Public Policy

  • April 30, 2026

    Colo. Panel OKs Impact Fees On Reconstruction Projects

    Local governments can charge impact fees on new development projects as a condition of issuing a development permit, including on projects other than the development of a raw parcel of land, the Colorado Court of Appeals held Thursday.

  • April 30, 2026

    Critical Mineral Restrictions Up 500% From 2009, OECD Says

    Global export restrictions on critical raw materials that are key for digital and renewable energy technologies increased fivefold between 2009 and 2024, which could lead to greater risks of supply chain vulnerabilities, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said.

  • April 30, 2026

    Fla. High Court Allows Email Service To Foreign Debtor

    The Florida Supreme Court declined to hear a case involving a Maltese citizen's challenge of email service in a law firm's lawsuit to collect fees, validating a recent state law that allows parties to bypass the Hague Convention to serve legal documents to foreign entities electronically.

  • April 30, 2026

    Senate Bars Itself From Prediction Markets

    U.S. senators voted unanimously on Thursday to ban themselves and their staff from trading on prediction markets.

  • April 30, 2026

    5th Circ. Focuses On Whether Texas Disabled Voters Can Sue

    A Fifth Circuit judge questioned Thursday whether voting- and disability-rights groups have standing to challenge parts of a Texas voting security law alleged to make voting harder for Texans with disabilities and whether existing state law gives such voters a path to seek accommodations.

  • April 30, 2026

    UP, Norfolk Southern Refile $85B Merger Bid With Regulators

    Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern on Thursday submitted a revised application to federal rail regulators for their proposed $85 billion mega-merger, touting the efficiencies and cost-savings of their combined coast-to-coast rail network, while also seeking to quell competition concerns.

  • April 30, 2026

    Ga. Power Says Ford, Union Carbide Must Stay In Cancer Suit

    Georgia Power urged a state appellate court Thursday to reverse a trial court's order letting Ford and Union Carbide out of a construction worker's cancer claims, arguing that under the state's 2025 tort reform law, their dismissal would unjustly leave the utility company to face the suit alone.

  • April 30, 2026

    CACI Says High Court Case Will Affect Abu Ghraib Verdict

    CACI Premier Technology Inc. has urged the Fourth Circuit to delay adjudicating its rehearing bid after a panel upheld a $42 million jury award over CACI's conspiracy to torture Iraq War detainees, pointing to a forthcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

  • April 30, 2026

    Antenna Location Near Bermuda Sinks Ala. FM Station Bid

    Selma, Alabama, will not be getting a new low-power FM station after the Federal Communications Commission said an error on the paperwork listed antenna coordinates that nearly reached all the way to Bermuda.

  • April 30, 2026

    Ark. Asks 8th Circ. To Uphold Tribal Gaming License Order

    Arkansas is asking the Eighth Circuit to reject an appeal by two Cherokee Nation entities over the voter referendum revocation of a gaming license in Pope County, arguing that their claims omit crucial details in alleging that the state conspired to violate their constitutional rights.

  • April 30, 2026

    Meta Made $8B From Treasury Guidance On Minimum Tax

    Meta Platforms Inc. booked a more than $8 billion tax benefit from U.S. Treasury Department guidance on the corporate alternative minimum tax that allowed taxpayers to reduce the tax's base, the company said.

  • April 30, 2026

    LSC Decries House Subcommittee's Proposed Budget Cut

    The nation's largest funder of civil legal aid condemned a House appropriations proposal to slash its budget for fiscal year 2027 by more than half, warning Thursday the reduction could leave nearly 3 million Americans without help for critical civil legal problems.

  • April 30, 2026

    Judge Denies Push To Stop Closed Immigration Hearings

    A D.C. federal judge denied a Minnesota human rights organization's request to block immigration judges from restricting public and press access to proceedings, ruling that it failed to show an immediate threat of future harm from unlawful hearing closures.

  • April 30, 2026

    EU-South American Provisional Trade Deal Takes Effect Friday

    The European Union's interim trade agreement with four countries in the South American regional bloc known as Mercosur will begin to apply on a provisional basis Friday, according to news releases issued by the European Commission and members of European Parliament on Thursday.

