Analysis

How State SG Offices Became A Judicial Pipeline

By Cara Bayles

The rapid growth of Missouri's solicitor general's office illustrates the import of top state appellate roles, which offer young lawyers a chance to gain courtroom experience they might never acquire in BigLaw. The gig is also, for young conservatives especially, one of the fastest paths to the federal bench.

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Analysis

Why Wait? Attys Say Sentencing Reform Should Apply Now

By Phillip Bantz

Sweeping changes to the federal sentencing guidelines are slated to take effect in the fall, but some white collar criminal defense attorneys are successfully arguing in court that defendants can benefit now from potential sentence reductions under the upcoming revisions.

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Judge Sinks Bid To Block Border Barrier Over Levee Concerns

By Tom Lotshaw

A D.C. federal judge rejected an economic development district's request to temporarily block the Trump administration from proceeding with plans to build border barriers near flood control levees along the Rio Grande in Texas, noting no construction has occurred yet.

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5th Circ. Blocks Challenge To Gun Prohibition Signage Rules

By Mike Curley

The Fifth Circuit has thrown out a suit from a Unitarian church and a coffee shop challenging Texas law that requires specific signage to bar licensed gun owners from bringing their firearms inside, saying they've failed to show any injury, or how the court could redress an injury.

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9th Circ. Revives Claims Over FDA, USDA 'FODMAP' Labeling

By Lauren Berg

The Ninth Circuit on Monday partially revived a lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture over federal regulations restricting food companies from labeling products with information about difficult-to-digest sugars known as "FODMAPs."

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Trump, Copyright Chief Spar Over Justices' Removal Rulings

By Ivan Moreno

The Trump administration and U.S. Copyright Office leader Shira Perlmutter have each told a D.C. federal judge that U.S. Supreme Court rulings in June regarding presidential removal power bolster their side in the fight over her firing, with Perlmutter saying they leave intact her statutory challenge and the government saying they confirm President Donald Trump's authority to oust her.

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Full 6th Circ. To Rethink FCC's Data Breach Victory

By Nadia Dreid

The full Sixth Circuit will rehear a panel decision upholding the Federal Communications Commission's expanded data breach notification rules for telecommunications carriers, throwing the legality of the rules back up in the air after much protest about the original decision.

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Blanche's Nix Of Trump's $1.8B Fund Wins Over GOP Sens.

By Asha Glover

Two holdout GOP senators said Monday that they would support confirmation of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to the permanent role after he gave assurances that President Donald Trump's $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund, created as part of a settlement with the IRS, would not move forward.

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25 States Sue Trump Over 3rd Round Of Global Tariffs

By Rachel Riley

California, Arizona and 23 other states sued the Trump administration in the U.S. Court of International Trade on Monday claiming the president is trying for a third time to impose illegal tariffs against nearly all the country's trading partners, this time under the cover of federal law meant to combat forced labor.

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DOJ Renews Bid To Oust Susman From ABA Trump EO Case

By Jared Foretek

The U.S. Department of Justice renewed its call for a D.C. federal judge to disqualify Susman Godfrey LLP from representing the American Bar Association in its challenge to the Trump administration's law firm executive orders, saying Susman Godfrey's attorneys could potentially have to serve as fact witnesses in the case.

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NJ Justices Say Insanity Defense Requires Expert Testimony

By Parker Quinlan

New Jersey's highest court ruled Monday that to raise an insanity or diminished mental capacity defense, a defendant must present testimony from a medical expert that their mental condition caused them to violate the law.

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Fla. Judge Faces Hearing Over Political Donation Penalty

By Rose Krebs

A Florida state court judge was unable to reach an agreement over how she will be sanctioned for violating a rule regarding political donations, so her disciplinary case will be sent back for a hearing before the state's Judicial Qualifications Commission.

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OCC Seeks To Loosen Rules On Sharing Supervisory Data

By Sarah Jarvis

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Monday proposed loosening its rules governing how financial institutions can disclose confidential agency information, such as information about enforcement and examinations, to affiliates, service providers and potential acquirers.

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Interior Dept. Floats Arctic Drilling Rule Changes

By Ganesh Setty

The U.S. Department of the Interior on Monday announced new proposed changes to existing federal regulations on exploratory offshore drilling in the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf, as part of the Trump administration's broader push to "unleash American energy dominance."

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21 States Again Fight ACA Changes That Could Increase Costs

By Gina Kim

A coalition of 21 states sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in California federal court Friday, challenging an Affordable Care Act rule that shifts costs onto enrollees while reimposing certain provisions that a Maryland federal court vacated for being unlawful and arbitrary.

