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MO.Regulation

Missouri governor signs EO 26-19 letting farm haulers use dyed diesel and heavier loads

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe signed Executive Order 26-19 on September 30, 2026, declaring a state of emergency and suspending enforcement of the motor fuel restrictions in Section 142.932, RSMo, so vehicles used strictly for agricultural purposes may run on dyed diesel on state highways and local roads, but not interstates. Six-axle farm combinations may carry up to 90,000 pounds. The relief runs through October 30.

Text (Missouri Secretary of State) → · Office of Governor Mike Kehoe, Missouri Farm Bureau
S.D.N.Y.Court order

Manhattan federal judge enjoins New York ban on algorithmic rent-setting software on First Amendment grounds

U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni preliminarily enjoined New York from enforcing Section 3 of General Business Law 340-B, the state's ban on algorithmic rent-setting tools, and denied Attorney General Letitia James's motion to dismiss RealPage's suit. In a 27-page opinion filed September 29, she called it a close call but found RealPage marginally likely to show the law restricts speech protected by the First Amendment.

Opinion (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York) → · Reuters, Law360, MLex
CAL.Regulation

California's SB 876 requires home insurers to offer 50% extended replacement cost and doubles emergency claim penalties from 2028

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 876 (Chapter 656, Statutes of 2026) on September 27. Starting January 1, 2028, insurers may not issue or renew a residential property policy without offering extended replacement cost coverage of at least 50% above the dwelling limit, must assign a primary point of contact on emergency claims within 30 days, and face civil penalties of up to $10,000 per act, or $20,000 if willful, for unfair practices tied to a state of emergency.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · CalMatters
3D CIR.Court order

Third Circuit affirms Thomson Reuters win over ROSS on Westlaw headnotes and AI training

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on September 29, 2026, affirmed a Delaware federal judgment that ROSS Intelligence infringed Thomson Reuters Westlaw headnotes and could not claim fair use for using them to train a competing AI legal research tool, Bloomberg Law and Copyright Lately reported. The precedential opinion, filed under temporary seal on September 29, is now public on the court's website.

Order (Bloomberg Law) → · Copyright Lately, LawSites, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit +1
S.D.N.Y.Litigation

SEC files twin Manhattan fraud lawsuits over alleged $15M WhatsApp AI trading schemes

The Securities and Exchange Commission filed two civil fraud actions in Manhattan federal court against Cryptoaiml and TSAI Pro entities, alleging they took more than $15 million from retail investors. The SEC alleges the defendants lured investors through WhatsApp and other platforms with fake AI trading programs, displayed fictitious profits, froze withdrawals to demand further payments, and filed Form D notices listing fictitious officers with forged notarizations.

Filing (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) → · Bloomberg, The Defiant, FX News Group

Rulings this week

All court orders

FLA.Regulation

Florida Cabinet approves designating CAIR, antifa and Muslim Brotherhood as domestic terrorist organizations

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet on Sept. 29, 2026, approved the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's designation of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, including CAIR-Florida, antifa and the Muslim Brotherhood as domestic terrorist organizations under HB 1471, Chapter 2026-28. CAIR's lawyers, including the ACLU, said they would seek an emergency order to stop the designations, which they said take effect Nov. 5.

Text (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) → · The Florida Senate, American Civil Liberties Union of Florida
D. COLO.Litigation

Colorado sues Department of Homeland Security over $500M Hudson immigrant detention facility contract

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security challenging a five-year contract exceeding $500 million with The GEO Group to operate a 1,200-bed immigration detention center in Hudson. The complaint alleges federal officials violated the National Environmental Policy Act, the Administrative Procedure Act and the Immigration and Nationality Act by awarding the contract without the required environmental review.

Filing (U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado) → · Colorado Attorney General, Courthouse News Service, The Denver Post
UKPeople moves

Luminance appoints former Featurespace CLO Don Riddick as chief legal officer

UK contract-intelligence vendor Luminance appointed Don Riddick as chief legal officer, Bloomberg Law reported on September 29, 2026, and the company said the same day. Riddick joins from amotivv, where he was founding principal and chief of strategy, after more than five years as CLO and company secretary of Featurespace through its acquisition by Visa in December 2024. He will lead Luminance’s legal, governance, and compliance functions and advise the board on material legal and risk matters.

Announcement (Bloomberg Law) → · Luminance
N.Y.People moves

Pierson Ferdinand surpasses 300 partners in AI-enabled partner-only model

Pierson Ferdinand said on September 29, 2026, that it has passed 300 partners globally less than three years after its January 2024 launch, a milestone Artificial Lawyer also reported. The distributed firm has no associates and said it embeds AI tools including Harvey in place of junior leverage; it named five partners who joined in September in Columbus, London, Chicago and Atlanta.

