Following some high-profile leaks of classified data, the spotlight has been shining on corporations hired to do secret intelligence work for the federal government. The scrutiny came from congressional hearings as well as from a new report on political contributions by private contractors.

Is computer-assisted review, or predictive coding, the holy grail for in-house counsel? Will it finally curb the explosive growth in costs for electronic discovery in large-data-volume cases?

The Travis County Commissioners Court plans to discuss ideas at its July 2 meeting for continuing the unit’s operations after state funding runs out on Aug. 31. Gregg Cox, director of the Public Integrity Unit, notes that “35 jobs and all of the cases that we handle” are on the line.

On the same day the U.S. Supreme Court issued Shelby County, Ala. v. Holder, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced that Texas’ voter-ID law would immediately take effect, because §4 of the Voting Rights Act was no longer enforceable, and therefore Texas no longer needed federal preapproval under §5.

Four more plaintiffs’ attorneys will lead the personal injury and wrongful death cases against Toyota Motor Corp., while a handful of others may gain access to the coveted source code software at the heart of the litigation over alleged sudden acceleration defects.