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AGs, WGA Want April Merger Trial, Paramount Wants Nov.

By Bryan Koenig

Paramount Skydance Corp. battled over trial timing Friday as the Writers Guild of America and state attorneys general challenge its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., in a joint California federal court brief where the plaintiffs sought April 2027 proceedings and the companies proposed a November kickoff.

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Tenn. Official Tells Meta Jury Teen Sadness Rates Rising

By Cara Salvatore

The executive director of Tennessee's Commission on Children and Youth testified Monday in the state's mental health trial against Meta that the percentage of high school students in the state who report feeling sad or hopeless has been trending upward in the last decade.

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Mackinac Island Spurns 'Clandestine' Talks With Ferry Cos.

By Melanie Dorsey

A northern Michigan resort island has urged a Michigan federal judge to reject a bid by two ferry companies to force the city into confidential mediation, arguing that negotiations over ferry service should not be hidden from residents, businesses or visitors.

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Dems Urge CFTC To 'Rein In' Wildfire Prediction Markets

By Aislinn Keely

Democratic senators led by Oregon's Jeff Merkley on Monday called on the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission to "rein in" prediction markets speculating on wildfires.

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DOJ, Rocket Mortgage See 'Reasonable' Chance To Settle

By Jon Hill

The U.S. Department of Justice has asked a Colorado federal court to pause deadlines in its appraisal discrimination case against Rocket Mortgage LLC, saying both sides agree there's a "reasonable prospect" for a settlement and want time to explore it further.

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Workers Say OPM Unlawfully Nixed Gender-Affirming Benefits

By Patrick Hoff

A group of federal employees on Monday accused the Trump administration of unlawfully eliminating coverage of gender-affirming care from their health insurance benefits, forcing thousands of transgender workers and their dependents to pay out of pocket for treatment.

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Brief

Dem Senators Float Expanded Paid Leave For Fed. Employees

By Benjamin Morse

Federal workers would receive up to 12 weeks of paid leave to address their own serious health conditions or care for family members under legislation introduced by a group of Democratic senators.

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Sandoz Settles States' Generics Price-Fixing Cases For $450M

By Matthew Perlman

Sandoz reached a settlement with a coalition of state enforcers on Monday, agreeing to pay $450 million to end claims against it in several cases targeting alleged price-fixing in the generic-drug industry.

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FTC Deadlock Means Quantum Chips Merger Goes Untouched

By Bryan Koenig

The Federal Trade Commission's two remaining members offered a peek Friday into the limitations of downsizing from a full five-member FTC after President Donald Trump fired its two Democrats last year: a split vote meant the agency had to effectively approve a $1.8 billion quantum computing merger without imposing conditions.

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Monthly Merger Review Snapshot

By Matthew Perlman

A group of state enforcers challenged Paramount's planned $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, as a separate group of states and DirecTV accused Nexstar of violating an order preventing it from integrating with Tegna and the Federal Trade Commission faced a bench trial seeking to block a constructive adhesive deal.

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Mich. School Privacy Waiver Unconstitutional, Fed. Judge Told

By Susan Smiley

A piece of Michigan's education budget requiring schools to give up certain privacy protections in exchange for funding of various programs may have cleared a hurdle in state court, yet several school leaders pressed a federal judge on Monday to find it violates the U.S. Constitution.

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Pa. Judge Says Vape Cos. Must Rebut Courts Backing Bans

By Jonathan Capriel

Vape companies challenging a Pennsylvania law that would make it illegal to sell most e-cigarettes are going to have to address rulings by the Fourth and Eighth Circuits, which largely upheld nearly identical state bans in North Carolina and Iowa, according to a federal judge.

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Conn. City Seeks Cut To Exoneree's 'Excessive' $38M Verdict

By Brian Steele

New Haven, Connecticut, has asked a federal judge to lower the $38 million award that a jury ordered for a felony murder exoneree after finding that local police engaged in a widespread pattern of concealing evidence, arguing the city was improperly associated with a former detective of "low character" who is now the subject of a criminal referral.

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Canada Imposes Temporary Cabinet Tariff But Exempts US

By Jack McLoone

Certain wood cabinets and vanities will be subject to a 25% surtax when imported into Canada under a temporary provision designed to protect the country's softwood lumber industry, though the Canadian government said a number of countries' imports — including the U.S. — are exempt.

