Public Policy

  • August 21, 2025

    Consumer Advocates Blast FERC Inaction On Power Auction

    Consumer advocates and municipal utilities have told the D.C. Circuit that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission can't use a Third Circuit ruling to claim it is powerless to prevent the rerunning of a flawed electricity capacity auction that overcharged consumers by $183 million.

  • August 21, 2025

    DC Circ. Lets Trump's NCUA Board Purge Stand Amid Appeal

    A D.C. Circuit panel said Thursday that the Trump administration can continue blocking two ousted National Credit Union Administration leaders from returning to the agency's board while it appeals a lower-court ruling reinstating them.

  • August 21, 2025

    Property Owners Say SF Vacancy Tax Violates Rights

    A San Francisco levy on vacant residential units is not a tax, but a penalty, and violates property owners' constitutional rights to keep their private property from being taken for public use without just compensation, the owners told a California appellate court.

  • August 21, 2025

    Pro-Israel Group Seeks Sanctions Against Fired Emory Prof

    A pro-Israel foundation has demanded a Georgia federal court sanction a Palestinian-American former Emory University professor who said the foundation was complicit in her ouster from the school, arguing the professor and her attorney have baselessly blamed "an imaginary Jewish conspiracy" for her firing.

  • August 21, 2025

    DC Judge Leaves Travel Ban Intact, But Blocks No-Visa Policy

    A D.C. federal judge ruled Thursday that federal immigration law gives President Donald Trump the authority to implement a ban restricting travel from 19 countries, but does not authorize the executive branch to implement a ban on issuing visas.

  • August 21, 2025

    9th Circ. Rejects Rehearing On Alaskan Willow Oil Project

    A Ninth Circuit panel won't undo its ruling to uphold the federal government's decision to only move forward with alternative versions of the ConocoPhillips Willow project that strayed from its original plans and that Alaskan Native and environmental advocacy groups say will result in full development of the Arctic oil reservoir.

  • August 21, 2025

    CFPB Calls For Input On Open-Banking Fees, Access Issues

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is taking a first step toward reopening its Biden-era open-banking rule, issuing a fresh call for comment on key sticking points that have divided banks and fintech firms and become a focus of industry litigation.

  • August 21, 2025

    GTCR Deal A 'Smokescreen' For Coatings Merger, FTC Says

    GTCR BC Holdings LLC's $627 million bid to buy the nation's largest medical device coatings company is a blatant attempt to overwhelmingly dominate an already highly concentrated market, and the "smokescreen" of a partial divestiture shouldn't convince anyone otherwise, the Federal Trade Commission told an Illinois federal judge Thursday.

  • August 21, 2025

    Trump Urges DC Circ. Not To Review Its Foreign Aid Decision

    The Trump administration is urging the D.C. Circuit to leave its panel's split decision that nonprofits can't force the government to release foreign aid in place, arguing that full en banc review is unnecessary and that private enforcement of the Impoundment Control Act would run afoul of the law.

  • August 21, 2025

    Texas AG Can't Question NGO Over Alleged Border Crossing Aid

    A Texas appellate court shot down the state attorney general's request to take a presuit deposition from an aid organization that allegedly helped unauthorized immigrants cross the southern border, saying in a Thursday split decision the attorney general failed to show adequate evidence.

  • August 21, 2025

    CVS, Drugmakers Illegally Inflated Insulin Prices, City Claims

    Drugmakers Eli Lilly and Co., Novo Nordisk Inc. and Sanofi-Aventis US LLC, pharmacy benefit managers CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and Optum Rx, and others have been hit with civil racketeering and state unfair trade practices law claims by the city of Torrington, Connecticut, over an alleged scheme to inflate insulin prices.

  • August 21, 2025

    FCC Seeks Feedback On New Pole Attachment Deadlines

    The Federal Communications Commission wants industry and interested parties to share what they think about a set of rule changes the agency has proposed to make pole attachment regulations less complicated and hopefully to speed up the deployment of broadband.

  • August 21, 2025

    9th Circ. Lets DHS End More Temporary Protections, For Now

    A Ninth Circuit panel put on hold for now a district court ruling postponing the Trump administration's bid to end temporary protected status for 60,000 people from Nicaragua, Honduras and Nepal, but denied the government's bid to halt the lower court proceedings.

  • August 21, 2025

    Democratic Sen. Urges Trump Admin To Plan For Tariff Refunds

    Senate Small Business Committee ranking member Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., sent a letter Thursday to agency leaders in President Donald Trump's administration requesting the government prepare a tariff refund plan in case federal courts strike down Trump's emergency tariffs.

