A shortfall in this year’s congressional appropriations is significantly impacting the Judiciary’s ability to ensure security at courthouses at a time of rising threats to federal judges and impairing efforts to provide critical legal defense services to people who can’t afford to hire lawyers.
Judiciary News – United States Courts… Read the rest
Since the start of the Trump Administration, the CDC and FDA have withheld from the public details about a Romaine Lettuce E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that sickened 89 in 15 states with 36 hospitalized, 7 with kidney failure – hemolytic uremic syndrome – and 1 death.
(Bainbridge Island, WA – April 21, 2025) “It is disappointing, but with 20,000 employees at Health and Human Services (HHS) being fired, investigating, and reporting on outbreaks and alerting the public to the … Read the rest
A global matcha shortage is flooding U.S. markets with low-quality, potentially hazardous bargain products. Supply chain strains and paused tariffs are raising alarms about food safety.
Japan, the heart of authentic matcha production, is grappling with declining tea yields because of droughts, aging farmers and surging global demand, according to a Japan Times report. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries reported matcha production grew from 1,471 tons in 2010 to 4,176 tons in 2023. With more than half exported, … Read the rest
Boardside Chat This Thursday
The PTAB will host its next Boardside Chat webinar on Thursday, April 17, noon to 1 p.m. ET, for a discussion of the new interim processes for PTAB workload management. The new processes concern institution of AIA trial proceedings and bifurcation of discretionary considerations from merits and other non-discretionary institution considerations.
The new interim processes were announced on March 26, 2025. The Board will discuss more details about the processes and a question-and-answer session will follow the presentation. (Register Here) … Read the rest
Instead of learning about the Judiciary through social media or courtroom dramas on TV, students are entering federal courthouses to engage with judges and court professionals on careers in the courts — learning valuable legal and life skills along the way.
Judiciary News – United States Courts… Read the rest
New U.S. tariffs, particularly on Chinese imports like soy sauce, are driving up costs at specialty stores, raising fears that smaller importers could face pressures challenging their ability to maintain safety standards.
Surprise policy shifts have added uncertainty to the trade landscape.
On April 9, 2025, the Trump Administration paused its steep “reciprocal” tariffs on countries like Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines for 90 days, leaving a baseline 10 percent tariff on most imports from these nations. However, tariffs on … Read the rest
Background
The Alternate Minimum Tax (“AMT”) has its genesis in the Minimum Alternate Tax (“MAT”), which was introduced to ensure that taxes were paid by even those companies that intended to avoid payment of taxes by engaging in ingenuous tax planning methods despite having earned significant amount of book profits. These companies, called “zero-tax companies”, while reporting significant book profits, paid minimal or no income tax by leveraging various exemptions and deductions available under the Income … Read the rest
An overhaul of the UK consumer law landscape is on the horizon, with the consumer law provisions of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 set to take effect on 6 April 2025.
By Fiona Maclean, David Little, Irina Vasile, and Sean Newhouse
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA) represents a significant shift in the UK’s consumer protection regime. By introducing new enforcement powers and substantive obligations on top of a foundation of restated law, the … Read the rest