Public Policy

  • July 23, 2025

    Feds Seek 15 Months For Lobbyist Over Madigan Scheme

    Federal prosecutors have urged an Illinois federal judge to sentence ex-ComEd lobbyist Jay Doherty to one year and three months in prison for his "critical role" in a scheme to bribe former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, whose associates were paid as "subcontractors" under Doherty's lobbying contract with the utility even though they did little to no work.

  • July 23, 2025

    Senate Confirms Another Missouri Judge

    The Senate voted 49-47 on Wednesday evening to confirm assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone to serve on the Eastern District of Missouri.

  • July 23, 2025

    UK Eyes Google, Apple Mandates For App Ranking, Payments

    United Kingdom antitrust authorities on Wednesday formally proposed singling out Apple's and Google's mobile platforms for extra regulatory attention and specific mandates, proposing road maps for the Play Store and App Store that could try to stop the companies from boosting their own apps and commission-based payment systems.

  • July 23, 2025

    Wash. Counties Can Sue State Over Public Defense Funding

    A Washington state appeals court has ruled that a coalition of counties has standing to sue the state to force it to provide adequate funding for indigent defense services, saying the coalition had shown that it had been harmed by the current funding system.

  • July 23, 2025

    Ore. Tax Court Upholds Farm Value Over Owner's Claim

    An Oregon farm owner failed to show that his property was overvalued by a local assessor, the state tax court said, rejecting the owner's argument that the assessor misclassified the soil on the land.

  • July 23, 2025

    Judge Bars Man's Deportation Amid Claims ICE Flouted Deal

    The owner of a small Massachusetts construction business who is being held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody may not be moved out of the state while a federal judge considers if the government is violating a January settlement by trying to deport him, according to a Wednesday court order.

  • July 23, 2025

    Split Conn. High Court OKs Eyewitness ID In Armed Robbery

    Connecticut's Supreme Court has narrowly ruled that in the case of a masked armed robbery at a Smashburger, though a victim may have been scared, high, not wearing glasses and directed toward a suspect, her identification of the perpetrator was reliable.

  • July 23, 2025

    PTAB Ends Remote Hearings Beginning Sept. 1

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is mandating that all Patent Trial and Appeal Board proceedings take place in person, starting Sept. 1.

  • July 23, 2025

    NLRB Precedent Shifts Still Far Away Despite Nominees

    The freeze that has gripped the National Labor Relations Board during the first six months of the year showed signs of thawing last week as nominees took key steps forward, but experts said there are still major hurdles they must clear before the board can return to normal function.

  • July 23, 2025

    Democratic Lawmaker Reintroduces Cannabis Shipping Bill

    A Democratic member of Congress has reintroduced a federal bill that would allow small cannabis farms to mail their products directly to customers in other states with legalized cannabis if and when federal marijuana prohibition ends.

  • July 23, 2025

    Sen. Collins Opposes Bove For 3rd Circ. Over Bias Concerns

    Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, will oppose the confirmation of Emil Bove to the Third Circuit, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has also indicated her likely opposition.

  • July 23, 2025

    Ex-Real Estate Finance Pro Tapped For OCC Chief Of Staff

    President Donald Trump's top national bank regulator has hired a new chief of staff, bringing on a former federal housing finance official from the private sector to help steer policy coordination and internal operations at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the agency said Wednesday.

  • July 23, 2025

    NJ Comptroller Flags $34M Hole, Targets Lifeguard Pensions

    The New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller recommended Wednesday that the state legislature scrap a law mandating a handful of shore towns provide pensions to lifeguards after it found some municipalities underfunded the plans and face deficits of more than $34 million.

  • July 23, 2025

    High Court Lets Trump Fire CPSC Members, For Now

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that President Donald Trump could fire three members of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, even though a Maryland federal judge found that the president lacked authority to remove them without cause.

