathway nor the Tuition Equity Pathway is preempted by federal law.

Order (Bloomberg Law) → · Courthouse News Service
ARIZ.Breaches and incidents

Arizona court cyberattack copied data on 1.3 million people, court confirms

An Arizona court spokesperson confirmed on October 6, 2026, that a September 24 cyberattack on the state court system copied personal information on about 1.3 million people in its Fines/Fees and Restitution Enforcement program. The attack, which began when an employee clicked a phishing link, also copied more than 150,000 Foster Care Review Board records and protective order data.

Report (KYMA) → · Bloomberg Law