The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times

SEC Bars Andrews Kurth Lawyer From Appearing Before Agency for a Year

UPDATED at 5:18 pm The head of Andrews Kurth's corporate governance and securities enforcement practice has been barred from appearing before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for one year for violating federal conflict of interest rules.

Spencer Barasch, who served as associate district director in the SEC Fort Worth, Texas office’s Division of Enforcement from 1998 to 2005, billed the Stanford Group Co. for 12 hours of work for SEC-related matters in 2006, according to the agency. The company was part of the financial empire of R. Allen Stanford, who was found guilty in March of 13 counts of fraud after prosecutors accused him of running a $7 billion Ponzi scheme.

While at the SEC, Barasch allegedly took part “personally and substantially” in matters involving entities associated with Stanford. The agency permanently bans ex-employees in private practice from working on any matter that they directly participated in while at the SEC.

Thompson Hine Hired to Lobby on 'Market Access' for Alcoholic Beverages

Thompson Hine has a little Captain in it.

The firm on Thursday revealed to Congress that it is lobbying for a subsidiary of London-based Diageo Plc, seller of Captain Morgan rum, Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky, Smirnoff vodka, Tanqueray gin and Guinness beer, among other alcoholic beverages. Thompson is focusing on "[m]arket access and related issues" for Norwalk, Conn.-based Diageo North America Inc., according to a lobbying registration report.

David Christy Jr., a Thompson partner, is handling the account. He didn’t have an immediate comment.

Appeals Court Finds Judge 'Punished' Defendant for Confronting Witness

Bobby Thorne, a local man convicted in January on drug possession charges, will get a new sentencing hearing after the D.C. Court of Appeals found that there was a good chance the trial judge "punished" him for exercising his constitutional rights at trial.

In an order (PDF) published yesterday, a three-judge panel found that D.C. Superior Court Judge Jennifer Anderson's statements in court that she would "take into account" at sentencing Thorne's decision to cross-examine a government witness warranted a new hearing before a different judge.

"In view of the judge’s comments, there is a reasonable likelihood that she punished appellant for invoking his Sixth Amendment right to confrontation," the court found.

The Morning Wrap

Arrested: The authorities in New York say they have in custody a suspect for the 1979 murder of 6-year-old Etan Patz. The suspect, Pedro Hernandez, a 51-year-old New Jersey resident, allegedly confessed to choking the boy. The New York Times has this look-back on Patz's disappearance. Hernandez is expected to be arraigned today.

Narrow View: Prosecutors prevailed in the U.S. Supreme Court in a dispute over the applicability of the double jeopardy clause, The National Law Journal reports. The high court ruled the government can proceed with the retrial of an Arkansas man even though the first jury voted unanimously that he was not guilty.

Guidance: The federal judge handling a privacy-related suit against Facebook Inc. has made clear she will not rubberstamp any settlement, The Recorder reports. The judge, Lucy Koh of San Jose federal district court, told the lawyers in the case she recently rejected two settlement proposals because she considered the terms unfair.

Two Prosecutors in Stevens Case Cited for Professional Misconduct

Updated: 5:25 p.m.

A Justice Department internal investigation of the botched prosecution of Ted Stevens concluded two prosecutors committed reckless professional misconduct and should be sanctioned through forced time off without pay.

DOJ officials recommended Joseph Bottini be suspended without pay for 40 days and James Goeke be suspended for 15 days without pay. DOJ did not find that either assistant U.S. attorney acted intentionally to violate ethics rules, a finding that is contrary to a parallel criminal investigation. Bottini and Goeke, who were Alaska-based prosecutors at the time of the Stevens trial, have the option to appeal the misconduct finding to the Merit System Protection Board.

OPR concluded in a 672-page report the government violated its obligations under department policy and constitutional principles to disclose certain information to Stevens’s lawyers, Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich said in a seven-page letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas.)

“Our prosecutors and agents work hard to keep our country and communities safe and to ensure that defendants are brought to justice honorably and ethically,” Weich said in the letter, which accompanied the OPR report. “Nonetheless, when there is even a single lapse, we must, and we do, take it seriously.”

