Analysis

Trump's China Visit Reveals Signs Of Continued Trade Truce

By Dylan Moroses

Signals from President Donald Trump's visit to China indicate an ongoing trade truce with the U.S. may continue, though concrete details on tariff reductions and policy changes were largely absent from the meetings.

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Analysis

Meet Biden's Attys Fighting DOJ Release Of Memoir Materials

By Jeff Overley

Former President Joe Biden has selected Hecker Fink LLP lawyers well acquainted with politically charged litigation for his extraordinary new lawsuit accusing the U.S. Department of Justice of orchestrating a congressional inquiry in order to divulge "highly personal" records to the Heritage Foundation.

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Trump Taps Ohio Appeals Judge For Federal Bench

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday he's nominating state Judge Matthew Byrne as a U.S. district judge for the Southern District of Ohio.

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Feds Challenge Wash. Policy Denying DHS Undercover Plates

By Ben Adlin

The Trump administration took aim Wednesday at what it described as a new unconstitutional Washington state policy that denies undercover vehicle license plates to U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials while still granting them to state and local agencies.

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Ex-Judges Urge Court To Scrutinize Trump-IRS Deal

By Jack McLoone

A group of 35 former federal judges pushed for a Florida federal court to reopen President Donald Trump's now-settled $10 billion tax leak case against his own Internal Revenue Service, alleging that Trump and the DOJ deceived the court.

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National Trust Asks DC Circ. To Back Trump Ballroom Block

By Tom Lotshaw

The National Trust for Historic Preservation on Wednesday urged the D.C. Circuit to affirm a district court injunction that halted President Donald Trump's construction of a White House ballroom, arguing there's no justification for the project to proceed without Congress' approval.

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Del. Judge Upholds Voting By Corporations In Local Elections

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Superior Court has ruled that corporations, trusts, limited liability companies and other artificial entities may legally vote in municipal elections in the town of Fenwick Island, rejecting a constitutional challenge brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware over what it called unlawful "vote dilution."

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CFTC Sends Prediction Markets Proposal To White House

By Aislinn Keely

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission confirmed to Law360 on Wednesday that it has sent its planned rules for event contracts to the White House for review, marking another step toward issuing prediction market regulations amid jurisdictional battles with state gaming regulators.

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CFTC Agrees To Abandon Biden-Era Gemini Crypto Settlement

By Hailey Konnath

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Winklevoss-owned crypto exchange Gemini have asked a New York federal court to vacate a $5 million settlement ending allegations that Gemini misrepresented a bitcoin futures contract, telling the court that the agency now believes its complaint shouldn't have been filed.

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CFPB Sued Over 'Drastic' Rollback Of Fair Lending Rules

By Jon Hill

The National Fair Housing Alliance sued the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Wednesday to overturn the agency's recent rollback of its fair lending regulations, challenging it as an unjustified, unlawful dismantling of protections against credit discrimination.

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9th Circ. Says Alaska Can Release ConocoPhillips Well Data

By Rae Ann Varona

The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday reversed a lower court's ruling that kept ConocoPhillips' Alaskan well data confidential, saying in a published opinion that federal law and regulations did not preempt an Alaska statute requiring the data's release.

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Fla. Detention Site Pollutes, Environmental Group Tells Court

By David Minsky

An environmental nonprofit told a Florida federal judge Wednesday that the director of the state's disaster agency illegally authorized a fleet of diesel-burning equipment that pollutes protected land surrounding an Everglades immigrant detention center, leading to violations of the Clean Air Act.

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Judge Doubts Prison Bureau Claim Trans Care Isn't Banned

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. federal judge repeatedly challenged a Trump administration attorney's claims that a looming ban on gender-affirming care in federal prisons wouldn't amount to a categorical ban on hormone treatments for inmates as he weighed extending an injunction already stopping the policy from taking effect.

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Analysis

How Patent Eligibility Declarations Can Stave Off Rejection

By Ryan Davis

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is encouraging patent applicants to submit declarations explaining why their invention isn't just an abstract idea or natural phenomenon, and attorneys are hopeful that this will lead to fewer rejected applications, although how those patents will fare in litigation remains to be seen.

