Public Policy

  • April 02, 2026

    USPTO Lets Patent Owners Argue Against Reexam Requests

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will now allow patent owners to file a brief explaining why an ex parte reexamination of their patent should not be instituted, a move the office said was spurred by "the recent increased volume" of such proceedings.

  • April 02, 2026

    10th Circ. Agrees To Rehear Colo. Opt-Out Interest Rate Suit

    The Tenth Circuit agreed Thursday to rehear en banc banking groups' request for the court to take another look at their challenge to a Colorado law intended to curb high-cost lending in the state, vacating a November ruling that restored the law.

  • April 02, 2026

    16 DOGE Staffers Ordered Unmasked In Data Privacy Suit

    The government must publicly identify more than a dozen Department of Government Efficiency agents in a lawsuit alleging the U.S. Office of Personnel Management unlawfully gave DOGE access to millions of federal employees' personal information, a Manhattan federal judge has ruled, saying the staffers are not entitled to confidentiality.

  • April 02, 2026

    FCC Seeks $4.5M Fine Against Fla. Provider Over Robocalls

    The Federal Communications Commission demanded an Orlando-based voice service provider shell out $4.5 million for allowing into U.S. networks foreign robocall traffic that appeared to spoof legitimate bank numbers.

  • April 02, 2026

    Petition To Repeal Legal Pot Mobilizes A Showdown In Mass.

    A campaign to repeal the legalization of retail cannabis in Massachusetts via ballot initiative — the first campaign of its kind in the country — is uniting legalization advocates, entrepreneurs and industry players in a coordinated response to defeat the effort before it spreads to other states.

  • April 02, 2026

    FTC Warns About Ending Tenn. Oversight Of Ballad Health

    Federal Trade Commission staff has warned Tennessee legislators about the potential harm to patients if they pass a proposal to end the state's oversight of Ballad Health while the hospital system still has a monopoly.

  • April 02, 2026

    Trump Admin Seeks Reversal Of DC National Guard Injunction

    The Trump administration called on the D.C. Circuit to fully unravel an injunction barring the deployment of the D.C. National Guard and other states' National Guards in the District of Columbia, arguing that the deployments are "plainly lawful."

  • April 02, 2026

    Advocacy Groups Take Aim At Trump's Order On Mail Voting

    A coalition of advocacy groups urged a D.C. federal judge to block parts of an executive order President Donald Trump issued to limit mail voting, calling it an unconstitutional intrusion into election regulations that promises to burden people's right to vote.

  • April 02, 2026

    Suit Says ICE Warrantless Home Entry 'Tramples' Constitution

    Several Minnesota residents sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Thursday, accusing the agency of trampling the Fourth Amendment by allowing officers to forcibly enter private homes without judicial warrants.

  • April 02, 2026

    Judge Says Maine Tribes Can Defend State Gaming Law

    A Maine federal court judge is allowing the Wabanaki Nations to back the state's gaming director in a challenge by Churchill Downs and its subsidiaries that looks to block the enforcement of a law that will allow the tribal governments to operate online gaming.

  • April 02, 2026

    Colo. Panel Upholds Convictions, Not Sentence, Of Ex-Clerk

    The former clerk and recorder of Mesa County, Colorado, will have her nine-year sentence for her role in an election-related scheme reconsidered after a state appeals panel agreed Thursday that she was punished harshly in violation of her free speech right to baselessly assert the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

  • April 02, 2026

    Gov't Must Insist On EU Satellite Market Access, Feds Told

    As the European Union looks to tighten rules on the space and satellite industries, the U.S. government needs to ensure American companies can participate in European markets, a think tank told the Federal Communications Commission.

  • April 02, 2026

    'Preapproved' Loan Calls Get Provider In Hot Water, FCC Says

    The Federal Communications Commission warned a Denver-based voice call provider Thursday to stop allowing alleged illegal robocalls through its network after reportedly originating calls about "preapproved" loans.

