Public Policy

  • April 28, 2026

    Judge Extends Ban On 'Vague' DOT, Other Grant Conditions

    A California federal judge on Tuesday reinforced an injunction barring the Trump administration from imposing "impermissibly vague" conditions requiring cities and counties to comply with immigration and diversity, equity and inclusion policies in order to receive federal transportation and other grants.

  • April 28, 2026

    FTC Must Face Ticketers' Challenge To Its BOTS Act Case

    A Maryland federal judge Tuesday refused to let the Federal Trade Commission end a constitutional challenge to one of its first online ticketing cases by rejecting the agency's attempts to invoke sovereign immunity.

  • April 28, 2026

    Trans Pilot Says Influencer's Defamation Countersuit Is Barred

    A former Army National Guard pilot and transgender woman is seeking to dismiss a defamation counterclaim by a conservative social media influencer who accused the pilot of causing the deadly collision over the Potomac River that killed 67 people last year, according to a motion filed in Colorado federal court.

  • April 28, 2026

    Ex-Rep.'s Anti-Maduro Stance Was 'Facade,' Jury Hears

    Former U.S. Rep. David Rivera's public opposition to the regime of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was just a "facade" as he secretly worked on behalf of the government under a $50 million contract with a unit of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, federal prosecutors told jurors on Tuesday.

  • April 28, 2026

    EPA Creates A Legal Haze With Emissions Plan Rejections

    The Trump administration is advancing a novel constitutional argument in its efforts to keep fossil fuel-fired power plants open, which, if sustained in court, could pose new challenges for states trying to hold up their end of the Clean Air Act.

  • April 28, 2026

    CFTC Sues Wisconsin In Latest Prediction Market State Battle

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Tuesday added Wisconsin to the list of states it's taking to court to assert its "exclusive jurisdiction" over prediction markets after the state accused five platforms of offering illegal bets through their event contract offerings.

  • April 28, 2026

    FCC's Carr Orders ABC Station Probes Amid Kimmel Dispute

    The Federal Communications Commission's staff ordered an early license review of Disney-owned ABC stations Tuesday, a controversial move made just days after President Donald Trump demanded the network fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.

  • April 28, 2026

    Calif. Billionaire Tax Backers Say They Have 1.6M Signatures

    Supporters of a referendum that calls for a 5% tax to be levied once on the wealth of California billionaires said they are closer to getting their measure on the November ballot as they are ready to turn in nearly twice the number of required signatures.

  • April 28, 2026

    Philly Courts, City Legal Depts. Pitch Council For Funding OK

    The president judge of Philadelphia's judiciary asked the City Council Tuesday for an increase in staff salaries for 800 nonunion employees to match those of unionized workers who recently secured a contract, urging council members to help the court system stave off wage compression.

  • April 28, 2026

    DOJ Says Sen. Kelly Not Immune From Military Discipline

    The Trump administration urged the D.C. Circuit to lift an injunction blocking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from reducing Sen. Mark Kelly's U.S. Navy rank, arguing there's no reason retired officers should be exempt from military discipline. 

  • April 28, 2026

    DHS Rule Ties Unpaid Asylum Fees To Denials, Removal

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday rolled out new rules for immigration filing fees and consequences for failure to pay them that include automatic denial of pending asylum cases, loss of work permits and potential removal.

  • April 28, 2026

    2nd Circ. Splits With 5th, 8th On Migrant Bond Detention

    A unanimous Second Circuit panel on Tuesday rejected the Trump administration's argument that noncitizens who entered the U.S. unlawfully, regardless of their length of stay, aren't eligible for bond, diverging from the Fifth and Eighth circuits.

  • April 28, 2026

    Boston To Pay $850K In Settlement With 2020 Protesters

    Attorneys representing four protesters said Tuesday that the city of Boston has agreed to pay $850,000 to settle claims that police officers used excessive force on demonstrators protesting the killing of George Floyd in 2020.

