Public Policy

  • January 07, 2026

    DOJ To Appeal Reinstatement Of Clearance For Mark Zaid

    The Trump administration told a D.C. federal judge on Wednesday that it will obey his injunction to reinstate attorney Mark Zaid's security clearance as it appeals the ruling in the D.C. Circuit, but left open the possibility that government intelligence agencies could try to revoke it again for new reasons.

  • January 07, 2026

    Trump Family-Tied Stablecoin Co. Seeks Bank Charter

    The Trump family-tied crypto company World Liberty Financial said Wednesday that it's filed an application with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to become a national trust bank as it looks to expand its stablecoin business, drawing the ire of one lawmaker, who called the application a conflict of interest.

  • January 07, 2026

    2 European Fintechs Seek OCC Bank Charters

    Two European fintechs are seeking sign-offs from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to set up U.S. banks, including a firm planning to issue its own stablecoin.

  • January 07, 2026

    Mich. Again Falls Short In Bid To Ax Challenge To 24% Pot Tax

    A Michigan federal judge is standing firm in her decision to allow industry members to proceed with a portion of their challenge to the state's excise tax on wholesale marijuana sales, finding that the state hasn't identified a "palpable error" that would justify disposing of the sole remaining dispute over the law's intent. 

  • January 07, 2026

    Mich. AG Says State Lawmakers Can't Ax $645M In Spending

    Michigan's attorney general said a state House committee acted unlawfully when it blocked $645 million in previously approved funds from rolling over to the next fiscal year, issuing a formal opinion Wednesday deeming the move unconstitutional.

  • January 07, 2026

    Feds Cut $160M From Calif. Over Truck Driver Licenses

    The U.S. Department of Transportation said Wednesday that California will lose out on nearly $160 million in federal highway funds for failing to revoke thousands of commercial driver's licenses that were issued to ineligible foreign drivers, as the Trump administration cracks down on immigrant truck drivers.

  • January 07, 2026

    ISS Asks Judge Not To Stall Ruling On Texas ESG Law

    Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. is pushing back on Texas' request to delay a ruling on the constitutionality of a law requiring proxy advisory firms to disclose when voting recommendations are based on environmental, social or governance factors, arguing that the state hasn't shown how additional discovery "will make any difference" to the case.

  • January 07, 2026

    FCC Won't Extend Time To Comment On Wireless Reg Redo

    The Federal Communications Commission dashed the hopes of nearly two dozen cities on Wednesday, including the District of Columbia, when it refused to grant them more time to respond to the agency's plans to change rules surrounding wireless site deployment.

  • January 07, 2026

    STB Eyes Easier Shipper Access Mandates Across Railways

    Showing "anticompetitive conduct" would no longer be a requirement for shippers seeking to force rail carriers to work together to ferry their goods, under a proposed rulemaking Wednesday that the Surface Transportation Board said would shift such petitions back to consideration on a case-by-case basis.

  • January 07, 2026

    Calif. Bill Proposes 4-Year AI Toy Ban To Mull Safety Rules

    California Sen. Steve Padilla has introduced what would be the nation's first moratorium on the sale of toys containing artificial intelligence chatbot features, with the aim of giving lawmakers time to implement regulatory guardrails to protect children from potentially dangerous AI interactions.

  • January 07, 2026

    Ga. Republicans Outline $16B Plan To End State Income Tax

    Georgia Republican lawmakers laid out a $16 billion proposal Wednesday to abolish the state's income tax, a plan that would gradually reduce the levy over the next six years with a goal of complete elimination by 2032.

  • January 07, 2026

    Judge Seeks Assurance That PFAS Deals Are Good For NJ

    A New Jersey federal judge on Wednesday asked attorneys for the state to assure that two proposed deals with 3M and E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. worth nearly $3 billion to resolve its claims over contamination by "forever chemicals" are in the best interest of the state's residents despite a number of objections.

  • January 07, 2026

    3rd Circ. Says Visa Omission Of Kids Sinks Naturalization Bid

    In a precedential opinion Wednesday, the Third Circuit ruled that a green card holder attempting to gain U.S. citizenship was properly denied naturalization for failing to list his two children on the original visa paperwork, an omission that made his permanent residence unlawful.

  • January 07, 2026

    Conn. Regulator Clears Avangrid Unit In Fatal Electrocution

    An Avangrid Inc. subsidiary is not responsible for the death of a Connecticut man who grabbed a downed power line while clearing a fallen tree from a golf course driveway in August, but it should make changes to the way it responds to potentially life-threatening situations, the state's utility regulator said Wednesday.

  • January 07, 2026

    Trump Admin Asks Judge Not To Toss Boston Sanctuary Suit

    The Trump administration on Wednesday urged a judge not to dismiss its lawsuit against the city of Boston over its sanctuary immigration policies, saying the ordinance at issue is preempted by federal law.

  • January 07, 2026

    Philadelphia Settles Cops' OT Suit 6 Days Before Trial

    A group of mid-ranking officers in Philadelphia's police department have settled an overtime lawsuit against the city and the department's leaders, less than a week before it could have gone to trial.

  • January 07, 2026

    NJ Town Blasts 'Litigation Tactic' In Mall Sunday Sales Suit

    The New Jersey borough that's home to the American Dream megamall has asked a state judge to dismiss another municipality's lawsuit challenging Sunday sales there, arguing that the complaint failed to articulate any legally cognizable claim against the borough.

  • January 07, 2026

    Chief Cook Co. Judge Highlights First Month's Reforms

    In his first month on the job, Cook County Chief Judge Charles Beach has restructured the court to create three new deputy chief judge positions and has taken steps to review the court's pretrial electronic monitoring practices.

  • January 07, 2026

    FCC Plans To Raise Power Limits For Unlicensed 6 GHz Use

    The Federal Communications Commission plans to vote this month on whether to expand unlicensed uses of the 6 gigahertz airwaves, aiming to make more room for Wi-Fi, the Internet of Things and augmented and virtual reality.

  • January 07, 2026

    FERC Defends Grid Planning Policy Revamp At 4th Circ.

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has told the Fourth Circuit that the overhaul of its regional transmission planning policy was needed to address a pervasive failure to efficiently build out the U.S. electric grid, and that allegations the agency acted unlawfully are meritless.

  • January 07, 2026

    Jones Day Adds Ex-SEC Deputy Enforcement Director In Ga.

    Jones Day has added to its Atlanta investigations and white collar defense practice a former deputy enforcement director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the firm announced on Wednesday.

  • January 07, 2026

    FCC Urged To Revisit AT&T-UScellular Spectrum Deal OK

    Consumer advocates are teaming up with rural wireless carriers to call for the Federal Communications Commission to reverse its recent approval of a $1 billion deal for AT&T to snap up spectrum held by broken-up UScellular.

  • January 07, 2026

    Ind. House Bill Would Stop Property Taxes And Assessments

    Indiana would bar political subdivisions from assessing and taxing tangible property and instead allow school corporations to impose an annual fee to attempt to make up revenue under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives. 

  • January 07, 2026

    Law Firms Step Up To Navigate Biz Opportunities In Venezuela

    Law firms are gearing up to assist clients exploring potential business opportunities in Venezuela following President Donald Trump's announcement that the U.S. would "run" the country for the time being after the arrest of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on narco-conspiracy charges.

  • January 07, 2026

    Cruz Tells House Speaker To Move On Judicial Impeachments

    Ahead of a hearing on impeachment of "rogue judges" on Wednesday, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, increased pressure on House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to advance impeachment proceedings against federal judges in D.C. and Maryland.

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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