Public Policy

  • February 19, 2026

    Red State AGs Back La. Bid To Halt Eased Abortion Pill Rules

    A coalition of 21 Republican state attorneys general, led by Nebraska, urged a federal judge to grant Louisiana's bid to block the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's 2023 rules easing access to the abortion drug mifepristone, arguing that the policy undermines states' authority to enforce their own abortion laws and imposes a "pocketbook injury" on states.

  • February 19, 2026

    NYC Pension Funds Sue AT&T Over Proxy Proposal Exclusion

    Several New York City pension funds have sued AT&T over what they say is the illegal exclusion of their shareholder proposal requesting a corporate diversity report from the telecom giant's corporate ballot, following an indication that regulators would allow the exclusion.

  • February 19, 2026

    Ex-ComEd VP Turned Fed Witness Gets Probation For Bribery

    An Illinois federal judge Thursday sentenced a former Commonwealth Edison executive to probation for his role in the utility's scheme to bribe ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, saying a noncustodial sentence was justified as his undercover recordings and testimony helped win corruption convictions against Madigan and his former colleagues.

  • February 19, 2026

    Coalition Asks Court To Back Probe Into IRS-ICE Data Sharing

    More discovery is needed into the IRS' data-sharing agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in light of the tax authority recently admitting to breaching its terms, a coalition challenging the agreement told a D.C. federal court in seeking a remand.

  • February 19, 2026

    Constitution Condemns Immigration Bond Ruling, Judge Says

    A California federal judge has vacated a Board of Immigration Appeals precedential decision that stripped immigration judges of the authority to grant or hear bond requests from detained immigrants, excoriating the Trump administration for openly defying a federal court.

  • February 19, 2026

    Delta, Aeromexico Urge 11th Circ. To Void DOT Split Order

    Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico urged the Eleventh Circuit to void a U.S. Department of Transportation order directing them to dismantle their joint venture, saying the agency had offered contrived reasoning and scant evidence for purported anticompetitive effects.

  • February 19, 2026

    Squires Accepts 8 PTAB Cases, Walks Back 7 Merits Referrals

    A bulk summary order from U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires granted eight petitions for America Invents Act patent challenges while denying 14 others, including seven that he had previously accepted for merits-based review.

  • February 19, 2026

    Texas Panel Unsure Midwife Can Escape Abortion Order

    A Texas appellate court pushed back on a midwife's assertion that a court order blocking her from providing abortions flouted the state's rules of civil procedure, saying Thursday she wasn't facing the lawsuit "for doing appendectomies."

  • February 19, 2026

    Native Villages Drop $70M Alaskan Broadband Grant Fight

    After almost two years of battling it out in Alaska federal court, two Native Alaskan villages have come to terms with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to end their fight with the agency over $70 million in broadband funds.

  • February 19, 2026

    French Court Approves Budget With Corporate Tax Hikes

    France's government can proceed with enacting its budget, which includes taxes targeted at corporations and wealthy individuals, after it largely passed muster before the country's constitutional court Thursday.

  • February 19, 2026

    Feds Look To Revive Sex Abuse Ruling Over Native Status

    The U.S. is asking the Tenth Circuit for an en banc rehearing on its decision to vacate the 30-year prison sentence of a New Mexico man convicted of sexually abusing an Indigenous girl, telling the court that its error is one of exceptional importance.

  • February 19, 2026

    Property Co. Denies Connection To Hawaii Temple Access Suit

    A property management company is looking to escape a challenge by a group of Native Hawaiians over access to an ancient Indigenous temple, arguing its alleged wrongful conduct is not called out with any specificity in the complaint.

  • February 19, 2026

    Commerce Orders Duties On Paper Folders From Cambodia

    Paper file folders imported into the U.S. from Cambodia will be subject to a countervailing duty order following affirmative determinations by the U.S. Department of Commerce that these imports are benefiting from harmful subsidies and damaging U.S. domestic industry, Commerce said Thursday.

