Public Policy

  • 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

    New Jersey legislation introduced or signed into law during the first half of 2025 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.

  • August 08, 2025

    GOP Sens. Call For Overhaul Of Bank Supervisory Warnings

    Republican senators are pressing federal regulators for an overhaul of how they flag and track supervisory concerns at banks, warning that the current system of confidential notices lacks legal grounding and is "increasingly opaque, ineffective and inconsistent."

  • August 08, 2025

    Latest T-Mobile Deal Suggests DOJ-FCC Spectrum Tension

    The Federal Communications Commission declared victory last month in affirmatively clearing T-Mobile's $4.4 billion acquisition of UScellular wireless operations, but the Justice Department appeared far more reluctant in a statement hinting at the wider dynamics of how the Trump administration looks at telecommunications transactions.

  • August 08, 2025

    NY Court Tosses Challenge To Crackdown On Illicit Pot Shops

    A New York state judge has dismissed a constitutional challenge to a crackdown on unregulated marijuana sellers, finding that city and state officials acted within their authority when they targeted the self-described cannabis club that brought the petition.

Expert Analysis

  • Handling Sanctions Risk Cartel Control Brings To Mexico Port

    Author Photo

    Companies operating in or trading with Mexico should take steps to mitigate heightened exposure triggered by routine port transactions following the U.S. Treasury’s recent unequivocal statement that a foreign terrorist organization controls the port of Manzanillo, says Jeremy Paner at Hughes Hubbard.

  • The Road Ahead For Digital Assets Looks Promising

    Author Photo

    With new legislation expected to accelerate the adoption of blockchain technology, and with regulators taking a markedly more permissive approach to digital assets, the convergence of traditional finance and decentralized finance is closer than ever, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Asbestos Trusts And Tort Litigation Are Still Not Aligned

    Author Photo

    A recent ruling by a New York state court in James Petro v. Aerco International highlights the inefficiencies that still exist in asbestos litigation — especially regarding the continued lack of coordination between the asbestos tort system and the well-funded asbestos trust compensation system, says Peter Kelso at Roux.

  • Opinion

    Closing The Chemical Safety Board Is A Mistake

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, which investigates the root causes of major chemical incidents, provides an essential component of worker and community safety and should not be defunded, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • The Evolving Legal Landscape For THC-Infused Beverages

    Author Photo

    A recent Eighth Circuit ruling, holding that states may restrict the sale of intoxicating hemp-derived products without violating federal law, combined with ongoing regulatory uncertainty at both the federal and state levels, could alter the trajectory of the THC-infused beverage market, say attorneys at Pashman Stein.

  • New NY Residential Real Estate Rules May Be Overbroad

    Author Photo

    New legislation imposing a 90-day-waiting period and tax deduction restrictions on certain New York real estate investors may have broad effects and unintended consequences, creating impediments for a wide range of corporate and other transactions, says Libin Zhang at Fried Frank.

  • Cos. Must Tailor Due Diligence As Trafficking Risks Increase

    Author Photo

    As legislators, prosecutors and plaintiffs attorneys increasingly focus on labor and sex trafficking throughout the U.S., companies must tailor their due diligence strategies to protect against forced labor trafficking risks in their supply chains, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • Series

    Creating Botanical Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Pressing and framing plants that I grow has shown me that pursuing an endeavor that brings you joy can lead to surprising benefits for a legal career, including mental clarity, perspective and even a bit of humility, says Douglas Selph at Morris Manning.

  • Opinion

    PFAS Reg Reversal Defies Water Statute, Increasing Risks

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent moves delaying the deadlines to comply with PFAS drinking water limits, and rolling back other chemical regulations, violate the Safe Drinking Water Act, and increase the likelihood that these toxins could become permanent fixtures of the water supply, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.

  • New Federal Worker Religious Protections Test All Employers

    Author Photo

    A recent Trump administration memorandum expanding federal employees' religious protections raises tough questions for all employers and signals a larger trend toward significantly expanding religious rights in the workplace, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • FTC Focus: Surprising Ways Meador And Khan Sound Alike

    Author Photo

    Since becoming a commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission, Mark Meador's public comments, speeches and writings reveal a surprising degree of continuity with former Chair Lina Khan's approach, in an indication that differing philosophies might have comparable practical effects, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Supreme Court's Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review

    Author Photo

    Though the U.S. Supreme Court’s criminal law decisions in its recently concluded term proved underwhelming by many measures, their opinions revealed trends in how the justices approach criminal cases and offered reminders for practitioners, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Compliance Is A New Competitive Edge For Mortgage Lenders

    Author Photo

    So far, 2025 has introduced state and federal regulatory turbulence that is pressuring mortgage lenders to reevaluate the balance between competitive and compliant employee and customer recruiting practices, necessitating a compliance recalibration that prioritizes five key strategies, say attorneys at Mitchell Sandler.

  • Noncompete Forecast Shows Tough Weather For Employers

    Author Photo

    Several new state noncompete laws signal rough conditions for employers, particularly in the healthcare sector, so employers must account for employees' geographic circumstances as they cannot rely solely on choice-of-law clauses, say lawyers at McDermott.

  • Opinion

    Privacy Bill Must Be Amended To Protect Small Businesses

    Author Photo

    While a bill recently passed by the California Senate would exempt a company's use of legally compliant website advertising and tracking technologies from the California Invasion of Privacy Act, it must be amended to adequately protect small businesses, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here