  • April 28, 2026

    10th Circ. Says Colo. Suit Against Officer On Leave Fell Short

    A Colorado woman did not plausibly allege an Aurora policeman who attacked her had actual authority to use force or conduct arrests as a sworn officer on administrative leave, the Tenth Circuit held.

  • April 28, 2026

    Ex-Fauci Adviser Charged With Concealing COVID Records

    Federal prosecutors have charged a former adviser to Dr. Anthony Fauci with deleting government emails and using his personal email account to dodge public records requests about the origins of the COVID-19 virus.

  • April 28, 2026

    4th Circ. Backs SC City's Win Over Short-Term Rentals Suit

    The Fourth Circuit backed a South Carolina city's summary judgment win over a local property owner's suit challenging the city's short-term rentals regulations, ruling that the owner lacks standing to sue.

  • April 28, 2026

    EU Flags Concerns Over Paper Joint Venture

    European enforcers launched an in-depth investigation Tuesday into a planned joint venture between paper manufacturers UPM and Sappi over concerns about the market for magazine paper and several other products.

  • April 28, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Constitution 'Not A NIMBY Charter' In Portland

    A split Ninth Circuit panel granted the Trump administration's request to stay orders two Oregon federal judges issued to rein in federal agents' use of tear gas and other crowd-control munitions around a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland.

  • April 28, 2026

    Pa. Justices Rule Voting Data Isn't Protected From Sharing

    An electronic database showing the outcome of a Pennsylvania county's vote is a report generated by tabulating equipment, not the "contents" of a ballot box or voting machine protected from public disclosure, the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

  • April 28, 2026

    Dems Say Calif. Redistricting Map Isn't Racial Gerrymandering

    The campaign arm of House Democrats has asked a California federal judge to toss a challenge to the state's new voter-backed congressional districts, saying state Republicans had failed to provide direct evidence that it benefits one race more.

  • April 28, 2026

    Attys Want To See Examples In New Mental Health Parity Rule

    The Trump administration's plans to promulgate new regulations governing mental health parity requirements for employee health plans are currently causing headaches for attorneys, but a rule that includes specific examples could ultimately ease compliance burdens for benefit plan sponsors.

  • April 28, 2026

    AARP, Others Back Intel Workers In High Court 401(k) Fight

    AARP and other retirement and investor advocates are supporting former Intel employees who allege their employee 401(k) savings were dragged down by underperforming investments, telling the U.S. Supreme Court the Ninth Circuit erred in requiring the plaintiffs to identify a "meaningful benchmark" for comparison to their lagging funds.

  • April 28, 2026

    Fla. Utility Says NextNav's GPS Backup Would Be Disastrous

    Florida Power & Light Co. is not a fan of geolocation service provider NextNav's plan to use a chunk of the lower 900 megahertz band to launch a spectrum-based alternative to GPS, meeting with Federal Communications Commission officials to warn of its "strong opposition."

  • April 28, 2026

    Over 11 Million Imports Entered For Tariff Refunds, CBP Says

    Importers have successfully submitted more than 11.2 million entries to Customs and Border Protection's tariff refund system, and more than 1.7 million imports have been validated and are ready for refunds, a CBP official told the U.S. Court of International Trade on Tuesday.

  • April 28, 2026

    9th Circ. Asked To Pause Idaho Tribal Land Swap Ruling

    J.R. Simplot Co. is asking the Ninth Circuit to stay pending U.S. Supreme Court review of its decision to invalidate an Idaho land transfer by the U.S. Department of the Interior that would have allowed it to expand its phosphogypsum plant near tribal lands, saying the issue has already caused "robust debate" in the appellate court.

Expert Analysis

  • Unpacking FCC's Proposed Rules For Offshore Call Centers

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    The Federal Communications Commission recently proposed rules that would restrict the use of offshore customer service operations, citing consumer frustration, data security risks and fraud as core reasons for the sweeping regulatory move, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • Series

    Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    As usual, California remained a hub for financial services activity in the first quarter of 2026, with key developments including the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation's eye on consumer issues, a bill targeting "pig butchering" schemes, and jam-packed courts, say attorneys at Joseph Cohen.