  • April 02, 2026

    Coinbase Gets OCC's Nod For National Trust Charter

    Coinbase said Thursday that it has received the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's conditional approval to charter a national trust bank, a move that would position the crypto giant to broaden its business offerings under federal oversight.

  • April 02, 2026

    Consumer Groups Back SEC In High Court Disgorgement Row

    A slew of industry and legal groups have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a challenge to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's disgorgement powers, arguing in Wednesday amicus briefs that Congress explicitly empowered the regulator to seek disgorgement without showing investor harm.

  • April 02, 2026

    Feds Say Clean Air Act Nullifies Calif. Truck Emissions Regs

    The federal government and heavy-duty truck manufacturers have asked a California federal court to stop the state's "brazen defiance of federal law" and its efforts to strong-arm manufacturers into complying with stringent emissions standards, lest they be shut out from the market and face stiff penalties.

  • April 02, 2026

    Trump Orders 100% Pharma Tariff, Modifies Metals Duties

    Later this year, the U.S. will impose 100% tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals, but drug companies could qualify for reduced tariff rates as low as zero if they agree to invest domestically and enter most-favored-nation drug-pricing agreements with the government, according to an executive order President Donald Trump signed Thursday.

  • April 02, 2026

    Puerto Rico Bankruptcy Stymies Paul Weiss, ACLU Fee Bids

    American Civil Liberties Union and Paul Weiss attorneys who successfully eased restrictions on voting by mail in Puerto Rico during the COVID-19 pandemic cannot collect fees for their work because they were discharged in Puerto Rico's bankruptcy proceeding, the First Circuit has ruled.

  • April 02, 2026

    1st Circ. Won't Let HUD Cut Homelessness Grant Funding

    The First Circuit rejected the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's bid to pause two lower court orders that prevented the department from cutting funding for its grant program for homelessness services such as permanent housing.

  • April 02, 2026

    Border Patrol Defied Injunction In Calif. Raid, Judge Finds

    A California federal judge has ruled that Border Patrol defied the court's April 2025 injunction barring warrantless arrests and detentive stops without probable cause and reasonable suspicion, finding that July arrests at a Home Depot in Sacramento flouted the court's order.

  • April 02, 2026

    New Mexico Tribe Looks To Protect Lincoln-Era Land Patent

    The Pueblo of San Felipe are asking a New Mexico federal court to block the U.S. government from altering the boundaries of a 34,700-acre land patent signed by President Abraham Lincoln, arguing that the property lines have existed since time immemorial and were confirmed by three successive sovereign nations.

  • April 02, 2026

    AG Urges NC Justices To Keep Jurisdiction Over TikTok Suit

    North Carolina Attorney General Jeffrey Jackson urged the state's Supreme Court to make TikTok's parent company face claims that it's addictive to juvenile users, arguing the social media giant had enough contact with the Tarheel State to be subject to its courts' jurisdiction.

  • April 02, 2026

    Raskin Blasts DOJ Bid To Shield Attys From State Bar Probes

    Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, said Thursday the U.S. Department of Justice's endeavor to preempt state bar investigations of department attorneys is a "get out of jail free" card.

  • April 02, 2026

    Groups Say Feds' Gulf Species Exemption Flouted Process

    Environmental conservation groups have sued a committee of top federal officials that waived Endangered Species Act requirements for oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico, alleging the so-called "God Squad" violated key procedural safeguards.

  • April 02, 2026

    Developer Seeks To Narrow His Suit Against NJ Power Broker

    A Camden real estate developer is seeking to trim his own lawsuit against South Jersey power broker George Norcross in the wake of an appellate decision dismissing a related criminal case against Norcross.

Expert Analysis

  • Elections Mean Time For Political Law Compliance Checkups

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    An active election year is the perfect time for in-house counsel to conduct a health check on their company's corporate political law compliance program to ensure it’s prepared to minimize risks related to electoral engagement, lobbying, pay-to-play laws and government ethics rules, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • Next Steps For Fair Housing Enforcement As HUD Backs Out

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    A soon-to-be-finalized U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development rule, which would hand responsibility for determining disparate impact liability under the Fair Housing Act to the courts, reinforces the Trump administration’s wider rollback of fair lending enforcement, yet there are reasons to expect litigation challenging this change, say attorneys at Spencer Fane.

