Public Policy

  • June 30, 2025

    FCC Chair Seeks To Deny COVID Waiver In Lifeline Subsidy

    Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr is calling on his fellow commissioners to reject a proposal from Lifeline providers to extend the program's COVID-era non-usage rule waiver for one day, saying that moving the cutoff date would cost the public millions of dollars.

  • June 30, 2025

    Tillis Doesn't Plan Roadblocks On Judiciary Nominations

    Following his announcement on Sunday that he won't be seeking reelection, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who previously sank President Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, told Law360 on Monday that his approach to judiciary nominations won't change.

  • June 30, 2025

    Real Estate Groups Say NYC Broker Fee Ban Is Raising Rents

    Real estate trade groups, landlords and brokers have told a New York federal court to block the enforcement of a New York City law that bans broker fees in certain circumstances, arguing that the local law is raising rents and that it needs to be blocked while they appeal the dismissal of several claims.

  • June 30, 2025

    High Court Rejects Challenge To NM Nuke Storage Site

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said a mineral owner could not challenge the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's approval of a temporary nuclear waste storage facility in New Mexico.

  • June 30, 2025

    Judge Hits Pause On Civil RICO Suit Against NJ Power Broker

    A New Jersey judge has entered a consent order pausing a real estate developer's civil racketeering suit against influential South Jersey businessman George Norcross III, holding the parties' dispute in stasis until an appeal over the dismissal of a related criminal indictment can be resolved.

  • June 30, 2025

    RI Allows Local Tax Amnesty Programs For Every 3 Years

    Rhode Island authorized municipalities to establish local tax amnesty programs every three years to give people and businesses a chance to resolve outstanding property tax liabilities without accruing interest under legislation signed by the governor.

  • June 30, 2025

    Justices Say Another Biofuel Waiver Case Fits In DC Circ.

    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that the D.C. Circuit was the proper venue for challenges to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's denial of biofuel waivers to small refiners, the high court on Monday granted summary disposition in another pending case on the same subject.

  • June 30, 2025

    Justices Let Stand IRS' Summons For Coinbase User's Info

    The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Monday a cryptocurrency investor's challenge to an IRS summons for his financial records from the exchange Coinbase, letting stand a First Circuit ruling that upheld limitations on privacy rights for records held by third-party financial institutions.

  • June 30, 2025

    Ex-Ohio Speaker Calls 6th Circ. Bribery Ruling A 'Stretch'

    Former Ohio House of Representatives Speaker Larry Householder urged the Sixth Circuit to rethink its decision to stand by his bribery conviction over the FirstEnergy nuclear bailout scandal that got him 20 years in prison, arguing the panel made "an illegal stretch" in assuming the jurors undertook proper analysis despite allegedly improper instructions.

  • June 30, 2025

    Trump Administration Says Harvard Violated Civil Rights Law

    The Trump administration on Monday informed Harvard University that it had run afoul of federal civil rights law by failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students on campus from harassment, and threatened to cut all funding from the nation's oldest university.

  • June 30, 2025

    High Court Takes GOP Challenge To Election Spending Limits

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it would review caps on how much political parties can spend on elections in coordination with candidates in a case brought by Vice President JD Vance and Republican organizations.

  • June 30, 2025

    Justices Undo Patients' Win In Gender-Affirming Care Fight

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday struck down a Fourth Circuit decision that preserved access to gender-affirming care under two state-run health plans, telling the lower court to consider a recent decision by the justices that upheld a Tennessee law limiting treatments for young transgender people.

  • June 30, 2025

    High Court Won't Review Kentucky's Smog Plan Challenge

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review the Sixth Circuit's refusal to transfer Kentucky's challenge to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's disapproval of its ozone control plan to the D.C. Circuit, after ruling such cases belong in regional circuit courts. 

  • June 30, 2025

    High Court Won't Review Landlords' COVID Eviction Ban Suit

    A split U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a petition filed by billionaire developer and landlord Geoffrey Palmer that sought to recover $100 million by claiming harm from an eviction moratorium Los Angeles imposed after the outbreak of COVID-19.