Leahy this afternoon released the full OPR report on the Senate Judiciary Committee's web site. The committee also posted responses from Bottini and Goeke to the proposed suspension. Leahy announced the committee will hold a hearing on June 6 to explore the discovery obligations of federal prosecutors. He said in a statement that "prosecutors must adhere without fail to the directive to seek justice for all parties, not just convictions."

Fox Rothschild Hires Three IP Lawyers for Its D.C. Office

Updated 2:17 p.m. 5/25

Fox Rothschild has hired a trio of intellectual property attorneys for its Washington office, the firm has announced.

Sunwoo Lee and Benjamin Maskell join Fox Rothschild as a partner and associate, respectively, from Roetzel & Andress. Lee was previously the head of Roetzel’s intellectual property practice group. On Friday, Fox Rothschild announced that former Dewey & LeBoeuf partner Jeff Schwartz had joined the firm’s ip practice.

Schwartz focuses his practice on patent infringement litigation revolving around materials science, mechanical, electrical and software solutions. He also works on trademark infringement, trade secret, domain name and contract disputes.

Holder Promotes Drug Courts at Superior Court Program Graduation

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr., addressed graduates of the D.C. Superior Court's Drug Court program today, praising them as proof that problem-solving courts and diversion programs - once a controversial idea - have been a success.

The ceremony was also something of a homecoming for Holder, who was a judge on the Superior Court bench from 1988 to 1993 and then served as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1993 to 1997. Drawing on his experience in the local courts and now overseeing public safety initiatives nationwide, Holder said he could appreciate how significant it was for participants to overcome their addictions and avoid rearrest.

Citing the high rates of drug use and addiction among people who are arrested or incarcerated, Holder said that, "fortunately, the people in this room are demonstrating that it's possible to break this destructive pattern."

Republic Holdings Signs Arent Fox to Lobby on D.C. Real Estate Issues

Arent Fox this week notified Congress that it is lobbying for a real estate development company that has created major retail, office and residential centers in Washington.

The law firm is advocating for Greenwich, Conn.-based Republic Holdings Corp. on the "[d]isposition of real estate parcels in the District of Columbia," according to a lobbying registration report. Washington Harbor on Georgetown's waterfront and Market Square, which is behind the U.S. Navy Memorial on Pennsylvania Avenue, are among the company's developments.

Arent partner Jon Bouker, co-manager of the firm’s government relations practice, is handling the account. Neither he nor a representative of Republic could immediately be reached for comment.

DOJ Preparing to Release Internal Probe of Ted Stevens Case

The U.S. Justice Department is preparing to release to Congress this week the government's internal investigation of the collapse of the Ted Stevens case, two people with knowledge of the report said.

The department's Office of Professional Responsibility investigation unfolded simultaneously with a criminal probe of the Stevens prosecution team. The OPR report, which could be submitted to Congress as early as this afternoon, examines whether any Stevens prosecutor crossed ethical boundaries in the handling of the case against the former Alaska senator, which collapsed in April 2009 amid allegations of government misconduct.

Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. said in congressional testimony in March he wants to make as much of the report public, to the extent the government can. DOJ is subject to Privacy Act guidelines, he said. Holder, who said then that the internal Stevens investigation had concluded, described the report as an “exhaustive study” of the failed prosecution.

The Stevens case has garnered significant attention on Capitol Hill in recent months as some members of Congress examine whether legislation is needed to put a greater burden on prosecutors to disclose more evidence to defense lawyers. DOJ is opposed to any legislative tinkering. Also, members of Congress have peppered Holder with questions about whether the department will sanction any Stevens prosecutor who was found to have run afoul of professional conduct rules.

Consumer Financial Agency Proposes New Nonbank Supervision Rules

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today released a draft rule outlining how it plans to supervise debt collectors, consumer reporting agencies, money services companies and other small nonbanks that engage in “activities that pose risks to consumers.”

The draft rule sets out procedures to notify a nonbank that it is being considered for supervision and outlines how the nonbank can respond. Companies under CFPB supervision may be required to submit reports to the agency and undergo examinations.

Under the Dodd-Frank Act that created the CFPB, the agency has the authority to supervise any nonbank if the agency has a “reasonable cause” to believe it’s posing a risk to consumers based on complaints or other information. The law already gives the CFPB specific authority to supervise mortgage companies, payday lenders and private student loan lenders, and to oversee “larger participants” in other consumer financial product markets.

