Public Policy

  • March 26, 2026

    FCC Advances IP Networks, But Consumer Worries Persist

    Federal regulators pushed ahead Thursday on the national transition to all internet-based phone networks although concerns remain among public advocates that parts of the U.S. population that still rely on copper wires could eventually be left stranded.

  • March 26, 2026

    Pa. Justices End Mandatory Life Sentences For Felony Murder

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ended the use of mandatory life-without-parole sentences for felony murder offenses Thursday, potentially upending the sentences of more than 1,000 incarcerated people in a case that has drawn national attention.

  • March 26, 2026

    Legislative Update: Cannabis And Psychedelics Bill Roundup

    Lawmakers at the state and federal level stewarded legislation to rein in kratom and its derivatives, Idaho lawmakers took a stand against a proposal to legalize medical marijuana via ballot initiative, and New York legislators introduced a plan to audit the state's cannabis regulator on an annual basis. Here are the major moves in cannabis and psychedelics legislation from the past week.

  • March 26, 2026

    Colo. County Says State Union Law Silences Elected Officials

    A Colorado law that expands county employees' right to unionize unconstitutionally silences elected officials and is preempted by federal law, a Colorado county told a federal judge, saying a union's bid to toss the county's challenge to the law should be rejected.

  • March 26, 2026

    Crypto Developer Loses Bid To Block Potential DOJ Action

    A Texas federal court tossed a crypto software developer's suit against U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi seeking protection over his forthcoming software from an enforcement action under federal money transmitting laws, finding the developer failed to show a substantial threat of prosecution.

  • March 26, 2026

    Pa. Justices Deem Pot Group Unharmed By Abstinence Rule

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday held that a cannabis trade association lacks standing to argue that a local court's policy of regulating medical marijuana use for treatment court participants hurts dispensary businesses, upholding a ruling that the association didn't suffer any harm itself from the policy.

  • March 26, 2026

    Groups Can't Undo Deal Paying El Salvador To Jail Deportees

    A D.C. federal judge has tossed immigrant advocacy groups' bid to vacate the United States' deal with El Salvador to imprison deported noncitizens in exchange for money, finding that they lacked standing since vacatur wouldn't stop deportation as the power to remove is grounded under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

  • March 26, 2026

    4 Key Questions On Tariff Investigations

    The U.S. announced a bevy of new trade investigations this month to underpin a tariff regime intended to replace duties struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, but questions remain about the fate of deals struck with trading partners and whether importers will face higher tariffs. Here, Law360 examines four questions on the implications of those investigations.

  • March 26, 2026

    Ohio AG Advances Bid For Constitutional Data Center Ban

    Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on Thursday advanced a petition for a constitutional amendment to prohibit the construction of data centers in the state, in one step toward seeing the question listed on the ballot.

  • March 26, 2026

    Pa. Justices Affirm Limit To Sex Abuse Immunity Exemption

    A plaintiff who claimed he was sexually assaulted by employees at a Philadelphia jail can't sue the city because Pennsylvania law only grants a sexual-abuse exception to sovereign immunity if the victim was a minor at the time, the state's supreme court ruled Thursday.

  • March 26, 2026

    FCC Defends Waiver Power In Nexstar-Tegna Merger Fight

    The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday defended its authority to waive the television station ownership cap and approve the transfers at the heart of Nexstar's $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna, telling the D.C. Circuit that the cap, as an agency rule, can be dispensed with for good cause.

  • March 26, 2026

    9th Circ. Reinstates Critical Habitat Designations For Seals

    The Ninth Circuit has reinstated critical habitat designations for two Arctic seal species, finding that federal wildlife officials were in line with the Endangered Species Act and were not required to consider foreign conservation efforts or habitats when establishing the regions.

  • March 26, 2026

    Fla. AG Threatens Suit Over NFL Diversity Hiring Rule

    Florida's attorney general has called out the NFL's Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview diverse candidates for open coaching and leadership roles, claiming it amounts to "blatant race and sex discrimination" that conflicts with state law.

  • March 26, 2026

    FCC Floats Caps For Offshore Telecom Call Center Work

    The Federal Communications Commission Thursday floated new rules to encourage the onshoring of customer call centers in the telecom industry.

  • March 26, 2026

    U.S. Lawmakers Renew Tribal Child Abuse Prevention Bill

    A trio of U.S. lawmakers has reintroduced a bill that aims to strengthen available resources to Indigenous nations by filling gaps in the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to provide for more equitable access to grant funding opportunities.

  • March 26, 2026

    DOJ Says SeaWorld Co.'s Walker Ban Violates ADA

    The U.S. government sued the owner of SeaWorld and other theme parks for alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act in Florida federal court, claiming in a lawsuit filed on Wednesday that the venues ban people who use mobility devices. 

  • March 26, 2026

    Bill To Give Admin More Control Over US Attys Advances

    A Republican-led bill that would give the executive branch more authority over the installation of U.S. attorneys was advanced out of a House committee Thursday.

