Public Policy

  • August 20, 2025

    Feds Lose Bid To Unseal Epstein Grand Jury Files In NY

    A Manhattan federal judge Wednesday rejected the U.S. Department of Justice's request to unseal grand jury transcripts from the trafficking case against the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying the government has not justified unsealing the materials and did not give Epstein's survivors sufficient notice before filing its request.

  • August 20, 2025

    17 States, DC Urge FDA To Lift Mifepristone Restrictions

    Seventeen states and the District of Columbia Wednesday joined four others in urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to lift restrictions on the abortion drug mifepristone, saying that data their health departments collected overwhelmingly back the drug's safety.

  • August 20, 2025

    Supersede California's Voice Over IP Rules, FCC Urged

    California's new regulatory regime for internet voice call providers is a "power grab" and the Federal Communications Commission should make clear that its rules preempt those of the Golden State, a free market think tank is telling the agency.

  • August 20, 2025

    W.Va. Judge Blocks Private Suits Under State's 'Daniel's Law'

    A West Virginia federal judge has tossed five proposed class actions accusing PeopleConnect, LexisNexis Risk Solutions and several other data brokers of violating the state's Daniel's Law by publishing information on judicial and law enforcement officers, after finding the privacy statute's lawsuit mechanism to be unconstitutional. 

  • August 20, 2025

    Judge Grills Feds On Upending 30-Year Noncitizen Benefits

    A Rhode Island federal judge seemed perplexed Wednesday by a government attorney's contention that for nearly 30 years, various administrations across the political spectrum have wrongly interpreted a law the Trump administration now says requires immigration status checks for additional federal benefits.

  • August 20, 2025

    GOP Sens. See Path To Crypto Market Structure Law This Year

    Republican lawmakers and regulators this week previewed plans to finish cryptocurrency market structure legislation before year's end and continue reducing scrutiny from banking regulators during a multiday event that brought officials and industry participants together in Wyoming.

  • August 20, 2025

    UF Prof's Appeal In Free Speech Suit Was Late, 11th Circ. Says

    The Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday ruled that an English professor who sued University of Florida officials for alleged free speech violations filed his appeal too late, saying he missed his deadline by eight days.

  • August 20, 2025

    TikTok Profits From Addicting Children, Minnesota Says

    TikTok Inc. knowingly designed its social media platform to be addictive to children, according to a state court lawsuit filed by Minnesota, which also accuses the company of operating an unlicensed virtual currency system that facilitates financial and sexual exploitation of minors.

  • August 20, 2025

    DC Judge Won't Reinstate Ex-Copyright Chief Amid Appeal

    A District of Columbia federal judge on Wednesday again refused to reinstate the U.S. Copyright Office's fired head, this time while she takes her fight to the D.C. Circuit, saying she still hasn't convinced the judge she'll suffer irreparable harm if she isn't reinstated as she appeals.

  • August 20, 2025

    Civil Rights Org. Urges FCC Not To Ditch Nat'l Ownership Cap

    A civil rights group founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton said it would be a bad idea for the Federal Communications Commission to strip away ownership regulations that cap how many television stations any one company can own.

  • August 20, 2025

    9th Circ. Blocks Alaska's Bid To Loosen Federal Fishing Regs

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday said Alaska state officials may not open part of the Kuskokwim River to gill net fishing by all residents of the state because that would violate a federal law that favors rural, subsistence fishers.

  • August 20, 2025

    Wash. Seeks To Stop NOAA's Climate Change Grant Cuts

    The state of Washington is urging a Seattle federal judge to save more than $9.3 million in climate change resiliency funding that it claims is "on the chopping block" as the Trump administration moves to eliminate programming to promote environmental justice and reduce carbon emissions.

  • August 20, 2025

    Texas AG Says Chase Can't Recoup Failed $10M Project

    The Texas Office of the Attorney General on Wednesday asked the state's highest court to reject JPMorgan Chase Bank NA's attempt to get a city to continue to make payments on a botched $10 million project, saying such payments would run afoul of the Texas Constitution.

