Public Policy

  • August 11, 2025

    Losing Bidder On Mass. Pike Plazas Wants Docs Released

    A fuel company that lost out to Blackstone-backed Applegreen on a 35-year contract to operate highway service plazas in Massachusetts asked a state court judge to order transportation officials to turn over records of the procurement and bidding process.

  • August 11, 2025

    NY Judge Won't Unseal 'Redundant' Maxwell Grand Jury Docs

    A New York federal judge on Monday denied the Trump administration's bid to unseal grand jury transcripts and exhibits in the prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is appealing a 20-year prison sentence for trafficking teenage girls for sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, concluding that the materials contain almost nothing new.

  • August 11, 2025

    Trump Cites 'Sweeping' Power In Harvard Foreign Student Suit

    The Trump administration asked a Massachusetts federal judge to reject Harvard University's efforts to block a ban on the school's enrollment of foreign students, arguing that the president is acting well within his power and Harvard has no standing to sue.

  • August 08, 2025

    FERC's Policy Work Was A Mixed Bag For Departing Chair

    Outgoing Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Mark Christie touted the agency's work to encourage gas infrastructure development during his tenure, but lamented its failure to advance electricity policies aimed at lowering transmission costs and ensuring there's enough power supplying the nation's grid.

  • August 08, 2025

    Trump Admin Threatens To Take Harvard's Patents

    The U.S. Department of Commerce on Friday threatened to invoke the government's so-called march-in rights to take control of patents owned by Harvard University, accusing the Ivy League institution of not meeting its obligations tied to federally funded research.

  • August 08, 2025

    Greystar Cuts Deal To Exit DOJ's RealPage Price-Fixing Suit

    Greystar Management Services LLC has reached an agreement to resolve rent price-fixing claims brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, which has gone after several landlords allegedly using algorithms to coordinate rent prices, and will cooperate in the case against RealPage, the agency announced Friday.

  • August 08, 2025

    Ex-Ga. ICE Doc Ends Slander Suit Against Amazon Podcast

    A former physician at a Georgia immigration detention center has settled his lawsuit against a true crime podcast and its host, alleging they defamed him by claiming he performed forced hysterectomies on detainees.

  • August 08, 2025

    Tornado Cash Case Far From Over With Jury's Mixed Verdict

    The split verdict in the Tornado Cash trial likely won't encourage prosecutors to go after crypto projects for failing to register as money transmitters, but it may still leave software developers open to liability if they seem aware of others' misuse of their creations.

  • August 08, 2025

    Feds Aim To Dismiss ABA's 'Law Firm Intimidation Policy' Suit

    The Trump administration on Friday asked a Washington, D.C., federal judge to throw out a lawsuit from the American Bar Association claiming the federal government has launched an unconstitutional war of intimidation against lawyers and law firms.

  • August 08, 2025

    Fla. Law Barring Noncitizens From Voter Drives Struck Down

    A Florida federal judge Friday ruled that a state law banning noncitizens from collecting voter registration forms is unconstitutional, saying the provision is "facially discriminatory with respect to alienage" and that it violates the due process rights of a Hispanic civil rights organization and a permanent resident. 

  • August 08, 2025

    Texas AG Asks State High Court To Strip Democrats Of Office

    The Texas Office of the Attorney General filed a lawsuit in the Texas Supreme Court on Friday aiming to strip several Texas House Democrats of their office and clear the way for a controversial redistricting plan in the Lone Star State.

  • August 08, 2025

    Trump's Birthright Order Blocked Nationwide By Md. Judge

    All children who have been born "or who will be born" in the United States are protected from President Donald Trump's executive order that aims to strip them of their right to citizenship, as a Maryland federal judge granted them class certification and blocked enforcement of the order.

  • August 08, 2025

    UC President Says $1B DOJ Demand Would Cripple University

    The head of the University of California system said Friday that a $1 billion settlement proposed by the Trump administration in order to spare UCLA from threatened federal research funding cuts would "completely devastate our country's greatest public university system."

  • August 08, 2025

    Lawyers Expect Tariffs On India To Catalyze US Trade Talks

    The potential total of a 50% tariff on Indian imports could prove devastating for some U.S. companies in sectors not protected from the duties, leading some lawyers to anticipate the rate must be negotiated down or delayed before it takes effect.

  • August 08, 2025

    Calif. Justices Rip Deference To Regulator's Solar Ruling

    The Golden State's highest court unanimously struck down a lower court ruling that the justices said gave too much deference to the California Public Utilities Commission in a dispute over rooftop solar rates, saying when reviewing decisions of the state's utilities regulator, courts "remain the final arbiters of statutory meaning."

  • August 08, 2025

    NJ Legislation Highlights From The 1st Half Of 2025

    During the first half of 2025, New Jersey lawmakers addressed a long-standing judicial vacancy crisis, strengthened protections for utility customers and streamlined the asbestos remediation process for Jersey City's historic courthouse.  

  • August 08, 2025

    6th Circ. Says Federal Machine Gun Ban Is Constitutional

    The Sixth Circuit has upheld a federal ban on machine guns, finding the prohibition to be in line with the country's tradition of regulating "dangerous and unusual weapons."

  • August 08, 2025

    FTC Maintains Support For Right-To-Repair In Med Robot Case

    The Federal Trade Commission is providing important backing for a surgical repair company's Ninth Circuit bid to revive claims accusing Intuitive Surgical of blocking third parties from refurbishing components for its popular da Vinci surgery robot, in an amicus brief suggesting defending right-to-repair work remains important for the Republican-controlled agency.

  • August 08, 2025

    Trade Group Sues Colorado Over Gas Stove Labeling Law

    A home appliances trade association has told a Colorado federal judge that recently passed state legislation mandating that a health warning be placed on all gas stoves is unconstitutional.

