Law and legal tech, in three minutesGet the 7 a.m. briefDaily Brief PodcastMenu

Older stories, page 17. Newest first.

MICH.Regulation

Michigan bars youth transport companies from using restraints and overnight pickups under PA 111

Michigan enacted Public Act 111 of 2026 (HB 5514), the preventing restraints in youth transport act, effective October 5, 2026. Youth transportation companies taking minors to residential treatment programs may not use blindfolds, hoods or mechanical restraints, may use physical holds only when serious physical harm is imminent and staff are trained, and may not pick up a youth between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Violations carry civil fines up to $1,000.

Enrolled text (Michigan Legislature) → · Governor Whitmer (michigan.gov), MI House Republicans (gophouse.org)
MICH.Regulation

Michigan requires schools to send parents annual notices on youth cannabis, tobacco and vaping risks under PA 104

Michigan enacted Public Act 104 of 2026 (SB 433), adding MCL 380.1509. By July 1, 2027, DHHS must develop a notice in English, Spanish and Arabic on the dangers of THC, tobacco, vapor, alternative nicotine and synthetic intoxicating hemp products, and update it every year. Starting in 2027-28, districts, intermediate districts, academies and nonpublic schools must get it to every pupil's parent by October 1 each year.

Enrolled text (Michigan Legislature) → · Governor Whitmer (michigan.gov), The Marijuana Herald
U.S. FEDRegulation

Trump order directs Treasury to weigh diesel tax deferral and waive dyed-diesel highway penalties

President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14435 on Oct. 5, directing the Treasury secretary to decide within five days whether 26 U.S.C. 7508A allows deferring certain diesel fuel taxes incurred Oct. 5 through Dec. 31, 2026, without penalties or interest, and to have the IRS announce it will not impose penalties for highway use of dyed diesel in that period. The order also asks Treasury to explore eliminating the deferred tax.

Text (Federal Register) → · The White House, TheTrucker.com
9TH CIR.Court order

Ninth Circuit pauses reinstatement of fired Seattle U.S. attorney Roger Rogoff

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on October 4, 2026, granted the Justice Department an administrative stay of a district court's October 1 order reinstating Roger Rogoff as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington, in Rogoff v. Trump, No. 26-6445. The unsigned order keeps Rogoff out of the post while the court considers the government's emergency motion for a stay pending appeal and does not decide the merits.

Order (Bloomberg Law) → · Reuters, Lynnwood Times
UKRegulation

Norris scraps Crown Court Bench Division after outcry over judge-alone trials

The UK government said on October 4, 2026, that Justice Secretary Alex Norris will drop the planned Crown Court Bench Division, under which judges would have tried cases likely to draw sentences of up to three years without a jury. The Courts and Tribunals Bill, due back in the Commons on October 13, still ends defendants' right to elect jury trial for either-way offenses, keeps judge-alone trials for complex fraud and expands magistrates' sentencing powers.

Text (Law Gazette) → · GOV.UK, The Guardian, The Independent +1
U.S. FEDRoundup

Federal law roundup, week ending October 2, 2026: 2 developments

Two federal rules published September 29, 2026. The National Marine Fisheries Service added omitted inseason sablefish trip limits for West Coast groundfish fisheries, and the Environmental Protection Agency set a residue tolerance for the sodium salt of acifluorfen on sugar beet, with objections due November 30, 2026. Each item links to its Federal Register notice.

Entries (Federal Register) →

Rulings this week

All court orders

CAL.Roundup

State and local law roundup, week ending October 2, 2026: 23 developments

Twenty-three state and local measures dated September 25 to 29, 2026. California enacted laws on prescribed fire, children's meals, added-sugar menu warnings, diaper ingredients, disposable vapes, supplement sales to minors and disability-form fees. North Dakota, Texas, Arkansas and Georgia issued fuel emergency orders. New Jersey and New York signed school, reentry, Rutgers and climate bills, Massachusetts set emergency adult foster care rates, and San Jose paused detention-facility applications.

Entries (California Legislative Information) → · North Dakota Office of the Governor, City of San Jose, Office of the City Clerk (Legistar), Office of the Texas Governor +6
E.D. PA.Court order

Pennsylvania federal court denies Starbucks bid to dismiss, transfer or stay union trademark suit

U.S. District Judge Michael Baylson on October 2 denied Starbucks' motion to dismiss a declaratory judgment lawsuit brought by Workers United in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The union seeks a ruling that its name and raised-fist logo do not infringe or dilute Starbucks trademarks or infringe its copyrights. The court held that a 2024 memorandum of understanding did not end the live controversy and declined Starbucks' alternative request to transfer or stay the case.