  • April 30, 2026

    5th Circ. Tosses FCA Suit Against IT Firm Over Visa Fraud

    The Fifth Circuit upheld the dismissal of a man's claims that an India-based information technology and professional services firm violated the False Claims Act via fraudulent visa applications and improper tax withholding, finding no specific payment obligations under the FCA itself.

  • April 30, 2026

    Senate Advances Mont. Judge Pick Rated Unqualified By ABA

    A judicial nominee for the District of Montana who was the only nominee of the second Trump administration so far to receive a "not qualified" rating from the American Bar Association advanced out of committee on Thursday.

  • April 30, 2026

    CFPB Slashes Small-Biz Lender Reporting In Newly Final Rule

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Thursday finalized a major rollback of its Biden-era rule on small-business loan data collection, sharply narrowing the scope of financial institutions and activity subject to the statutorily mandated reporting regime.

  • April 30, 2026

    Judge Seeks Help On Jurisdiction In Trump's Tax Leak Suit

    A Miami federal court appointed six attorneys from three firms to help it determine whether it has jurisdiction in President Donald Trump's suit accusing the IRS of failing to prevent a former contractor from leaking his tax returns to news outlets.

  • April 30, 2026

    Feds Appeal Order Freezing CDC Childhood Vaccine Changes

    The Trump administration said late Wednesday that it's appealing a court order that stopped its pared-down childhood vaccine schedule from going into effect.

  • April 29, 2026

    DOGE Unmasking Order Won't Be Reconsidered, Judge Says

    A New York federal judge Wednesday refused to reconsider ordering Department of Government Efficiency agents to identify themselves in a lawsuit claiming DOGE unlawfully gained access to millions of federal employees' personal information, ruling that the government hasn't offered any new reason for her to rethink her opinion.

  • April 29, 2026

    Tech Group Aims To Halt Minn. Social Media Warning Mandate

    A Minnesota law that requires social media platforms to prominently display mental health warning labels to all users has become the target of the latest First Amendment challenge being pressed by tech trade group NetChoice, which argued in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that the state is using public health concerns to create an unlawful "backdoor" to regulate protected speech. 

  • April 29, 2026

    Judiciary Advisers Back Looser Limits On Defense Subpoenas

    A campaign by white collar defense lawyers against long-standing limits on subpoena powers cleared a key hurdle Wednesday when federal judiciary advisers endorsed earlier and easier access to potentially favorable evidence despite staunch resistance from crime victims' advocates.

  • April 29, 2026

    Youth Hockey Owners Deny Report Of Mich. Antitrust Probe

    A Florida-based organization that buys and operates youth hockey rinks nationwide denied knowledge of a reported Michigan state probe into whether that and similar groups are using anticompetitive behavior in purchasing the facilities.

  • April 29, 2026

    Bipartisan Bill Would Give Parents Control Over Kids' AI Use

    A group of Democratic and Republican senators introduced legislation that would allow parents to keep a better eye on their children's use of chatbots by requiring artificial intelligence companies to establish safeguards the lawmakers say will help protect kids' mental health and social development.

  • April 29, 2026

    Judge Slams $68M DOJ Deal As He Ends Colony Ridge Suit

    A Texas federal judge formally closed a Biden-era lawsuit alleging reverse redlining in a Houston-area development after the U.S. Department of Justice reached a $68 million deal that he says is untethered to the complaint and risks harm to the people claimed to be affected.

Expert Analysis

  • CFTC Actions Show Prediction Market Insider Trading Risks

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    It is a myth that insider trading law does not apply in prediction markets, as the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recent enforcement actions illustrate that it has full authority to pursue such cases federally — and intends to, says attorney Gregg Goldfarb.

  • Rebuttal

    FTC Case Reinforces Established Price Discrimination Rules

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    Far from redefining price discrimination, as contended by a recent Law360 guest article, the Federal Trade Commission's suit against Southern Glazer's falls squarely within the historical interpretation of the Robinson-Patman Act, says retired attorney Irving Scher.

