Analysis

Trump's Cannabis Order: The Impact On Hemp And Research

By Sam Reisman

President Donald Trump's executive order Thursday reignited an administrative process to reclassify marijuana as a less restricted drug, but its provisions touching on cannabis research and hemp-derived CBD are less obvious.

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4 Stories That Shaped Civil Rights, Access To Justice In 2025

By Marco Poggio

Civil rights and access to justice advocates faced mounting pressure in 2025, as President Donald Trump's return to office drove aggressive immigration enforcement, deep cuts to criminal justice funding, renewed Supreme Court scrutiny of the Voting Rights Act, and a steep increase in executions.

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Analysis

More Pardon Seekers Going 'Straight To The White House'

By Phillip Bantz

A nonprofit's unusual plan to make a mass pardon request directly to the Trump administration highlights burgeoning optimism among white collar defendants about their chances of securing relief, and a recognition that the clearest path to clemency no longer runs through the traditional channels.

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Justices Let Immigration Judges' Free Speech Suit Continue

By Ganesh Setty

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the Trump administration has failed to show it will be irreparably harmed by a Fourth Circuit decision that revived immigration judges' lawsuit challenging restrictions on their ability to speak publicly.

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Federal Courts Not Subject To FOIA, DC Judge Rules

By Jake Maher

The conservative litigation group America First Legal Foundation cannot demand documents from the federal Judicial Conference of the U.S. and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts under the Freedom of Information Act because they are not executive agencies, a D.C. federal judge ruled Thursday.

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9th Circ. Revives Excessive Force Suit Against Spokane Police

By Parker Quinlan

The Ninth Circuit has held that police officers in Washington state could have violated the Fourth Amendment rights of a man who died in their custody during a suspected drug overdose, finding that their alleged use of force would be excessive under federal law if proven.

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Judge Lets White House Ballroom Project Continue For Now

By Elaine Briseño

A D.C. federal judge gave President Donald Trump the green light to continue his East Wing ballroom plans, finding that the National Trust For Historic Preservation had not shown a "clear and present" reason to grant a temporary restraining order.

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NLRB To Get Quorum, GC As Senate Confirms Trump Picks

By Braden Campbell

The National Labor Relations Board is set to end 2025 with a quorum after the U.S. Senate confirmed the president's nominees to two board vacancies and the agency's open general counsel post as part of a bloc of picks for jobs across the government.

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Ill. Judge Affirms $2.6M Verdict For Fired Court Clerk Workers

By Celeste Bott

An Illinois federal judge has refused to order a new trial or alter a roughly $2.6 million damages award after a jury sided with three former employees of the Lake County Circuit Court Clerk's Office who claimed they were fired by the new clerk for campaigning for the incumbent she defeated in the 2016 election.

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Judge Weighs Trump's Immunity Claim In Riot Lawsuit

By Jared Foretek

Pres. Donald Trump's immunity from liability for his actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was once again argued in D.C. federal court Friday, this time in the civil context as lawmakers suing Trump fought his bid to exit their long-running suit.

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Feds To Appeal Dismissal Of Comey, James Indictments

By Lauren Berg

The U.S. Department of Justice indicated Friday that it will appeal the dismissals of headline-grabbing indictments of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, after a federal judge ruled the controversial prosecutor handling both cases was not properly appointed.

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Fed Seeks Input On Limited Master Accounts For Fintechs

By Aislinn Keely

The Federal Reserve Board on Friday took another step toward rolling out what are known as skinny master accounts for fintech firms, requesting public feedback on a special purpose Reserve Bank account prototype "tailored to the risks and needs of institutions focused on payments innovation."

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Coinbase Sues 3 States Over Event Contract Regulation

By Katryna Perera

Illinois, Connecticut and Michigan have been sued by cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase over their attempts to regulate the trading platform's prediction market offerings, with the firm arguing that the states are trying to unlawfully apply their gambling laws to federally regulated transactions that are under the jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

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IRS Relaxes Carbon Capture Credit's Environmental Reporting

By Kat Lucero

The Internal Revenue Service released guidance Friday easing the carbon capture tax credit's environmental reporting requirements, taking effect by the end of the year, for energy systems that permanently secure the emissions in geological locations, such as deep underground rock formations.

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Green Groups Sue Over Interior's Environmental Policy Shift

By Crystal Owens

Two conservation groups are asking a Northern California federal district court to vacate an interim U.S. Department of the Interior final rule that rescinds decades-old environmental policies concerning the public's right to participate in reviews for logging, drilling and other industrial projects on public lands.

