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White-Collar/Regulatory tease

Thousands of Texas Hemp Jobs at Risk as State Legislature Passes THC Ban

Thousands of Texas hemp retailers and their employees face looming legal and financial uncertainty after lawmakers approved a sweeping ban on psychoactive THC products, including popular delta-8 and delta-9 edibles, vapes and beverages. Gov. Greg Abbott has stayed neutral on the issue, declining to say whether he plans to use his veto pen or let the bill become law by the June 22 deadline. (Photo by Jim Vertuno/The Associated Press)

Mark Smith

Inside a Whistleblower’s Ordeal: Tyler Shultz Details the Battle to Expose Theranos

Tyler Shultz still remembers the exact moment he realized that Theranos, a Silicon Valley health technology startup claiming to have revolutionized blood testing, was a fraud. Shultz shared his story of blowing the whistle on Theranos during a panel discussion hosted by The Texas Lawbook, SMU Dedman School of Law and the SMU Rowling Center for Business Law & Leadership. And he has a powerful call to action for lawyers.

Mark Smith

Trump’s First 100 Days Marked by Record Number of Executive Orders

In his second term, President Donald Trump has issued more executive orders in the first 100 days — 35 of them focusing on energy, environmental and infrastructure efforts and law firms — than any other president in history, creating a flurry of governmental actions, broad economic implications and legal challenges, according to a panel of legal experts hosted by The Texas Lawbook.

Mark Smith

SEC Says 3 DFW Residents Ran $91M Ponzi Scheme

Kenneth W. Alexander II, Robert D. Welsh and Caedrynn E. Conner are accused of defrauding more than 200 investors out of millions via a trust Alexander controlled called Vanguard Holdings Group Irrevocable Trust. The SEC filed the 37-page lawsuit against the trio in the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division, on Tuesday. 

Michelle Casady

House Bill Would Alter Attorney Fee Structure of Anti-SLAPP Law

A defamation lawsuit against Rep. Jeff Leach took center stage during a Texas House committee hearing on the Texas Citizens Participation Act. Lawmakers are struggling to address abuses of the popular law while still maintaining its protections for Texans exercising their First Amendment rights.

Janet Elliott

After Virginia Judge Found Google Operates Advertising Tech Monopoly, What Does it Mean for Texas Case? 

Google, which was recently found by a federal judge in Virginia to be operating a monopoly over advertising technology, is trying to convince a federal judge in Texas that it should not have to face a similar trial — albeit one that includes state law claims — in that state. In an interview this week with The Texas Lawbook, lead counsel for the plaintiffs, Mark Lanier of Lanier Law Firm, said the states are “absolutely entitled to a jury trial.” 

Michelle Casady

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