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Squires Says Sun PGR Petition Denied For Not Naming Parent

By Adam Lidgett

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc.'s failure to name its parent company in its challenge to a Biofrontera Inc. patent was why its request for review was rejected early, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has said.

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Squires Institutes 3 IPRs, Refuses Case With Limited Impact

By Dani Kass

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires granted three petitions for inter partes review in his newest bulk order and broke down why he previously rejected CyberSecure IPS LLC's challenge to a Network Integrity Systems Inc. optical fibers monitoring patent.

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Judge Won't Block Texas From Making Themed Gold Coins

By Elliot Weld

A Texas federal judge won't block the state from producing Texas-themed gold and silver commemorative coins and notes, denying the request of a precious metals company suing over what it said were designs confusingly similar to its own.

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Conn. AG To Investigate Roblox Over 'Harm To Children'

By Joyce Hanson

Gaming and chat platform Roblox, the subject of multiple lawsuits accusing it of harming minors with addictive design features that expose them to online abuse, is now facing an investigation by the Connecticut attorney general.

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FIFA Faces NJ, NY Probe Over 'Fake Scarcity' In Sales

By George Woolston

The attorneys general of New Jersey and New York said on Wednesday that they subpoenaed FIFA over its ticketing practices for the eight World Cup matches scheduled to be hosted in the Garden State.

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NC Gov. Bars State Employees From Insider Prediction Betting

By Hayley Fowler

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein on Wednesday signed an executive order banning public employees from using information they learn at work to make bets on prediction markets.

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US Tells Justices To Hold 'Lightning Rod' Health Ministry Case

By Mark Payne

The U.S. Supreme Court should hold out on deciding whether a New Mexico insurance law violates the religious rights of nonprofit healthcare-sharing ministries that provide cheap, Christian-focused health insurance options while the justices decide a similar case, the U.S. solicitor general told the court. 

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Q&A

PropertyTek CEO Says AI Can Curb Fraud, Boost Leasing

By Nathan Hale

Vanessa Anderson, CEO at PropertyTek, whose software platforms serve more than 1 million residential units, spoke with Law360 Real Estate Authority about rental fraud, AI and other trends at the intersection of real estate and technology.

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NJ, Pa. Move For New Data Center Development Standards

By Nate Beck

State officials in New Jersey and Pennsylvania on Wednesday rolled out proposed restrictions on data centers, with each state looking to require developers to account for power usage, adhere to new transparency requirements and agree to provide community benefits to construct projects.

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Judge Denies Relief In Challenge To La. Forced Prison Labor

By Marco Poggio

A federal court ruled that forced agricultural labor at Louisiana State Penitentiary does not violate federal law, leaving intact a form of punishment that prisoners and critics say exposes workers to degrading and unsafe conditions.

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Colo. Panel Questions Trial Court's Reading Of Wage Laws

By Rachel Konieczny

The Colorado Court of Appeals appeared poised Wednesday to revive the retaliation claims of a former human services caseworker against the county department she had worked for, pushing back on a lower court's interpretation of statutes meant to close gender pay gaps.

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Brief

DOL Gets To Argue In 11th Circ. ESOP En Banc Appeal

By Kelcey Caulder

The Eleventh Circuit Wednesday granted the U.S. Department of Labor permission to argue as amicus in support of a seafood company in a worker-side appeal seeking to revive allegations of mismanagement of an employee stock ownership plan, which the full appellate court has agreed to consider in September.

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Live Nation Wants AGs' Discovery To Wait On New Trial Bid

By Bryan Koenig

Live Nation has told a New York federal judge that its bids for a new trial or judgment in its favor should go before state attorneys general to get discovery as they seek the forced divestiture of Ticketmaster to address the live music giant's monopoly.

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3 Generic Drug Antitrust Deals Totaling $17.9M Get Final Nod

By Aaron Keller

A Connecticut federal judge on Wednesday gave final approval to a $17.9 million generic drug price-fixing settlement between pharmaceutical companies Bausch Health US LLC, Bausch Health Americas Inc., and Lannett Co. Inc. and 48 states, territories, and governments, finding the terms reasonable despite an objection.