The Morning Wrap

Hero or Traitor: The doctor who helped the CIA track down Osama bin Laden was sentenced to 33 years in prison for treason, Pakistani officials told Reuters. Shakil Afridi was also accused of running a fake vaccine campaign to collect DNA samples. He is the first person to be sentenced in the bin Laden case.

Ruled: A jury rejected all claims of patent infringement, siding with Google in its dispute with Oracle, our sister publication, The Recorder, reports.

Solved?:  A man has admitted involvment in the case of Etan Patz, the 6-year-old boy from SOHO who mysteriously vanished 33 years ago. The New York Times reports that NYPD have taken Pedro Hernandez into custody and plan to release more details later today.

Drug War: Two Mexican drug cartels, the Sinaloa cartel and Los Zetas, are engaging in all-out warfare, unfolding in view of the public, The Washington Post reports. These public massacres often include the dumping of headless bodies as part of the cartels' intimidation tactics.

Jenner & Block Names New Managing Partner in D.C.

Jenner & Block has named a new managing partner for its Washington office, the firm announced Wednesday.

David DeBruin, co-chair of the firm’s complex commercial litigation practice and a 26-year veteran of the firm, takes over for Michael DeSanctis, managing partner since 2009. DeSanctis will remain a member of the firm’s management committee and continue to serve as co-chair of the election law and redistricting practice.

DeBruin focuses his practice on complex Supreme Court and appellate litigation, securities fraud and white collar criminal defense. He has handled matters before the Federal Election Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the former Interstate Commerce Commission, among other agencies. He also served as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee in 1986, during the impeachment proceedings of Judge Harry Claiborne.

D.C. Appeals Court Hears Litigation Outsourcing Contract Dispute

Updated at 4:03 p.m.

The District of Columbia Court of Appeals heard oral arguments yesterday in a contract dispute between Unocal Corp., now a part of Chevron Corp., and eLawForum Corp., now known as DryStone Capital Corp., which does corporate litigation outsourcing.

A three-judge panel will decide whether a District of Columbia Superior Court judge properly granted eLawForum summary judgment, awarding the company $6.9 million in unpaid fees, plus interest. Unocal, on appeal, is arguing that there were too many facts in dispute about their contract and the circumstances surrounding the end of that contract for the judge to make such a decision.

According to court briefs, Unocal signed a contract in 2004 for eLawForum to facilitate bidding for outside counsel to handle environmental lawsuits involving Unocal. As part of that contract, Unocal agreed to pay eLawForum a fee based on the money saved by going through eLawForum's bidding process.

Fore! Golf Products Maker Signs Crowell & Moring as Lobbyists

Crowell & Moring this week revealed to Congress that it is lobbying for the maker of Titleist and FootJoy golf products.

The firm is advocating for Acushnet Co. on tariff legislation, according to a lobbying registration report.

Crowell senior policy adviser Mike Gill, who is handling the account, couldn’t be reached immediately for comment.

Roger Clemens Presses Constitutional Dispute with Congress

As the perjury trial of Roger Clemens moves forward, lawyers for the former professional baseball pitcher today renewed their effort to force a top House Republican to testify.

Lawyers for Clemens said they want Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, to address comments he made during the 2008 congressional investigation of drug use in Major League Baseball.

A lead attorney for Clemens, Russell “Rusty” Hardin Jr., said today in a new court filing the defense intends to challenge the testimony of a congressional staffer, Phil Barnett, who earlier told jurors that the probe was legitimate congressional activity.

Issa, through House lawyers, has invoked the Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause, which accords some protection from outside intrusion to the legislative process. One of the questions in the Clemens case: Did the congressional inquiry of drugs in baseball serve any legitimate legislative purpose?

Roger Clemens's Lawyers Urge Judge to Block Proposed Drug Testimony

Defense lawyers for former baseball star Roger Clemens fired back today as prosecutors seek to squeeze in additional trial testimony to try to bolster the credibility of the government's chief witness.

Federal prosecutors this week in Washington asked U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton to allow the government to tell jurors at Clemens’s perjury trial about statements that Brian McNamee made to a former baseball player and to a Wall Street banker.

The government contends in a court filing that McNamee, Clemens’s former strength coach, told former baseball player David Segui in 2001 that he saved “darts”—slang for needles—from players McNamee allegedly injected. Prosecutors said the statement “directly rebuts the notion that Mr. McNamee recently fabricated this evidence” to avoid prosecution or gain fame and fortune.

