Public Policy

  • August 22, 2025

    NY Localities, Officials Back Rochester In Sanctuary Fight

    Dozens of cities and localities from around the country urged a New York federal judge to reject the Trump administration's challenge to Rochester's "sanctuary city" policies Thursday, accusing the feds of trying to "strong arm" local governments and arguing that the policies actually make the public safer.

  • August 22, 2025

    7th Circ. Backs TSA's Cybersecurity Rules For Railroads

    The Seventh Circuit on Thursday rejected the challenge from a pair of railways to recent cybersecurity mandates from the Transportation Security Administration, saying the agency wasn't required to first take notice and comment and that it has "broad authority to identify cybersecurity threats and craft appropriate responses."

  • August 22, 2025

    Newsmax Says FCC Can't Ditch TV Ownership Cap

    Right-wing media outlet Newsmax Media said the only thing the Federal Communications Commission will get if it removes the national television ownership cap "is a permanent injunction," as it "lacks authority and a compelling reason to change the rule."

  • August 22, 2025

    Trump Admin To Appeal Susman Godfrey Exec Order Ruling

    The Trump administration announced Friday its intention to appeal a June ruling that struck down as unconstitutional an executive order targeting Susman Godfrey LLP, after the court said the order was issued in retaliation for its representation of clients and causes the president opposes.

  • August 22, 2025

    Trump Admin Pauses Visas For Commercial Truck Drivers

    Truck drivers are the newest target of the Trump administration's escalating immigration crackdown, with the government announcing that it will not be issuing any more worker visas for commercial truck drivers.

  • August 22, 2025

    FTC Can't Pause Order Blocking Media Matters Probe

    A D.C. federal court refused on Friday to pause an order blocking the Federal Trade Commission's investigation into left-leaning watchdog Media Matters for America, saying the group is likely to show the probe over potential collusion in the ad industry was retaliatory.

  • August 22, 2025

    Judge Can't Become Public Defender After Not Practicing Law

    A California state appellate panel has ruled that a sitting superior court judge is ineligible to serve as public defender because he had not been a practicing attorney in the state's courts for the year before he sought the appointment.

  • August 22, 2025

    Tribe Member Can't Discharge Tax Debt, 10th Circ. Affirms

    An Oklahoma federal court correctly affirmed a bankruptcy court's refusal to reopen a case brought by a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation who claimed his tax debt should have been discharged in bankruptcy, the Tenth Circuit said.

  • August 22, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Kirkland, Weil, Fried Frank

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, private equity firm Thoma Bravo buys human resources software provider Dayforce Inc. in a take-private deal, Lowe's buys Foundation Building Materials, Nexstar Media Group Inc. acquires fellow media company Tegna Inc., and Soho House & Co. Inc. inks a take-private deal with hotel operator MCR.

  • August 22, 2025

    DOJ Expands Expedited Docket For Families Facing Removal

    The Executive Office for Immigration Review is expanding a program the Biden administration rolled out in 2021 to fast-track removal proceedings for families facing removal, directing immigration courts nationwide to place more cases on the so-called dedicated docket.

  • August 22, 2025

    DC Circ. Rejects NM Ranchers' Bird Protection Challenge

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday rejected New Mexico ranchers' challenge to the federal government's decision to preserve Endangered Species Act protections for a small, migratory songbird.

  • August 22, 2025

    PE Industry Primed To Capitalize On Trump 401(k) Order

    The Trump administration recently said it would reduce regulatory obstacles to retirement plans investing in alternative assets such as private equity, and while attorneys cautioned it could carry risks, they generally applauded the move towards "democratizing capital."

  • August 22, 2025

    IRS Guidance Sparks Mixed Reaction For Solar, Wind Projects

    The IRS recently narrowed the way large solar and wind energy development projects can set their construction start dates to qualify for certain tax credits, a change offering relief for some developers but new hurdles for others depending on the stage, type and size of the project.

  • August 22, 2025

    9th Circ. Tosses Wash. City's Win In Military Leave Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel threw out a Washington federal judge's ruling that a City of Ocean Shores firefighter was not entitled to pay for military leave after the state's top court decided otherwise.