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DC Judge Sends CECOT Detainee's Tort Suit To Texas

By Tom Lotshaw

A federal judge in Washington determined Monday that a Venezuelan national who was deported from the U.S. to a mega-prison in El Salvador last year must pursue tort claims against the federal government in the Southern District of Texas.

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Mexican Dad Says CBP Ignored Valid Parole, Deported Him

By Craig Clough

A Mexican national who says he lived in the United States for decades but was deported despite a valid advance parole document filed a lawsuit in D.C. federal court Sunday challenging immigration policies updated by the Trump administration that unraveled decades of policy toward immigrants seeking humanitarian protections.

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Brief

Trump Admin Appeals Order To Improve Adelanto ICE Site

By Elaine Briseño

The Trump administration is seeking to overturn an order from a California federal judge instructing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to improve conditions at its Adelanto ICE Processing Center East and West.

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Legal Questions Michigan Is Still Facing In 2026

By Melanie Dorsey and Susan Smiley

Michigan's legal sector can expect answers on several burning legal questions in the remainder of 2026, with major litigation over the Flint water crisis nearing an end, and the state's enforcement push against prediction market purveyors just getting started. Some of the biggest questions, however, will be answered not in court, but at the ballot box, where Michigan Supreme Court justices are up for election and a potential constitutional convention will be put to voters.

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Pa. Justices Won't Extend Expired Sentencing Bill Deadline

By P.J. D'Annunzio

Time is up for Pennsylvania lawmakers to develop new sentencing guidelines for second-degree murder, the state Supreme Court effectively said in an order refusing to extend the deadline for the Legislature to craft new minimums, maximums and parole rules.

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Top Groups Lobbying The FCC

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission heard from lobbyists more than 170 times in July as they sought to sway the FCC on satellite licensing rules, an auction of C-band airwaves, rural healthcare aid, broadcast media ownership limits and more.

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GOP Sens. Back FCC Cellphone 'Unlocking' Rules

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

Republican senators have endorsed the Federal Communications Commission's effort to adopt a uniform standard for mobile device "unlocking" rules.

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Brief

VoIP Provider Didn't Pay USF Bills, FCC Says

By Nadia Dreid

A Louisiana VoIP provider will pay the Federal Communications Commission $25,000 to get out from under an investigation probing whether the company failed to pay as much as it was supposed to into the Universal Service Fund.

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Hemp Cos. Seek To Block New Virginia THC Cap

By Sam Reisman

A group of Virginia hemp businesses have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the state's new THC potency caps, which were enacted as part of the budget bill paving the way for a regulated marijuana industry and are due to take effect later this month.

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Challenging Detention After 5th Circ. Ends Bond Clocks

After the vacatur of the Fifth Circuit’s holding that the U.S. Constitution requires bond hearings for detained noncriminal noncitizens, practitioners should go back to filing habeas petitions, pending the court's en banc rehearing, says Kemal Hepsen at Mandamus Lawyers.

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House-Passed KIDS Act Spurs Child Data Practices Audit

Graham Dean, Brian Roper-Nelson and Will Quick at Brooks Pierce discuss the noteworthy sections of the U.S. House of Representatives' recently passed Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act, the potential revisions as the law moves through the U.S. Senate and the significant business changes that the House law would require.

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FTC Focus: Enforcing Vertically Integrated Operating Systems

As digital platforms increasingly pair operating systems with commerce, advertising, content and data, antitrust scrutiny will turn on whether those integrations create private bottlenecks that foreclose rivals through access, ranking, interoperability or defaults, pushing courts and enforcement agencies to adapt traditional utility and merger frameworks more aggressively, say attorneys at Proskauer.

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Calif. Recycle Label Order Imperils Product Responsibility Law

A California federal court's injunction blocking enforcement of the state's truth-in-recycling law gives companies racing to remove chasing arrows and other recyclability labels from their packaging a reprieve — and the court's action may also hobble implementation of the state's extended producer responsibility law, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

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Community Bank Order Signals Fintech Partnership Scrutiny

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's recent consent order against Community Federal Savings Bank for deficiencies in its Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering compliance programs offers clear and urgent lessons for community banks pursuing revenue growth through fintech partnerships and payments services, say attorneys at Bradley.

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How Does In-House Pay Compare? Take The Law360 Survey

How do in-house salaries vary across industries, roles, and organizational revenue? What compensation tools are companies using to lure top talent? Help Law360 Pulse answer these questions and more in this year's In-House Compensation Survey.