Order (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania) → · Reuters, USA Herald, Hoodline
C.D. CAL.Litigation

FTC settles Robinson-Patman Act price discrimination suit against Southern Glazer's

The Federal Trade Commission on October 2 filed a proposed stipulated consent decree resolving its Robinson-Patman Act price discrimination lawsuit against Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits in the Central District of California. The decree carries no civil penalty or admission of wrongdoing. For six years, an independent monitor will oversee whether Southern Glazer's charges independent retailers significantly more than its five largest chain customers in 26 states, with payments owed to harmed retailers.

Filing (Federal Trade Commission) → · Reuters, Associated Press, Global Competition Review
1ST CIR.Litigation

Twenty-one states, DC and five cities ask First Circuit to review NHTSA fuel-economy rollback

Twenty-one states, the District of Columbia and five cities, including California and New York, petitioned the First Circuit on October 2, 2026, to review NHTSA's SAFE Vehicles Rule III, which sets a fleetwide average of 34.9 miles per gallon by 2031, down from 50.4 under the Biden-era rule. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the rule violates the requirement that standards be set at the maximum feasible level, Reuters reported.

Filing (California Department of Justice) → · Reuters, Courthouse News Service, Spectrum News +1
JAPANProduct launches

Harvey partners with Legalscape to put Japanese law research on its AI platform

Nikkei Asia reported on October 2, 2026, that Japanese legal-tech company Legalscape will make its proprietary Japanese law research tool available on Harvey's AI platform. The tool lets Harvey users query Japanese statutes, case law and licensed legal publications, with summaries tied to source references. LegalTech Digest reported that Legalscape works with more than 40 publishers and serves more than 3,000 clients.

Announcement (Nikkei Asia) → · LegalTech Digest
U.S. FEDRegulation

Federal Reserve finalizes averaging of stress-test results to set capital buffer requirement

The Federal Reserve Board adopted a final rule (91 FR 62636) changing how it sets the stress capital buffer for large bank holding companies, savings and loan holding companies, U.S. intermediate holding companies of foreign banks and supervised nonbank financial companies. The buffer will use the average of the maximum common equity tier 1 declines projected in the Board's prior two annual stress tests, and its annual effective date moves from Oct. 1 to Jan. 1.

Text (Federal Register) → · ABA Banking Journal
U.S. FEDRegulation

Federal Reserve finalizes stress-test transparency rule requiring annual public comment on models and scenarios

The Federal Reserve Board on Sept. 30 adopted a final rule amending Regulations Y, LL and YY to open its annual bank stress tests to public comment. The Board will publish its stress-test models and scenarios each year, invite comment on material model changes, and respond to substantive comments before implementing them. The rule takes effect Nov. 2, 2026, under 91 FR 62870 (Oct. 2, 2026).

Text (Federal Register) → · ABA Banking Journal
U.S. FEDRegulation

SEC rewrites quorum rule so one commissioner can act when all others are disqualified

The Securities and Exchange Commission amended its quorum rule, 17 CFR 200.41, so that a single commissioner constitutes a quorum for a matter when every other commissioner in office is disqualified from it. Three commissioners otherwise remain a quorum. The SEC adopted the change without notice and comment as an agency-management rule, and it took effect Oct. 2, 2026 (91 FR 62654).

Text (Federal Register) → · CoinDesk
UKPeople moves

CMS plans UK business-services restructuring to harness technology

CMS said on October 2 that it is preparing to consult business-services staff in the UK on a restructuring driven by changing client expectations and the need to harness technology, Law360 reported. Legal Business reported that the firm has begun rolling out cuts to those teams as it redesigns them for faster, tech-enabled advice. None of the reports stated how many roles are affected.

Announcement (Legal Business) → · The Lawyer, Law360
UKPeople moves

WilmerHale adds Clifford Chance's Kosky and Cooley's Lightfoot in London disputes

WilmerHale hired Clifford Chance commercial litigator Jeremy Kosky to head its London disputes practice and Cooley international arbitration chair Charlie Lightfoot as a London arbitration partner, The Lawyer and Legal Business reported on October 2, 2026. The firm said Kosky has more than 30 years in international commercial litigation and Lightfoot 25 years in international disputes. The hires follow a WilmerHale team's departure to King & Spalding.

Announcement (The Lawyer) → · Legal Business, WilmerHale