Clemens’s defense attorneys, led by Russell “Rusty” Hardin Jr. of Houston, said today in court papers that the U.S. Justice Department is trying to introduce “rank hearsay” to show that Clemens is guilty through his association with Segui and other admitted users of performance enhancing drugs.

The Morning Wrap

Facebook IPO: Two top U.S. financial regulators said on Tuesday the issues around the initial public offering of Facebook should be reviewed, putting fresh pressure on the company, its lead underwriter, Morgan Stanley, and the Nasdaq stock exchange, Reuters reports.

Hidden Executions: The Associated Press and 16 other organization on Tuesday sued the state of Idaho to force officials to open the entirety of their executions. An AP investigation found that five Western states have shielded part of executions from public view, in apparent defiance of a 2002 ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

Going After Google: Google might be one of the coolest and smartest companies of this or any era, but it also upsets a lot of people — competitors who argue it wields its tremendous weight unfairly, officials who say it ignores local laws, privacy advocates who think it takes too much from its users. But Google is also superb at getting out of trouble, The New York Times reports.

D.C. Jury Convicts ‘High-Flying’ International Drug Trafficker

Prosecutors in Washington described Gregory Sitzmann as a high-level international drug dealer, participating in a drug and money laundering conspiracy for more than a decade.

Sitzmann, 61, convicted this week in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, now faces a mandatory minimum 20-year prison term when he is sentenced, prosecutors said today. A jury convicted him Monday for his role in a conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.

Prosecutors said Sitzmann’s drug and money laundering ring operated out of the United States, Italy, Spain, Colombia and other countries. Sitzmann was indicted in August 2008. Prosecutors said Sitzmann delayed trial for years as he raced through defense lawyers while making demands to represent himself.

“Gregory Sitzmann was a high-flying international cocaine trafficker who eluded justice for decades,” U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen Jr. said in a statement. “He will now remain behind bars to contemplate the countless lives destroyed by the drugs he distributed for so many years.”

Federal Regulators Say JPMorgan Probes Under Way

Updated 5:00 p.m.

In a perverse way, JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s $2 billion-plus trading loss might have been a blessing in disguise, suggested one member of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee today in a hearing featuring the heads of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

"It happened with the strongest financial institution we have in the country…[with] no systemic risk or risk to the institution," said Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.). And it coincides with efforts by the financial regulatory agencies to complete rules on key aspects of the Dodd Frank Act dealing with hedging and proprietary trading.

JPMorgan is “a real life, real world example of what can happen,” said SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro. “We’ll use this example and see what the impact would be of all the things we’re proposing.”

Dewey Departures Continue, This Time to Duane Morris

Two more Dewey & LeBoeuf attorneys in Washington have left the close-to-defunct firm. This time, they bolted for Duane Morris, which announced the moves late Monday.

Jocelyn Bramble and Mark Walsh, formerly partner and counsel, respectively, have joined Duane Morris in D.C., along with 14 of their former colleagues who left for Duane's New York and Boston offices.

Bramble, a civil litigator, focuses her practice on complex class actions and insurance matters. She also counsels clients on corporate governance. Recently, she represented Allstate Insurance Co. on litigation matters. Walsh represents clients in civil, criminal and regulatory matters, focused on securities regulation, corporate governance, compliance and commercial disputes.

For more on these moves and other Dewey & LeBoeuf news, check out our sister publication Am Law Daily.

Former Solicitor General, a 'Modest Superstar,' Given Rex Lee Advocacy Award

Former Solicitor General Gregory Garre was recognized Monday not only for his impressive track record of winning 28 of the 34 cases he argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, but for the remarkably wide breadth of topics on which he prevailed.

While presenting Garre with the this year’s J. Reuben Clark Law Society’s prestigious Rex Lee Advocacy Award, another former solicitor general pointed out that Republican-appointed Garre argued victories on behalf of a death row inmate and a California university seeking to exclude Christian groups from its facilities.

But Garre, now the chair of Latham & Watkins' Supreme Court and appellate practice group, also represented big car companies against the little guy, and “pretty much was involved in almost every nook and cranny of the defense of President Bush’s war on terror,” said Paul Clement, now of Bancroft in Washington.