Announcement (Pierson Ferdinand) → · Artificial Lawyer
U.S. FEDPeople moves

Steno appoints LegalZoom co-founder Brian Lee to its board of directors

Court reporting and litigation support company Steno appointed LegalZoom co-founder Brian Lee to its board of directors, the company said on September 29, 2026, and Artificial Lawyer reported the same day. Steno said Lee grew LegalZoom revenue past $300 million before its public offering. CEO Prabhdeep Singh said Lee understands how to build market-defining legal service companies. The appointment follows Steno's $49 million Series C earlier in 2026.

Announcement (Steno) → · Artificial Lawyer
N.Y.People moves

Gibson Dunn hires Raymond Azar as New York power and renewables co-chair

Dr. Raymond Azar joined Gibson Dunn as a partner in its energy and infrastructure practice in New York and as co-chair of the power and renewables practice group, the firm and Bloomberg Law reported on September 29, 2026. Azar advises developers, borrowers, and lenders across renewable energy, energy transition, conventional power, oil and gas, petrochemicals, and infrastructure financings. He previously practiced at White & Case.

Announcement (Gibson Dunn) → · Bloomberg Law
U.S. FEDProduct launches

Morae launches MorAI Legal Intelligence Platform with AI spend module

Morae unveiled its Legal Intelligence Platform and first module, MorAI Spend Intelligence, Legal IT Insider reported on September 29, 2026. The managed offering pairs billing-trained AI with Morae expert review to connect ELM, matter management, and law firm billing data into a single decision layer for outside counsel spend. In an early insurance-company deployment, Morae said savings rose from 8.5% to 18% while cutting 14,000 hours of manual invoice review.

Announcement (Legal IT Insider) → · GlobeNewswire / Morae
UKRegulation

UK Online Procedure Rules possession pilots go live in three county courts

England and Wales’s first Online Procedure Rules possession-claim pilots went live at noon on September 29, 2026, at Bradford, Huddersfield, and Wandsworth county courts, the Online Procedure Rule Committee and Legal Futures reported. The initial phase is limited to registered social landlords in covered postcodes; a Wales pilot at Caernarfon begins October 15, 2026, and Civil Procedure Rules still fill gaps such as appeals and enforcement.

Text (GOV.UK / Online Procedure Rule Committee) → · Legal Futures
U.S. FEDProduct launches

Sullivan & Cromwell details OpenAI engineering work and internal use of Agreement Analyzer

Sullivan & Cromwell worked with OpenAI engineers to refine its Agreement Analyzer after partner John Savva built an initial version, Bloomberg Law reported. Savva told the outlet the tool would initially be used only within the firm and that development used hypothetical agreements and draft playbooks rather than client documents.

Announcement (Bloomberg Law) → · Sullivan & Cromwell
AUSTRALIAPeople moves

Jones Day adds five partners in Australia across disputes, finance, energy, corporate, and IP

Jones Day hired five partners in Australia, Law.asia and Bloomberg Law reported on September 29, 2026. Dylan McKimmie joined global disputes in Brisbane from Norton Rose Fulbright; Leigh De Jong (financial markets/real estate), Christopher Flynn (energy), Lance Sacks (corporate), and Ken Saurajen (intellectual property) joined in Sydney from MinterEllison, Gilbert + Tobin, Baker McKenzie, and Clayton Utz respectively. Jones Day said it has added 10 lateral partners in Australia in 2026.

Announcement (Law.asia) → · Bloomberg Law, Jones Day
U.S. FEDRegulation

Education Department repeals 2024 Title IX rule and recodifies prior text

The Education Department published a final rule repealing its 2024 Title IX regulations and recodifying the text that existed before the 2024 rulemaking at 34 CFR part 106. The department said the 2024 rule was vacated nationwide and had not been enforced for over a year and a half. The rule omits four obsolete provisions, including a sentence vacated by Victim Rights Law Center v. Cardona. It took effect September 29, 2026.

Text (Federal Register) →
U.S. FEDRegulation

SBA removes affirmative action and disparate-impact provisions from Title VI rules

The Small Business Administration published a final rule rescinding provisions of its Title VI regulations (13 CFR part 112) that authorized or required affirmative action by SBA program applicants and recipients. The rule also removes references to employment practices and drops disparate-impact coverage, stating the regulations prohibit only intentional discrimination. SBA cited a December 2025 DOJ Title VI revision and Executive Order 14281. The rule took effect September 29, 2026.

Text (Federal Register) →
UKFunding

Nuvo Group acquires AG Corporate Law to launch Nuvo Legal service line

Derbyshire accountancy and advisory firm Nuvo Group acquired East Midlands corporate practice AG Corporate Law and rebranded it Nuvo Legal, Insider Media and Accountancy Today reported on September 29, 2026. Financial terms were not disclosed. The Mansfield-based team, led by founder Adam Gilbert, continues advising on corporate, commercial, and employment matters as part of Nuvo's Vision 2030 growth plan.

Announcement (Insider Media) → · Accountancy Today