  • August 20, 2025

    Colo. AG Pans EPA Plan To End Vehicle-Emission Standards

    Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser testified before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday to advocate against the agency's proposal to eliminate air pollution standards for motor vehicles.

  • August 20, 2025

    Tribes Say Calif. Cannabis Raids Violate Sovereignty

    The Round Valley Indian Tribes are fighting a Mendocino County sheriff's attempt to toss their California federal court suit claiming law enforcement illegally raided cannabis growing operations on three tribal members' trust allotments, arguing that the raids are illegal and violate their sovereign rights.

  • August 20, 2025

    NAACP, Unions Lose Bid To Stop Education Dept. Closure

    The NAACP and several unions can't halt the Trump administration from shuttering the U.S. Department of Education, a Maryland federal judge ruled, finding the U.S. Supreme Court's stays of lower court orders related to the agency's dismantling indicate the plaintiffs aren't likely to win on their claims.

  • August 20, 2025

    Alaska Telecom Fights Changes To Buildout Rules

    A small Alaskan telecom is continuing its fight against a proposal from GCI Communication Corp. that would lower standards for carriers to receive Alaska Connect Fund support, telling the Federal Communications Commission that GCI should lose funding if it can't meet its commitments.

  • August 20, 2025

    TikTok Can't Dodge NC Claims Over Addictive App Design

    Chinese internet behemoth ByteDance Inc. and its social media subsidiary TikTok Inc. can be sued in the Tar Heel State, North Carolina's business court ruled Tuesday, preserving a lawsuit that accuses the companies of exploiting minors through addictive app design.

  • August 20, 2025

    Wash. AG Wins $28M In Fees In Kroger-Albertsons Deal Fight

    A Washington judge has awarded the state attorney general's office $28.4 million in legal fees for its efforts to block the merger between Kroger and Albertsons that was also challenged by the Federal Trade Commission, largely rejecting the grocery giants' objections to a total fee request of $32.4 million.

  • August 20, 2025

    NC's Cap On Med Mal Damages Is Constitutional, Panel Rules

    The North Carolina state appeals court ruled Wednesday that a state law capping compensatory damages in certain medical malpractice lawsuits at $500,000 is constitutional, handing a defeat to a woman seeking to recoup her full $7.5 million jury verdict stemming from the loss of her unborn baby.

  • August 20, 2025

    Ga. Mom Says State Child Support Policy Is Unconstitutional

    A Georgia mother has sued three state agencies in federal court, alleging the state's child support policy unconstitutionally keeps "indigent parents buried under child-support debts that they will never be able to repay."

  • August 20, 2025

    'Door To Tyranny' Ajar In Pot Smell Appeal, NC Justices Told

    A man appealing his conviction for unlawful firearm possession told North Carolina's highest court this week that state law enforcement entities were attempting to erode the separation of powers by inserting themselves into his case.

  • August 20, 2025

    Feds Lose Bid To Seal In Vax Patent Case Against Moderna

    The U.S. government has failed to show why names and contact information of certain U.S. Department of the Army employees should be hidden in an mRNA vaccine developer's $5 billion patent suit over Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines, a federal judge has found.

  • August 20, 2025

    Atlanta Ignores Sex Assault Claims Against Cops, Court Told

    A Georgia woman and her teenage daughter who was raped by an Atlanta police officer have told a federal judge that the city doesn't get to dodge their suit, arguing they've claimed in "exhaustive factual detail" how it routinely lets sexual misconduct slide among its officers.

  • August 20, 2025

    DC Circ. Upholds Crow Tribe Water Rights Suit Dismissal

    A D.C. Circuit Court panel won't overturn a decision dismissing a suit that looked to nullify a Montana water rights settlement, saying a 2010 law ratifying the agreement doesn't specify which tribal member can greenlight a deadline extension for publication of the agreement's statement of findings.