“One thing that unites all these cases is the quality of Greg’s advocacy on behalf of the client, which never varies based on the issue or the side of the fence,” Clement said. “He’s a real pro, start to finish.”

D.C. Circuit Upholds $3.4B Native American Class Settlement

A historic $3.4 billion class action settlement over the mismanagement of government trust funds for hundreds of thousands of Native Americans survived a challenge in a federal appeals court in Washington.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit unanimously upheld a trial judge’s finding last summer that the settlement, which required congressional authorization, was fair and reasonable. The appellate ruling is here.

The settlement, reached in December 2009 after more than a decade of litigation in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia compensates hundreds of thousands of Native Americans. Lead plaintiff Elouise Cobell, who has since died, sued in 1996 over allegations the Interior Department violated its duty to account for funds the government held in trust for individual Native Americans.

“The Court of Appeals released wise and thoughtful decisions,” a lawyer for Cobell, Dennis Gingold, said this morning. “We wish Elouise lived to see this day. It vindicates her extraordinary efforts on behalf of individual Indian trust beneficiaries.”

The Morning Wrap

Downloaded: The Supreme Court declined to hear the case of a former Boston University student whose admission to downloading 30 songs on the unlicensed file-sharing service Kazaa led to a jury’s $675,000 damages award against him, The New York Times reports.

Supplied: Attorneys general of 15 states have asked the Justice Department to appeal a court decision that blocks supplies of a key lethal injection drug, the Tulsa World reports. Pruitt and the other state attorneys general are asking U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to appeal the district court ruling known as the "Beaty decision," which blocks U.S. states from using foreign-manufactured sodium thiopental in executions.

Libeled?: The wife of Bernie Fine, the ex-Syracuse assistant coach who was fired in November after two ballboys alleged he molested them years ago, filed a libel lawsuit against ESPN, USA Today reports. Laurie Fine accuses a reporter and editor of "knowingly and maliciously" reporting uncorroborated information about her knowledge of the alleged abuse in order to attack Bernie Fine and to "boost television ratings in the wake of the Penn State scandal."

Four Dewey & LeBoeuf Lawyers Defect to Proskauer Rose

Dewey & LeBoeuf Vice Chairman Ralph Ferrara and three of his colleagues are heading to Proskauer Rose, the firm announced on Monday. It's the latest of a long series of recent defections from lawyers with the close-to-defunct firm.

It's also a major gain for Proskauer. Ferrara is considered one of the country's top securities lawyers.

Ferrara and Ann Ashton, a leader of Dewey’s securities, M&A and corporate governance litigation practice, will join Proskauer’s Washington office as partners. Jonathan Richman, who also helped lead Dewey’s securities, M&A and corporate governance litigation practice, and Tanya Dmitronow, a partner in the firm’s litigation department, will come to Proskauer’s New York headquarters as partners.

Baker & McKenzie Expands Tax Practice with Lateral from Miller & Chevalier

The former vice chair of Miller & Chevalier’s employee benefits practice has left to rejoin Baker & McKenzie, the latter announced Monday.

Anne Batter joins Baker & McKenzie in the firm’s Washington office as a partner in its tax practice. She focuses her practice on executive compensation, fringe benefit arrangements and defending clients before the Internal Revenue Service and in court.

Batter was previously with Baker & McKenzie from 2000 to 2008. She has experience in special deduction, excise tax and Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax issues, among others.

Cisco Systems Retains McGuireWoods to Lobby on Cyber Security

A former member of Congress who is now at McGuireWoods Consulting is helping lobby for a major networking equipment manufacturer, the firm disclosed to Congress last week.

Former Rep. L.F. Payne (D-Va.), president of McGuireWoods Consulting, is advocating for Cisco Systems Inc. on "measures to enhance and strengthen cyber security," according to a lobbying registration report. He is handling the account with McGuireWoods Consulting Executive Vice President and Director Frank Donatelli and Vice President Mona Mohib.

None of the lobbyists could be reached immediately for comment.

Baker & Hostetler Hires New Antitrust Partner from Mayer Brown

Updated 4:32 p.m.

Baker & Hostetler announced today it has picked up a new partner for its D.C. antitrust practice.

