Public Policy

  • February 03, 2026

    Online Betting Co. Beefs Up Penalties For Harassing Athletes

    Online betting platform BetMGM will now suspend the accounts of users who harass or direct abuse toward an athlete, coach or other participant in a sporting event, potentially solving a problem leagues and players have tried to address recently.

  • February 03, 2026

    FCC Hunting For New Cyber Trust Mark Administrator

    The Federal Communications Commission will give companies more time to get their bids in to serve as the new administrator of the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark program, after the first one quit in December.

  • February 03, 2026

    Md. Judge Says Most Of ICE Church Raids Suit Can Proceed

    A Maryland federal judge on Tuesday largely rejected the Trump administration's push to escape a coalition of religious organizations' claims that it unlawfully enacted a policy to allow immigration enforcement at churches and other sites that had been largely off-limits.

  • February 03, 2026

    Cruz Calls Hearing On FCC's 39% Media Ownership Cap

    Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Tuesday the Senate Commerce Committee will hold a Feb. 10 hearing on media ownership rules, homing in on the Federal Communications Commission's limit on a single broadcaster reaching more than 39% of national audience share.

  • February 03, 2026

    Trump Admin Sued Over 'Pay-To-Play' Gold Card Program

    Immigrants and an academic professionals union filed suit Tuesday to block President Donald Trump's "gold card" visa program, telling a D.C. federal court that the "pay-to-play" program unlawfully takes visas away from professionals the existing employment-based visa system prioritizes.

  • February 03, 2026

    ShopRite Mogul Wants Name Cleared After Mayoral Bid Row

    Grocery store owner and former Philadelphia mayoral hopeful Jeff Brown told a Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court panel Tuesday he was entitled to a "name-clearing hearing" to set the record straight about allegations by the city's Board of Ethics that he improperly coordinated with a political action committee supporting his candidacy.

  • February 03, 2026

    1st Circ. Mindful Of Justices In 3rd Country Removal Case

    A First Circuit panel suggested Tuesday that a U.S. Supreme Court emergency docket stay may constrain its review of a district judge's decision requiring due process for deportees facing removal to so-called third countries where they may face torture.

  • February 03, 2026

    5th Circ. Unsure Child Online Safety Law Tramples Speech

    A Fifth Circuit panel appeared skeptical Tuesday of a tech media trade group's stance that a Mississippi internet safety law is unconstitutional, suggesting that the challenged statute may not implicate speech. 

  • February 03, 2026

    FERC Members Say High Court Helped Speed Up Gas Reviews

    The U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision last year that curtailed federal environmental reviews has translated to faster Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approvals of gas infrastructure projects, commissioners told a congressional energy panel Tuesday.

  • February 03, 2026

    Md. Cannabis Licensure Unconstitutional, 4th Circ. Told

    A California cannabis entrepreneur has urged the Fourth Circuit to revive her constitutional challenge to Maryland's social equity marijuana licensure program, saying the U.S. Constitution's dormant commerce clause must apply to federally unlawful marijuana.

  • February 03, 2026

    House Dems Press Bessent About IRS Retirement Pay Delays

    Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee demanded answers Tuesday about substantial delays in processing retirement applications for Internal Revenue Service employees who participated in the government's deferred resignation program.

  • February 03, 2026

    USPTO, With Squires' Signature, Seeks 'Board Of Peace' TMs

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has filed a pair of applications for trademarks covering President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, with Director John Squires listed as the attorney pursuing the marks. 

  • February 03, 2026

    NY-NJ Commission Sues Over Frozen Hudson Tunnel Funding

    The bi-state commission overseeing the $16 billion rehabilitation of aging commuter train tunnels under the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey has sued the Trump administration, alleging it's illegally withholding federal funds and jeopardizing the project, which is days away from having to shut down construction.

  • February 03, 2026

    IRS Floats Clean Fuel Credit Rules With Foreign Restrictions

    The Internal Revenue Service released long-awaited proposed regulations Tuesday clarifying how domestic transportation fuel producers can qualify for the clean energy fuel tax credit under changes made by Republicans' 2025 budget law, including new foreign restrictions on business owners and feedstock sources.

  • February 03, 2026

    3rd Circ. Says Contractor Payments Not Payroll Costs For PPP

    The Third Circuit sided with the Small Business Administration on Tuesday in the case of an IT company seeking full forgiveness of a $7.2 million Paycheck Protection Program loan, ruling that the SBA was within its rights to deny forgiveness because the company's payments to independent contractors did not count as "payroll costs."

  • February 03, 2026

    Senate Confirms Picks For Texas, Ark. District Court Seats

    The Senate confirmed two U.S. district court judges, for Texas and Arkansas, on Tuesday.

  • February 03, 2026

    OCC's Ex-Chief Of Enforcement Joins Morgan Lewis In DC

    A former acting director of enforcement at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has joined Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP's financial regulatory and enforcement litigation and investment management practices in Washington, D.C., marking his first move into private practice following an extensive career in public service.

  • February 03, 2026

    Trump Signs Funding Bills, DHS Reform Still To Be Addressed

    The House voted 217-214 on Tuesday to pass the five remaining spending bills for fiscal 2026 and a continuing resolution for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which kicks off a 10-day sprint for lawmakers to work on reforms to immigration enforcement before triggering another government shutdown.

  • February 03, 2026

    'Sham' System Denies Ark. Parolees Counsel, Suit Claims

    The Arkansas Department of Corrections and its parole board have been hit with a proposed class action in federal court, claiming the state agencies have been refusing to provide a public defender during what the suit calls "sham" parole revocation hearings.