  • Series

    Ultramarathons Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Completing a 100-mile ultramarathon was tougher, more humbling and more rewarding than I ever imagined, and the experience highlighted how long-distance running has sharpened my ability to adapt to the evolving nature of antitrust law and strengthened my resolve to handle demanding, unforeseen challenges, says Dan Oakes at Axinn.

  • Key Takeaways From The 2026 ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting

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    Last week's American Bar Association Spring Meeting revealed an antitrust landscape defined by heightened friction and tension — between federal and state enforcers, domestic and international regimes, competing political visions, and traditional enforcement tools and novel challenges, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • State FARA Laws Pose Unique Constitutional Challenges

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    Several states have recently enacted foreign agent registration and disclosure regimes that were modeled after the Foreign Agents Registration Act, but these state laws raise several constitutional questions, including concerns about preemption, speech and petition, and vagueness, says Alexandra Langton at Covington.

  • Series

    Pa. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    The first quarter of 2026 brought several consequential developments for Pennsylvania financial institutions, including the state banking department's first assessment overhaul in 10 years, a bill prohibiting interchange fees on card transaction sales taxes and a federal appeals court's upholding of a $52 million enforcement action, say attorneys at Gross McGinley.

  • Informal Announcements Are Reshaping FDA Regulations

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent shift toward using press releases, podcasts and other informal channels to announce major policy changes reflects a valid desire to modernize and accelerate regulatory efforts, but it could lead to diminished transparency, increased industry burden and reduced policy durability, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.

  • Motorola Case Shows Reach Of NLRA Dishonesty Protections

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    A recent National Labor Relations Board case, involving a Motorola employee who was terminated for lying about discussing wages, illustrates the broad reach of National Labor Relations Act protections for concerted activity, which may take on new significance as the agency shifts toward more restrained enforcement, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • In First For DOJ, Action Signals New CFIUS Enforcement Era

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    The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking judicial enforcement of a divestment order, an unprecedented action for the agency that ushers in a new phase for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, one in which judicial proceedings complement administrative oversight and presidential divestment orders may be enforced through litigation, says attorney Sohan Dasgupta.

  • Berk May Spur More Pushback Against Med Mal Gatekeeping

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Berk v. Choy may appear to be a run-of-the-mill reminder that a federal procedural rule trumps its state counterpart, but it could inspire more challenges to state-created prerequisites to filing medical malpractice lawsuits, say attorneys at Decof Mega.

  • Getting The Most Out Of Learning And Development Programs

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Junior associates can better develop the legal, business and interpersonal skills they need for long-term success by approaching their firms’ learning and development programs armed with five tips for getting the most out of these resources, says Lauren Hakala at Reed Smith.

  • OhioHealth Suit Signals Higher Antitrust Heat On Hospitals

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    The recent antitrust lawsuit against OhioHealth by the U.S. Justice Department and Ohio attorney general shows that federal and state enforcers are closely examining the competition issues in the healthcare sector, including restrictive contracts and antisteering practices, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • OCC Rule Tests Nonfiduciary Powers Of Trust Banks

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    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's updates to its final rule on national bank chartering, effective April 1, may augur a showdown between the OCC, states and traditional banking institutions over both the authority of national trust banks to engage in nonfiduciary activities under the National Bank Act, and the scope of federal preemption, says Audrey Carroll at Stinson.

  • Proposed Oracle Act Tests NY's Prediction Markets Clout

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    New York's proposed Oracle Act could if passed force a high-stakes showdown over event contracts in the prediction markets as well as state gambling laws, and legal practitioners should closely monitor litigation, parallel developments in other states, Commodity Futures Trading Commission rulemaking and congressional action, says Linda Goldstein at CM Law.

  • How A High Court Music Piracy Ruling Shrinks ISP Liability

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent opinion in Cox Communications Inc. v. Sony Music Entertainment, which concerned the boundaries of contributory copyright infringement for internet service providers, dramatically lessens both the risk that an ISP will be held contributorily liable and, relatedly, the incentives an ISP may have to help combat online copyright infringement, say attorneys at Debevoise.

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