  • Malpractice Claim Assignability Continues To Divide Courts

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    Recent decisions from courts across the country demonstrate how different jurisdictions balance competing policy interests in determining whether legal malpractice claims can be assigned, providing a framework to identify when and how to challenge any attempted assignment, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin & Lodgen.

  • As Federal Enviro Justice Policy Goes Dormant, All Is Not Lost

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    Environmental justice is enduring a federal dormancy brought on by executive branch reversals and agency directives over the past year that have swept long-standing federal frameworks from the formal policy ledger, but the legal underpinnings of EJ have not vanished and remain important, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • What Clarity Act Delay Reveals About US Crypto Regulation

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    The Senate Banking Committee's decision to delay markup of the Clarity Act, which would establish a comprehensive federal framework for digital assets, illuminates the political and structural obstacles that shape U.S. crypto regulation, despite years of bipartisan calls for regulatory clarity, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.

  • Courts' Rare Quash Of DOJ Subpoenas Has Lessons For Cos.

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    In a rare move, three federal courts recently quashed or partially quashed expansive U.S. Department of Justice administrative subpoenas issued to providers of gender-affirming care, demonstrating that courts will scrutinize purpose, cabin statutory authority and acknowledge the profound privacy burdens of overbroad government demands for sensitive records, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • The Little Tucker Act's Big Class Action Moment

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    The Little Tucker Act, which allows claims against the government for illegally exacted fees, is transforming from a niche procedural mechanism into a powerful vehicle for class action litigation, with more than $500 billion in such fees — including President Donald Trump's tariffs — now ripe for challenge, says Dinis Cheian at Susman Godfrey.

  • Venezuela Legal Shifts May Create Investment Opportunities

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    Since the removal of President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela has shown signs of economic liberalization, particularly in the oil and mining sectors, presenting unique — but still high-risk — investment opportunities for U.S. companies, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Unpacking Dormant Commerce Clause Cannabis Circuit Split

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    Federal courts have reached differing conclusions as to whether state-legal cannabis is subject to the dormant commerce clause, with four opinions across three circuit courts in the last year demonstrating the continued salience of the dormant commerce clause debate to the nation's cannabis industry, regulators and policymakers, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Remote Patient Monitoring Is At Regulatory Inflection Point

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    With remote patient monitoring at the center of new federal pilot programs and a recent report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General examining Medicare billing for those services, it is clear that balancing innovation and risk will be a central challenge ahead for digital health stakeholders, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • How Latest Nasdaq Proposals Stand To Raise Listings Quality

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    Nasdaq's recent proposals stand to heighten both quantitative and qualitative standards for issuers, which, if approved, may bring investors stronger market integrity and access but also raise the listings bar, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Opinion

    CFIUS Must Adapt To Current Foreign Investment Realities

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    To continue protecting the U.S.’ long-term strategic and economic interests, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States should implement practical enhancements that leverage technology, expertise and clear communication, and enable it to keep pace with evolving demands, says attorney Sohan Dasgupta.

  • Texas AG Wields Consumer Protection Law Against Tech Cos.

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    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has targeted technology companies using the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, a broadly worded statute that gives the attorney general wide latitude to pursue claims beyond traditional consumer protection, creating unique litigation risks, say attorneys at Yetter Coleman.

  • When Bankruptcy Collides With Product Recalls

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    The recent bankruptcy filing by Rad Power Bikes on the heels of a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warning about dangerously defective batteries sold by the company highlights how CPSC enforcement clashes with bankruptcy protections, leaving both regulators and consumer litigants with limited options, says Michael Avanesian at Avian Law Group.

  • Protecting Sensitive Data During Congressional Inquiries

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    With the 2026 midterm elections potentially set to shift control of one or both houses of Congress, entities must proactively plan for the prospect of new congressional investigations, and adopt strategic, effective and practical measures to mitigate risks related to disclosure of sensitive information, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

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