  • Prepping For White House's Proposed AI Framework

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    The artificial intelligence legislative framework issued by the White House last month reframes the policy landscape, creating a number of near-term developments for companies to track as congressional committees attempt to convert the framework into legislative text, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Defense Contractor Tips For Commercial Solutions Openings

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    Defense contractors interested in participating in the Army’s recently announced commercial solutions opening should familiarize themselves with the process, which promotes flexibility but requires prudence in preparing proposals, negotiating award terms, and crafting supporting documents such as teaming agreements and subcontracts, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Opinion

    Apple Discovery Fight Could Revive DOJ's Antitrust Appetite

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    Winning discovery disputes in the ongoing federal antitrust litigation over Apple’s app store practices is a huge opportunity for the Justice Department to return to its once-vigorous pursuit of product tying by tech monopolies, catch up with foreign competition regulators and establish clear standards for digital markets, says Ediberto Roman at Florida International University.

  • 5 Takeaways From Capital Proposals For Community Banks

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    While much commentary has centered on how federal regulators' proposed capital overhaul would affect the biggest banks, there are several aspects that regional and community institutions should note too, including the potential benefits of the expanded risk-based approach and reduced capital requirements for mortgage origination, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Opinion

    State Bars Need To Get Specific About AI Confidentiality

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    Lawyers need to put actual client information into artificial intelligence tools to get their full value, but they cannot confidently do so until state bars offer clear, formal authority on which plan tiers of the three most popular generative AI tools are safe to use when sharing specific client details, says attorney Nick Berk.

  • EPA's Retreat On GHGs Reshapes Preemption Debate

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    In the wake of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rescission of its finding that it can regulate climate-threatening greenhouse gases, states are poised to step up their own GHG regulation — but the EPA's new framework creates substantial uncertainty over the extent of federal preemption, say attorneys at Holland & Hart.

  • The Federal Circuit's Evolving View Of Trade Secrets

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    In recent years, the Federal Circuit's approach to defining "readily ascertainable" information and determining sufficiency of trade secret identification has shifted, trending away from other circuits and potentially presenting a higher bar for trade secrets plaintiffs, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Trump Order Signals Tougher Benefits Fraud Probes

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    A recent order from President Donald Trump establishing a federal taskforce for addressing fraud in federally funded benefit programs emphasizes interagency information sharing, potentially affecting a broad range of areas including government contracts, administrative law considerations and False Claims Act cases, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Justices' Review Of Guam Case Will Mean For Permitting

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    In U.S. Department of the Air Force v. Prutehi Guahan, the U.S. Supreme Court will address whether a federal agency's permit application is a final decision that courts can review — a question whose answer could reshape the timing and strategy of environmental litigation across the federal permitting landscape, say attorneys at Foley Hoag.

  • Calculating Damages In IEEPA Tariff Refund Litigation

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    To calculate damages in the spate of refund litigation triggered by the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision invalidating tariffs collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the central question will be how to determine where in the supply chain their economic burden ultimately came to rest, say analysts at Charles River Associates.

  • Mortgage EO Casts Wide Net In Push To Ease Lending Rules

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    A recent executive order targeting mortgage credit access states an intent to promote competition among all types of lenders and is notable for its breadth, resetting regulatory expectations in a number of areas including origination, digitization and licensing, says Kara Ward at Baker Donelson.

  • Opinion

    Futures Market Anonymity Now Presents A Structural Problem

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    Following anomalous trading on prediction markets just before major recent policy announcements from the Trump administration, many have called on Congress to act, but the problem is not primarily a statutory gap — it is a structural one, built into the self-regulatory model that governs futures exchanges, says Tamara de Silva at De Silva Law Offices.

  • How Calif. Safety Worker Pension Bill Could Cost Employers

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    Public employers should carefully consider how pension costs and bargaining concerns could change under a California Legislature bill that would increase retirement benefits for safety employees like police and firefighters, which could erode previous efforts to fully fund the public retirement system without necessarily improving worker retention, says Michael Youril at Liebert Cassidy.

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