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Health Co. CEO Gets 15 Years In $1.4B Fraud Scheme

By Carolina Bolado

A Florida federal judge sentenced a software company CEO to 15 years in prison Friday for participating in a scheme to coordinate illegal medical kickbacks through an internet platform, an operation that resulted in $1.4 billion worth of false billings to Medicare and other insurers for unnecessary medical products.

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Squires Issues 21 More Patent Review Denials

By Ryan Davis

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has denied 21 requests for America Invents Act patent reviews, while not agreeing to institute any new proceedings.

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X Can Still Sue Media Matters In Ireland, 9th Circ. Rules

By Rae Ann Varona

The Ninth Circuit on Friday vacated a California federal judge's injunction that blocked X Corp.'s ongoing lawsuit against left-leaning watchdog Media Matters in Ireland over an allegedly defamatory article, saying Media Matters waited too long before seeking to bring the case to the Golden State and thus prejudiced X.

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NLRB Prosecutors Drop Challenge To SpaceX Severance Pact

By Emily Brill

National Labor Relations Board prosecutors have dropped a challenge to SpaceX's severance agreement that spurred a fight over the agency's constitutionality, telling a Texas federal judge that "further proceedings would not effectuate the purposes of the National Labor Relations Act."

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FTC Says Building Service Contractor Will End No-Hire Pacts

By Matthew Perlman

The Federal Trade Commission is continuing to show interest in labor market issues, reaching a deal on Friday alongside New Jersey state enforcers that bars Adamas Amenity Services LLC from enforcing no-hire agreements with building owners.

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Dems Push For Scrutiny Of Compass' $1.6B Anywhere Buy

By Grace Dixon

Democratic senators urged the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to scrutinize Compass Inc.'s $1.6 billion buy of rival broker Anywhere Real Estate Inc., saying further consolidation could drive commissions higher and squeeze out remaining competitors.

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DraftKings Beats Suit Over Calif. Gambling Ban, For Now

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge said during a hearing Friday he plans to toss with leave to amend a proposed class action alleging DraftKings' Daily Fantasy Sports games and others violate California's ban on sports betting, while calling the case "significant" for "clearly" implicating public policy and the California penal code.

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Court Nixes Labor Requirements From Army Corps Contract

By Elaine Briseño

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims granted a construction company's request to strike negotiated labor prices and work terms from a hurricane-mitigation contract with the Army Corps of Engineers, finding the requirements were unrelated to the project's needs.

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Veolia Hit With $4M Overcharge Claim By NJ Borough

By Carla Baranauckas

A Garden State municipality is suing Veolia Water New Jersey Inc. and two affiliated entities in state court, alleging the private water provider orchestrated a yearslong scheme to falsify consumption data, manipulate meter readings and induce the town into paying millions more for water than it actually used.

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Brief

Trump Admin Appeals Harvard Win In $2B Fund Freeze Case

By Chris Villani

The Trump administration will ask the First Circuit to overturn a federal judge's ruling that prevented the government from withholding $2.2 billion in federal grants from Harvard University over concerns about antisemitism on campus.

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Trade Court Remands Canada Lumber Duty Calculation Again

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. Commerce Department again failed to sufficiently justify how it calculated a subsidy rate in an antidumping duty administrative review for a Canadian exporter of softwood lumber products, the U.S. Court of International Trade said.

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Feature

The 6 Biggest Rulings By Massachusetts' Top Court In 2025

By Chris Villani

Massachusetts' top court rejected a novel double jeopardy claim in a headline-grabbing murder case, revived claims against Harvard over a "ghoulish" scheme, and said a Snapchat Bitmoji could show police bias, among other significant rulings this year.

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Analysis

Top State & Local Tax Cases Of 2025

By Jaqueline McCool

From a Colorado appellate court upholding a tax on Netflix subscriptions to Pennsylvania's high court finding the Pittsburgh fee on nonresident pro athletes unconstitutional, 2025 was a busy year for state and local tax cases. Here, Law360 looks at the most influential cases of 2025 and their impact going into the new year.

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Calif. Appeals Court Upholds Los Angeles' Mansion Tax

By Maria Koklanaris

A property transfer tax that adds 4% to 5.5% to the cost of Los Angeles real estate deals of more than $5 million is legal under the U.S. and California constitutions, a state appeals panel ruled, upholding a trial court.

