Public Policy

  • February 04, 2026

    Senate Committee Mulls Autonomous Vehicle Standards

    U.S. Senate lawmakers on Wednesday renewed debate over how to craft a federal regulatory framework governing autonomous vehicles in the U.S., as Tesla, Waymo and other industry executives pressed for concrete rules to help drive innovation and competition, while also defending their safety records in the face of recent incidents.

  • February 04, 2026

    NY, NJ Sue Feds Over Hudson River Tunnel Funding Pause

    New York and New Jersey have accused the U.S. Department of Transportation of unlawfully withholding $15 billion to fund the rehabilitation of aging commuter train tunnels under the Hudson River, saying the government did not give a valid reason for the decision.

  • February 04, 2026

    Wash. AG Defends 'Constitutional' Anti-Spam Law In Ulta Suit

    Washington's attorney general is defending the constitutionality of a state anti-spam law, denying arguments by beauty retailer Ulta that the statute is an undue burden on interstate commerce and runs afoul of federal law.

  • February 04, 2026

    Ore. Judge Blocks ICE From Making Warrantless Arrests

    An Oregon federal judge on Wednesday barred ICE from making warrantless immigration arrests in the state without probable cause that an individual is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained, and provisionally certified a class of people who have been or will be swept up in warrantless immigration arrests instate.

  • February 04, 2026

    'Extraordinary Circumstances': Elon Musk Faces USAID Depo

    A Maryland federal judge on Wednesday said billionaire Elon Musk must testify in litigation filed by U.S. Agency for International Development employees claiming he illegally dismantled the foreign aid agency while head of the advisory organization known as the Department of Government Efficiency, saying "extraordinary circumstances justify the deposition."

  • February 04, 2026

    Bessent Says Card Rate Cap's Effects 'Important' To Review

    U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declined to say Wednesday whether he supports President Donald Trump's proposed 10% credit card rate cap, instead telling lawmakers that reining in credit card rewards could be a way to address cost concerns.

  • February 04, 2026

    Wash. Tribes Sue Feds Over $240M Of Salmon Hatchery Funds

    Two tribes in Washington state have sued the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other federal agencies on claims the government unfairly told them they weren't eligible to apply for $240 million of Pacific salmon hatchery funds under the Inflation Reduction Act.

  • February 04, 2026

    Coinbase Sues Nev. To Block 'Unlicensed Wagering' Action

    Coinbase on Wednesday sued Nevada's casino regulator, seeking to block the Silver State's bid to halt the crypto exchange's alleged offering of "unlicensed wagering" to state residents through event contracts on sports and elections until it obtains a state gaming license.

  • February 04, 2026

    Atty Nonprofit Claims Denver Police Withheld Discovery Info

    An attorney nonprofit organization claimed the Denver Police Department is not complying with Colorado open record laws, arguing in Colorado state court that the department denied a records request seeking information about discovery that wasn't shared with defendants in hundreds of criminal cases.

  • February 04, 2026

    USPTO Scraps Interested Party Precedent After New Ruling

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has removed the precedential status of two 2019 decisions addressing the rule that patent challengers must identify all interested parties, saying they were at odds with a decision that was made precedential last year.

  • February 04, 2026

    Texas AG Sues County Over Immigrant Legal Defense Funding

    The Texas attorney general told a state district court that Bexar County unlawfully used taxpayer dollars to fund the legal defense of unauthorized immigrants who are facing deportation proceedings, saying Wednesday the county may have allocated more than $1 million to an allegedly illegal program.

  • February 04, 2026

    Judge Says $40B Ligado Suit Looks 'Destined' For High Court

    Network company Ligado's nearly $40 billion lawsuit accusing the government of wrongly blocking its use of a certain slice of the airwaves seems likely to eventually land in the U.S. Supreme Court, the Federal Circuit's chief judge said Wednesday.

  • February 04, 2026

    Squires Throws Out 23 Patent Challenges, Grants 12

    The latest summary decision from U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires denied 23 America Invents Act petitions and instituted 12 others, bringing his total number of patent challenges granted to 60.

  • February 04, 2026

    HPE Backs DOJ Bid For Final Merger Deal Approval

    Hewlett Packard Enterprise has endorsed the Justice Department's bid for final approval of a controversial settlement permitting the $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks, telling a California federal judge that Democratic state attorneys general have nothing but "vague and inaccurate accusations" that the deal was improper.

  • February 04, 2026

    Minn. Judge Skeptical Of Widespread Refugee Detention

    A Minnesota federal judge on Wednesday appeared to doubt the necessity of sweeping detentions of refugees in Minnesota who have not yet secured their green cards, questioning the Trump administration's powers to return refugees to federal custody.