  • August 08, 2025

    Trump EO Requires Appointee Oversight Of US Grantmaking

    President Donald Trump has issued an executive order requiring that all funding opportunity announcements and grant awards be reviewed by his political appointees and allowing for grants to be terminated that fall outside the administration's priorities. 

  • August 08, 2025

    Longer Child Detentions At Border Is 'Disturbing,' Judge Says

    A California federal judge overseeing enforcement of a decades-old settlement agreement governing the custody of immigrant children indicated Friday she will reject the government's effort to end the consent decree, and also finds recent reports of children being held for long periods at border stations "disturbing."

  • August 08, 2025

    Advocates Won't Ask Justices To Revive Net Neutrality Rules

    Public interest groups said Friday they have decided not to bring a high court challenge to the Sixth Circuit's decision to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules, even as they called the ruling "spectacularly wrong."

  • August 08, 2025

    Trump Planning Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Stock Sale This Year

    The Trump administration may move to sell stock in federally backed mortgage bundlers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, with officials discussing the details of a possible sale later this year.

  • August 08, 2025

    DC Medicaid Recipients Win Class Cert. For Notice Row

    A D.C. federal judge granted a class certification motion lodged by a group of Medicaid beneficiaries who allege the district has violated their due process rights by failing to provide individualized written notices explaining prescription coverage denials and appeal rights.

  • August 08, 2025

    Athletes Resist Pause In Conn. Trans Inclusion Case

    A Connecticut federal court should deny a defense request to stay a lawsuit challenging transgender inclusion policies in high school athletics until the U.S. Supreme Court makes two rulings on the topic, the plaintiffs said Thursday, noting that the case has been pending for five years and that the justices' decisions are not going to come any time soon.

Expert Analysis

  • 2025's First Half Brings Regulatory Detours For Fintechs

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    The first half of the year has resulted in a bifurcated regulatory environment for fintechs, featuring narrowed enforcement in some areas, heightened scrutiny in others and a policy window that, with proper compliance, offers meaningful opportunities for innovation, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Debunking 4 Misconceptions Around Texas' IV Therapy Law

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    Despite industry confusion, an IV therapy law enacted in Texas last week may actually be the most business-friendly regulatory development the medical spa industry has seen in recent years, says Keith Lefkowitz at Hendershot Cowart.

  • A Pattern Emerges In Justices' Evaluation Of Veteran Statute

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    The recent Soto v. U.S. decision that the statute of limitations for certain military-related claims does not apply to combat-related special compensation exemplifies the U.S. Supreme Court's view, emerging in two other recent opinions, that it is a reviewing court's obligation to determine the best interpretation of the language used by Congress, says attorney Kenneth Carpenter.

  • Opinion

    Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

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    The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.

  • Psychedelic Treatment Regs May Be At A Tipping Point

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    Recent scientific and public attention suggest that development of psychedelics as treatment for some conditions may be at a tipping point, which could bring on more rapid change and opportunities for stakeholders who may in the future benefit from greater access to safe and effective psychedelic medicines, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • In NRC Ruling, Justices Affirm Hearing Process Still Matters

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas safeguards the fairness, clarity and predictability of the regulatory system by affirming that to challenge an agency's decision in court, litigants must first meaningfully participate in the hearing process that Congress and the agency have established, says Jonathan Rund at the Nuclear Energy Institute.

  • Comparing Stablecoin Bills From UK, EU, US And Hong Kong

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    For multinational stablecoin issuers, navigating the differences and similarities among regimes in the U.K., EU, Hong Kong and U.S., which are currently unfolding in several key ways, is critical to achieving scalable, compliant operations, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Baseball Can Teach Criminal Attys About Rule Of Lenity

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    Judges tend to assess ambiguous criminal laws not unlike how baseball umpires approach checked swings, so defense attorneys should consider how to best frame their arguments to maximize courts' willingness to invoke the rule of lenity, wherein a tie goes to the defendant, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • Series

    Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.

  • Focusing On Fluoride: From FDA To Class Action

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    A class action filed two days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans to remove ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children from the market may be the tip of the iceberg in terms of the connection between government pronouncements on safety and their immediate use as evidence in lawsuits, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.

  • How Energy Cos. Can Prepare For Potential Tax Credit Cuts

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    The Senate Finance Committee's version of the One Big Beautiful Bill act would create a steep phaseout of renewable energy tax credits, which should prompt companies to take several actions, including conduct a project review to discern which could begin construction before the end of the year, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • The CFTC Is Shaking Up Sports Betting's Legal Future

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    The sports betting industry faces a potential sea change amid recent state and federal actions across the regulatory landscape that have expanded access to sporting event contracts against the backdrop of waning Commodity Futures Trading Commission opposition, says Nick Covek at Foley & Lardner.

  • DOJ Atty Firing Highlights Tension Between 2 Ethical Duties

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent firing of a prosecutor-turned-whistleblower involved in the Abrego Garcia v. Noem case illustrates the tricky balancing act between zealous client advocacy and a lawyer’s duty of candor to the court, which many clients fail to appreciate, says David Atkins at Yale Law School.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Rejecting Biz Dev Myths

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    Law schools don’t spend sufficient time dispelling certain myths that prevent young lawyers from exploring new business opportunities, but by dismissing these misguided beliefs, even an introverted first-year associate with a small network of contacts can find long-term success, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Fla. Condo Law Fix Clarifies Control Of Common Areas

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    Florida's repeal of a controversial statutory provision that permitted developers of mixed-use condominium properties to retroactively assert control over common facilities marks a critical shift in legal protections for unit owners and associations, promoting fairness, transparency and accountability, say attorneys at Pardo Jackson.

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