Public Policy

  • April 01, 2026

    Feds Pressed On RFK Jr. 's Call To Study Cell Emission Risks

    Environmental Health Trust, a think tank that contends wireless radiation is bad for people's health, asked the FCC to comply with a 2021 D.C. Circuit order directing the agency to examine whether low level radio frequency radiation hurts children or could be harmful over time.

  • April 01, 2026

    11th Circ. Backs Order To Fix Fla. System For Disabled Kids

    The Eleventh Circuit upheld an injunction finding Florida's institutionalization of children with complex medical conditions violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, ruling in a split opinion that a lower court mostly didn't abuse its discretion with ordering reforms. 

  • April 01, 2026

    FDIC Reports Fewest Consumer Compliance Citations In Years

    Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. examiners last year cited banks for the fewest number of federal consumer protection violations since at least 2018, while the agency initiated half as many consumer protection-related enforcement actions as it did the year prior.

  • April 01, 2026

    Split Pa. Justices Rule No Deception In Ricoh's 'Silence'

    Vendors in Pennsylvania are liable for "deception by omission" only if they had a duty to alert consumers about a potential product defect, a split Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in a suit against the maker of Pentax cameras alleging that it should have disclosed a shorter product lifespan than customers might have expected.

  • April 01, 2026

    USPTO Spurns Nintendo Pokémon Patent After Reexam

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has found that a patent granted to Nintendo and Pokémon allowing players to summon a character in a video game was not valid in light of prior art, in a case that's raised concerns in the video game industry.

  • April 01, 2026

    Feds Sue NJ Town Over Building Electrification Ordinance

    The federal government has told a federal court that a New Jersey municipality overstepped its legal authority by requiring new apartment buildings with 12 or more units to use only electric heating.

  • April 01, 2026

    Monthly Merger Review Snapshot

    The Justice Department allowed Live Nation to keep Ticketmaster while state attorneys general continue to sue, a $14 billion Boston Scientific deal drew Federal Trade Commission scrutiny, state enforcers challenged Nexstar's purchase of Tegna, and a threatened FTC challenge forced the abandonment of a laser eye surgery deal.

  • April 01, 2026

    4 Million Trump Accounts Established, IRS Says

    More than 4 million children have been signed up for the new type of individual retirement account known as a Trump account, with more than a quarter of them eligible to receive $1,000 contributions through a pilot program, the Internal Revenue Service said.

  • April 01, 2026

    Feds Can't Block Calif. Law Banning New Drilling Near Homes

    A California federal judge has refused to block enforcement of a California statute banning new fossil fuel development within 3,200 feet of homes and schools, ruling the U.S. government failed to show the statute conflicts with federal law since it limits environmental emission impacts and "arguably furthers federal objectives."

  • April 01, 2026

    17 State AGs Challenge EPA's Repeal Of Coal Plant Air Regs

    Attorneys general from Illinois and 16 other states urged the D.C. Circuit on Tuesday to undo the Trump administration's recent rollback of Biden-era caps on mercury and other toxins in air pollution from coal- and oil-fired power plants, warning the loosened standards threaten public health and the environment.   

  • April 01, 2026

    9th Circ. Nixes 3-Strikes Enhancement In Meth Conviction

    The Ninth Circuit has ordered that a new sentence for drug trafficking be given to a man who successfully argued in a self-filed motion that his attorney failed to challenge a sentence enhancement for career offenders.

  • April 01, 2026

    DOL, HHS Must Face Unions' Claims In DOGE Data Suit

    The U.S. Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services must continue facing claims that they illegally gave Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency access to employee records, as a D.C. federal judge denied the agencies' bid to escape the union-brought allegations before the trial phase.

  • April 01, 2026

    FCC Strives For 'Supremacy' In US Drone Manufacturing

    The Federal Communications Commission's leadership wants the public to weigh in on how regulators can help the U.S. private sector reach global dominance in drone manufacturing and operations.