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$3.6B Cabinetry Merger Clears FTC Scrutiny

By Bryan Koenig

MasterBrand Inc. and American Woodmark Corp. said they are on track to close MasterBrand Inc.'s $3.6 billion purchase of American Woodmark after clearing an in-depth Federal Trade Commission review.

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FCC Soon To Enforce New Foreign Sponsor ID Regs

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission will soon start to enforce Biden-era rules for broadcasters to disclose foreign sponsorship of leased airtime, after twice pushing back the industry's deadline to comply.

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US Looks To Drop Cross-Claim In ND Riverbed Rights Fight

By Joyce Hanson

A North Dakota federal judge has ordered the U.S. Department of the Interior and a tribal nation to file a joint report about a DOI solicitor's opinion in a dispute over who owns mineral rights beneath a portion of the Missouri River.

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NC, Minors Get OK On Deal Limiting Solitary Confinement

By Hayley Fowler

A North Carolina federal judge has given an initial seal of approval to a settlement placing limitations on the state's use of solitary confinement in juvenile detention facilities, resolving a class action that claimed the practice was unconstitutional.

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Shuttered USDA Program Grantees Join Suit To Restore $125M

By Elaine Briseño

Several organizations have joined the legal fight to restore $127 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture grants aimed at fighting climate change through diverse farm ownership, arguing that the agency's termination of the funding was arbitrary and capricious.

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House Armed Services Chair Unveils Draft Defense Bill

By Madeline Lyskawa

Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, released his draft of the nearly $1.15 trillion National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027 on Tuesday, focusing on revitalizing the U.S. defense industrial base and supporting small businesses. 

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West Point Prof. Wins Speech Injunction Over Approval Rule

By Ganesh Setty

A New York federal court has blocked West Point from requiring civilian faculty to get permission before using their school affiliation in external engagements involving their area of expertise, finding a civilian professor will likely prevail in his First Amendment challenge.

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Court Orders CBP Commish To Testify In Tariff Refund Suit

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. Court of International Trade requested that U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney S. Scott appear during a hearing scheduled for early next month to discuss the agency's plans for refunds of tariffs struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, according to orders issued Wednesday.

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US Implements Semiconductor Deal Cutting Taiwan Tariffs

By Jack McLoone

The U.S. is capping tariffs on certain Taiwanese products while eliminating some derivative tariffs on aircraft components as part of the implementation of a deal aimed at bringing semiconductor production to the U.S., the U.S. Department of Commerce said Wednesday.

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Colo. Group Says $66M Flood Bonds Needed TABOR Vote

By Zach Dupont

A group of Boulder residents told a Colorado Court of Appeals panel Wednesday at oral arguments that the city's stormwater and flood management fees, which will be used in part to repay $66 million in bonds, are actually a tax under Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, or TABOR.

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IRS Asked To Quickly Release Fuel Credit Emissions Model

By Kat Lucero

Energy companies and farm representatives urged the IRS on Wednesday to expedite the release of an updated greenhouse gas emissions model reflecting the 2025 budget law's changes, saying the guidance is needed to determine eligibility for and calculate the clean fuel production tax credit.

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Wash. Judge Says DHS Can't End State Migrant Shelter Grant

By Ganesh Setty

A Washington federal court has revived the state's ability to receive reimbursements under a federal program that helps cover states' provision of sheltering services to noncitizens, finding that the Trump administration ran afoul of Congress' express funding priorities.

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Feds Say Detainees Can't Justify Stay In Biometric Fight

By Tom Lotshaw

The Trump administration told a D.C. federal judge that detained noncitizens challenging a policy that allegedly blocks their ability to provide the biometric information needed for benefit applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services couldn't justify their push to have it temporarily stayed.

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Wash. Says GEO Can't Evade Inspections Via ICE Contract

By Elaine Briseño

Washington state officials asked a federal judge to allow it access to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility to inspect its conditions, arguing private prison operator GEO Group is not immune from local public health and safety laws.

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FCC Says T-Mobile Can Use Galileo Alongside GPS

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

The FCC has granted T-Mobile's request to use the European Union's Galileo navigation system along with the Global Positioning System to update the 911 system.

