Public Policy

  • August 01, 2025

    NC Man Warns Justices Of 'Odor Alone' Pot-Search Dangers

    A North Carolina man who pled guilty to firearms charges after police found a weapon in his vehicle after smelling cannabis is urging the state's Supreme Court to find that the odor alone is not enough to establish probable cause, saying the current state of the law means anyone carrying state-legal hemp effectively gives up their Fourth Amendment right to be free of unreasonable searches.

  • August 01, 2025

    IP Owners Largely Win In Stewart's Newest Discretion Orders

    Acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart dismissed most of the 50 petitions for inter partes review addressed in her latest decisions over discretionary denials at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

  • August 01, 2025

    NJ Court Will Mull Legality Of Habba's US Atty Appointment

    If Alina Habba was illegally appointed acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey, a pair of defendants in a drug trafficking case are not entitled to dismissal of the indictment, but it "appears appropriate" that Habba would be barred from prosecuting them, a federal judge ruled Friday.

  • August 01, 2025

    Right-Wing Duo Cop To Robocall Voter Suppression Charges

    Two Virginia-based right-wing activists accepted a plea on felony charges on Friday for leading a misinformation robocall campaign that discouraged Black voters from voting by mail in the 2020 election, the Michigan attorney general's office announced.

  • August 01, 2025

    DC Circ. Upholds FERC's Limited Review Of Texas Pipeline

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday backed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's decision to limit its review of a Texas pipeline to a 1,000-foot section near the U.S.-Mexico border, saying the agency had reasonably explained why a broader review wasn't required.

  • August 01, 2025

    USPTO Tightens Rules On Patent Challengers' Arguments

    Patent challengers at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board will no longer be able to skirt a requirement that they must identify where all the elements of the patent are found in prior art patents or printed publications, according to a notice from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

  • August 01, 2025

    GOP Reps Eye Reforms To Landmark Bank Data Privacy Law

    Republican lawmakers have kicked off a review that could lay the groundwork for new financial data privacy legislation, soliciting public input on whether and how to overhaul a law that governs financial institutions' handling of consumer financial records.

  • August 01, 2025

    Judge Suspends Expedited Removals Of Parolees

    A D.C. federal judge on Friday paused the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's ability to subject noncitizens who were paroled into the country to expedited removal proceedings, finding that DHS' use of the practice on this population exceeded the agency's authority.

  • August 01, 2025

    Trade Deals And Tariff Delays Leave Some Details Unclear

    President Donald Trump again delayed higher tariff rates that were set to take effect Friday, pushing their implementation another week as trade lawyers seek technical details associated with the latest announced framework trade deals, including how transshipped goods will be defined.

  • August 01, 2025

    AGs Sue Trump Over 'Onslaught Of Pressure' On Trans Care

    The Trump administration has improperly "weaponized" federal laws against drug misbranding, false claims and female genital mutilation as part of a pressure campaign to undermine state protections for gender-affirming care, a coalition of state attorneys general argued in a new suit Friday.

  • August 01, 2025

    SEC To Explore Internal Use Of AI With New Task Force

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Friday that it plans to ramp up its internal use of artificial intelligence tools with a new task force led by a veteran staffer who's recently led the agency's fintech efforts.

  • August 01, 2025

    Calif. Tribe Can't Halt Tobacco Ruling Amid Ninth Circuit Fight

    A California federal court won't order the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to remove the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians from a noncompliance list over the alleged sale of cigarettes to non-Native customers while the tribe appeals the decision to the Ninth Circuit.

  • August 01, 2025

    Del. Bankruptcy Judge Will Retain Ga. Dorm Operator's Ch. 11

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge refused to move the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of dorm operator Corvias Campus Living-USG LLC to Georgia, entering an order Friday denying a bid by the University System of Georgia's board of regents to relocate the proceedings.

  • August 01, 2025

    7th Circ. Tosses Rehab's Zoning Row With Ind. Town

    The Seventh Circuit affirmed an Indiana town's win on Friday in an Americans with Disabilities Act and Rehabilitation Act suit lodged by companies that wanted to convert a local nursing home into a rehab facility.

  • August 01, 2025

    En Banc 9th Circ. Backs LA Schools In Vax Mandate Fight

    A majority en banc Ninth Circuit has affirmed a lower court's decision upholding Los Angeles Unified School District's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees, while two partially dissenting judges disagreed with the majority's conclusion that the policy passes constitutional muster.

  • August 01, 2025

    Village Ordinance Wrongly Bans Wind Farms, Ill. Panel Says

    An Illinois state appellate court majority on Friday reversed a village's summary judgment win in a lawsuit targeting an ordinance purportedly setting wind power generation limits, saying the ordinance effectively bans commercial wind farms without statutory authority.

  • August 01, 2025

    Normal Wear Is On Landlord's Dime, Not Renters', Court Says

    Massachusetts' highest court on Friday concluded that landlords cannot ding a tenant's security deposit for normal wear and tear like scuffs on walls, nor can they force a tenant to pay for professional cleanings during a moveout.

  • August 01, 2025

    States Urge High Court To Keep NIH Grant Funds Flowing

    A coalition of 16 states pressed the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to reject the Trump administration's push to resume the mass termination of scientific research grants, saying a district judge had authority to pause the cuts.

  • August 01, 2025

    1st Circ. Doubtful Of Trump's Stance On Birthright Citizenship

    The First Circuit on Friday seemed inclined to say that the children of unauthorized immigrants are citizens if they were born on U.S. soil, citing both the 14th Amendment and a subsequent U.S. Supreme Court ruling and pushing back on an argument by President Donald Trump's administration.