  • July 23, 2025

    Takeaways From The US Attorney Role Tumult In New Jersey

    The U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey was thrown into turmoil Tuesday with a leadership dispute that remained open Wednesday, teeing up a battle between the White House and the Garden State's senators on Capitol Hill.

  • July 23, 2025

    2nd Circ. Orders Review Of Sealed Epstein Case Docs

    The Second Circuit on Wednesday vacated rulings denying requests to unseal materials in a defamation case tied to deceased financier and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, ordering a New York district court to review certain filings after determining they're considered judicial documents and presumed to be public.

  • July 23, 2025

    AGs Ask NCAA To Revoke Transgender Athletes' Awards

    Attorneys general from 27 states and Guam sent a letter to the NCAA urging it to rescind recent records and titles that were "wrongly" awarded to transgender female college athletes and instead give them to their cisgender competitors.

  • July 23, 2025

    Apple Tells 9th Circ. Birthright Ruling Scraps Epic's Injunction

    Apple Inc. told the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday that the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in litigation challenging President Donald Trump's birthright citizenship executive order means that a nationwide injunction and civil contempt order in Epic Games Inc.'s antitrust case over Apple's App Store policies cannot stand.

  • July 23, 2025

    Feds Fight Bid To Block Domestic Violence Grant Restrictions

    The U.S. Department of Justice is fighting a bid by a group of domestic violence coalitions to block restrictions imposed on grants from its Office on Violence Against Women, arguing that a Rhode Island federal court lacks jurisdiction over the group's claims and that the Tucker Act instead gives jurisdiction to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

  • July 23, 2025

    NJ Justices Back AG Takeover Of Paterson Police Dept.

    New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin acted within his authority when he took control of the troubled police department of the state's third-largest city in 2023, the state Supreme Court unanimously ruled Wednesday.

  • July 23, 2025

    Trump Publishes AI 'Action Plan' With 90 Policy Proposals

    In an effort to secure America's leadership in artificial intelligence, the Trump administration released a blueprint Wednesday outlining ideas to accelerate innovation, modernize infrastructure and foster international collaboration while safeguarding national security.

  • July 23, 2025

    Paramount, Skydance Defend Merger Plan At FCC

    Paramount Global and Skydance Media continued to lobby the Federal Communications Commission for approval of their proposed $8 billion merger last week, telling the agency not to side with commenters calling for additional regulation as a condition.

  • July 23, 2025

    8th Circ. Wipes Out Pot-Smoking Gun Owner's Conviction

    The Eighth Circuit has vacated a man's conviction for possessing a firearm as an unlawful drug user, saying the trial court failed to determine that his use of cannabis made him dangerous to others or pose a credible threat with the firearm.

  • July 23, 2025

    Spurning Outsiders, Trump Expands Role In Picking Judges

    President Donald Trump is tightly controlling judicial nominations in his second term, eschewing guidance from mainstream groups and instead relying on close advisers and vetting candidates himself.

  • July 23, 2025

    Senate Confirms Roth To Lead Federal Spectrum Agency

    The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Arielle Roth as the next chief of the U.S. Department of Commerce agency that manages federal use of the airwaves.

Expert Analysis

  • CIPA May Not Be Necessary To Protect Ad Tech Plaintiffs

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    A California bill designed to protect businesses from advertising technology claims under the California Invasion of Privacy Act by amending the act retroactively has been highly contested by various consumer advocacy groups, but other existing law may sufficiently protect any plaintiff who suffers actual harm from such tech, says Justin Donoho at Duane Morris.

  • Parsing A Lack Of Antitrust Info-Sharing Enforcement Clarity

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    Information sharing among competing firms has recently faced dramatic changes in antitrust agency guidance, while courts grapple with the permissible scope of pricing algorithms, leaving companies in limbo, but potential Trump administration changes could offer some reprieve, say attorneys at Axinn.