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Diversity Visa Pause Is Latest Hit To Legal Immigration

By Britain Eakin

The Trump administration's pause of the green card lottery after the Brown University shooting suspect was shown to have entered the U.S. through the program marks the latest in a rapid series of moves to curb legal immigration on security grounds.

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Medical, School Groups Seek Order Halting $100K Visa Fee

By Dan McKay

A medical practice in rural North Carolina and other employers asked a federal judge Friday to block enforcement of the Trump administration's $100,000 fee on H-1B visas, arguing the "massive" fee hike will inflict irreparable harm on their communities.

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Okla. AG Says Fed Law Shields Tribal Fishing, Hunting Rights

By Crystal Owens

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has issued a formal opinion that says federal law prohibits the state's wildlife department from citing tribal members for hunting and fishing on their reservation lands without a state-issued permit.

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Analysis

The Telecom Developments That Defined 2025

By Christopher Cole

As Republicans took the reins of the Federal Communications Commission this year, the commission wasted little time filling a wish list of industry demands, from axing older regulations to launching plans to relax limits on media consolidation, streamline Space Bureau paperwork and put the kibosh on unwanted cable billing rules.

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Senate Bill Would Direct Extra BEAD Funds To AI

By Nadia Dreid

Congress has a lot of ideas about what should happen with funds that states were allocated as part of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, but end up not using — the newest one is turning those dollars toward workforce development related to artificial intelligence.

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23 AGs Oppose FCC's Possible AI Law Preemption

By Brian Steele

Nearly two dozen state attorneys general joined forces to urge the Federal Communications Commission not to issue a ruling that would preempt state-level regulation of artificial intelligence technologies, arguing in a comment letter that the agency lacks such authority.

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Colo. Judge Rules Lumen's Claims Not Time-Barred

By Zach Dupont

A Colorado federal judge ruled that Lumen Technologies' suit against a consulting firm isn't time-barred, dismissing the firm's bid for summary judgment after it was accused of being liable for a faulty structural analysis of a building Lumen wished to purchase in Miami. 

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NY Judge Urged To Deny Pot Club Owners' Reconsideration

By Jonathan Capriel

A New York federal judge shouldn't reconsider an order that allowed state law enforcement to continue conducting searches and seizures of Empire Cannabis Clubs locations and shutting them down, state officials argued Friday, saying the business owners failed to add anything new for the court to examine.

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Bill Shields Public Housing Tenants Using Legal Pot

By Jonathan Capriel

A pair of Democratic lawmakers from the House and Senate have introduced a bill that would prohibit landlords who take federal funding from evicting tenants or denying applicants just because they use or possess marijuana in a state where it is legal.

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Brief

Florida Supreme Court To Review Pot Legalization Effort

By Sam Reisman

The Florida Supreme Court has agreed to weigh whether a new proposal to legalize retail marijuana via ballot initiative complies with the state's constitution.

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Mamdani Taps Ex-Biden DOL Chief For 'Economic Justice' Job

By Lauren Berg

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Friday named Julie Su, acting labor secretary during the Biden administration, to serve as the city's first deputy mayor for economic justice, a move that was welcomed by labor unions.

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The CFTC's Road Ahead Under Newly Confirmed Chair

Michael Selig's Dec. 18 confirmation as U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission chair comes at a critical juncture, as the agency is poised to gain oversight over the crypto industry and increase its jurisdictional mandate covering prediction markets, says Elizabeth Lan Davis at Davis Wright.

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Sports Gambling Scrutiny Expands Risks For Teams, Leagues

The Minnesota attorney general recently sent warning letters to 14 website operators for offering what the state considers illegal online gambling, demonstrating why the sports industry, including teams and leagues, should ask critical questions about organizational compliance, internal controls and potential criminal liability, say attorneys at Stinson.

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A 6th Circ. Snapshot: 3 Cases That Defined 2025

With more than a thousand opinions issued this year, three rulings from the Sixth Circuit stood out for the impact they'll have on the practice of civil procedure, including a net neutrality decision, a class certification standards ruling and an opinion about vulgarity in school, say attorneys at Ice Miller.

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Changes In Crypto, Cybersecurity Defined NY Banking In 2025

The major takeaways from 2025 in New York banking policy involve updated guidance, regulations and requirements primarily affecting innovation and digital banking, in areas such as cybersecurity, virtual currencies, and buy now, pay later programs, say attorneys at Steptoe.

