Public Policy

  • February 03, 2026

    NY-NJ Commission Sues Over Frozen Hudson Tunnel Funding

    The bi-state commission overseeing the $16 billion rehabilitation of aging commuter train tunnels under the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey has sued the Trump administration, alleging it's illegally withholding federal funds and jeopardizing the project, which is days away from having to shut down construction.

  • February 03, 2026

    IRS Floats Clean Fuel Credit Rules With Foreign Restrictions

    The Internal Revenue Service released long-awaited proposed regulations Tuesday clarifying how domestic transportation fuel producers can qualify for the clean energy fuel tax credit under changes made by Republicans' 2025 budget law, including new foreign restrictions on business owners and feedstock sources.

  • February 03, 2026

    3rd Circ. Says Contractor Payments Not Payroll Costs For PPP

    The Third Circuit sided with the Small Business Administration on Tuesday in the case of an IT company seeking full forgiveness of a $7.2 million Paycheck Protection Program loan, ruling that the SBA was within its rights to deny forgiveness because the company's payments to independent contractors did not count as "payroll costs."

  • February 03, 2026

    Senate Confirms Picks For Texas, Ark. District Court Seats

    The Senate confirmed two U.S. district court judges, for Texas and Arkansas, on Tuesday.

  • February 03, 2026

    OCC's Ex-Chief Of Enforcement Joins Morgan Lewis In DC

    A former acting director of enforcement at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has joined Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP's financial regulatory and enforcement litigation and investment management practices in Washington, D.C., marking his first move into private practice following an extensive career in public service.

  • February 03, 2026

    Trump Signs Funding Bills, DHS Reform Still To Be Addressed

    The House voted 217-214 on Tuesday to pass the five remaining spending bills for fiscal 2026 and a continuing resolution for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which kicks off a 10-day sprint for lawmakers to work on reforms to immigration enforcement before triggering another government shutdown.

  • February 03, 2026

    'Sham' System Denies Ark. Parolees Counsel, Suit Claims

    The Arkansas Department of Corrections and its parole board have been hit with a proposed class action in federal court, claiming the state agencies have been refusing to provide a public defender during what the suit calls "sham" parole revocation hearings.

  • February 03, 2026

    Feds Fight Cyberstalking Atty's Bid For Pretrial Release

    The U.S. government has asked a Texas federal judge to reject a bid for pretrial release from a currently detained attorney charged with cyberstalking other attorneys at BigLaw firms.

  • February 03, 2026

    Dem Lawmakers Win Block On New ICE Detention Visit Policy

    A D.C. federal judge temporarily blocked a Trump administration policy that had required Congress members to provide a week's notice before making oversight visits to immigrant detention facilities, ruling the policy will likely be found unlawful.

  • February 03, 2026

    Clark Hill Expands Energy, Lobbying Teams With Hinshaw Atty

    An attorney with more than 20 years of experience advising clients on energy litigation matters and policy has moved her practice to Clark Hill PLC's Washington, D.C., office after nearly three years with Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP.

  • February 03, 2026

    Md. Lawmaker Pitches Urban Agriculture Property Tax Credit

    Maryland would allow more properties to qualify for local-option tax breaks for urban agriculture under legislation pitched to a state House of Delegates panel Tuesday.

  • February 03, 2026

    1st Circ. Pushes For Settlement In Mass. 'Right-To-Repair' Suit

    The First Circuit suggested Tuesday that major automakers and the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office should work together to resolve a suit over compliance with a state law requiring open access to vehicle telematics systems.

  • February 03, 2026

    Trump's Iron Ore Pollution Exemption Is Unlawful, Enviros Say

    Environmental groups asked a D.C. federal judge to overturn a Trump administration decision to exempt low-grade iron ore processing facilities from new emission standards for mercury and acidic gases, alleging the president abused a provision in the Clean Air Act.

  • February 03, 2026

    Approach The Bench: Judge Yew Warns Of Deepfake Evidence

    After decades on the bench of the Santa Clara County Superior Court, Judge Erica Yew began to regard the future of courtroom evidence with some trepidation, as the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence made it easier to falsify documents, photos and videos.

  • February 03, 2026

    Calif. Justices Rule Loose Pot Is Not 'Open Container'

    The California Supreme Court has ruled that the mere presence of loose cannabis in a vehicle doesn't trigger the state's "open container" law, but instead it must be in a usable quantity and readily accessible to the driver to create probable cause that justifies a search.

  • February 03, 2026

    Kan. Bill Would Increase School Property Tax Exemption

    Kansas would increase its school property tax exemption for 2027 under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives. 

  • February 03, 2026

    Kan. Bill Would Allow Liquor Tax Hike For Property Reduction

    Kansas would allow localities to increase their liquor tax rates if approved by voters in order to offset revenue losses from lowering property tax rates in the area under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.

