Public Policy

  • February 25, 2026

    Patterson Belknap Adds Ex-SDNY Prosecutor Maurene Comey

    Former Manhattan federal prosecutor Maurene Comey, who handled some of the nation's highest-profile cases before she was fired by the Trump administration, has joined Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, the firm announced Wednesday.

  • February 24, 2026

    Trump Declares 'War On Fraud,' Led By VP Vance

    President Donald Trump declared at his State of the Union address on Tuesday night that Vice President JD Vance will lead the "war on fraud."

  • February 24, 2026

    DC Circ. Weighs Power To Keep CFPB Job Cuts On Hold

    D.C. Circuit judges wrestled Tuesday with the Trump administration's push to lift an injunction blocking mass layoffs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, signaling doubts about the government's position that the lower court order was wholly ill-founded and overbroad.

  • February 24, 2026

    Trump Says Countries Will Keep Deals Despite Tariff Ruling

    President Donald Trump said trade deals reached with countries underpinned by tariffs invalidated by the U.S. Supreme Court would continue to be honored during his State of the Union on Tuesday evening, although it remained unclear precisely how those duty terms will be reimposed domestically.

  • February 24, 2026

    Ariz., Calif. Lead Suit Over 'Senseless' HHS Vaccine Overhaul

    Arizona and California are leading a coalition of states challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' decision to cut vaccine recommendations for American children, alleging in a lawsuit Tuesday that the "unprecedented attack" stems from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "unscientific hostility to vaccines."

  • February 24, 2026

    SDNY's New Self-Report Policy Eases Path To Declinations

    Manhattan federal prosecutors on Tuesday unveiled a new business-friendly corporate criminal enforcement policy for companies that promptly self-report financial crimes, promising declinations and no fines or monitors for eligible companies that turn themselves in.

  • February 24, 2026

    Ill. Café Urges 7th Circ. To Revive Licensing Bias Suit

    A Chicago-area café urged the Seventh Circuit on Tuesday to revive claims that it was unconstitutionally denied a liquor license for a tavern it planned to acquire, saying admitted animus over the owner's effort to shed light on red-light-camera-related corruption should overcome any rational basis analysis over the denial.

  • February 24, 2026

    High Court Rejects NJ Towns' Bid To Pause Housing Rule

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to pause a provision of New Jersey's affordable housing framework that a coalition of state municipalities said unfairly places all responsibility for building such housing on non-urban municipalities.

  • February 24, 2026

    Voters Can't Have Say In PUD Project, Developers Claim

    A ballot measure in Greeley, Colorado, attempting to overturn the creation of a planned unit development project is under fire from three signatories, which claimed in a complaint filed in state court Monday that the ballot measure is unconstitutional.

  • February 24, 2026

    10th, 5th Circ. Stalwarts Step Back From Bench

    U.S. Circuit Judge Timothy Tymkovich has announced that he'll take senior status from his seat on the Tenth Circuit, just a day after U.S. Circuit Judge James L. Dennis said he'd step down from the Fifth Circuit.

  • February 24, 2026

    DC Circ. Presses Gov't On Reason For $20B EPA Clawback

    The full D.C. Circuit gave the federal government the third degree Tuesday as it tried to convince the court that it should stick with a panel's decision that the Environmental Protection Agency is allowed to freeze $20 billion in grant funds intended for green groups.

  • February 24, 2026

    Denver Schools Face Racketeering, Mortgage-Scheme Suit

    A group of parents with students in the Denver Public Schools system claimed in a complaint Tuesday that DPS has illegally been mortgaging numerous school district-owned properties for decades, which has created a "financial catastrophe" and "extraordinary debt situation" for the school district.

  • February 24, 2026

    DJI Asks 9th Circ. To Strike Down FCC 'Covered List' Ruling

    Drone maker DJI has decided not to wait to find out whether the Federal Communications Commission will reconsider its decision to place many of its products on the "covered list" before appealing to the Ninth Circuit the ruling declaring its products suspect.

  • February 24, 2026

    Heirs Push DC Circ. To Rehear Nazi Art Expropriation Case

    The descendants of a Hungarian Jewish art collector trying to recover a Nazi-looted art collection have asked the full D.C. Circuit to rehear their appeal, arguing that a three-judge panel of the court erred in affirming a lower court's dismissal of their lawsuit.

