Public Policy

  • December 19, 2025

    DraftKings Beats Suit Over Calif. Gambling Ban, For Now

    A California federal judge said during a hearing Friday he plans to toss with leave to amend a proposed class action alleging DraftKings' Daily Fantasy Sports games and others violate California's ban on sports betting, while calling the case "significant" for "clearly" implicating public policy and the California penal code.

  • December 19, 2025

    Colo. Judge Rules Lumen's Claims Not Time-Barred

    A Colorado federal judge ruled Thursday that Lumen Technologies' suit against a consulting firm isn't time-barred, dismissing the firm's bid for summary judgment after it was accused of being liable for a faulty structural analysis of a building Lumen wished to purchase in Miami. 

  • December 19, 2025

    Fed Seeks Input On Limited Master Accounts For Fintechs

    The Federal Reserve Board on Friday took another step toward rolling out what are known as skinny master accounts for fintech firms, requesting public feedback on a special purpose Reserve Bank account prototype "tailored to the risks and needs of institutions focused on payments innovation."

  • December 19, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives Excessive Force Suit Against Spokane Police

    The Ninth Circuit has held that police officers in Washington state could have violated the Fourth Amendment rights of a man who died in their custody during a suspected drug overdose, finding that their alleged use of force would be excessive under federal law if proven.

  • December 19, 2025

    Trump's Cannabis Order: The Impact On Hemp And Research

    President Donald Trump's executive order Thursday reignited an administrative process to reclassify marijuana as a less restricted drug, but its provisions touching on cannabis research and hemp-derived CBD are less obvious.

  • December 19, 2025

    Health Co. CEO Gets 15 Years In $1.4B Fraud Scheme

    A Florida federal judge sentenced a software company CEO to 15 years in prison Friday for participating in a scheme to coordinate illegal medical kickbacks through an internet platform, an operation that resulted in $1.4 billion worth of false billings to Medicare and other insurers for unnecessary medical products.

  • December 19, 2025

    Coinbase Sues 3 States Over Event Contract Regulation

    Illinois, Connecticut and Michigan have been sued by cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase over their attempts to regulate the trading platform's prediction market offerings, with the firm arguing that the states are trying to unlawfully apply their gambling laws to federally regulated transactions that are under the jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

  • December 19, 2025

    23 AGs Oppose FCC's Possible AI Law Preemption

    Nearly two dozen state attorneys general joined forces to urge the Federal Communications Commission not to issue a ruling that would preempt state-level regulation of artificial intelligence technologies, arguing in a comment letter that the agency lacks such authority.

  • December 19, 2025

    NY Judge Urged To Deny Pot Club Owners' Reconsideration

    A New York federal judge shouldn't reconsider an order that allowed state law enforcement to continue conducting searches and seizures of Empire Cannabis Clubs locations and shutting down them down, state officials argued Friday, saying the business owners failed to add anything new for the court to examine.

  • December 19, 2025

    4 Stories That Shaped Civil Rights, Access To Justice In 2025

    Civil rights and access to justice advocates faced mounting pressure in 2025, as President Donald Trump's return to office drove aggressive immigration enforcement, deep cuts to criminal justice funding, renewed Supreme Court scrutiny of the Voting Rights Act, and a steep increase in executions.

  • December 19, 2025

    X Can Still Sue Media Matters In Ireland, 9th Circ. Rules

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday vacated a California federal judge's injunction that blocked X Corp.'s ongoing lawsuit against left-leaning watchdog Media Matters in Ireland over an allegedly defamatory article, saying Media Matters waited too long before seeking to bring the case to the Golden State and thus prejudiced X.

  • December 19, 2025

    Mamdani Taps Ex-Biden DOL Chief For 'Economic Justice' Job

    New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Friday named Julie Su, acting labor secretary during the Biden administration, to serve as the city's first deputy mayor for economic justice, a move that was welcomed by labor unions.

  • December 19, 2025

    FTC Says Building Service Contractor Will End No-Hire Pacts

    The Federal Trade Commission is continuing to show interest in labor market issues, reaching a deal on Friday alongside New Jersey state enforcers that bars Adamas Amenity Services LLC from enforcing no-hire agreements with building owners.

  • December 19, 2025

    Squires Issues 21 More Patent Review Denials

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has denied 21 requests for America Invents Act patent reviews, while not agreeing to institute any new proceedings.