  • February 03, 2026

    Habeas Cases Flood Courts After Immigrant Detention Shift

    Federal courts have been inundated with a flood of cases stemming from the Trump administration's revised approach to the detention of unauthorized immigrants, with judges routinely ruling against the government as immigration attorneys scramble to keep up.

  • February 02, 2026

    Trump Admin's Bid To End Haitian Protections Paused

    A D.C. federal judge on Monday postponed the Trump administration's termination of temporary protected status for Haitians, saying five Haitian nationals who sued the administration are likely to succeed in showing that the termination is unlawful.

  • February 02, 2026

    'Doesn't Make Sense': DOJ Irks Judge In Merger Fight With AGs

    A California federal judge said Monday that the U.S. Department of Justice must hand over certain discovery materials to Democratic attorneys general challenging the DOJ's controversial settlement greenlighting the $14 billion merger of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Juniper Networks, telling the DOJ that its argument that discussions of alternative remedies are shielded from discovery "doesn't make sense."

  • February 02, 2026

    Calif. Cities Challenge DOJ Rules For Child Exploitation Funds

    San Diego and San Jose have sued the U.S. Department of Justice over new requirements for Internet Crimes Against Children program grant recipients, claiming that the federal government is unconstitutionally trying to force its immigration and diversity agendas on local governments and other grant recipients.

  • February 02, 2026

    EPA Slow To Intervene In Flint Water Crisis, Expert Tells Court

    A former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official testified Monday in Michigan federal court that the agency should have intervened in the Flint water crisis a year before issuing its warning over high lead levels.

  • February 02, 2026

    Ex-Goldstein Employee Claims Accountants Made Mistakes

    Defense attorneys for SCOTUSblog founder Thomas Goldstein presented evidence Monday that his firm's tax accountants made serious mistakes in tax filings for Goldstein's wife, Amy Howe, in 2021.

  • February 02, 2026

    COVID-Era Eviction Pause Was Illegal, Wash. Landlords Claim

    Moratoriums that shielded Washington renters from eviction during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic unconstitutionally forced property owners to house tenants who otherwise had no right to remain in their units, according to a lawsuit removed to federal court in Tacoma Friday by one of the local governments being sued.

  • February 02, 2026

    DC Circ. Gets History Lesson As Tribe Fights For Utah Land

    The D.C. Circuit got a lesson in tribal history dating back to the 19th century as lawyers for the federal government and a Native American tribe argued Monday whether a congressional act gives the tribe compensable title to 1.5 million acres of Utah land where an oilfield lies.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • What Trump Order Limiting State AI Regs Means For Insurers

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    Last week's executive order seeking to preclude states from regulating artificial intelligence will likely have minimal impact on insurers, but the order and related congressional activities may portend a federal expectation of consistent state oversight of insurers' AI use, says Kathleen Birrane at DLA Piper.

  • Opinion

    A Uniform Federal Rule Would Curb Gen AI Missteps In Court

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    To address the patchwork of courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence, curbing abuses and relieving the burden on judges, the federal judiciary should consider amending its civil procedure rules to require litigants to certify they’ve reviewed legal filings for accuracy, say attorneys at Shook Hardy.

  • Investment Advisers Should Stay Apprised Of New AI Risks

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently issued annual examination priorities reiterate a host of regulatory implications for investment advisers using artificial intelligence tools, highlighting that meaningful ongoing due diligence can help mitigate both operational and regulatory surprises amid AI's rapid evolution, says Christopher Mills at Sidley.

  • New Rule Shows NRC Willing To Move Fast To Reform Regs

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    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s decision to forgo public comment and immediately rescind certain rules governing adjudicatory procedures, federal tort claims and disclosure of licensee information signals the agency's intent to accelerate the regulatory streamlining efforts ordered by the president this spring, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • AG Watch: Texas Junk Fee Deal Shows Enforcement Priorities

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    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's recent $9.5 million settlement with online travel agency website Booking Holdings for so-called junk fee practices follows a larger trend of state attorneys general who have taken similar action and demonstrates the significant penalties that can follow such allegations, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • 10th Circ. Dissent May Light Path For Master Account Access

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    While the Tenth Circuit's majority in Custodia Bank v. Federal Reserve Board recently affirmed Federal Reserve banks' control over master account access, the dissent raised constitutional questions that could support banks seeking master accounts in future litigation, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • Calif. AG's No-Poach Case Reflects Tougher Antitrust Stance

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    This month, California’s attorney general resolved the latest enforcement action barring the use of no-poach agreements, underscoring an aggressive antitrust enforcement trend with significant increases in criminal and civil penalties, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • A Look At The Wave Of 2025 Email Marketing Suits In Wash.

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    Since the Washington Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Old Navy in April, more than 30 lawsuits have alleged that a broad range of retailers across industries sent emails that violate the Washington Commercial Electronic Mail Act, but retailers are unlikely to find clear answers yet, says Gonzalo Mon at Kelley Drye.

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