Public Policy

  • March 19, 2026

    Judge Says ICE Must Face Suit Over Detainee Records

    A D.C. federal judge denied U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's push to escape a suit alleging it's unlawfully using a regulation to shield records about detained immigrants held in Michigan jails, rejecting its arguments that the Freedom of Information Act could provide relief.

  • March 19, 2026

    7th Circ. Dissenters: Due Process Row Deserved Rehearing

    A trio of judges on the Seventh Circuit accused the full appeals court of cementing a circuit split with its sister courts by refusing to rehear a case about whether incarcerated people moved into disciplinary housing are entitled to formal due process hearings.

  • March 19, 2026

    Squires Concludes That Foreign Gov'ts Can't File AIA Petitions

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires said foreign governments cannot file patent challenges under the America Invents Act, providing the reasoning for his February rejection of a Chinese company's proceeding against an LG touch screen patent.

  • March 19, 2026

    DC Gov't Urged To Reshape SALT Cap Workaround Plan

    A Washington, D.C., bill that would give pass-through entities a workaround to the federal cap on deductions for state and local taxes needs changes to integrate properly with existing district taxes, witnesses said at a D.C. Council hearing Thursday.

  • March 19, 2026

    Legislative Update: Cannabis And Psychedelics Bill Roundup

    Virginia lawmakers last week gave final approval to legislation that would tax and regulate the sale of adult-use cannabis, Georgia legislators passed a dramatic expansion of the state's medical cannabis program, and Iowa lawmakers approved a bill to designate kratom as a Schedule I substance. Here are the major moves in cannabis and psychedelics legislation from the past week.

  • March 19, 2026

    Chair Says FERC Work Should Ease Iran War's Energy Squeeze

    The U.S.-Israel war on Iran that is roiling global energy markets underscores the need for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve gas infrastructure projects more quickly so that energy prices can be kept in check, FERC Chair Laura Swett said Thursday.

  • March 19, 2026

    Justice Kagan Denies Apache Bid To Block Ariz. Land Transfer

    Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan on Thursday declined to block a federal government land transfer in Arizona after four Apache women looked to stop the exchange on behalf of their daughters, arguing that the area contains a site used for a coming of age ceremony that will be destroyed.

  • March 19, 2026

    Protect 911 In Tech Transition, Public Interest Group Says

    A public interest group has urged the Federal Communications Commission to add more protections for 911 service to an upcoming rule paving the way for all-internet-based phone networks, though it still says the underlying rule is unwarranted.

  • March 19, 2026

    Still No Shenanigans: Fed. Circ. Keeps Review Bar High

    The Federal Circuit's rejection of all mandamus petitions asking it to rein in the way U.S. Patent and Trademark Office leadership is ​evaluating patent challenges cements the appeals court's near-impossible standard for reviewing institution decisions, attorneys say.

  • March 19, 2026

    Feds' Bid To Wipe Calif. Clean Car Regs Spells More Upheaval

    The Trump administration's assault on California's more than decade-old clean car regulations deliberately upends the U.S. auto industry's transition toward alternative-powered vehicles, spelling even more regulatory uncertainty as the antagonistic political climate and long legal battles persist, experts say.

  • March 19, 2026

    Calif. Families Sue Rady Health Over Move To End Trans Care

    Four families have asked a state judge to prevent California's largest pediatric health system from cutting off gender-affirming care for minors, alleging the move would violate state anti-discrimination laws and leave them scrambling to find new providers, some more than 100 miles away.

  • March 19, 2026

    4th Circ. Probes Basis For Chemours River Pollution Order

    The Chemours Co. FC LLC found favor Thursday with at least one Fourth Circuit judge who appeared skeptical of why a lower court decided to render an injunction that blocks the company from continuing to discharge forever chemicals into the Ohio River.

  • March 19, 2026

    Calif. Bill Seeks Legal Aid For Residents Facing Deportation

    California residents facing federal deportation proceedings would receive legal representation under a new bill introduced by state Assemblymember Mia Bonta. 