  • June 30, 2025

    Supreme Court Won't Take On CWA Suit Over Wash. Port Regs

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to wade into a dispute between a Washington state port and an environmental group over whether citizen suits seeking to enforce state permitting conditions that go beyond the Clean Water Act can proceed in federal court.

  • June 30, 2025

    Justices Pass On Free Speech Challenge To Ga. Strip Club Tax

    The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday that it will not review a decision by Georgia's highest court that said a state tax on strip clubs that's used to fund efforts to address child trafficking does not violate the First Amendment.

  • June 28, 2025

    DOJ OKs $14B HPE-Juniper Deal With Small-Biz WiFi Unit Sale

    The U.S. Department of Justice announced a settlement Saturday with Hewlett Packard Enterprise, clearing the tech giant's $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks by requiring the divestiture of a WiFi network business geared toward small firms.

  • June 27, 2025

    Feds Use Fortress-Backed NPE Suit To Encourage Injunctions

    The federal government acted in line with the administration's strong pro-patent owner policies when, seemingly out of nowhere, it stepped into a little-known Texas patent case and promoted injunctions for nonpracticing entities, attorneys say. But there are suggestions that it may not be so random, as the patent owner may have ties to the nominee for U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director.

  • June 27, 2025

    Trump's Susman Godfrey 'Sword Of Damocles' Order Tossed

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge Friday struck down as unconstitutional President Donald Trump's executive order targeting Susman Godfrey LLP, saying it was issued in retaliation for the firm's representation of clients and causes with which the president disagrees, while hanging "like the sword of Damocles" over the BigLaw firm.

  • June 27, 2025

    Texas Justices OK Methodist Church's Suit Against SMU

    The Texas Supreme Court found the United Methodist Church has the right to sue Southern Methodist University over its attempted split, but in a Friday opinion drew short of saying the university filed false paperwork as part of the breakup.

  • June 27, 2025

    DC Judge Asks If WH Can Pull Clearances Based On Bias

    The D.C. federal judge overseeing national security lawyer Mark S. Zaid's challenge to being stripped of his clearances had some hard questions Friday for the government's attorney, asking if President Donald Trump stripped clearances from attorneys for being Catholic meant they could judicially challenge him.

  • June 27, 2025

    Texas Justices Say Paxton Can Keep Jan. 6 Records

    The Texas Supreme Court found that Attorney General Ken Paxton does not have to cough up his communications during and after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, saying in a Friday opinion only the state's high court may issue orders compelling executive officers to certain actions.

  • June 27, 2025

    Senate Republican Plan Would Cut CFPB Funds, Keep PCAOB

    U.S. Senate Banking Committee Republicans' latest budget bill plans have dropped a push to dismantle the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and pivoted to a lesser — but still severe — cut to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding. 

  • June 27, 2025

    Tribes Say Kalshi's Sports Contracts Undermine Sovereignty

    A group of state and tribal gaming associations plus 27 federally recognized tribes have weighed in on a dispute between trading platform KalshiEx LLC and Maryland regulators, arguing that Kalshi's entrance into the gaming market has adversely impacted tribal gaming revenue and impeded tribes' inherent sovereign right to regulate gaming activity on tribal lands.

  • June 27, 2025

    DOD's Pot Questions Violate 5th Amendment, Contractor Says

    A former defense contractor who was denied security clearance because he refused to say if he had consumed marijuana during a specific time period is suing the U.S. Department of Defense, alleging it violated his constitutional right against self-incrimination.

Expert Analysis

  • Opportunities And Challenges For The Texas Stock Exchange

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    While the new Texas Stock Exchange could be an interesting alternative to the NYSE and the Nasdaq due to the state’s robust economy and the TXSE’s high-profile leadership and publicity opportunities for listings, its success as a national securities exchange may hinge on resolving questions about its regulatory and cost advantages, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Pace Of Early Terminations Suggests Greater M&A Scrutiny

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    The nascent return of early termination under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act shows a more limited use than before its 2021 suspension under the Biden administration's Federal Trade Commission, suggesting deeper scrutiny of mergers and acquisitions across the board, says Michael Wise at Squire Patton.

