Expert Analysis

• DC Circ. Ruling Clarifies Standards For Buy America Waivers

  

  The D.C. Circuit's recent decision to uphold a Federal Railroad Administration Buy America waiver offers clarifying guidance about assessing domestic availability, distinguishing manufacturing capabilities from future production plans and creating a well-supported administrative record, says Todd Overman at Bass Berry.

• Uniting BSA, Sanctions Compliance As Treasury Targets Iran

  

  The past 18 months of Treasury Department policies demonstrate expectations that financial institutions not merely obey sanctions against Iran, but also help expose how it moves money, making it essential that banks eliminate silos between their Bank Secrecy Act and sanctions compliance teams for an integrated response, says Jonathan Harrington at Bradley Arant.

• Digging Into Dems' Letter On Subpoena Secrecy Demands

  

  Lawmakers’ recent letter arguing that federal agencies’ use of boilerplate nondisclosure language in subpoenas pressures recipients into silence may lead to a significant overhaul of the current framework, but in the meantime, companies should review their rights and options, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

• How Bank Lobby's Suit Tests OCC's Crypto Charter Powers

  

  The Independent Community Bankers of America’s recent lawsuit challenging the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s ability to charter cryptocurrency companies marks another chapter in the struggle over the appropriate regulatory framework for digital assets, while raising a classic administrative law question at its most basic level, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

• Bribery Verdict Offers Guide To Post-Pause FCPA Priorities

  

  A former Goldman Sachs investment banker's recent Foreign Corrupt Practices Act conviction offers insights into how the U.S. Department of Justice is applying its FCPA guidelines following the Trump administration's 2025 pause on enforcement, and illustrates the importance of a company’s escalation procedures and follow-through, say attorneys at Debevoise.

• 3 Steps To Mitigate The Cyber Risks From Employee AI Use

  

  Recent data showing a doubling in breaches tied to employee use of unapproved AI tools demonstrates a convergence of cybersecurity risk, data privacy exposure and legal liability that workplace policies don't often address, but business leaders can get ahead of these risks, say attorneys at Ogletree.

• New Calif. Law Ties Finance Contracts To State Licensing

  

  Under a California law taking effect in 2028, commercial financing licensing requirements have been substantially expanded — meaning that fintechs relying on limited regulatory enforcement will face risk from their own borrowers, who could use licensing failures to resist repayment, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

• How Viral Accusations Can Test Employers' Discipline Policies

  

  The employment fallout that appears to have followed a former Cornell University student's sexual assault lawsuit against seven fraternity members underscores that although employers often have freedom to fire employees over accusations, they must still make a defensible decision, says Michael Elkins at MLE Law.

• How FCC Robocall Rules Reshape TCPA Opt-Out Compliance

  

  The Federal Communications Commission's recent changes to its Telephone Consumer Protection Act rules may simplify how businesses process consumer opt outs for robocalls and robotexts, but they also introduce nuances to the opt-out process that may be challenging to operationalize, say attorneys at Hunton.

• How NRC's New Rules Alter Foreign-Financed Reactor Deals

  

  New Nuclear Regulatory Commission rules for reactor licensing open U.S. nuclear projects to foreign capital, presenting new considerations for structuring governance, diligence and approvals to secure and maintain eligibility, says J. Brin Gibson at Spencer Fane.

• Managing Employer Risk Under Calif.'s No Robo Bosses Law

  

  California's No Robo Bosses Act marks the state's first statutory limit on using artificial intelligence in employee discipline and termination decisions, creating exposure for employers through its corroboration and notice requirements, burden-shifting framework, and potential reach under the Private Attorneys General Act, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

• IRS Rule May Put Private Schools' Exempt Status At Risk

  

  In light of recently proposed Treasury regulations that would narrow the options for diversifying student communities, private schools should reexamine how race enters their admissions, financial aid and student programs or risk losing tax-exempt status, say attorneys at Atkinson Andelson.

• AG Watch: Minnesota Takes Action To Secure Child Safety

  

  Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has built one of the most aggressive and structurally coherent child protection enforcement programs in the country, targeting consumer-facing sectors that his office has concluded prey on minors, such as tobacco and nicotine, social media platforms, and artificial intelligence, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

• Southern Glazer's Deal Tests FTC's Robinson-Patman Push

  

  A California federal court's recent decision in Federal Trade Commission v. Southern Glazer's secures a rare Robinson-Patman Act pricing limitations agreement, but conditions attached to the decision indicate that practitioners may only see a handful of new private RPA cases a year, says Steven Cernak at Bona Law.

• Opinion

  The SEC Crypto Proposal Rests On A Term No One Can Define

  

  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently proposed Regulation Crypto Assets is its most ambitious attempt to set rules for the crypto industry, but its repeated use of the phrase "essential managerial efforts" means it perpetuates the uncertainty the regime is meant to cure, says Joseph A. Hall at Davis Polk.