Supreme Court: States Can Card You Online

The Supreme Court upheld Texas’s H.B. 1181, a law requiring commercial websites that distribute sexually explicit content to verify that users are at least 18 years old. The law targets material considered obscene for minors but not necessarily for adults. Petitioners representing the pornography industry challenged the statute as a violation of the First Amendment, … Read more

Science Fiction Cinema’s Lessons for AI Integration in Legal Practice

This article was originally published in the April 2025 issue of New Jersey Lawyer, a publication of the New Jersey State Bar Association, and is reprinted with permission. Recent developments, such as the California Bar’s 2024 guidelines on AI use in legal practice, underscore the urgency of challenges faced by law firms in balancing technological … Read more

One Big Beautiful Bill Act & Social Security

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed on July 3, 2025, represents a significant overhaul of tax policy affecting U.S. Social Security recipients. This legislation was purportedly designed to fulfill President Trump’s campaign promise to eliminate federal taxes on Social Security benefits, though it only partially achieves this goal and only through an indirect approach … Read more

Equity Crowdfunding: A New Guide

Equity crowdfunding may finally be emerging as a transformative way for individuals to invest in startups and small businesses, democratizing access to investment opportunities that were once limited to wealthy investors. With the rise of intrastate crowdfunding, which allows local businesses to raise capital from in-state investors, this investment model has become even more accessible. … Read more

Tax Treatment of Tips Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

On July 4, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law, making a significant change in the federal policy of taxing tip incomeding some relief to many service industry workers across the United States. The New Tip Tax Deduction Framework The legislation creates a specific federal income tax deduction … Read more

AI Fair Use Landmark: Authors v. Anthropic

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming how we interact with information, but its hunger for high-quality data has created a collision course with copyright law. This conflict takes center stage in the recent case of Bartz et al. v. Anthropic PBC, where acclaimed authors challenged Anthropic’s use of their books to train the company’s popular Claude AI … Read more

Disney and Others Sue Midjourney

Disney and NBCUniversal have initiated a landmark federal lawsuit against Midjourney, a generative AI company, accusing it of massive copyright infringement involving unauthorized use of their copyrighted characters to train its AI and generate images and soon videos. The 110-page complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleges that … Read more

No-Action Letter: Verification Methods for Accredited Investors

The SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance has issued a no-action letter addressing verification methods for accredited investors under Rule 506(c) of Regulation D. Key Points: The Division concurred that issuers can take reasonable steps to verify accredited investor status by requiring minimum investment amounts when combined with specific written representations from purchasers. The SEC previously … Read more

Habeas Corpus: Constitutional Safeguard

As a former Deputy Assistant Attorney General for New York State who defended against habeas corpus petitions, I’ve witnessed firsthand how this ancient writ serves as the last line of defense for those challenging potentially unconstitutional imprisonment. What began as technical work evolved into a profound appreciation for habeas corpus as a cornerstone of American … Read more

SEC on Crypto Asset Securities Disclosures

The SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance has issued a statement providing guidance on disclosure requirements for offerings and registrations of securities in the crypto asset markets. The statement offers clarity on how existing federal securities laws apply to these offerings while acknowledging the formation of the Crypto Task Force to develop a comprehensive regulatory framework. … Read more

Due Process and the Alien Enemies Act

In the realm of constitutional jurisprudence, few principles are as foundational as due process, a concept enshrined in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. This bedrock principle, which prohibits government deprivation of “life, liberty, or property, without due process of law,” faces a significant test through the Trump administration’s novel application … Read more

Tariff Increases as Force Majeure Events

The Trump administration’s recent expansion of tariffs has prompted many businesses to question whether significant tariff increases can trigger force majeure provisions in contracts. This issue has become increasingly urgent as companies navigate dramatically increased costs in 2025’s volatile global trade environment. Force majeure clauses typically excuse contractual obligations when extraordinary, unforeseeable events beyond either … Read more

The Rule of Law: Cornerstone of a Democratic Society

As I write this, the United States is navigating complex legal and governance challenges that test the boundaries of established rule of law principles. The recent transition of power following the 2024 presidential election has prompted renewed attention to questions about executive authority, regulatory frameworks and judicial independence. Legal scholars and policy analysts across the … Read more

The Hype Cycle and Amara’s Law

Amara’s Law, coined by futurist Roy Amara, encapsulates a critical observation about our perceptions of technological advancements: “We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run.” This principle serves as a guiding framework for understanding the lifecycle of new technologies, highlighting both the … Read more

Hospital Drug Tests: Criminalizing New Mothers

Shoshana Walter of The Marshall Project has uncovered a deeply troubling trend in hospitals across the United States, women are being reported to child welfare authorities after drug tests detect substances that were actually prescribed during medical procedures. Her investigative piece reveals how hospitals are systematically misinterpreting drug test results, leading to traumatic consequences for … Read more

Strategic Bitcoin Reserve

President Trump signed an executive order on March 6, 2025, establishing the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and the United States Digital Asset Stockpile. This marks the first formal acknowledgment by the federal government of Bitcoin’s “strategic importance” as a national asset. The executive order designates Bitcoin as a unique store of value in the global financial … Read more

Is This the Final CTA Post?

The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) is sort of gone! No need to report now! ANOTHER UPDATE: On March 2, 2025, the U.S. Treasury Department announced it will suspend enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act against U.S. citizens and domestic reporting companies. The key points of the announcement include: The Treasury Department stated this decision was … Read more

Indemnification & AI Services

As artificial intelligence technologies continue to evolve and permeate various industries, the legal landscape surrounding their use becomes increasingly complex. One of the critical aspects that legal professionals must navigate is indemnification, particularly as it pertains to AI companies and their customers. This blog post explores the significance of indemnification in the context of AI, … Read more

Is Shark Tank for Real?

The television show Shark Tank provides an engaging glimpse into the world of business investing, but the reality of venture capital is considerably more nuanced than the show’s dramatic portrayal suggests. While the series captures the excitement of entrepreneurial pitches and deal-making, it significantly simplifies the actual processes of venture investment. The television show typically … Read more

And Just Like That, the Corporate Transparency Act is NOT Back

Every time I blink, the need and timing to comply with the CTA changes. Check with your lawyer to make sure your compliance, if necessary, is timely. BUT WAIT!!! As it stands now, businesses subject to the CTA’s requirements will not be required to submit beneficial ownership reports until further court rulings are made. This … Read more