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Mich. Tells FCC States Play Key Role In Network Regs

By Christopher Cole

Michigan's telecom regulator has urged the Federal Communications Commission not to go overboard on preempting state authorities as it pushes the country toward modernizing the phone networks, saying state-level regulations also play a critical role.

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DOJ Says Digital Equity Act's Minority Grants Flunk Review

By Jared Foretek

The Trump administration has told a D.C. federal judge that he can't avoid applying strict scrutiny in his review of the Digital Equity Act Competitive Grant Program, arguing that the plaintiffs challenging the administration's termination of the $1.25 billion program can't recast it as race-neutral.

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Brief

FCC Approves More Drones For Sale On US Market

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission has approved another round of drone systems for marketing in the U.S. after a federal government security review.

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3 States Back Advocate's Challenge To DOJ Medical Pot Rule

By Sam Reisman

The anti-cannabis advocacy organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana will be joined by three states in its legal challenge to the U.S. Department of Justice's final rule loosening federal restrictions on medical marijuana.

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NJ Pot Law Lets Workers Sue Over Hiring Bias, Panel Finds

By Mike Curley

A New Jersey appeals panel has found that the state's cannabis law grants a private right of action to employees who allege they were fired or denied work solely because of a positive cannabis test, reviving a woman's suit alleging she was denied a job because of her recreational cannabis use.

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State Senators Win Texas Attorney General Primary Runoffs

By Lynn LaRowe

Republican state Sen. Mayes Middleton and Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson will face off in the November general election for Texas attorney general after beating their respective challengers in Tuesday's runoffs.

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NCUA Proposal Could Streamline Credit-Union-Bank Mergers

While the National Credit Union Administration's recently proposed merger overhaul may reduce procedural barriers to combinations involving banks and credit unions and signals a willingness to revisit long-settled regulations, parties should still ensure careful planning and regulator engagement throughout complex transactions, say attorneys at Fox Rothschild.

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Sold Inventory May Drive Tax Treatment Of Tariff Refunds

Companies determining the tax treatment of refunds expected following the U.S. Supreme Court's February decision invalidating tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act should consider whether the tariff costs have already reduced their income considering the cost of goods sold, say attorneys at McDermott.

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6th Circ. Ruling Highlights Split On Labor Cost Depreciation

The Sixth Circuit's recent decision in Schoening Investment v. Cincinnati Casualty throws into relief the fine lines of courts' varying interpretations of whether a commercial property insurer may justifiably depreciate labor costs to determine the actual cash value of damage, says Nabila Rahim at Zelle.

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Chicago US Atty Revamps Grand Jury Rules After Misconduct

By Parker Quinlan

Chicago's top federal prosecutor announced on Wednesday a new suite of rules for how grand jury investigations are handled after an Illinois federal judge accused the prosecutor's office of misconduct in a case against six immigration activists.

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Pierce Atwood Rips Billionaire's 'Absurd' Suit Over Asset Sale

By Sydney Price

Pierce Atwood and two attorneys urged a Massachusetts federal judge to reject a Ukrainian billionaire's suit blaming them for a $1.8 million damages order in investor litigation over the billionaire's failed biotech company, saying his own wrongdoing led to the judgment.

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Perkins Coie Docs At Issue In Omani Co.'s Malpractice Case

By Sarah Jarvis

An Oman-based screw and nail manufacturer has urged a Washington state judge to force Perkins Coie LLP to hand over a trove of documents related to the firm's past work representing the Middle Eastern company in a U.S. Department of Commerce probe, saying more information is needed to assess the law firm's defenses against claims its mistakes cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars.

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ProPublica Denied Access To Ranbaxy Antitrust MDL Docs

By Gianna Ferrarin

A Massachusetts federal court denied ProPublica's bid to unseal court filings in settled multidistrict litigation alleging a subsidiary of Indian drugmaker Sun Pharmaceuticals illegally delayed market entry of generic drugs, ruling the nonprofit news organization's request came too late in the case.

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Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Keller Rohrback's Gretchen Freeman Cappio

By Andrea Keckley

By the time Volkswagen was exposed for touting the low emissions of cars that secretly released nitrogen oxide pollutants up to 40 times the legal limit in the U.S., Keller Rohrback LLP's Gretchen Freeman Cappio knew she wasn't interested in defending corporate giants.

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