  • DOJ Export Declination Highlights Self-Reporting Benefits

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent decision not to prosecute a NASA contractor, despite a former employee pleading guilty to facilitating unlicensed exports, underscores the advantages available to companies that self-report sanctions violations, cooperate with investigations and implement timely remediation, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Review Risk Is Increasing For Foreign Real Estate Developers

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    Federal and state government efforts have been expanding oversight of foreign investment in U.S. real estate, necessitating careful assessment of risk and of the benefits of notifying the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Energy Order Brings Risks For Lenders And Borrowers Alike

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    A recent executive order directing the attorney general to submit a report next month with recommendations for halting enforcement of state laws the administration says are hampering energy resources presents risks for lenders and borrowers using state-generated carbon credits, but proactive steps now can help insulate against adverse consequences, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • What Employers Should Know About New Wash. WARN Act

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    Washington state's Securing Timely Notification and Benefits for Laid-Off Employees Act will soon require 60 days' notice for certain mass layoffs and business closures, so employers should understand how their obligations differ from those under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act before implementing layoffs or closings, say attorneys at Littler.

  • What's At Stake As Trump Admin Targets Carbon Markets

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    Trading in greenhouse gas emissions and reductions has long been touted as a way to leverage market forces to tackle climate change cost-effectively, and that theory may be put to the test amid momentous progress and fresh challenges, particularly as the Trump administration takes aim at climate initiatives, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • What To Know About New Wash. Community Association Law

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    A series of recent legislative updates that greatly expand application of the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act pose significant challenges to the volunteer board members who administer and operate condos and homeowners associations, but there are ways to lessen the newly imposed administrative burden, says Tim Feth at VF Law.

  • Series

    Power To The Paralegals: An Untapped Source For Biz Roles

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    Law firms looking to recruit legal business talent should consider turning to paralegals, who practice several key skills every day that prepare them to thrive in marketing and client development roles, says Vanessa Torres at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Fledgling Crypto ATM Regs May Be Due For A Growth Spurt

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    As cryptocurrency ATM use and availability become more prevalent within the U.S. financial services ecosystem, states — only a few of which currently have a crypto ATM framework — may need to consider expanding legislation and regulation to accelerate consumer fraud protection practices, says Jason Noto at Polsinelli.

  • The Legal Risks Of US Restrictions On Investments In China

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    The second Trump administration has continued to embrace a more restrictive economic policy toward China, including an ongoing review of further restrictions on the flow of U.S. capital to China, so early planning and enhanced diligence can reduce exposure to the challenges resulting from further restrictions, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • How Trucking Cos. Can Keep Rolling Under Tariff Burdens

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    Recent Trump administration tariffs present major challenges for the transportation and logistics sector — and, in particular, trucking — but providers who focus on operational efficiency, cost control, customer relationships, creative contract structures and unique offerings will stand out from the competition, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • UK May Play Major Role In Corporate Misconduct Regulation

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    In light of the U.S.' pause in Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement, the U.K. Serious Fraud Office has released new guidance showing it may seize the opportunity to play a heightened role in regulating corporate misconduct by U.S. companies with a global presence, particularly over the next few years, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Tariff Strategies For The US Renewable Energy Sector

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    The Trump administration's tariff actions over the last few months are challenging for the renewable energy industry — but there are strategies for contending with the uncertainty, including diversifying supply chains, seeking certification about equipment origins, and adding tariff-related language to supply contracts and offtake agreements, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Series

    Playing Poker Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Poker is a master class in psychology, risk management and strategic thinking, and I’m a better attorney because it has taught me to read my opponents, adapt when I’m dealt the unexpected and stay patient until I'm ready to reveal my hand, says Casey Kingsley at McCreadyLaw.

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