Public Policy

  • 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.

  • August 20, 2025

    Texas AG Threatens Suit Over Orgs. Mailing Abortion Pills

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sent cease-and-desist letters to three organizations he's accused of shipping abortion drugs to women in the state in violation of state and federal laws.

  • August 20, 2025

    Florida Panel Revives Suit Over Gun Store Zoning Restriction

    A Florida appellate panel on Wednesday issued a split decision reviving a state court lawsuit brought by a gun retailer alleging state law preempts a city zoning ordinance allegedly meant to restrict firearm sales, ruling there's a fact issue that must be decided by a jury. 

  • August 20, 2025

    'Amen': Judge Puts Texas Ten Commandments Law On Hold

    A Texas federal court on Wednesday temporarily blocked a state law requiring public schools to post a copy of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, saying the law likely violates the Constitution.

  • August 20, 2025

    Google To Pay $35M For Australian Search Antitrust Violations

    Google has agreed to pay $55 million to settle antitrust claims brought by Australia's competition regulator over deals to preinstall its search engine on Australian phones.

  • August 20, 2025

    Device Co. Pans FTC's Resistance To $945M Heart Valve Deal

    Edwards Lifesciences Corp. is defending its planned $945 million purchase of JenaValve Technology Inc., telling the Federal Trade Commission the deal is the best way to bring a new lifesaving treatment for a heart valve disorder to the market.

  • August 20, 2025

    Crypto Groups Resist Banks' Stablecoin 'Loophole' Claims

    Cryptocurrency groups have told U.S. Senate lawmakers that banking industry groups are attempting to relitigate issues put to rest with a recently enacted federal law to regulate stablecoins, arguing that the banking groups' proposals to use separate, pending legislation to close alleged "loopholes" would disadvantage the crypto sector.

  • August 20, 2025

    Ark. Woman Gets Probation After Looting Native Burial Site

    An Arkansas woman was sentenced to four years of probation after the U.S. Department of Justice said she excavated a Native American archeological site in the Ozark Mountains and took human remains and Indigenous artifacts.

  • August 20, 2025

    11th Circ. Revives Cannabis Users' 2nd Amendment Challenge

    The Eleventh Circuit said Wednesday that a federal law disarming medical cannabis users likely ran afoul of the Second Amendment because it was inconsistent with the nation's history of gun regulation.

  • August 20, 2025

    In Illinois, Public Defender Welcomes Sea Change In Structure

    Illinois is set to receive the first overhaul of its public defense system in 75 years, and Champaign County Chief Public Defender Elisabeth Pollock is "very much looking forward" to it, she told Law360.

  • August 20, 2025

    Chemours Says Injunction Appeal Warrants Stay Of CWA Suit

    Chemours urged a federal judge to pause a Clean Water Act suit while it appeals a preliminary injunction ordering it to stop its Washington Works plant from discharging excessive amounts of a "forever chemical" into the Ohio River.

  • August 20, 2025

    Commerce Floats 200% Duty On Chinese Plastic Bins, Totes

    The U.S. Department of Commerce preliminarily determined that imported polypropylene corrugated boxes from China could be subject to countervailing duties of up to nearly 200%, according to a notice published Wednesday. 

  • August 20, 2025

    NY Town To Expedite Mosque Approvals In Land-Use Deal

    The town of Oyster Bay, New York, has settled a mosque's claims that the town amended its parking laws in a targeted attempt to thwart redevelopment efforts, agreeing to oversee the quick approval of the mosque's application and to amend the underlying parking ordinance.

  • August 20, 2025

    DOJ's Suit Over Ill. E-Verify Restrictions Gets Tossed

    An Illinois federal judge on Tuesday denied a bid by the U.S. Department of Justice to block provisions of a recently amended Illinois law restricting the use of systems such as E-Verify to check prospective workers' employment eligibility and dismissed the case outright, calling the DOJ's interpretation of the relevant preemption clause "broad to the point of absurdity."

  • August 20, 2025

    FCC Denies Carrier's Bid To Avoid Rural Fund Clawback

    The Federal Communications Commission denied a Midwest broadband provider's request to waive a $24 million penalty for defaulting on its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund commitments, saying the company's due diligence was inadequate when it decided to pursue fund money for buildouts in areas that were already served by others.