  • February 24, 2026

    Tariff-Related Disputes May Go Beyond Just Refunds

    In addition to the likely chaotic refund process to follow last week's bombshell U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down the Trump administration's broad tariff regime, the decision could also result in a wide range of private commercial disputes, and possibly even investment treaty claims against the U.S.

  • February 24, 2026

    Enbridge Opposes High Court Exam Of Mich. Immunity Claims

    Enbridge Energy is urging the U.S. Supreme Court not to examine the Michigan governor's sovereign immunity claims as it fights her decision to revoke a pipeline easement, arguing she has sought to "manufacture" a conflict in federal precedent.

  • February 24, 2026

    Justices Urged To Restore 'Critical Limits' To SEC Sanction

    The U.S. Supreme Court should make it clear that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission cannot seek disgorgement from wrongdoers without first identifying victims who have suffered financial harm, the justices heard as briefing got underway in a case that could curb the agency's ability to collect money from alleged fraudsters. 

  • February 24, 2026

    IPhones Are Radios, Not Phones, Under Wash. Consumer Law

    A federal judge tossed a case accusing Apple, Best Buy and Walmart of breaking a Washington state law meant to protect telephone buyers, ruling in a matter of first impression that iPhones qualify as radio equipment, not telephone handsets, for the purposes of the state's Telephone Buyers' Protection Act.

  • February 24, 2026

    Agri Stats To Face DOJ In May Info-Sharing Antitrust Trial

    A Minnesota federal judge refused Tuesday to let Agri Stats duck the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust case alleging the companies' protein industry reports help major producers hike prices, teeing up the case for trial and at the same time allowing the government to take over an early May trial slot.

  • February 24, 2026

    Watchdog Fines Debt Collector $100K For Repeat Calls To ER

    Connecticut's banking regulator has issued a cease-and-desist order and levied a $100,000 civil penalty against an unlicensed debt collector that it accused of placing two back-to-back phone calls to a hospital emergency room in an effort to reach a debtor.

  • February 24, 2026

    Ariz. Bill To Limit 'No Surprises' Arbitration Offers Put On Hold

    A powerful Arizona state lawmaker this week agreed to pause his proposal to establish limits on how much medical providers can seek under the No Surprises Act arbitration system, saying the legislation needs more work and he'll bring it back next year.

  • February 24, 2026

    Mich. Judge Bars 'Hearsay' Testimony In Flint Water Trial

    A Michigan federal judge on Tuesday sharply limited the scope of testimony in the Flint water trial from a regional counsel for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ruling the attorney may not serve as a "conduit for hearsay" or narrate events he learned through preparation for a deposition.

  • February 24, 2026

    Coinbase Asks Judge To Bar Ill. Action Over Event Contracts

    Coinbase urged an Illinois federal judge Tuesday to grant an injunction blocking the state's enforcement of its gaming laws against the company's sports-related event contracts offerings, arguing that effort "falls right in the heartland of preempted state laws" and that such transactions can only be regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

  • February 24, 2026

    Feds' White Collar Crime Enforcement 'Retreat' Raises Alarms

    Money laundering-related fines and tax fraud investigations plummeted last year as President Donald Trump shifted federal agents away from combating financial crime to focus on the immigration crackdown, according to recent reports that have raised alarms among experts about the state of white collar enforcement in the U.S.

  • February 24, 2026

    11th Circ. Clears Path For CFPB's Clean-Energy Loan Rule

    The Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday allowed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's new rule on clean-energy home improvement loans to take effect next week, rejecting a last-ditch attempt by a trade group to block the Biden-era measure's mortgage-style protections.

Expert Analysis

  • What's At Stake In Possible Circuit Split On Medicaid Rule

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    A recent Eleventh Circuit decision, reviving Florida's lawsuit against a federal rule that reduces Medicaid funding based on agreements between hospitals, sets up a potential circuit split with the Fifth Circuit, with important ramifications for states looking to private administrators to run provider tax programs, say Liz Goodman, Karuna Seshasai and Rebecca Pitt at FTI Consulting.

