Public Policy

  • July 09, 2025

    DOJ Charges Oak View CEO With Rigging Arena Project Bid

    The U.S. Department of Justice announced an indictment on Wednesday of Oak View Group's CEO Tim Leiweke for allegedly rigging the bid to build and operate the Moody Center arena on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin.

  • July 09, 2025

    Top Dems Press EEOC On 'Shakedown' Of Major Law Firms

    Top congressional Democrats are once again seeking information on the Trump administration's "shakedown" of major law firms over their past work and clients.

  • July 09, 2025

    DHS To Subpoena Harvard For Foreign Student Records

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday it will send administrative subpoenas to Harvard University seeking information about its foreign students, yet another salvo in the ongoing legal battle between President Donald Trump's administration and the Ivy League school.

  • July 08, 2025

    FCC Should Kill Verizon-UScellular Deal, Trade Group Says

    The Rural Wireless Association is not a fan of T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T's plan to split UScellular between themselves — particularly when it comes to Verizon picking up a hefty share of the phone and internet company's spectrum, the trade group has told the FCC.

  • July 08, 2025

    Split 9th Circ. Axes Illegal Reentry-After-Removal Conviction

    A split Ninth Circuit on Tuesday undid a Dominican man's conviction for unlawfully re-entering the U.S. after previously being removed, saying the federal government failed to prove he ever escaped border agents' surveillance near the U.S.-Mexico border.

  • July 08, 2025

    Breaking Down Stewart's Nonstop Discretionary Denial Orders

    Acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart inundated the patent community in May and June with dozens of rulings altering the landscape of discretionary denials at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Here, Law360 goes through what you should know.

  • July 08, 2025

    Fla. Distorted Detention Center Construction, Group Says

    An environmental nonprofit claimed in Florida federal court filings Tuesday it has evidence additional land in the Everglades is being used to construct a federal immigration detention center, alleging a misrepresentation from Florida officials that the camp is built on the footprint of an existing airport structure.

  • July 08, 2025

    Conn. AG Hits Ticket Marketplace With 1st Data Privacy Fine

    An online ticket marketplace has become the first to be handed a monetary penalty under Connecticut's comprehensive data privacy law, with the state's attorney general announcing a settlement Tuesday that will require the company to pay $85,000 and maintain consumer rights request metrics to resolve claims that it failed to fix several alleged privacy notice deficiencies.

  • July 08, 2025

    Baltimore Police Want Out Of Md. Hemp Cos.' Suit

    The Baltimore Police Department wants out of a lawsuit filed by hemp businesses and buyers seeking to upend a Maryland law that would require retailers to get recreational cannabis licenses to buy and sell hemp products, arguing that the department isn't responsible for the legislation.

  • July 08, 2025

    Insurer Fights ACA Loss, Citing Justices' Trans Care Ruling

    Premera Blue Cross urged a Washington federal court to rethink an early win it granted against the insurer over its coverage policy for gender dysphoria surgery, arguing the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in U.S. v. Skrmetti is dispositive of a sex discrimination claim in the case.

  • July 08, 2025

    Macy's Says McLaughlin Ruling Backs Axing DOL's ERISA Suit

    Macy's has once again asked an Ohio federal judge to slash a U.S. Department of Labor lawsuit claiming the retail company discriminated against tobacco users by charging them an extra fee through its health insurance plan, this time leaning on the U.S. Supreme Court's recent McLaughlin ruling to argue no new lawsuit is required to push aside agency rulemaking.

  • July 08, 2025

    Chinese Man Arrested Over COVID Data Theft, Law Firm Hack

    Federal agents have arrested a Chinese citizen to face criminal charges for his alleged role in the Microsoft "HAFNIUM" cyberattack in which the People's Republic of China allegedly directed him and a co-conspirator to hack email accounts at a law firm and a Texas university to steal crucial COVID-19 vaccine information.

  • July 08, 2025

    Puerto Rico Bond Suit Doesn't Belong In Conn., Insurers Say

    The insurers of billions in bonds issued by the Puerto Rico Sales Tax Financing Corp. say a Connecticut federal judge can't hear a proposed class action accusing them of failing to pay bondholders the full value of their investments after a 2016 bankruptcy default.

