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Northern District of Texas denies OpenAI motion to compel confidential Apple settlement in AI antitrust suit
U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman denied OpenAI's emergency motion to compel production of a confidential settlement agreement between Apple, X Corp, and SpaceXAI in an antitrust lawsuit over artificial intelligence integration. Following an in camera inspection, the court held that the agreement contains no information relevant to summary judgment or trial issues. The court cited federal policy protecting confidential settlements to encourage compromise, noting discovery had closed on July 31, 2026.
Order (U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas) → · Politico, 9to5Mac, MLex
US Judicial Conference AI task force plans fresh generative AI guidance within a year
U.S. Circuit Judge Sidney Thomas said on September 17, 2026 that a 24-member federal judiciary AI task force is preparing further generative AI recommendations for judges within the next year after the Judicial Conference met in Washington. The Administrative Office separately said interim guidance already cautions courts not to delegate core judicial functions to AI and holds users accountable for AI-assisted work.
Text (Reuters) → · U.S. Courts, Law360
Clio makes Vincent available as a Codex MCP plugin for grounded legal work
Clio on September 17, 2026 announced that Vincent is available in OpenAI’s Codex through a Model Context Protocol plugin, letting lawyers bring Clio legal content and matter context into Codex workflows while keeping sources connected. Clio said the foundation combines Clio Library and Docket Alarm; LawSites highlighted the Vincent Codex plugin among vendor integrations following OpenAI’s legal launch on September 18.
Announcement (Clio) → · LawSites
NetDocuments lists ChatGPT Enterprise plugin in OpenAI library for governed DMS access
NetDocuments on September 17, 2026 said its ChatGPT plugin is now available through the OpenAI plugin library, extending its Model Context Protocol ecosystem so legal professionals can discover and activate governed NetDocuments content inside ChatGPT while preserving firm permissions and security controls. LawSites listed the NetDocuments plugin among independent vendor ChatGPT integrations the next day.
Announcement (NetDocuments) → · LawSites
OpenAI launches Astra for Law with legal search index and Trusted Access
OpenAI on September 17, 2026 released Astra for Law, a GPT-6 Astra configuration with legal analysis instructions, a U.S. Legal Search Index covering more than 230 million URLs, and partner plugins for law firms and legal technology vendors. Selected Am Law 200 firms receive Trusted Access through ChatGPT and Codex with zero data retention on the API, while API access for builders including Harvey and Legora was said to follow soon.
Announcement (OpenAI) → · Legal IT Insider, Business Insider, LawSites +2
Relativity connects Relativity aiR to ChatGPT Enterprise via Model Context Protocol
Relativity on September 17, 2026 said Relativity aiR now integrates with ChatGPT Enterprise through the Model Context Protocol, letting legal teams use natural language in ChatGPT to stand up matters, align workspaces to their data, and manage access and workflows while keeping Relativity permissions and substantive analysis inside the platform. LawSites independently listed the Relativity plugin among vendor ChatGPT integrations on September 18.
Announcement (PR Newswire) → · LawSites
NYT plaintiffs unseal OpenAI and Microsoft quotes attacking fair-use defense
News plaintiffs led by The New York Times on September 17, 2026 made public previously redacted portions of a Southern District of New York summary-judgment filing against OpenAI and Microsoft. The filing quotes OpenAI and Microsoft executives describing chatbot products as largely substitutive for journalism and characterizing mass scraping of news for training as an unprecedented theft of labor, which the outlets say undercuts the companies' fair-use defense.
Filing (CourtListener RECAP) → · TechCrunch, Ars Technica
Rulings this week
- UK · EWHC Calls CPS citation of nonexistent 'R v J' case unsatisfactory but dismisses challenge
- D. ALASKA Alaska federal judge dismisses DOJ suit seeking to delay Senate race certification
- S.D. FLA. $10 billion WSJ defamation suit over Epstein letter with prejudice
- N.D. CAL. Federal judge bars DOJ and DHS from threatening election officials over alleged noncitizen ballots
UK EAT warns litigants after 300-page ChatGPT skeleton in Hancox appeal
Deputy High Court judge Marcus Pilgerstorfer KC, sitting in the Employment Appeal Tribunal, on September 17, 2026 warned litigants in person that they remain personally responsible for AI-drafted filings after Terence Hancox submitted a 300-page, 132,000-word ChatGPT skeleton. The judgment in Hancox v Sutherland said unchecked generative AI output is unacceptable and that noncompliant documents are likely to be rejected.