  • March 26, 2026

    DOJ Says It Wrongly Cited ICE Memo To Justify Court Arrests

    The U.S. Department of Justice has told a New York federal judge that it mistakenly cited a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo providing guidance for civil immigration arrests at non-immigration courts, while fighting a lawsuit challenging arrests at immigration courts.

  • March 26, 2026

    Watchdog Suit Seeking NJ AG Ethics Training Docs Revived

    A New Jersey appellate panel on Thursday revived a government watchdog's suit over the state attorney general's office's denial of its public records request for attorney ethics training materials, ruling the trial court should have conducted an in camera review of the requested documents before dismissing the complaint.

  • March 26, 2026

    Attys In 'Cop City' Suit 'Better Learn' Filing Rules, Judge Says

    A Georgia federal judge castigated attorneys on both sides of a lawsuit by a documentarian who said he was prevented from filming at the controversial Atlanta "Cop City" project, striking their "inconsistent, incomplete and at times incoherent" filings and ordering them into his courtroom to explain themselves.

  • March 26, 2026

    EU Parliament Approves US Trade Deal With New Conditions

    The full European Parliament voted Thursday to approve a set of contingencies on the European Union's trade deal with the U.S. that would implement major tariff cuts, including the ability to suspend the agreement if President Donald Trump raises tariffs or introduces new ones.

  • March 26, 2026

    Creek Justices Order New Update On Freedmen Citizenship

    The Muscogee (Creek) Supreme Court has ordered a second status report on how the tribe's citizenship board and principal chief are complying with a decision to give citizenship to descendants of those once enslaved by the Indigenous nation.

  • March 26, 2026

    FTC Warns Mastercard, PayPal, Stripe, Visa About Debanking

    The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday warned major payment companies that denying services to consumers based on their politics or religion could lead to an enforcement action, the latest move in the Trump administration's broader crackdown on so-called debanking.

  • March 26, 2026

    Ore. Industrial Property Value Cut By Tax Court

    An industrial parcel in Oregon was overvalued, the state tax court ruled, agreeing with the owner's assertion of the property's highest and best use and the need for a sewer pump station.

  • March 26, 2026

    France To Crack Down On Bypassing Of Small Parcel Tax

    France will expand the power of its customs officials to allow them to better identify and penalize traders that are circumventing a new small parcel tax, the government announced.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Get Smart: Navigating The Genius Act's Regulatory Gaps

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    While some recent Genius Act rulemaking has covered consumer protection issues within the stablecoin market, the context is generally narrow and the final outcome remains uncertain for financial institutions or companies in the evolving landscape, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • Opinion

    Ga. HOA Reform Bills Risk Undermining Local Governance

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    Lawmakers considering several bills in Georgia that would centralize regulation of homeowners associations should acknowledge that effective reform needs to protect homeowners’ rights while preserving the financial and governance structures that allow communities to function, says Julie Howard at NowackHoward.

  • Why Prediction Market Regulation Is At Major Inflection Point

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    As prediction markets experience tremendous growth and rapid mainstream adoption, regulators have begun to exercise enforcement authority to ensure market integrity and protect participants, though forthcoming guidance will shed light on how aggressively the agencies will police the fast-changing landscape, say attorneys at Latham.

  • How Cos. Should Prepare For NY RAISE Act Compliance

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    With the New York Responsible AI Safety and Education Act taking effect March 19, state regulators will expect subject artificial intelligence governance policies to understand whether appropriate safeguards and protocols are in place to prevent or mitigate discriminatory or adverse outcomes by frontier models, says Michael Paulino at Gordon Rees.

  • Compliance Takeaways Amid Increased Auto Finance Scrutiny

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    Recent supervisory focus on consumer protection in auto finance by agencies such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. provides meaningful signals regarding areas of heightened regulatory scrutiny for lenders, including data accuracy, AI risk management and vendor oversight, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • The Benefits Of Choosing A Niche Practice In The AI Age

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    As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly accessible, lawyers with a niche practice may stand out as clients seek specialized judgment that automation cannot replicate, but it is important to choose a niche that is durable, engaging and a good personal fit, says Daniel Borneman at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • How PBMs Can Adapt To Plan Sponsors' Disclosure Demands

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    As federal reforms, growing state regulation and litigation threats push plan sponsors to expect visibility into revenue streams, pharmacy benefit managers should leverage transparency strategically, including by simplifying how they get paid, offering clients audit-ready data and co-designing contracts that are easy for fiduciaries to explain and defend, says Kristie Blase at Frazer + Blase.

  • Section 122 Tariffs Show Shift In Strategy, Not Trade Policy

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    By imposing temporary tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act as a stopgap measure while it pivots to less transitory statutory authorities, the Trump administration sent a clear message that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Learning Resources v. Trump, invalidating duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, will not precipitate a change in policy direction, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • What New Animal Welfare Enforcement Push Means For Cos.

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    The Trump administration's recently announced multiagency focus on violations of the Animal Welfare Act and related laws will likely lead to broader enforcement actions across industries, heightened scrutiny of compliance standards and a need for businesses to adopt effective risk management practices, says Shennie Patel at Crowell & Moring.

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