  • April 01, 2026

    Colo. Judge Voids Opt-Out Rule, Leaves Primary Law Intact

    A Colorado federal judge struck down an opt-out restriction in the state's semi-open primary system while leaving the broader framework in place, finding the state's requirement that political parties meet a three-fourths supermajority vote to exit the system unconstitutional.

  • April 01, 2026

    Harvard Researcher Can Get Docs On Prosecution Motives

    A Massachusetts federal judge ruled Wednesday that a Harvard Medical School researcher and Russian national charged with smuggling frog embryo specimens can see emails and other documents regarding the government's decision to prosecute her, citing evidence the case was "vindictive."

  • April 01, 2026

    Mich. Says ICE Illegally Skipped Enviro Review For Warehouse

    Michigan and one of its cities asked a federal court Wednesday to temporarily block U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from converting a warehouse into a detention center, arguing the federal government didn't notify local officials about the project and didn't conduct required environmental reviews.

  • April 01, 2026

    California Tribes Say Feds Skirted Casino Land Trust Rules

    Two California tribes and a nonprofit are urging a district judge to deny the Interior Department's bid for summary judgment in their challenge to a decision to place 221 acres of indigenous territory into trust for the development of a resort and casino, saying the agency blatantly violated federal law "at every turn."

  • April 01, 2026

    AGs Put $10M Price Tag On Beating Kroger-Albertsons Merger

    The nine attorneys general who successfully sued to block Kroger's failed $24.6 billion acquisition of Albertsons requested over $10 million in attorney fees and litigation expenses Tuesday, arguing that the scale of the litigation and the more than $1 billion the grocery chains spent fighting it justified the amount.

  • April 01, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Judge Likely Overreached In No-Bond Ruling

    The Ninth Circuit has stayed a California federal judge's ruling vacating a Board of Immigration Appeals decision stripping immigration judges of authority to grant release on bond, finding the district court likely exceeded its authority in doing so.

  • April 01, 2026

    Judiciary Seeks More Security Funding Amid Threat Surge

    Court security is a top concern for the federal judiciary in its recently released budget request for fiscal 2027.

  • April 01, 2026

    Group Warns ITC Against Tariffs After Vote On Quartz Imports

    A coalition of small-business quartz fabricators claimed that the U.S. International Trade Commission vote Wednesday determining that recent quartz imports harm domestic producers may cost the industry jobs in a move that could lead to new tariffs, according to press releases.

  • April 01, 2026

    'I Don't Like Bullies': NC Committee Advances Bar Reforms  

    A North Carolina legislative committee tasked with probing the state bar's grievance process signed off on a slate of recommendations Wednesday that would slash the bar's appointment powers, as a committee co-chair recalled the "begging" that prompted the proposals and the "bullying" that followed them.

  • April 01, 2026

    Trump Seeks June 1 Bill To Fund ICE, Border Patrol

    Republican leadership in the House and Senate are on board with President Donald Trump's request Wednesday to send him a bill by June 1 to fund the entire U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.

  • April 01, 2026

    Justices' Cox Decision Fuels Debate Over DMCA's Relevance

    The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous decision last week shielding Cox Communications from contributory copyright liability and wiping out a massive piracy verdict against the internet service provider has sparked a debate over how much the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's safe harbor provision still matters.

  • April 01, 2026

    Mass. Cannabis Businesses Say Repeal Bid Misleads Voters

    A coalition of Massachusetts cannabis business owners Wednesday challenged the constitutionality of a proposal to repeal retail marijuana legalization at the ballot box this November.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • The Practical Implications Of New FDIC Stablecoin Measures

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    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s recent proposal to create a formal process for issuing payment stablecoins arrives with several practical implications for FDIC‑supervised banks pursuing digital asset strategies, including a safe harbor for early applicants and a focus on ownership and governance, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Antitrust Crime Enforcement May Escalate Under New Chief

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    While the recent departure of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division chief created uncertainty about enforcement priorities, the debut speech from the new acting division head revealed that companies can only expect the division’s focus on vigorous criminal prosecution and offender deterrence to grow, say attorneys at Sidley.

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