  • December 19, 2025

    Diversity Visa Pause Is Latest Hit To Legal Immigration

    The Trump administration's pause of the green card lottery after the Brown University shooting suspect was shown to have entered the U.S. through the program marks the latest in a rapid series of moves to curb legal immigration on security grounds.

  • December 19, 2025

    Court Nixes Labor Requirements From Army Corps Contract

    The U.S. Court of Federal Claims granted a construction company's request to strike negotiated labor prices and work terms from a hurricane-mitigation contract with the Army Corps of Engineers, finding the requirements were unrelated to the project's needs.

  • December 19, 2025

    Justices Let Immigration Judges' Free Speech Suit Continue

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the Trump administration has failed to show it will be irreparably harmed by a Fourth Circuit decision that revived immigration judges' lawsuit challenging restrictions on their ability to speak publicly.

  • December 19, 2025

    NLRB Prosecutors Drop Challenge To SpaceX Severance Pact

    National Labor Relations Board prosecutors have dropped a challenge to SpaceX's severance agreement that spurred a fight over the agency's constitutionality, telling a Texas federal judge that "further proceedings would not effectuate the purposes of the National Labor Relations Act."

  • December 19, 2025

    Veolia Hit With $4M Overcharge Claim By NJ Borough

    A Garden State municipality is suing Veolia Water New Jersey Inc. and two affiliated entities in state court, alleging the private water provider orchestrated a yearslong scheme to falsify consumption data, manipulate meter readings and induce the town into paying millions more for water than it actually used.

  • December 19, 2025

    Calif. Appeals Court Upholds Los Angeles' Mansion Tax

    A property transfer tax that adds 4% to 5.5% to the cost of Los Angeles real estate deals of more than $5 million is legal under the U.S. and California constitutions, a state appeals panel ruled, upholding a trial court.

  • December 19, 2025

    Green Groups Sue Over Interior's Environmental Policy Shift

    Two conservation groups are asking a Northern California federal district court to vacate an interim U.S. Department of the Interior final rule that rescinds decades-old environmental policies concerning the public's right to participate in reviews for logging, drilling and other industrial projects on public lands.

  • December 19, 2025

    Bill Shields Public Housing Tenants Using Legal Pot

    A pair of Democratic lawmakers from the House and Senate have introduced a bill that would prohibit landlords who take federal funding from evicting tenants or denying applicants just because they use or possess marijuana in a state where it is legal.

  • December 19, 2025

    Medical, School Groups Seek Order Halting $100K Visa Fee

    A medical practice in rural North Carolina and other employers asked a federal judge Friday to block enforcement of the Trump administration's $100,000 fee on H-1B visas, arguing the "massive" fee hike will inflict irreparable harm on their communities.

  • December 19, 2025

    Judge Weighs Trump's Immunity Claim In Riot Lawsuit

    Pres. Donald Trump's immunity from liability for his actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was once again argued in D.C. federal court Friday, this time in the civil context as lawmakers suing Trump fought his bid to exit their long-running suit.

  • December 19, 2025

    Florida Supreme Court To Review Pot Legalization Effort

    The Florida Supreme Court has agreed to weigh whether a new proposal to legalize retail marijuana via ballot initiative complies with the state's constitution.

Expert Analysis

  • A 6th Circ. Snapshot: 3 Cases That Defined 2025

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    With more than a thousand opinions issued this year, three rulings from the Sixth Circuit stood out for the impact they'll have on the practice of civil procedure, including a net neutrality decision, a class certification standards ruling and an opinion about vulgarity in school, say attorneys at Ice Miller.

  • Sports Gambling Scrutiny Expands Risks For Teams, Leagues

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    The Minnesota attorney general recently sent warning letters to 14 website operators for offering what the state considers illegal online gambling, demonstrating why the sports industry, including teams and leagues, should ask critical questions about organizational compliance, internal controls and potential criminal liability, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • The CFTC's Road Ahead Under Newly Confirmed Chair

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    Michael Selig's Dec. 18 confirmation as U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission chair comes at a critical juncture, as the agency is poised to gain oversight over the crypto industry and increase its jurisdictional mandate covering prediction markets, says Elizabeth Lan Davis at Davis Wright.

  • 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.

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