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Exclusive

Tyson & Mendes In Talks For Possible PE-Backed MSO Deal

By Emma Cueto

Insurance litigation defense firm Tyson & Mendes LLP confirmed to Law360 Pulse Tuesday that it is in "preliminary discussions" about taking private equity investment via a managed service organization.

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Fla. AG Requests Impeachment Probe Into 11th Circ. Judge

By Carolina Bolado

Florida's Attorney General said Monday he is asking Congress to open an impeachment inquiry into U.S. Circuit Judge Nancy Abudu because of work she did before ascending to the Eleventh Circuit bench for the Southern Poverty Law Center.

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Analysis

These Firms Are Landing The Most Patent Litigation Work

By Dani Kass

Rabicoff Law and Ramey LLP have maintained their roles as top patent suit filers, while Fish & Richardson PC and Gillam & Smith LP have remained leaders on defense teams, according to Lex Machina's annual patent litigation report.

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Approach The Bench: Judge Rakoff Doesn't Hide His Views

By Cara Bayles and Steven Trader

During his decades on the bench, U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff has witnessed a slew of changes, particularly as technology has brought a rise in cybercrimes, as well as novel questions like whether AI-generated legal advice is privileged. But perhaps the biggest shift was in Rakoff's own views.

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ABA Gives Symbolic Support For Law School DEI Standards

By Emily Sawicki

In a split vote, American Bar Association House of Delegates members on Tuesday elected to uphold a rule requiring law schools to demonstrate DEI standards, but then followed up with a vote allowing another path to removing the standards, in an effort to avoid the Trump administration's threat to strip the ABA of accreditation authority.

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Simpson Thacher Highlights PIPE Client's Financial Troubles

By Madison Arnold

The founder of Patriot National Inc. was likely short millions of dollars when it finalized a private investment in public equity transaction at the center of his malpractice case against Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, according to defense testimony on Tuesday at a Florida state trial.

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ABA Seeks Bar Exam Reform Following Tech Failures

By Emily Sawicki

Over the course of its two-day annual meeting, the American Bar Association's policymaking body, the House of Delegates, approved measures to urge further bar exam oversight and backed measures to support law schools at accredited historically Black colleges and universities.

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Blanche Advances After GOP Sens. Win Written Assurances

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination for the permanent position Tuesday, after Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, said they would support him.

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Ford Asks 9th Circ. To Revive Lemon Law Fake-Billing Suit

By Linda Chiem

Ford Motor Co. has asked the Ninth Circuit to revive its racketeering lawsuit accusing three attorneys affiliated with Knight Law Group LLP of orchestrating a massive fraudulent billing scheme, saying First Amendment protections don't immunize the attorneys' underlying conduct in California lemon law litigation against the automaker.

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Day Pitney Dropped From Suit Over Ex-Justice's Involvement

By Brian Steele

A Connecticut state court judge allowed Day Pitney LLP to withdraw from a $1.3 million corporate windup feud after the involvement of one of its partners, a former chief justice on the state Supreme Court, came to light, negating the defendants' call for an evidentiary hearing on a motion to disqualify the firm.

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Fried Frank Data Breach Class Action Voluntarily Dismissed

By Matt Perez

A proposed class action data security suit against Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP was voluntarily dismissed on Thursday following a joint motion to stay the case in April to undergo mediation.

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Ashurst Perkins, Nail Co. Lose Doc Bids In Malpractice Suit

By Rachel Riley

Ashurst Perkins Coie won't have to turn over documents related to its predecessor firm's work for an Omani screw and nail manufacturer in international trade proceedings that are now the subject of a legal malpractice case, a Washington court has ruled, while also denying a discovery request from the firm. 

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Analysis

New Patent Suits Surge As PTAB Challenges Get Tougher

By Ryan Davis

More patent suits were filed in 2025 than in any year in the past decade, according to a new report, an increase attorneys said is likely tied to new U.S. Patent and Trademark Office policies that have made it harder to challenge patents.

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NC Judge Who Upheld Voter ID Law To Take Senior Status

By Courtney Bublé

Judge Thomas Schroeder of the Middle District of North Carolina has informed the president he will take semi-retired status at a date later in the future.

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Bronx Union Says Striking Atty Faced 'Impossible' Choice

By Andrea Keckley

An attorney with the Bronx Defenders felt she had no other choice but to cross the picket line on Tuesday after an immigration judge ordered her to appear in court and the organization's managers did not commit to covering the proceedings without her, a union representative has told Law360.

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Neighborhood Defender Service Of Harlem Union Ends Strike

By Andrea Keckley

The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem union announced it was returning to work with a tentative deal after more than a week on the picket line.

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