Expert Analysis

  • Balancing The Promises And Perils Of Tokenizing Securities

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    Tokenizing listed securities offers the promise of greater efficiency, accessibility and innovation, but a recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission statement makes clear that the federal securities laws continue to apply to tokenized securities, so financial institutions and technology developers must work together to create clear rules, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • How To Increase 3rd-Party Preissuance Patent Submissions

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    Attorneys Marian Underweiser and Marc Ehrlich, who helped draft the America Invents Act, discuss changes that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office could potentially implement to facilitate its hopes for increased participation in front-end patent challenges.

  • How Cos. In China Can Tailor Compliance Amid FCPA Shifts

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s recently updated Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement guidelines create a fluid business environment for companies operating in China that will require a customized compliance approach to navigate both countries’ corporate and legal systems, say attorneys at Dickinson Wright.

  • 7 Ways Employers Can Avoid Labor Friction Over AI

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    As artificial intelligence use in the workplace emerges as a key labor relations topic in the U.S. and Europe, employers looking to reduce reputational risk and prevent costly disputes should consider proactive strategies to engage with unions, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Open Banking Is On Ice As CFPB Seeks To Toss Its Own Rule

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    Even as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's efforts to toss its open banking rule play out in Kentucky federal court, it remains statutorily required to effectuate consumer access to data, raising questions about how it would replace the previously finalized standard, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • SEC, FINRA Obligations In Changing AI Regulatory Landscape

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    Despite the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent withdrawal of its proposed artificial intelligence conflict rules, financial regulators remain focused on firms developing the correct AI compliance framework, as well as continuously testing and supervising them to ensure they're fit for purpose, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.

  • Trump Air Emissions Carveouts Cloud The Regulatory Picture

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    President Donald Trump's new proclamations temporarily exempting key U.S. industries from air toxics standards, issued under a narrow, rarely-used provision of the Clean Air Act, will likely lead to legal challenges and tighter standards in some states, contributing to further regulatory uncertainty, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • Opinion

    DOJ's HPE-Juniper Settlement Will Help US Compete

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    The U.S. Department of Justice settlement with Hewlett Packard Enterprise clears the purchase of Juniper Networks in a deal that positions the U.S. as a leader in secure, scalable networking and critical digital infrastructure by requiring the divestiture of a WiFi network business geared toward small firms, says John Shu at Taipei Medical University.

  • How Property Insurers Serve As Climate Change Harbingers

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    Thomas Dawson at McDermott discusses the role that U.S. property insurers may play in identifying and assessing climate risk, as well as in financing climate change adaptation projects, in light of global warming and shifting geopolitical realities.

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • Assessing Impact Of USPTO's New Patent Policies

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    Recent data shows how the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's new patent policies are affecting America Invents Act trial institution rates, including spurring an uptick in discretionary denials, say attorneys at Armond Wilson.

  • What US Medicine Onshoring Means For Indian Life Sciences

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    Despite the Trump administration's latest moves to onshore essential medicine manufacturing, India will likely remain an indispensable component of the U.S. drug supply chain, but Indian manufacturers should prepare for stricter compliance checks, says Jashaswi Ghosh at Holon Law Partners.

  • APA Relief May Blunt Justices' Universal Injunction Ruling

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    The Administrative Procedure Act’s avenue for universal preliminary relief seems to hold the most promise for neutralizing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. CASA to limit federal district courts' nationally applicable orders, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • Wells Fargo Suit Shows Consumer Protection Limits In Mass.

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    The Massachusetts Appeals Court's May decision in Wells Fargo Bank v. Coulsey underscores that consumer rights are balanced against the need for closure, and even the broad protections of state consumer protection law will not open the door to relitigating the same claims, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Series

    Ohio Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    Ohio's financial services sector saw several significant developments in the second quarter of 2025, including a case that confirmed credit unions' setoff rights, another that established contract rights between banks and cardholders, and the House passage of a digital asset bill, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

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