Public Policy

  • March 18, 2026

    FCC Warns 'Rip, Replace' Participants That It Will Be Watching

    Companies receiving Federal Communications Commission funds under the "rip and replace" program ought to be keeping good records of how they're spending the agency's money and disposing of the equipment they're supposed to be replacing, the FCC warned recently.

  • March 18, 2026

    Powell Says He Won't Make Fed Exit While Facing DOJ Probe

    Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday that he will stay on as a board member of the central bank if he remains under U.S. Department of Justice investigation when his term as Fed chairman runs out this spring.

  • March 18, 2026

    Coal Plant Order Was Right Call, Energy Dept. Tells DC Circ.

    The U.S. Department of Energy has urged the D.C. Circuit to back the DOE's order keeping a Michigan coal-fired power plant open, saying the Federal Power Act gives Energy Secretary Chris Wright broad emergency authority to prevent power plants from closing.

  • March 18, 2026

    FDA Can't 'Refuse To File' Tobacco Applications, Suit Says

    The maker and a seller of Zone nicotine pouches are suing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Texas federal court, alleging the agency stalled and eventually refused to file their marketing application, despite federal law requiring the FDA to either approve or deny such applications.

  • March 18, 2026

    CIT OKs 2nd Try At US Ruling Against Vietnamese Solar Cells

    The U.S. Department of Commerce adequately explained, on its second try, its finding that solar cells imported from Vietnam circumvented U.S. countervailing and antidumping duties on Chinese products, the U.S. Court of International Trade found.

  • March 18, 2026

    ICE Must Face Class Claims Over Virtual Access To NJ Courts

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement can't duck a lawsuit that New Jersey detainees at a Pennsylvania detention center had filed over their lack of virtual access to state court proceedings, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

  • March 18, 2026

    Mich. Justices Hear Broad Support For Court Rule Changes

    The Michigan Supreme Court received largely supportive feedback Wednesday at its public administrative hearing on a series of proposed court rule changes, including amendments dealing with electronic service, unpublished appellate opinions and state bar representative assembly elections.

  • March 18, 2026

    Ind. Board Must Review Electrician Program's Tax Break

    An Indiana training program for electricians may be considered a school and, thus, become eligible for a property tax exemption after the tax board too narrowly interpreted the definition of a school, the Indiana Tax Court said. 

  • March 18, 2026

    NJ Judge Tosses Ex-Elections Chief's Suit Over Ouster

    A New Jersey state judge has tossed the ex-Garden State elections chief's suit against former Gov. Phil Murphy and members of the governor's administration over efforts to oust him.

  • March 18, 2026

    Del. Allows County Subpoena Of Witnesses For Assessments

    Delaware authorized its counties to subpoena witnesses and evidence under certain conditions in disputes over nonresidential real property's assessed value as part of a bill signed by the governor.

  • March 17, 2026

    Trump Admin Ordered To Reinstate Voice Of America Workers

    A D.C. federal judge Tuesday gave the Trump administration until March 23 to reinstate more than a thousand journalists and staff at Voice of America illegally laid off roughly a year ago, ruling that the government's moves to dismantle the program were arbitrary and capricious and contrary to Congress' intentions.

  • March 17, 2026

    SEC Draws Lines With Crypto 'Token Taxonomy' Guidance

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shared its anticipated "token taxonomy" on Tuesday, issuing interpretive guidance that detailed which types of cryptocurrency assets appear to be beyond the reach of securities laws and the circumstances that could pull them back into the regulator's oversight as part of an investment contract.

  • March 17, 2026

    DC Circ. To Decide How Far Back FERC Can Order Refunds

    The D.C. Circuit is set to decide exactly how far back the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission can go in implementing refund orders based on rate adjustments, having spent nearly two hours Tuesday morning hashing out the matter with several attorneys.

  • March 17, 2026

    SEC Won't Reconsider Upholding Ex-Broker's FINRA Fines

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission won't revisit its earlier holding partially sustaining certain Financial Industry Regulatory Authority findings and sanctions against a former stockbroker who's challenged the constitutionality of the self-regulatory organization, stating that the stockbroker's reconsideration bid hadn't asserted the regulator erred in its earlier decision.