  • August 22, 2025

    BB&K Taps Gov't Affairs Director From Interior Leadership

    Best Best & Krieger LLP has hired a U.S. Department of the Interior leader who helped advance drought resilience plans and advise the agency's secretary on water and science policy as the new director of its government affairs group, the firm announced.

  • August 22, 2025

    Fla. Appeals Order To Wind Down Detention Center Operations

    A Florida official filed notice late Thursday that the state will appeal a federal judge's ruling ordering the government to begin winding down operations at the Everglades immigration detention center after finding the plaintiffs challenging it are likely to prevail on their environmental claims.

  • August 21, 2025

    Fla. Judge Orders Wind Down Of Everglades Detention Center

    A Florida federal judge Thursday ordered the government to stop bringing new detainees to the Everglades immigration detention center dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" and to begin winding down operations after finding the plaintiffs challenging the center are likely to prevail on their environmental claims.

  • August 21, 2025

    9th Circ. Dissenters Rip Judge's 'Weaponization Of Sanctions'

    A half-dozen Ninth Circuit judges Thursday denounced six-figure sanctions against attorneys for prominent politicians challenging Arizona election procedures, accusing a lower court of "twisting and contorting" allegations in order to punish lawyers "based on the nature of the complaint and the clients that they represented."

  • August 21, 2025

    FTC Warns Tech Cos. To Honor Data Vows In Foreign Dealings

    The head of the Federal Trade Commission on Thursday cautioned Meta, Google, Apple, Amazon and other major tech companies to refrain from weakening data security protections or censoring content in response to pressure from foreign governments, reminding them that reneging on promises they make to U.S. consumers could land them in hot water with the agency.

  • August 21, 2025

    Pa. Court Revives Fired County Worker's Whistleblower Claim

    A Pennsylvania appeals court on Thursday sent back a dispute to a lower court over a fired county employee's whistleblower allegation tied to her reporting that a union representative secretly taped meetings, determining the union official acted as a county employee when she made the recordings.

  • August 21, 2025

    Pa. Biz Groups, Providers, Uber Want Fault Loophole Closed

    Uber and a coalition of organizations often targeted by injury lawsuits urged a Pennsylvania appeals court to close a legal loophole that they claim largely undermines the purpose of the Fair Share Act, which limits a defendant's liability to their portion of fault.

  • August 21, 2025

    Challenge To Fed. Layoffs A 'Fishing Expedition,' 9th Circ. Told

    A federal government attorney told a Ninth Circuit panel Thursday that a group of unions, nonprofits and cities challenging President Donald Trump's massive layoffs of federal workers have no right to communications and documents showing what went into the layoff decisions, saying it's a "fishing expedition in search of a viable legal theory."

  • August 21, 2025

    SBA Proposes Increasing Small Business Size Thresholds

    The Small Business Administration has proposed increasing the monetary thresholds for what it considers to be a small business across 263 industries, creating a larger pool of small businesses for federal agencies to secure services from.

  • August 21, 2025

    Appeals Court Says Dallas Must Release Discrimination Records

    A Texas appeals court ruled Thursday that the city of Dallas has to turn over records on a federal housing discrimination investigation to The Dallas Morning News, saying the information was not exempt from public disclosure.

  • August 21, 2025

    Biz Groups Appeal Calif. Climate Reporting Ruling To 9th Circ.

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups have appealed a court order rejecting their bid to block new California state regulations requiring large companies to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risks that they claim violate their First Amendment rights.

Expert Analysis

  • The Future Of Lab-Test Regs After FDA Rescinds Rule

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently rescinded its laboratory-developed tests rule in response to a Texas federal court decision this spring, reinforcing a separation of authority between the FDA and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and calling into question the FDA's role in overseeing such tests without congressional action, say attorneys at Venable.

  • How AI Is Easing Digital Asset Recovery In Fraud Cases

    Author Photo

    In combination with recent legislation and a maturing digital asset infrastructure, artificial intelligence tools are making it easier to recover stolen assets, giving litigants a more specific understanding of financial fraud earlier in the process and making it economically feasible to pursue smaller fraud claims, says Solomon Shinerock at Lewis Baach.