  • August 21, 2025

    DOJ Gets Backing In Fight Over Public Benefits

    A group that fights to restrict immigration into the U.S. is urging a Rhode Island federal court to let the Trump administration narrow noncitizens' access to programs like Head Start, homeless shelters and food banks, arguing Thursday that a coalition of 20 states is trying to obstruct immigration enforcement and give benefits to "illegal aliens."

  • August 21, 2025

    NHTSA Looking Into Tesla Crash Report Tardiness

    Tesla Inc. must explain why many crashes involving its advanced driver-assistance systems or self-driving vehicles are not being timely reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to a notice filed by federal regulators who are now investigating the company's compliance.

  • August 21, 2025

    High Court Allows Trump Admin To Cancel $783M In NIH Grants

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Trump administration to resume the mass termination of scientific grants, overturning rulings by lower courts that had kept the funds flowing to universities and other recipients. 

  • August 21, 2025

    Minnesota Tax Court Cuts Abbott Labs Property Value By $7M

    A property owned by Abbott Laboratories Inc. was overvalued, and its 2022 assessment should be reduced by about $7 million, the Minnesota Tax Court found.

  • August 21, 2025

    Connecticut, Feds Look To Settle 80-Acre Tribal Land Row

    The state of Connecticut and the Department of the Interior have asked a judge to pause a case over the federal government's proposed acquisition of 80 acres of tribal land so that the matter can be sent to mediation.

  • August 21, 2025

    Mass. Sheriff Pleads Not Guilty To Pot Extortion Scheme

    Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins pled not guilty Thursday in a federal courtroom to charges that he used his position to obtain pre-IPO shares in a cannabis retailer, then a refund when the investment lost money.

  • August 21, 2025

    NJ Court Halts Tower Linked To Menendez Co-Conspirator

    A New Jersey state court judge ordered a developer to halt construction on a mixed-use project formerly headed by a businessman convicted alongside former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, finding the buildings' height is "clearly exceeding" plans approved in 2018.

  • August 21, 2025

    EU, US Agree To Eliminate Industrial Tariffs

    The European Union and the U.S. have agreed on new terms to the trade agreement to eliminate EU tariffs on U.S. industrial products and implement a 15% U.S. tariff cap for most other sectors, according to a joint statement issued Thursday.

  • August 21, 2025

    Texas High Court Takes Down Hurdle On Campaign Prosecutions

    The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has ruled that prosecutors do not need referrals from the Texas Ethics Commission to bring campaign misconduct charges, reversing its own recent decision that had thrown out a grand jury indictment against a former judicial candidate.

  • August 21, 2025

    HHS Wants Out Of Unions' Suit Over Layoffs, Agency Cuts

    The Department of Health and Human Services fought back against amended claims from several unions over layoff notices and the alleged dismantling of an agency focused on worker safety, telling a D.C. federal judge that the unions are pursuing "judicial overreach" in their suit.

  • August 21, 2025

    Treasury Gets New Acting International Tax Counsel

    A deputy international tax counsel for the U.S. Department of the Treasury has been elevated to serve as acting counsel, he said in a post on LinkedIn.

Expert Analysis

  • Navigating Antitrust Risks When Responding To Tariffs

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    Companies should assess competitive perils, implement compliance safeguards and document independent decision-making as they consider their responses to recent tariff pressures, say attorneys at White & Case.

  • Breaking Down Part 3 Of The Copyright Office's AI Report

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    On May 9, the U.S. Copyright Office published a prepublication version of the third and final part of its three-part report on artificial intelligence, offering key insights on the unauthorized use of copyrighted material by AI systems, says Courtney Sarnow at CM Law.

  • 8 Insurer Takeaways From Sweeping Georgia Tort Reform

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    Insurers should take note of several critical components of Georgia's tort litigation overhaul — including limitations on damages anchoring, procedural rules governing dismissals, and liability standards in negligent security cases — and adapt claims-handling strategies to reduce litigation risk, says Lucy Aquino at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Bill Leaves Renewable Cos. In Dark On Farmland Reporting

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    A U.S. Senate bill to update disclosure requirements for foreign control of U.S. farmland does not provide much-needed guidance on how to report renewable energy development on agricultural property, leaving significant compliance risks for project developers, say attorneys at Hodgson Russ.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

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    My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    FCPA Shift Is A Good Start, But There's More DOJ Should Do

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s new Foreign Corrupt Practices Act guidelines bring a needed course correction amid overexpansive enforcement, but there’s more the DOJ can do to provide additional clarity and predictability for global companies, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • 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.

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