  • February 19, 2026

    Warren Seeks Treasury, Fed Pledge Of No Bitcoin Bailout

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is asking the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve to provide a written pledge not to bail out cryptocurrency markets in the face of sliding bitcoin prices, saying such a move would disproportionately benefit billionaires.

  • February 19, 2026

    Electronics Cos. Fight 'Heavy-Handed' Next-Gen TV Mandate

    As the Federal Communications Commission looks to coax the broadcast industry into adopting next-generation TV on a wider scale, a key electronics industry group has re-upped concerns that officials might move too fast.

  • February 19, 2026

    DOJ Ends Oversight Of Cleveland Police After 11 Years

    The U.S. Department of Justice and the city of Cleveland provided notice on Thursday to an Ohio federal judge that the two agencies intend to end a binding agreement signed over a decade ago to provide federal oversight to the city's police department.

  • February 19, 2026

    Ex-LA Atty Faces Possible Suspension Over Billing Scandal

    A California Bar Court said that former Los Angeles chief deputy city attorney James Patrick Clark should be suspended from practicing law for at least two years due to his role in a high-profile customer billing scandal.

  • February 19, 2026

    NY Judge Rejects 1st Amendment Challenge In FARA Case

    A New York federal court refused to toss an indictment accusing an ex-Central Intelligence Agency analyst of aiding the South Korean government without proper registration, rejecting her position that criminal enforcement under the Foreign Agents Registration Act chills protected speech.

  • February 19, 2026

    8th Circ. Pick Joins List Of Personal Attys Elevated By Trump

    President Donald Trump's latest appellate pick has served as the president's personal attorney and bills himself as "an attorney and strategist who fights for conservative values" on his LinkedIn profile.

  • February 19, 2026

    Disqualification Bids Mount For Trio Leading NJ US Atty Office

    A New Jersey criminal defendant who previously challenged the legality of former interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba's appointment has now moved to disqualify the three assistant U.S. attorneys overseeing the office, aligning himself with a growing bloc of defendants saying the leadership structure violates federal appointment laws.

  • February 19, 2026

    Harvard Docs Get Censored Articles Permanently Restored

    The Trump administration agreed to maintain the court-ordered restoration of articles penned by Harvard Medical School researchers that contained references to the LGBTQ+ community after they had previously been scrubbed from a government-hosted website.

  • February 19, 2026

    Md. Senate OKs Service Station Conversion Tax Break

    Maryland's political jurisdictions would be allowed to grant property tax credits for service stations converting to other uses under a bill passed unanimously by the state Senate.

  • February 19, 2026

    NM Lawmakers OK Longer Redevelopment Property Tax Break

    New Mexico would extend a property tax exemption period for eligible redevelopment projects under a bill approved by state lawmakers and headed to the governor.

  • February 19, 2026

    Barnes & Thornburg Adds 35 Ballard Spahr Attys, 3 Offices

    Barnes & Thornburg LLP announced Thursday that it has added all 35 public finance lawyers from Ballard Spahr LLP to its government services and finance department in multiple locations around the country, including three new markets in Baltimore, Denver and Phoenix.

  • February 18, 2026

    Duke Energy's $17M Fuel Cost Recovery Improper, Panel Says

    The North Carolina Utilities Commission was wrong to let Duke Energy recover over $17 million in fuel costs two years after they were incurred, a North Carolina appeals court panel ruled Wednesday, finding that a statute permits utilities to recover only the fuel costs incurred during a one-year "lookback period."

Expert Analysis

  • How Fractional GCs Can Manage Risks Of Engagement

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    As more organizations eliminate their in-house legal departments in favor of outsourcing legal work, fractional general counsel roles offer practitioners an engaging and flexible way to practice at a high level, but they can also present legal, ethical and operational risks that must be proactively managed, say attorneys at Boies Schiller.