  • March 17, 2026

    FPI, Apartment Owners Reach $7M Deal In Wash. AG's Tenant Suit

    California-based property manager FPI and owners of five low-income apartment complexes have agreed to pay $7 million to end the Washington attorney general's lawsuit accusing them of exploiting senior tenants by overstating property qualities and withholding information about future rent rises, according to an agreed order finalized Monday.

  • March 17, 2026

    FCC OKs Alaska Plan Changes As Tribe Moves To New Village

    GCI Communication Corp. won't have to continue to provide service to an Alaskan Native village in the state's eroding coastal lowland after its population moved on to new territory that was gained in a land swap with the federal government, the Federal Communications Commission has ruled.

  • March 17, 2026

    SIFMA, Other Orgs Weigh In On SEC's 'Small Entity' Proposal

    The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association is urging the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to increase its oversight of investment advisers should it move forward with a plan to categorize more mutual funds and advisers as small entities, saying the current playing field disadvantages broker-dealers.

  • March 17, 2026

    Colo. Appeals Panel Weighs Standing In Charter Dispute

    A Colorado school district argued to a state Court of Appeals panel Tuesday that the state school board didn't have authority to revoke the district's exclusive chartering authority in a dispute over the school board's role in contract negotiations with a charter school.

  • March 17, 2026

    OFAC Fines Broker $1.1M Over Apparent Sanctions Violations

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control on Tuesday announced that Florida brokerage TradeStation Securities Inc. has agreed to pay more than $1.1 million to settle potential civil liability for violating the regulator's sanctions programs for Iran, Syria and Crimea.

  • March 17, 2026

    Trump Admin Accused Of Retaliation In Colo. Climate Lab Suit

    A nonprofit research consortium of 129 colleges asked a federal judge to stop the Trump administration from breaking up the climate and weather lab it operates in Boulder, Colorado, claiming the administration is acting on retribution alone in its decision.

  • March 17, 2026

    NYC Asks To Stop Defending Eric Adams In Sex Assault Suit

    New York City's law department Tuesday moved to terminate its representation of former Mayor Eric Adams in a sexual assault suit filed by a former police department colleague, arguing Adams wasn't acting within the scope of his city employment at the time of the alleged incidents. 

  • March 17, 2026

    Trump's Pipeline Order Stokes Turf War Over Energy Permits

    The Trump administration is taking executive power into uncharted territory by asserting it can override state law to restart a California oil pipeline, but such an expansion of presidential authority over energy infrastructure may invite skepticism from courts.

  • March 17, 2026

    1st Circ. Pauses 3rd-Nation Deportations Ruling During Appeal

    The First Circuit has granted the Trump administration a stay pending appeal of a Massachusetts federal court ruling that a class of noncitizens facing removal to countries to which they have no ties must receive meaningful notice and an opportunity to raise fears about being deported to those countries.

  • March 17, 2026

    Dr. Oz Claims Florida Also Has Healthcare Fraud Problem

    Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, announced Tuesday that he is taking his efforts to combat healthcare-related fraud to Florida, where he says millions of dollars have been wasted on schemes involving durable medical equipment.

  • March 17, 2026

    Mich. AG Joins Fair Housing Laws Fight Against HUD Guidance

    Michigan's attorney general spoke Tuesday about joining 15 states and the District of Columbia in a California federal suit claiming the Trump administration undermines enforcement of fair housing laws by threatening to halt funding for local government programs protecting people discriminated against for gender and sexual orientation, among other things.

Expert Analysis

  • Breaking Down Expense Allocation In Mixed-Use Properties

    Author Photo

    Rapid increases in condominium fees and special assessments, driven by multiple factors such as rising insurance costs and expanded safety requirements, are contributing to increased litigation, so equitable expense allocation in mixed-use properties requires adherence to the governing documents, says Mike Walden at FTI Consulting.

  • Opinion

    Minn. Can Still Bring State Charges In Absence Of Fed Action

    Author Photo

    After two fatal shootings by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota's role isn't waiting to see if the federal government brings criminal charges, but independently weighing state homicide charges and allowing the judiciary to decide whether the subject conduct falls within the narrow protections of supremacy clause immunity, says Sheila Tendy at Tendy Law.