  • Fleeing Or Just Leaving Quickly? 2nd Circ. Says It Depends

    Author Photo

    The Second Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Bardakova decision adopted a new approach for determining whether a defendant who commits a crime in the U.S., and then leaves and remains abroad, intends to avoid prosecution — making it more difficult to argue against the fugitive disentitlement doctrine in most cases, say attorneys at MoloLamken.

  • Sanctions Considerations For Reentering The Syrian Market

    Author Photo

    Reentering or opening new markets in Syria, now that the Trump administration has revoked certain long-standing sanctions and export controls, necessitates increased due diligence and best practices capable of adapting to a changing local environment as well as future changes in U.S. law, say attorneys at Nixon Peabody.

  • What 2 Profs Noticed As Transactional Law Students Used AI

    Author Photo

    After a semester using generative artificial intelligence tools with students in an entrepreneurship law clinic, we came away with numerous observations about the opportunities and challenges such tools present to new transactional lawyers, say professors at Cornell Law School.

  • Despite SEC Reset, Private Crypto Securities Cases Continue

    Author Photo

    While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the Trump administration has charted a new approach to crypto regulation, the industry still lacks comprehensive rules of the road, meaning private plaintiffs continue to pursue litigation, and application of securities laws to crypto-assets will be determined by the courts, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • State AGs Are Turning Up The Antitrust Heat On ESG Actions

    Author Photo

    Recent antitrust developments from red state attorneys general continue a trend of environmental, social and governance scrutiny, and businesses exposed to these areas should conduct close examinations of strategy and potential material risk, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Crypto Custody Guidelines Buoy Both Banks And Funds

    Author Photo

    A statement released last month by banking regulators — highlighting risks that the agencies expect banks holding crypto-assets to mitigate — may encourage more traditional institutions to offer crypto-asset safekeeping and thereby offer asset managers more options for qualified custodians to custody crypto-assets for their clients, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Top Takeaways From Trump's AI Action Plan

    Author Photo

    President Donald Trump's AI Action Plan represents some notable evolution in U.S. policy, including affirmation of the administration's trend toward prioritizing artificial intelligence innovation over guardrails and toward supporting greater U.S. private sector reach overseas, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Navigating Executive Perk Enforcement Under Trump Admin

    Author Photo

    While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently signaled a softer approach to executive perks, companies should remain vigilant due to the bipartisan and lengthy nature of executive perquisite cases and Chairman Paul Atkins' previous support for disclosure requirements, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Ill. Toxic Tort Jurisdiction Law Raises Constitutional Concerns

    Author Photo

    Illinois' S.B. 328, purporting to broaden state courts' jurisdictional reach over out-of-state corporations, is presented as a measure aimed at facilitating recovery in toxic tort cases, but the legislation raises significant due process and dormant commerce clause issues, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Rebuttal

    BigLaw Settlements Should Not Spur Ethics Deregulation

    Author Photo

    A recent Law360 op-ed argued that loosening law firm funding restrictions would make BigLaw firms less inclined to settle with the Trump administration, but deregulating legal financing ethics may well prove to be not merely ineffective, but counterproductive, says Laurel Kilgour at the American Economic Liberties Project.

  • Opinion

    8th Circ. Should Reaffirm False Commercial Speech's Nature

    Author Photo

    The Eighth Circuit in Goldfinch Laboratory v. Iowa Pathology Associates should assert that false commercial speech is not categorically immune from antitrust scrutiny, says Daniel Graulich at the Federal Trade Commission.

  • Unpacking Ore. Law's Limits On PE Healthcare Investment

    Author Photo

    A recent Oregon law imposes significant restrictions on nonphysicians owning or controlling medical practices, but newly enacted amendments provide some additional flexibility in certain ownership arrangements without scuttling the law's intent of addressing concerns about the rise of private equity investment in healthcare, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Environmental Justice Is Alive And Well At The State Level

    Author Photo

    Even as the Trump administration has rolled back federal environmental justice policies, many states continue to prioritize it, with new regulations, strengthened enforcement of existing rules and ongoing private litigation — so companies must stay alert to how state-level EJ enforcement may affect their operations, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Public Policy archive.