Order (GOV.UK) → · Legal Futures, Law360
Travers Smith hires Mayer Brown UK antitrust head Daniel Vowden for London and Brussels
Travers Smith hired Daniel Vowden, Mayer Brown’s UK antitrust head, as a partner in a lateral move reported on September 17, 2026. Vowden will split time between Travers Smith’s London office and its recently opened Brussels office after three years at Mayer Brown, marking the firm’s fourth partner hire in a fortnight as it steps up lateral recruiting.
Announcement (Law.com International) → · Legal Business
Trump signs Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act directing national BOP assault standards
President Donald Trump signed the Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act (S. 307) into law on September 16, 2026. The law requires the Bureau of Prisons to fully implement within 90 days the recommendations from a 2023 Justice Department inspector general report on inmate sexual harassment and assault of staff. It then directs the inspector general to analyze fiscal 2022–2025 incident data and the attorney general to issue national prevention, reduction, and punishment standards by rule.
Enrolled text (GovInfo (enrolled bill text)) → · The White House
California allows conditional sale of aftermarket emissions parts pending CARB approval
Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1069 (Chapter 244, Statutes of 2026) on September 16, 2026; it takes effect January 1, 2027. The law creates a conditional approval pathway for makers of emissions-related aftermarket parts. Manufacturers that file complete California Air Resources Board executive-order applications, backed by emissions testing and technical documentation, may sell, advertise and install parts while the board completes its review. Conditional approvals last two years; CARB keeps authority to approve or deny the final order.
California extends smog-check exemption to collector cars through the 1985 model year
California signed Senate Bill 1392 on September 16, 2026. The law phases in biennial smog-check exemptions for collector motor vehicles meeting Vehicle Code section 259 criteria, extending eligibility from pre-1976 vehicles to pre-1986 model years by 2033. The exemption phases in one model year at a time beginning January 1, 2028, for pre-1981 vehicles. Older collector cars at least 35 model years old gain partial test exemptions if insured as collectors and meeting emissions standards.
Salesforce adopts Legora across global Legal and Corporate Affairs teams
Legora said Salesforce has rolled out its agentic legal platform across Legal and Corporate Affairs teams in North America, EMEA, and APAC, alongside Slack and Agentforce. Salesforce VP of Legal Innovation Erica Swainson said the tools will support research, drafting, and other workflows so lawyers can focus on judgment-intensive work. Legora CEO Max Junestrand framed the adoption as part of a broader shift by in-house teams toward agentic AI infrastructure.
Announcement (Artificial Lawyer) → · Legora
Relativity renames RelativityOne cloud platform as Relativity aiR
On September 16, 2026 Relativity said it renamed RelativityOne, its cloud e-discovery platform, as Relativity aiR to unify the product with its agentic AI suite. LawSites and a company PR Newswire release reported the change. CEO Phil Saunders framed AI as transformative as the cloud shift; president Chris Brown said more than half of new matters on the platform are not litigation. Agentic tools remain included in 2026 platform pricing.
Announcement (PR Newswire) → · LawSites
Checkbox launches First Pass AI agent for contracts, invoices, and legal requests
On September 16, 2026 legal front-door vendor Checkbox launched First Pass, a context-aware AI agent that reviews incoming contracts, LEDES invoices, and legal requests before they reach lawyers. Artificial Lawyer and Pulse2 reported the product, which scores contracts against playbooks, checks invoices against billing guidelines, and routes work by workload. Early access is open now, with broader capabilities planned for Q1 2027.
Announcement (Artificial Lawyer) → · Pulse2