  • 4 Lessons From FTC's Successful Bid To Block Edwards Deal

    Author Photo

    The Federal Trade Commission's recent victory in blocking Edwards Lifesciences' acquisition of JenaValve offers key insights for deals in life sciences and beyond, including considerations around nonprice dimensions and clear skies provisions, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • Limiting Worker Surveillance Risks Amid AI Regulatory Shifts

    Author Photo

    With workplace surveillance tools becoming increasingly common and a recent executive order aiming to preempt state-level artificial intelligence enforcement, companies may feel encouraged to expand AI monitoring, but the legal exposure associated with these tools remains, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Can OCC State Banking Law Preemption Survive The Courts?

    Author Photo

    While two December proposals from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency seek to foreclose pending consumer litigation against national banks related to residential mortgage lending, it's unclear whether this aggressive approach will withstand judicial scrutiny under the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 rulings in Cantero and Loper Bright, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • How Selig May Approach CFTC Agricultural Enforcement

    Author Photo

    As the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission begins a new chapter under recently confirmed Chairman Michael Selig's leadership, a look back at the agency's actions in agricultural markets over the past six years sheds light on what may lie ahead for enforcement in the area, say attorneys at Latham.

  • Assessing Factors Behind Biosimilar Uptake And Competition

    Author Photo

    As biosimilar uptake remains uneven and questions linger over whether the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act can deliver robust competition between biologics and biosimilars, a case study of Humira and its biosimilars illustrates how many factors, including payor reimbursement and formulary strategy, collectively shape competitive dynamics, say analysts at Analysis Group.

  • State Of Insurance: Q4 Notes From Illinois

    Author Photo

    In 2025's last quarter, Illinois’ appellate courts weighed in on overlapping homeowners coverages for water-related damages, contractual suit limitation provisions in uninsured motorist policies, and protections for genetic health information in life insurance underwriting, while the Department of Insurance sought nationwide homeowners' insurance data from State Farm, says Matthew Fortin at BatesCarey.

  • How 3 CFTC Letters Overhauled Digital Asset Guidance

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission recently issued three letters providing guidance for the use of digital assets in derivatives markets, clarifying the applicability of CFTC regulations across numerous areas of digital asset activities and leading to the development of standards to allow market participants to post digital assets as collateral, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • NYC Bar Opinion Warns Attys On Use Of AI Recording Tools

    Author Photo

    Attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools to record, transcribe and summarize conversations with clients should heed the New York City Bar Association’s recent opinion addressing the legal and ethical risks posed by such tools, and follow several best practices to avoid violating the Rules of Professional Conduct, say attorneys at Smith Gambrell.

  • Ruling Helps Clarify FERC's Post-Jarkesy Enforcement Power

    Author Photo

    A North Carolina federal court's recent ruling in American Efficient v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission may be a step in providing clarity on FERC's enforcement authority under the Federal Power Act in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 decision in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Dispatches From Utah's Newest Court

    Author Photo

    While a robust body of law hasn't yet developed since the Utah Business and Chancery Court's founding in October 2024, the number of cases filed there has recently picked up, and its existence illustrates Utah's desire to be top of mind for businesses across the country, says Evan Strassberg at Michael Best.

  • Aerospace And Defense Law: Trends To Follow In 2026

    Author Photo

    Some of the key 2026 developments to watch in aerospace and defense contracting law stem from provisions of this year's National Defense Authorization Act, a push to reform procurement, executive orders that announced Trump administration priorities, the upcoming Artemis space mission and continuing efforts to deploy artificial intelligence, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Aviation Watch: Busy Skies, Tough Market For Airlines In 2026

    Author Photo

    After a turbulent year in the U.S. commercial aviation sector, demand for air travel and premium service shows no signs of slackening in 2026, with airlines facing the need to compete in a saturated market, while seeking opportunities for consolidation and pursuing other avenues to profitability, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.

  • Viewing The Merger Landscape Through An HPE-Juniper Lens

    Author Photo

    If considerations beyond antitrust law were taken into account to determine whether Section 7 of the Clayton Act was violated in the Hewlett Packard Enterprise-Juniper Networks deal, then legal practitioners advocating deal clearance may now have to argue that deals should be justified by considerations not set forth in the merger guidelines, says Matthew Cantor of Shinder Cantor.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Public Policy archive.