  • March 19, 2026

    Copyright Office Seeks Fee Hikes For First Time Since 2020

    The U.S. Copyright Office is proposing its first major fee overhaul since 2020, saying in rulemaking unveiled Thursday that the changes are needed to account for inflation and a drop in cost recovery since the agency's last fee adjustment.

  • March 19, 2026

    Detroit Clinic Zones Impede Free Speech, Protesters Say

    Anti-abortion advocates sued the City of Detroit, claiming an ordinance creating speech-restriction zones around healthcare facilities unlawfully blocks peaceful counseling outside an abortion clinic on the city's west side.

  • March 19, 2026

    Minn. House Bill Seeks $4B Property Tax Refund

    Minnesota would allow eligible taxpayers to claim a refund for a portion of property taxes paid in 2026 under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives. 

  • March 19, 2026

    More Discovery Allowed On USPTO Patent Quality Program

    A Washington, D.C., federal magistrate judge has reopened discovery into whether the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office covertly revived a now-defunct program for flagging "sensitive" patent applications for extra review.

  • March 19, 2026

    Sitting Judges Take Stand Over Threats Growing 'Ordinary'

    On the heels of an ethics opinion giving them wider latitude to speak publicly, sitting federal judges brought attention Thursday to the increasing threats against them and their family members, warning about the dangers of such threats becoming "ordinary."

  • March 19, 2026

    Ex-Top Cop Charged With Gambling Dept. Funds Faces Judge

    The former police chief of New Haven, Connecticut, appeared for the first time Thursday before a serious felony docket judge after being charged with embezzling $85,500 from two city funds while wagering nearly $4.5 million on the online gambling apps DraftKings and FanDuel.

  • March 19, 2026

    Judges Scrutinize DOD's Claim Of Hesai's China Military Ties

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Thursday raised serious questions about the U.S. Department of Defense's broad interpretation of a law used to designate companies as "contributors" to the Chinese military-industrial base, pressing a government attorney on the basis for finding links between Shanghai LiDAR-maker Hesai and the Chinese military.

  • March 19, 2026

    EU Trade Committee Approves US Trade Deal With Conditions

    The European Parliament's trade committee approved major tariff cuts Thursday to implement the bloc's U.S. trade deal, but made the cuts contingent on President Donald Trump respecting a 15% cap on rates, lowering steel and aluminum tariffs and not imposing tariffs over foreign policy concerns.

  • March 19, 2026

    NJ Judical Privacy Law Suits Survive Venue Challenge

    Seven out of eight data collection companies that claimed Garden State federal courts lack jurisdiction over them in suits alleging they violated the state's judicial privacy law purposefully availed themselves of the market in New Jersey, a federal judge ruled.

  • March 19, 2026

    Civil Rights Groups Back Creek Freedmen's Citizenship Battle

    Civil rights groups are looking to back two members of the Muscogee Creek Freedmen Band in their bid to postpone a May 30 special tribal election until they're approved for citizenship, arguing that the delay in processing their applications is legally indefensible and risks invalidating the results of the election itself.

  • March 19, 2026

    Insurance Execs Ask 11th Circ. To Review Coverage Suit Toss

    Insurance executives accused of sabotaging their former company as they prepared to start a rival firm will ask the Eleventh Circuit to review a lower court ruling that Berkley Assurance Co. did not have to pay for their defense in now-dismissed litigation filed by their ex-employer.

  • March 19, 2026

    Live Nation CEO Says He Can't Recall 'Market Power' Remark

    Live Nation's longtime CEO sparred Thursday with states who say the $36 billion entertainment giant engages in monopolization, telling a Manhattan federal jury the business is a "better mousetrap" than rivals and saying he couldn't recall telling investors the company has "incredible market power."  