Jonathan Lewis, who joins Baker from Mayer Brown, said one driving force behind the move was the opportunity to work with trial attorney Robert Abrams, who led a large team that moved from Howrey to Baker in March 2011. Currently, Abrams is chair of Baker's national antitrust practice.

Additionally, Lewis said he is looking to expand his practice beyond just the litigation work he performed for Mayer Brown.

King & Spalding, Cooley Scoop Up Dewey Attorneys in D.C.

Dewey & LeBoeuf’s Washington office continued to hemorrhage attorneys Monday with the news that four Dewey lawyers had landed at rival firms across town.

Former Dewey antitrust partners Marc Schildkraut and Jacqueline Grise have joined Cooley, while partner James Bowe Jr. and senior associate William Rice head to King & Spalding. Rice joins King & Spalding as counsel.

Bowe, whose practice includes energy, regulatory, transactional and finance, has experience before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. His clients include energy project developers, natural gas pipeline and storage operators, oil and natural gas pipeline shippers and energy industry investors.

GOP Senators Compare Planned Ninth Circuit Conference in Hawaii to 'Vacation'

Updated 3:33 p.m.

Two top Republican senators on the judiciary and budget committees are questioning the cost of the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference planned for Hawaii in August, saying “the program reads more like a vacation than a business trip to discuss the means of improving the administration of justice.”

Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) sent a letter Friday to Chief Judge Alex Kozinski, asking for information on the cost of conferences in the past as well as this year’s Aug. 13-16 conference in Maui. The letter asks Kozinski to explain why the Maui venue would be better than simply teleconferencing.

“A judicial circuit court should be capable of using technology to share information without requiring a trip to an island paradise,” Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a written statement. “The taxpayers can’t sustain this kind of spending, and they shouldn’t have to. The court should re-examine whether this is the best use of tax dollars.”

Judge in Roger Clemens Case Gives Feds Latitude with Witness Testimony

The judge in the Roger Clemens perjury case today permitted prosecutors greater flexibility in telling jurors about the ties a key witness has to drug use in professional baseball.

Prosecutors had been concerned the jury in the Clemens case was left with the impression that the witness, Brian McNamee, was fixated only on telling the authorities about Clemens and his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs.

The concern flowed from the lengthy cross-examination of McNamee last week in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where Clemens is charged with lying to Congress in 2008 when he denied using steroids and human growth hormone. A lawyer for Clemens, Rusty Hardin Jr., struck at McNamee’s credibility, suggesting he sought to capitalize on allegations made against Clemens.

Prosecutors last week asked U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton to allow the government to tell jurors that McNamee provided credible information about other players’ drug use. Clemens’s lawyers argued the government wanted to present “guilt by association” evidence. In a win for the Justice Department, Walton this morning allowed McNamee to testify he provided two other players, Andy Pettitte and Chuck Knoblauch, with performance-enhancing drugs and that he also told the authorities about his actions.

This Week in The National Law Journal

Risky business: Lawyers are bracing themselves for fallout from JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s recent $2 billion trading loss, which is expected to include a litany of regulatory and Capitol Hill investigations. Jenna Greene and Todd Ruger have the story.

Spying accusations: Amanda Bronstad reports on a group of new lawsuits accusing cellphone service companies and a company that makes tracking software of violating the Federal Wiretap Act and additional privacy and consumer laws.

Decision time: With oral arguments over, Tony Mauro reports that the Supreme Court justices are likely feeling the pressure as they hole up with their clerks, churning out draft opinions in pending cases with an internal deadline of June 1.

The crux of Clemens case: Mike Scarcella offers a play-by-play of the testimony last week from Brian McNamee, the chief prosecution witness in the government's case against former baseball star Roger Clemens.

The Morning Wrap

Lockerbie Bomber: The only person convicted in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, has died at 60, The New York Times reports. Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi had been living in Libya since 2009, when Scotland released him on humanitarian grounds, saying he was close to death with cancer.

Coming to America: Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese activist at the center of a diplomatic dispute between China and the United States, arrived in the United States on Saturday. The Washington Post examines the negotiations that made his departure from China possible.

Summit Arrests: Police last weekend arrested dozens of anti-war demonstrators in Chicago, as world leaders met in the city for the first two days of a NATO summit, the Chicago Tribune reports. Several protesters and police officers were injured.