  • February 04, 2026

    CFTC Withdraws Proposal To Ban Sports, Election Contracts

    U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Chair Michael Selig on Wednesday withdrew a 2024 proposed rule that would have banned trading on the outcome of elections and sporting events, saying the agency will instead float a new rule that promotes "innovation" in derivatives markets.

  • February 04, 2026

    Partisan Permit Reform Won't Last In Long Run, Dem Says

    A Democratic member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday called for bipartisan reform of state and local broadband permitting laws, saying a GOP approach that excludes the other side could stymie the legislation.

  • February 04, 2026

    EPA Can't OK Calif. Engine Emissions Rules, 9th Circ. Told

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency failed to determine whether California's plan to set tighter emissions rules for off-road engines warranted a Clean Air Act waiver before giving the go-ahead to the Golden State, industry groups have told the Ninth Circuit.

  • February 04, 2026

    US Supreme Court Won't Halt New Calif. Congressional Map

    The U.S. Supreme Court will not block California's new, voter-approved congressional districts before they can be used in this year's midterm election while California Republicans appeal their previous failed bid to block the redrawn map that they argue constitutes illegal racial gerrymandering with Democratic officials "maximizing Latino voting strength."

  • February 04, 2026

    Clemency Was 'Broken' Long Before Trump. Can It Be Fixed?

    President Donald Trump has transformed what has historically been a bureaucratic process for seeking federal pardons and commutations into a more freewheeling affair with few clear rules — and no easy solutions for reform, experts say.

  • February 04, 2026

    Ex-Fox News Host Decries Judge Pick's Arbitration Stance

    Gretchen Carlson, a former Fox News anchor and a leading advocate for ending forced arbitration of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace, has come out against a federal judicial nominee for Louisiana for her past comments on the issue.

  • February 04, 2026

    3rd Circ. Asks If Death Scene Photo Row Is Privacy Matter

    The Third Circuit on Wednesday pondered whether the mother of a man who jumped from a bridge to his death was entitled to privacy after a Philadelphia police officer shared a photo of the man's death scene, focusing its questioning on whether there was a reasonable expectation of privacy concerning a public death.

  • February 04, 2026

    NJ Panel Backs Approval Of Orthodox Girls' School Campus

    A New Jersey appellate panel affirmed on Wednesday a township planning board's green light for a private Orthodox Jewish girls school campus, concluding that nearby homeowners failed to show the board acted arbitrarily, capriciously or under any improper influence when it approved the project.

  • February 04, 2026

    'Cop City' Protester Says He Was Arrested Over Ideology

    A man who protested the construction of a police and fire training facility in the Atlanta metro area nicknamed "Cop City" has brought a lawsuit in Georgia federal court against Cobb County and two police officers, alleging he was arrested during a 2024 demonstration because of his political ideology and values.

  • February 04, 2026

    Minn. Tax Court Lowers Tax Value Of Recreational Lot

    A vacant recreational lot in Minnesota should have its market value lowered because a mass appraisal conducted by the county was not reliable, the state Tax Court ruled. 

Expert Analysis

  • Reviewing 2025's Most Pertinent Wiretap Developments

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    2025 was a remarkable year in the world of web tracking wiretapping litigation, not only for the increased caseload but also because of numerous developing theories of liability, with disputes expected to continue unabated in 2026, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • 2025 Legal Milestones That Will Shape Psychedelics Sector

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    As 2025 draws to a close, psychedelic drug development stands at an inflection point, experiencing unprecedented momentum through recent sweeping regulatory changes and landmark clinical milestones, amid rapidly evolving regulatory expectations, say Odette Hauke at Odette Alina LLC and Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell.

  • M&A Midmarket Shows Resilience Amid 2025 Challenges

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    Midmarket mergers and acquisitions showed a slight decline in volume but climbed in value for much of 2025, particularly in the private equity space, indicating that the middle market M&A environment is cautious but steady heading into 2026, say attorneys at Stoel Rives.

  • Del. Dispatch: Key 2025 Corporate Cases And Trends To Know

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    The Delaware corporate legal landscape saw notable changes in 2025, spurred by amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law, ubiquitous artificial intelligence fervor, boardroom discussion around DExit, record shareholder activism activity and an arguably more expansive view of potential Caremark liability, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Series

    Nature Photography Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Nature photography reminds me to focus on what is in front of me and to slow down to achieve success, and, in embracing the value of viewing situations through different lenses, offers skills transferable to the practice of law, says Brian Willett at Saul Ewing.

  • 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.

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