Expert Analysis

  • How Bankrupt Cos. Can Seek Refunds For Illegal Tariffs

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    In light of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision striking down President Donald Trump's International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariffs as illegal, some companies may have strong prospects for recovering refunds from the government, and trustees in bankruptcy may have a significant role to play in seeking such recovery, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • NYC Leave Law Expands Compliance Beyond Written Policies

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    Following recent amendments to New York City's Earned Safe and Sick Time Act that expand its uses, give employees 32 hours of immediately available time off and create a right to request schedule changes, compliance now turns on whether employees can use time off without facing barriers or discipline, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • Scrutiny Of Nursing Home Practices Marks Inflection Point

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    Recent congressional inquiries into UnitedHealth Group's Medicare Advantage-linked nursing home practices raise questions about whether financial metrics are allowed to influence decisions governed by the standard of care, and could implicate duties imposed by federal regulations, state negligence laws and elder abuse statutes, says Lindsey Gale at Rafferty Domnick.

  • Legal And Industry Impacts Of America's Maritime Action Plan

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    America's Maritime Action Plan, unveiled by the White House last month, introduces changes to trade investigations, a new maritime trust fund and more — adding regulatory and compliance obligations for companies and counsel, but also new avenues for client engagement in project finance, contract negotiation and dispute resolution, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • 5 Gov't Contractor Tips Following Anthropic Risk Designation

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    The Pentagon's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk is an unprecedented action that raises significant legal questions, and with government contractors already receiving directives and inquiries concerning their use of Anthropic products and services, there are several strategies contractors can use to manage risk, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • 6 Noteworthy Changes From SEC Enforcement Manual Update

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    Recent updates to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s enforcement manual represent a commitment to transparency and fair process, with the signature change being a requirement that staff make certain probative evidence available during the Wells process, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Series

    Coaching Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Coaching youth soccer for my 7-year-old son's team has sharpened how I communicate with clients, prepare witnesses, work within teams and think about leadership, making me a more thoughtful and effective lawyer in many ways, says Joshua Holt at Smith Currie.

  • How Internal Reporting Could Benefit Antitrust Whistleblowing

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    As the Justice Department's new antitrust whistleblower program stands to raise questions over the interaction between rewards and corporate leniency, incentivizing internal reporting first could increase the likelihood that the Antitrust Division receives the high-quality evidence needed to successfully prosecute cartel cases, says Daniel Oakes at Axinn.

  • What Texas Anti-Boycott Ruling Means For ESG Landscape

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    A Texas federal court's recent ruling in American Sustainable Business Council v. Hegar that Texas' anti-ESG law is unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds will likely embolden legal challenges to similar laws in other states that have adopted fossil fuel boycott statutes, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • How To Wield The Clarity Act As A Litigation Defense Tool

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    The Clarity Act is being discussed as a future compliance statute, but for litigators it can be used as a present-day defense tool to strengthen fair‑notice framing, argue for forward‑looking remedies rather than punitive ones and reprice settlement leverage as statutory clarity approaches, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: The Human Element

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    Law school teaches you to quickly apply intellect and logic when handling a legal issue, but every fact pattern also involves a person, making the ability to balance expertise with empathy critical to the growth of relationships with clients, colleagues and adversaries, says Rachel Adcox at Adcox Strategies.

  • As Justices Mull Suncor, Cos. Face New Climate Suit Realities

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    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to hear Suncor Energy v. Boulder County — its first case analyzing the litigation impact of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rescission of its 2009 greenhouse gas endangerment finding — companies must consider new preemption questions surrounding climate lawsuits after the rescission, say attorneys at Hollingsworth.

  • 7 Steps For Gov't Contractors In Post-IEEPA Tariff Landscape

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    In response to U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to strike down tariffs issued by the Trump administration under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, there are several actions federal contractors should take to preserve their place in any refund waterfall, and to manage audit, overpayment and False Claims Act risk, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • How DExit, Mandatory Arbitration Could Alter IPO Outlook

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    As companies continue to leave Delaware and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission begins allowing companies to implement mandatory arbitration provisions, these developments could have a major impact on the initial public offering, securities class action, and directors and officers insurance landscapes, says Walker Newell at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

  • How High Court Recast State Sovereign Immunity In Galette

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous ruling in Galette v. New Jersey Transit, asserting that the state-chartered transit agency has independent corporate personhood and sole obligation to pay judgments against it, turned on substance rather than form — and its analysis should be carefully reviewed in courthouses and statehouses, say attorneys at McCarter & English.

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