  • How States Are Advancing Enviro Justice Policies

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    The federal pullback on environmental justice creates uncertainty and impedes cross‑jurisdictional coordination, but EJ diligence remains prudent risk management, with many states having developed and implemented statutes, screening tools, permitting standards and more, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • CFIUS Risk Lessons From Chips Biz Divestment Order

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    President Donald Trump's January executive order directing HieFo to unwind its 2024 acquisition of a semiconductor business with ties to China underscores that even modestly sized transactions can attract CFIUS interest if they could affect strategic areas prioritized by the U.S. government, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • What Applicants Can Expect From Calif. Crypto License Law

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    With the July effective date for California's Digital Financial Assets Law fast approaching, now is a critical time for companies to prepare for licensure, application and coverage compliance ahead of this significant regulatory milestone that will reshape how digital asset businesses operate in California, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Elections Mean Time For Political Law Compliance Checkups

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    An active election year is the perfect time for in-house counsel to conduct a health check on their company's corporate political law compliance program to ensure it’s prepared to minimize risks related to electoral engagement, lobbying, pay-to-play laws and government ethics rules, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • Next Steps For Fair Housing Enforcement As HUD Backs Out

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    A soon-to-be-finalized U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development rule, which would hand responsibility for determining disparate impact liability under the Fair Housing Act to the courts, reinforces the Trump administration’s wider rollback of fair lending enforcement, yet there are reasons to expect litigation challenging this change, say attorneys at Spencer Fane.

  • Malpractice Claim Assignability Continues To Divide Courts

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    Recent decisions from courts across the country demonstrate how different jurisdictions balance competing policy interests in determining whether legal malpractice claims can be assigned, providing a framework to identify when and how to challenge any attempted assignment, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin & Lodgen.

  • As Federal Enviro Justice Policy Goes Dormant, All Is Not Lost

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    Environmental justice is enduring a federal dormancy brought on by executive branch reversals and agency directives over the past year that have swept long-standing federal frameworks from the formal policy ledger, but the legal underpinnings of EJ have not vanished and remain important, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • What Clarity Act Delay Reveals About US Crypto Regulation

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    The Senate Banking Committee's decision to delay markup of the Clarity Act, which would establish a comprehensive federal framework for digital assets, illuminates the political and structural obstacles that shape U.S. crypto regulation, despite years of bipartisan calls for regulatory clarity, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.

  • Courts' Rare Quash Of DOJ Subpoenas Has Lessons For Cos.

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    In a rare move, three federal courts recently quashed or partially quashed expansive U.S. Department of Justice administrative subpoenas issued to providers of gender-affirming care, demonstrating that courts will scrutinize purpose, cabin statutory authority and acknowledge the profound privacy burdens of overbroad government demands for sensitive records, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • The Little Tucker Act's Big Class Action Moment

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    The Little Tucker Act, which allows claims against the government for illegally exacted fees, is transforming from a niche procedural mechanism into a powerful vehicle for class action litigation, with more than $500 billion in such fees — including President Donald Trump's tariffs — now ripe for challenge, says Dinis Cheian at Susman Godfrey.

  • Venezuela Legal Shifts May Create Investment Opportunities

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    Since the removal of President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela has shown signs of economic liberalization, particularly in the oil and mining sectors, presenting unique — but still high-risk — investment opportunities for U.S. companies, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Unpacking Dormant Commerce Clause Cannabis Circuit Split

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    Federal courts have reached differing conclusions as to whether state-legal cannabis is subject to the dormant commerce clause, with four opinions across three circuit courts in the last year demonstrating the continued salience of the dormant commerce clause debate to the nation's cannabis industry, regulators and policymakers, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Remote Patient Monitoring Is At Regulatory Inflection Point

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    With remote patient monitoring at the center of new federal pilot programs and a recent report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General examining Medicare billing for those services, it is clear that balancing innovation and risk will be a central challenge ahead for digital health stakeholders, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • How Latest Nasdaq Proposals Stand To Raise Listings Quality

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    Nasdaq's recent proposals stand to heighten both quantitative and qualitative standards for issuers, which, if approved, may bring investors stronger market integrity and access but also raise the listings bar, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

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