  • What FCA Liability Looks Like In The Cybersecurity Realm

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    ​Two recent settlements highlight how whistleblowers and the U.S. Department of Justice have been utilizing the False Claims Act to allege fraud predicated on violations of cybersecurity standards — timely lessons given new bipartisan legislation introducing potential FCA liability for artificial intelligence use, say​ attorneys Rachel Rose and Julie Bracker.

  • 'A Deal Is A Deal': Tariffs No Excuse To Dodge Contract Terms

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    Tariff policy uncertainty is unlikely to be a basis for allowing a party to avoid contractual obligations, but businesses can still plan for future disputes related to pricing, operations and the supply chain, including with the addition of tariffs to any force majeure provision, say attorneys at Arnold Porter.

  • Proposed State AI Rule Ban Could Alter Employer Compliance

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    A proposal in the congressional budget bill that would ban state and local enforcement of laws and regulations governing artificial intelligence may offer near-term clarity by freezing conflicting rules, but long-term planning would remain difficult for employers seeking safe, lawful AI deployment strategies, say attorneys at Fisher Phillips.

  • Operating Via Bank Charter Offers Perks Amid Industry Shift

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    As bank regulators become more receptive to streamlining barriers that have historically stood in the way of de novo bank formation, and as fintechs show more interest in chartering, attorneys at Goodwin outline the types of charters available and their benefits.

  • How Attorneys Can Become Change Agents For Racial Equity

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    As the administration targets diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and law firms consider pulling back from their programs, lawyers who care about racial equity and justice can employ four strategies to create microspaces of justice, which can then be parlayed into drivers of transformational change, says Susan Sturm at Columbia Law School.

  • 5 Takeaways From DOJ's Media Compulsory Process Rules

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s new rules, making it easier for law enforcement investigating leaks to compel members of the media and third parties to disclose information, could have wide-ranging impacts, from reduced protections for journalists and organizations, to an expanded focus on nonclassified material, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Public Cos. Must Heed Disclosure Risks Amid Trade Chaos

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    Ongoing uncertainties caused by President Donald Trump's shifting stances on tariffs and trade restrictions have exponentially escalated financial reporting pressures on public companies, so businesses must ensure that their operations and accounting practices align with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's standards, say Jennifer Lee at Jenner & Block and Edward Westerman at Secretariat Advisors.

  • Seven County Ruling Should Trim Agency Enviro Analysis

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County provides needed clarity for infrastructure projects by expressly directing agencies to narrow environmental reviews, and reducing the threat of litigation if even tangential issues are not exhaustively evaluated, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • CMS Guidance May Complicate Drug Pricing, Trigger Lawsuits

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    Recent draft guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposes to expand the scope of what counts as the same qualifying single-source drug, which would significantly alter the timeline for modified drugs facing price controls and would likely draw legal challenges from innovator drug companies, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Digital Equity Act Grant Terminations Raise Key Legal Issues

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    The Trump administration's move to cancel grant programs created under the Digital Equity Act yields key legal and policy questions facing the executive branch, Congress and the courts, including how the administration plans to implement the cancellation of the Digital Equity Act's appropriations in the first place, say attorneys at Akin.

  • GAO Report Reveals How Banks And Regulators Are Using AI

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    A U.S. Government Accountability Office report published last month makes clear that while both federal regulators and regulated entities like banks and credit unions are employing artificial intelligence to improve efficiency, they're maintaining some skepticism, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • Robinson-Patman Enforcement May Fizzle Out After PepsiCo

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    After securing an early Robinson-Patman Act victory against the largest wine and spirits distributor in the U.S., the Federal Trade commission's voluntary dismissal of its own enforcement action against PepsiCo throws into doubt the future of the federal statute that prohibits price discrimination and other anticompetitive practices, say attorneys at V&E.

  • Series

    Running Marathons Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    After almost five years of running marathons, I’ve learned that both the race itself and the training process sharpen skills that directly translate to the practice of law, including discipline, dedication, endurance, problem-solving and mental toughness, says Lauren Meadows at Swift Currie.

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