  • August 01, 2025

    4th Circ. Says Richmond PD Bias Claims Can't Sink Indictment

    The Fourth Circuit on Friday restored a federal grand jury indictment against a driver who fled police in Richmond, Virginia, finding a district court overstepped in blaming purported racial bias by the Richmond Police Department for the otherwise justifiable traffic stop.

  • August 01, 2025

    Texas Judge Says States Can Pursue BlackRock Coal Suit

    A Texas federal judge Friday gave Texas and other states the go-ahead to pursue claims that BlackRock Inc. and other asset managers used market muscle to decrease coal production, saying the states plausibly showed that the asset managers breached antitrust laws.

  • August 01, 2025

    Dems Want Probe Of DOJ's HPE-Juniper Settlement

    A quartet of Senate Democrats called Friday for the U.S. Department of Justice's internal watchdog to look for "improper business and political considerations" in the settlement permitting Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks.

  • August 01, 2025

    Alaskan Tribe's Breach Claim Axed In Gold Mine Permit Fight

    An Alaska judge threw out a breach of trust claim against the federal government and a mining company in a challenge to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decision to issue a permit for an open gold mine near the Yukon border.

  • August 01, 2025

    Senate Bill Would Ramp Up Oversight Of FCC Broadband Map

    A bipartisan pair of lawmakers filed a bill to ensure the Federal Communications Commission keeps tabs on the accuracy of broadband maps used to pinpoint where funding is needed for high-speed internet service.

  • August 01, 2025

    US Defends Bulk Denial Of Worker Credits At 9th Circ.

    An Arizona federal court was right to deny a request by tax services firms to stop the IRS from issuing batch denials of thousands of pandemic-era worker credit claims, the U.S. told the Ninth Circuit, defending the agency's system for handling problems administering the tax credit.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    IRS Should Work With Industry On Microcaptive Regs

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    The IRS should engage with microcaptive insurance owners to develop better regulations on these arrangements or risk the emergence of common law guidance as taxpayers with legitimate programs seek relief in the federal courts, says Dustin Carlson at SRA 831(b) Admin.

  • How Providers Can Brace For Drug Pricing Policy Changes

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    Though it's uncertain which provisions of the Trump administration's executive order aimed at addressing prescription drug costs will eventually be implemented, stakeholders can reduce potential negative outcomes by understanding pathways that could be used to effectuate the order's directives, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Comparing New Neural Data Privacy Laws In 4 States

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    Although no federal law yet addresses neural privacy comprehensively, the combined effect of recent state laws in Colorado, California, Montana and Connecticut is already shaping the regulatory future, but a multistate compliance strategy has quickly become a gating item for those experimenting with neuro-enabled workplace tools, says Kristen Mathews at Cooley.

  • 2025's First Half Brings Regulatory Detours For Fintechs

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    The first half of the year has resulted in a bifurcated regulatory environment for fintechs, featuring narrowed enforcement in some areas, heightened scrutiny in others and a policy window that, with proper compliance, offers meaningful opportunities for innovation, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Debunking 4 Misconceptions Around Texas' IV Therapy Law

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    Despite industry confusion, an IV therapy law enacted in Texas last week may actually be the most business-friendly regulatory development the medical spa industry has seen in recent years, says Keith Lefkowitz at Hendershot Cowart.

  • A Pattern Emerges In Justices' Evaluation Of Veteran Statute

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    The recent Soto v. U.S. decision that the statute of limitations for certain military-related claims does not apply to combat-related special compensation exemplifies the U.S. Supreme Court's view, emerging in two other recent opinions, that it is a reviewing court's obligation to determine the best interpretation of the language used by Congress, says attorney Kenneth Carpenter.

  • Opinion

    Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

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    The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.

  • Psychedelic Treatment Regs May Be At A Tipping Point

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    Recent scientific and public attention suggest that development of psychedelics as treatment for some conditions may be at a tipping point, which could bring on more rapid change and opportunities for stakeholders who may in the future benefit from greater access to safe and effective psychedelic medicines, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • In NRC Ruling, Justices Affirm Hearing Process Still Matters

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas safeguards the fairness, clarity and predictability of the regulatory system by affirming that to challenge an agency's decision in court, litigants must first meaningfully participate in the hearing process that Congress and the agency have established, says Jonathan Rund at the Nuclear Energy Institute.

  • Comparing Stablecoin Bills From UK, EU, US And Hong Kong

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    For multinational stablecoin issuers, navigating the differences and similarities among regimes in the U.K., EU, Hong Kong and U.S., which are currently unfolding in several key ways, is critical to achieving scalable, compliant operations, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Baseball Can Teach Criminal Attys About Rule Of Lenity

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    Judges tend to assess ambiguous criminal laws not unlike how baseball umpires approach checked swings, so defense attorneys should consider how to best frame their arguments to maximize courts' willingness to invoke the rule of lenity, wherein a tie goes to the defendant, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • Series

    Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.

  • Focusing On Fluoride: From FDA To Class Action

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    A class action filed two days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans to remove ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children from the market may be the tip of the iceberg in terms of the connection between government pronouncements on safety and their immediate use as evidence in lawsuits, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.

  • How Energy Cos. Can Prepare For Potential Tax Credit Cuts

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    The Senate Finance Committee's version of the One Big Beautiful Bill act would create a steep phaseout of renewable energy tax credits, which should prompt companies to take several actions, including conduct a project review to discern which could begin construction before the end of the year, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • The CFTC Is Shaking Up Sports Betting's Legal Future

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    The sports betting industry faces a potential sea change amid recent state and federal actions across the regulatory landscape that have expanded access to sporting event contracts against the backdrop of waning Commodity Futures Trading Commission opposition, says Nick Covek at Foley & Lardner.

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