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SEC Rulemaking Radar: A Reset, A Shift And A Preview Of '26

With major proposals withdrawn and new priorities emerging, forthcoming U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposals in 2026 will look to reshape how digital assets are regulated, recalibrate market structure and simplify how small companies go public, says Christopher Grobbel at Goodwin.

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How Fractional GCs Can Manage Risks Of Engagement

As more organizations eliminate their in-house legal departments in favor of outsourcing legal work, fractional general counsel roles offer practitioners an engaging and flexible way to practice at a high level, but they can also present legal, ethical and operational risks that must be proactively managed, say attorneys at Boies Schiller.

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Bonus Spotlight

Haynes Boone, Seward & Kissel Announce Year-End Bonuses

By Aebra Coe

Haynes Boone is handing its associates year-end and special bonuses in line with those offered by a significant portion of BigLaw this year, largely adhering to a bonus scale first put forward by Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP in November, a firm spokesperson confirmed Monday.

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Analysis

4 Legal Ethics Matters That Rocked 2025

By Emily Sawicki

This year, judges across the country grappled with attorneys' use and misuse of generative artificial intelligence, and prominent federal prosecutor battles dominated headlines in some of the top legal ethics matters of 2025.

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DOJ Challenges ABA's Standing In Law Firm Intimidation Suit

By Ryan Boysen

The Trump administration is not waging an intimidation campaign against U.S. law firms, the government said Friday, calling an American Bar Association lawsuit challenging its alleged "law firm intimidation policy" as total speculation that must be dismissed due to lack of standing.

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JPMorgan Rips Javice Attys' 'Absurd' Bills For Candy, Booze

By Dorothy Atkins

JPMorgan has unveiled new details in its ongoing legal fee fight with Charlie Javice, accusing the convicted financial aid startup founder's Quinn Emanuel defense counsel and other firms of billing for "absurd" and "outrageous" expenses, including specialty cocktails, cellulite butter, a Cookie Monster toy and $530 on gummy bears.

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Ex-CIA Director's Lawyers Accuse DOJ Of Judge Shopping

By Carolina Bolado

Former CIA Director John Brennan's attorneys asked the chief judge for the Southern District of Florida on Monday to block prosecutors from trying to steer any potential charges against him for investigating Russia's 2016 election interference to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon's courtroom.

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Analysis

2025 Was A Policy Year Like No Other For Immigration Attys

By Britain Eakin

This year brought nonstop immigration policy whiplash as the Trump administration ramped up enforcement, triggering panic among employers about I-9 compliance in a landscape of constantly shifting adjudication and work authorization policies. Here, Law360 looks at how policy shifted attorney practice in 2025.

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Calif. Atty Slams 'Protectionist' ABS Fee-Sharing Ban

By Emily Sawicki

A California attorney has pushed back on opposition from California's attorney general and the state's bar association amid his efforts to block enforcement of a ban on fee sharing with out-of-state law firms owned by nonattorneys, arguing the new state law is a "protectionist act, in defiance of the constitution."

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LawFirms.com Beats LegalForce's TM Suit After Bench Trial

By Ivan Moreno

A California judge has concluded that a company that operates LawFirms.com did not infringe a law firm's trademarks for LegalForce, saying that during a four-day bench trial in October the court found "no one was actually confused or misled."

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Schumer Pushes Senate To Sue Over Epstein File Release

By Courtney Bublé

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., introduced a resolution on Monday that would direct the Senate to take legal action to force the Trump administration to fully comply with the law to release the files of the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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Analysis

As US Executions Decline, Florida Surges

By Brandon Lowrey

During Florida's 1994 gubernatorial race, Republican candidate Jeb Bush accused Democratic incumbent Lawton Chiles of being too soft on crime; Chiles' immediate predecessor, Bush pointed out, had signed almost 10 times as many death warrants as Chiles had.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jeff Montgomery

Delaware's justices threw the Court of Chancery in reverse big time last week, rescinding a decision by the state's chancellor that last year effectively canceled tech tycoon Elon Musk's multi-year, then-$56 billion stock-based compensation package. It was a decision that lit up the court's relatively low-key, pre-holiday wind-up. It also highlighted the endless, 3D tug of war over Delaware-chartered companies and the interests of boards, officers, controllers, stockholders and the corporate bar.

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