  • SEC Rulemaking Radar: A Reset, A Shift And A Preview Of '26

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    With major proposals withdrawn and new priorities emerging, forthcoming U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposals in 2026 will look to reshape how digital assets are regulated, recalibrate market structure and simplify how small companies go public, says Christopher Grobbel at Goodwin.

  • Changes In Crypto, Cybersecurity Defined NY Banking In 2025

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    The major takeaways from 2025 in New York banking policy involve updated guidance, regulations and requirements primarily affecting innovation and digital banking, in areas such as cybersecurity, virtual currencies, and buy now, pay later programs, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • Opinion

    Justices Should Clarify Loper Bright Doctrine Via Patent Case

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    The U.S. Supreme Court should use the Lynk Labs v. Samsung patent case to provide urgently needed guidance on how last year’s Loper Bright decision should be applied to real-world questions of agency authority in the post-Chevron world, says Timothy Hsieh at Oklahoma City University School of Law.

  • How OECD Tax Update Tackles Mobile Workforce Complexity

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    The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s recently updated model tax convention — a recalibration of international tax principles in response to an increasingly mobile workforce — should prompt companies to reevaluate cross-border operations, transfer pricing policies and tax controversy strategies, say attorneys at Eversheds.

  • Reviewing 2025's Most Pertinent Wiretap Developments

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    2025 was a remarkable year in the world of web tracking wiretapping litigation, not only for the increased caseload but also because of numerous developing theories of liability, with disputes expected to continue unabated in 2026, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • 2025 Legal Milestones That Will Shape Psychedelics Sector

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    As 2025 draws to a close, psychedelic drug development stands at an inflection point, experiencing unprecedented momentum through recent sweeping regulatory changes and landmark clinical milestones, amid rapidly evolving regulatory expectations, say Odette Hauke at Odette Alina LLC and Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell.

  • M&A Midmarket Shows Resilience Amid 2025 Challenges

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    Midmarket mergers and acquisitions showed a slight decline in volume but climbed in value for much of 2025, particularly in the private equity space, indicating that the middle market M&A environment is cautious but steady heading into 2026, say attorneys at Stoel Rives.

  • Del. Dispatch: Key 2025 Corporate Cases And Trends To Know

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    The Delaware corporate legal landscape saw notable changes in 2025, spurred by amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law, ubiquitous artificial intelligence fervor, boardroom discussion around DExit, record shareholder activism activity and an arguably more expansive view of potential Caremark liability, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Series

    Nature Photography Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Nature photography reminds me to focus on what is in front of me and to slow down to achieve success, and, in embracing the value of viewing situations through different lenses, offers skills transferable to the practice of law, says Brian Willett at Saul Ewing.

  • 2025 Brought A New Paradigm For Federal Banking Regulation

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    A series of thematic shifts defined banking regulation in 2025, including a fundamental reform of prudential supervision, a strategic easing of capital constraints, steps to streamline merger reviews, and a new framework for fair access and entrants seeking to offer banking services, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • What 2025 Transpo And Logistics Legal Trends Mean For 2026

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    2025 was challenging for the transportation and logistics sector, with emergent trends including dramatic federal policy shifts, developments in tort risk, and a host of mergers and acquisitions — but a review of these themes offers a useful playbook for where the industry is headed in 2026, says Jonathan Todd at Benesch.

  • How Cos. Can Roll With NY's New Algorithmic Pricing Rules

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    Despite uncertainty from New York’s new ban on artificial intelligence and computer algorithms for setting rents, and efforts to further restrict individualizing prices based on consumers' personal data, property managers, software providers and merchants can take several steps to stay compliant, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • 2025 State AI Laws Expand Liability, Raise Insurance Risks

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    As 2025 nears its end, claims professionals should be aware of trends in state legislation addressing artificial intelligence use, as insurance claims based on some of these liability-expanding statutes are a certainty, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practical Problem Solving

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    Issue-spotting skills are well honed in law school, but practicing attorneys must also identify clients’ problems and true goals, and then be able to provide solutions, says Mary Kate Hogan at Quarles & Brady.

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