  • February 03, 2026

    Feds Fight Cyberstalking Atty's Bid For Pretrial Release

    The U.S. government has asked a Texas federal judge to reject a bid for pretrial release from a currently detained attorney charged with cyberstalking other attorneys at BigLaw firms.

  • February 03, 2026

    Dem Lawmakers Win Block On New ICE Detention Visit Policy

    A D.C. federal judge temporarily blocked a Trump administration policy that had required Congress members to provide a week's notice before making oversight visits to immigrant detention facilities, ruling the policy will likely be found unlawful.

  • February 03, 2026

    Clark Hill Expands Energy, Lobbying Teams With Hinshaw Atty

    An attorney with more than 20 years of experience advising clients on energy litigation matters and policy has moved her practice to Clark Hill PLC's Washington, D.C., office after nearly three years with Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP.

  • February 03, 2026

    Md. Lawmaker Pitches Urban Agriculture Property Tax Credit

    Maryland would allow more properties to qualify for local-option tax breaks for urban agriculture under legislation pitched to a state House of Delegates panel Tuesday.

  • February 03, 2026

    1st Circ. Pushes For Settlement In Mass. 'Right-To-Repair' Suit

    The First Circuit suggested Tuesday that major automakers and the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office should work together to resolve a suit over compliance with a state law requiring open access to vehicle telematics systems.

  • February 03, 2026

    Trump's Iron Ore Pollution Exemption Is Unlawful, Enviros Say

    Environmental groups asked a D.C. federal judge to overturn a Trump administration decision to exempt low-grade iron ore processing facilities from new emission standards for mercury and acidic gases, alleging the president abused a provision in the Clean Air Act.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • How Cos. Can Roll With NY's New Algorithmic Pricing Rules

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    Despite uncertainty from New York’s new ban on artificial intelligence and computer algorithms for setting rents, and efforts to further restrict individualizing prices based on consumers' personal data, property managers, software providers and merchants can take several steps to stay compliant, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • 2025 State AI Laws Expand Liability, Raise Insurance Risks

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    As 2025 nears its end, claims professionals should be aware of trends in state legislation addressing artificial intelligence use, as insurance claims based on some of these liability-expanding statutes are a certainty, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practical Problem Solving

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    Issue-spotting skills are well honed in law school, but practicing attorneys must also identify clients’ problems and true goals, and then be able to provide solutions, says Mary Kate Hogan at Quarles & Brady.

  • Crypto In 2025: From Federal Deregulation To State Action

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    The cryptocurrency enforcement landscape evolved in 2025, marked by federal deregulatory trends and active state attorney general enforcement, creating both opportunity and risk for businesses navigating the digital asset market, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • How CFTC Enforcement Shifted In 2025 And What's Next

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    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission pivoted sharply under acting Chairman Caroline Pham in 2025, resulting in a pared-back enforcement docket, sweeping policy changes intended to provide greater transparency, and a renewed focus on fraud prevention and maintaining market integrity for the CFTC's core markets, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Learning From 2025 FCA Trends Targeting PE In Healthcare

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    False Claims Act enforcement trends and legislative developments from this year signal intensifying state and federal scrutiny of private equity's growing footprint in healthcare, and the urgency of compliance, says Lisa Re at Arnold & Porter.

  • Reviewing 2025's State And Federal AI Regulations

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    In light of increasing state and federal action to oversee the use of artificial intelligence, companies that develop or deploy the technology should keep abreast of current and forthcoming AI laws and consider their applicability to their business activities, says Jessica Brigman at Spencer Fane.

  • Software Patents May Face New Eligibility Scrutiny

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    November guidance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, along with recent litigation trends from the Federal Circuit, may encourage new challenges in the USPTO and district courts to artificial intelligence and software patents that rely on generic computing functions without concrete details, say attorneys at Venable.

  • What Trump Order Limiting State AI Regs Means For Insurers

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    Last week's executive order seeking to preclude states from regulating artificial intelligence will likely have minimal impact on insurers, but the order and related congressional activities may portend a federal expectation of consistent state oversight of insurers' AI use, says Kathleen Birrane at DLA Piper.

  • Opinion

    A Uniform Federal Rule Would Curb Gen AI Missteps In Court

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    To address the patchwork of courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence, curbing abuses and relieving the burden on judges, the federal judiciary should consider amending its civil procedure rules to require litigants to certify they’ve reviewed legal filings for accuracy, say attorneys at Shook Hardy.

  • Investment Advisers Should Stay Apprised Of New AI Risks

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently issued annual examination priorities reiterate a host of regulatory implications for investment advisers using artificial intelligence tools, highlighting that meaningful ongoing due diligence can help mitigate both operational and regulatory surprises amid AI's rapid evolution, says Christopher Mills at Sidley.

  • New Rule Shows NRC Willing To Move Fast To Reform Regs

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    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s decision to forgo public comment and immediately rescind certain rules governing adjudicatory procedures, federal tort claims and disclosure of licensee information signals the agency's intent to accelerate the regulatory streamlining efforts ordered by the president this spring, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • AG Watch: Texas Junk Fee Deal Shows Enforcement Priorities

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    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's recent $9.5 million settlement with online travel agency website Booking Holdings for so-called junk fee practices follows a larger trend of state attorneys general who have taken similar action and demonstrates the significant penalties that can follow such allegations, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

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