  • July 08, 2025

    Pot Smell May Be Hemp So No Probable Cause, 4th Circ. Told

    A North Carolina man urged the Fourth Circuit on Monday to revive his challenge of a police officer's search of his car based on the smell of marijuana, saying the government is wrongly asserting the search was legal because there are legal forms of hemp with an indistinguishable odor. 

  • July 08, 2025

    Trump, Iowa AG Back Florida's Push To Enforce Migrant Law

    The Trump administration, the state of Iowa and the Immigration Reform Law Institute told the Eleventh Circuit they support Florida's push to enforce a law criminalizing the entry of unauthorized immigrants into the state, arguing the law isn't preempted by federal statutes. 

  • July 08, 2025

    Trump Declares 50% Copper Tariff, Floats 200% Pharma Tariff

    President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he will impose a new 50% tariff on copper imported into the U.S., while also raising the possibility of imposing a 200% tariff on pharmaceuticals.

  • July 08, 2025

    Crypto Groups Back Developer's Money Transmitter Challenge

    A coalition of crypto industry groups voiced their support for a challenge seeking to protect software developers from catching criminal cases over others' use of their creations, telling the Texas federal judge overseeing the case that the U.S. government has recently taken "an unprecedented, sweeping interpretation" of money transmission statutes.

  • July 08, 2025

    Judge Tosses Pot Convict's Gun Rights Case

    A Maine federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a suit from a man convicted of trafficking cannabis who alleged that his Second Amendment rights were being violated, finding that policies barring felons from gun ownership have been consistent with the country's history.

  • July 08, 2025

    8th Circ. Strikes Down FTC's Click-To-Cancel Rule

    An Eighth Circuit panel on Tuesday vacated the Federal Trade Commission's planned "click-to-cancel" rule, which would have required companies to allow customers to ditch their subscriptions with a single click, finding that the commission did not follow the proper procedures once a judge determined the rule change would cost over $100 million. 

  • July 08, 2025

    Chicago Nabs Early Win In City Workers' Genetic Bias Suit

    The city of Chicago defeated allegations that the genetic information of two employees was taken when their spouses took part in a wellness program, with an Illinois federal judge finding that evidence does not back the claims that detailed information was disclosed in violation of federal law.

  • July 08, 2025

    Mich. Judge Certifies Edenville Dam Flood Victim Classes

    A Michigan claims court judge has certified classes of businesses and residents affected by flooding from the collapse of a hydroelectric dam, ahead of a January trial to determine if state agencies are liable for the disaster. 

  • July 08, 2025

    States Back Enviro Orgs. Bid To Block EPA's Halt Of $3B Grant

    A group of Democratic attorneys general on Monday told a D.C. federal district court that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's decision to terminate environmental justice grants deprives vulnerable communities of funding "necessary to achieve a healthy environment."

  • July 08, 2025

    DHS Faces New Suit Over Protected Status Terminations

    An immigration rights group hit the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with another Administrative Procedure Act lawsuit in California federal court on Monday, challenging its abrupt termination of temporary protection for over 60,000 immigrants from Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal who've sought refuge from environmental and political crises in their home countries.

  • July 08, 2025

    Feds Fight Class Injunction Bid In Birthright Citizenship Row

    The Trump administration Monday opposed two immigration advocacy groups' bid to block President Donald Trump's birthright citizenship executive order for a proposed nationwide class, saying the groups were essentially seeking a universal injunction that the U.S. Supreme Court had recently rejected.

  • July 08, 2025

    Trump Tariff Fights Put Spotlight On Major Questions Doctrine

    Challenges to President Donald Trump's global tariffs have brought renewed attention to the U.S. Supreme Court's major questions doctrine, including observations that lower courts have so far inconsistently applied this approach when scrutinizing a range of agency actions.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Comparing Stablecoin Bills From UK, EU, US And Hong Kong

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    For multinational stablecoin issuers, navigating the differences and similarities among regimes in the U.K., EU, Hong Kong and U.S., which are currently unfolding in several key ways, is critical to achieving scalable, compliant operations, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Baseball Can Teach Criminal Attys About Rule Of Lenity

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    Judges tend to assess ambiguous criminal laws not unlike how baseball umpires approach checked swings, so defense attorneys should consider how to best frame their arguments to maximize courts' willingness to invoke the rule of lenity, wherein a tie goes to the defendant, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • Series

    Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.

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