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The Daily Docket

A newsletter by Reuters and Westlaw

By Caitlin Tremblay

Good morning. The DOJ said it opened a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Plus, a trial will begin in New Mexico accusing Meta of exposing children and teens to sexual exploitation; a federal judge in D.C. will weigh the Trump administration’s pause of an offshore wind project in New York; and the FTC sent a letter to 42 law firms warning them about DEI hiring. There’s evidence that the universe grew up a lot more quickly than previously known. Welcome back to the work week, hope you had a nice weekend.

DOJ opens civil rights probe into Alex Pretti shooting, official says

REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado

The DOJ said it started a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis. Here’s what to know:

The department's investigation could potentially lead to criminal charges against the officers involved, though there is a high legal bar to bring such a case.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the FBI was examining the shooting with potential assistance from the department's Civil Rights Division, which typically plays a leading role in investigations into use of force by law enforcement. He cautioned the review was preliminary and he downplayed its scope.
Pretti's shooting by immigration agents has stirred widespread outrage and prompted the Trump administration to de-escalate its immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Local officials have said the administration cannot be trusted and are pursuing their own investigation.
Read more here.

Coming up today

Litigation: Meta Platforms is set to face trial in Santa Fe District Court in a lawsuit brought by the state of New Mexico accusing it of exposing children and teens to sexual exploitation on its platforms and profiting from it.
Environment: U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth in D.C. will consider whether to block the Trump administration's pause on offshore wind projects off the coast of New York, including Orsted's Sunrise Wind.
IP: The 9th Circuit will hear celebrity fitness trainer Tracy Anderson’s appeal of a lawsuit accusing former employee Megan Roup of copyright infringement. In 2024, the lower court largely rejected Anderson’s claims, finding that fitness routines are generally unprotectable.

Court calendars are subject to last-minute docket changes.

What does a law protecting abortion clinics have to do with Don Lemon?

Federal agents arrested journalist Don Lemon on Friday over a protest at a Minnesota church. He was charged with violating an obscure 1994 law that has been used chiefly to crack down on demonstrations at abortion clinics.

The Trump administration has curbed prosecutions of anti-abortion activists, but Lemon's case signals that the law known as the FACE Act could be repurposed to target critics of Trump's agenda, including members of the press.

The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, signed into law by President Clinton, prohibits the use of force, threats or obstruction to intentionally interfere with a person seeking or providing an abortion or other reproductive health services, as well as those exercising their right to religious freedom at places of worship. Violations can result in criminal penalties, with first-time non-violent offenses punishable by up to six months in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Industry insight

Partners at Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing have formally approved their anticipated merger, the law firms said, setting the stage for the legal industry's latest major transatlantic combination. Find out more.
A bill passed by the California Senate would require lawyers in the state to verify the accuracy of all materials produced using AI. The measure, which appears to be one of the first pending in a state legislature on the use of AI by lawyers, has gone to the State Assembly for consideration.
U.S. litigation funding firm Longford Capital and law firm Susman Godfrey were sued by a patent monetization company seeking to void a $32 million arbitration order and claw back $5.5 million in settlement funds. Read the complaint.

42

That’s how many law firms the FTC has written to, warning them about DEI hiring, which it described as potentially unfair and anticompetitive. Read more here.

In the courts

U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston blocked the Trump administration from ending temporary protections from deportation that had been granted to thousands of Ethiopians living in the United States.
A New York federal judge dismissed murder and weapons charges against alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione, a major blow to prosecutors that means Mangione no longer faces a possible death penalty if convicted. Read the opinion.
Immigrant rights advocates filed a lawsuit challenging a recently disclosed policy adopted by ICE allowing its officers to enter the homes of people suspected of living in the U.S. illegally without a judicial warrant. Read the complaint.
The SEC arranged to serve Gautam Adani with a civil fraud lawsuit, allowing the regulator's case against India's second-richest person to proceed. Read more here.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled that the Department of Energy violated the law when it formed a climate science advisory group, potentially putting its forthcoming final proposal to repeal a key climate regulation at risk. Read more here.

Attorney Analysis

Kaufman Dolowich’s Abbye Alexander, Christopher Tellner and Henry Norwood forecast legal and litigation trends in healthcare. Read today’s Attorney Analysis.