  • August 20, 2025

    ​​​​​​​Farmworkers Union Can't Halt Latest Prevailing Wages Survey

    A farmworkers union cannot halt the U.S. Department of Labor from replacing 2020 prevailing wages with 2022 wage-survey results, a Washington federal judge ruled, saying the alleged harm is self-inflicted because the later wages were published following the union's actions.

  • August 20, 2025

    Mich. Legislature Mulls Reinstating Premises Liability Defense

    Michigan state lawmakers heard testimony on Wednesday on a bill that would bring back a defense to slip-and-fall claims that the Michigan Supreme Court recently scrapped, as business groups said insurance premiums and litigation costs have risen in the wake of the high court ruling.

  • August 20, 2025

    Insurers Say Gov't Misusing FCA To Get Medicare Cost Cap

    Insurers accused of paying brokers to steer customers to their Medicare Advantage plans asked a Massachusetts federal judge to dismiss a False Claims Act lawsuit, saying the government is mischaracterizing legal payments for marketing as kickbacks in an attempt to impose caps it has thus far been unable to obtain.

  • August 20, 2025

    Trump Says Fed's Cook 'Must Resign' Amid Loan Fraud Claim

    President Donald Trump's Federal Housing Finance Agency chief on Wednesday accused Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook of potential mortgage fraud and said he has referred the matter to federal prosecutors, prompting Trump to call for Cook's immediate resignation — a call she has rejected.

  • August 19, 2025

    CFPB Ends 'Biased' Investigation Of Gun-Financing Fintech

    Credova, a fintech firm specializing in buy-now, pay-later financing for firearms and outdoor recreational goods purchases, is no longer facing what the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau now says was a "politically motivated" investigation on its part, the firm's parent company announced Tuesday.

  • August 19, 2025

    Advocacy Groups Ask Judge To Stall Texas Redistricting Plan

    Multiple voting rights advocacy organizations asked a Texas federal judge to hear their case for a court order aimed at stalling the Texas Legislature's controversial redistricting plan, saying the proposed plan blatantly violates the U.S. Constitution.

  • August 19, 2025

    Chamber Scorns Bid To Unseal FTC's Dropped Pepsi Complaint

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has asked a New York federal judge to deny an advocacy group's request to unseal the Federal Trade Commission's abandoned price discrimination case against Pepsi, saying it would reveal "confidential investigatory material that courts routinely keep under seal."

  • August 19, 2025

    Capitol Hill Aides See NTIA Renewal As Crucial This Year

    Congress will make it a priority to reauthorize the federal spectrum management agency this year, aides to key lawmakers on telecom issues said Tuesday.

  • August 19, 2025

    9th Circ. Sides With Wash. In Immigration Detention Law Case

    A Ninth Circuit panel has overturned an injunction blocking a Washington state law calling for new health and safety standards at the state's privately run immigration detention center, saying Tuesday the lower court wrongly compared the facility to a prison when ruling in favor of its for-profit operator, GEO Group Inc.

Expert Analysis

  • Evading DOJ Crosshairs As Data Security Open Season Starts

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    As the U.S. Department of Justice begins enforcing its new data security program — aimed at preventing foreign adversaries from accessing government-related and personal sensitive data — U.S. companies will need to understand the program’s contours and potential pitfalls to avoid potential civil liability or criminal scrutiny, say attorneys at Cohen & Gresser.

  • How Trump's Trade Policies Are Shaping Foreign Investment

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    Five months into the Trump administration, investors are beginning to see the concrete effects of the president’s America First Investment Policy as it presents new opportunities for clearing transactions more quickly, while sustaining risk aversion related to Chinese trade and potentially creating different political risks, say attorneys at Covington.

  • How Trump Admin Treasury Policies Are Reaching Banks

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    The Treasury Department has emerged as an important facilitator of the Trump administration's financial policies affecting banks, which are now facing deregulation domestically and the use of international economic authorities in cross-border trade and investment, say attorneys at Davis Polk.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • FTC Focus: Enforcers Study AI Innovation And Entrenchment

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    The Federal Trade Commission and other regulators setting their sights on the burgeoning artificial intelligence ecosystem are considering how the government should approach innovation in tech markets that tend, almost inevitably, toward concentration, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • High Court ACA Ruling May Harm Preventative Care

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Kennedy v. Braidwood last week, ruling that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary has authority over an Affordable Care Act preventive care task force, risks harming the credibility of the task force and could open the door to politicians dictating clinical recommendations, says Michael Kolber at Manatt.

  • Policy Shifts Bring New Anti-Money Laundering Challenges

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    In the second half of 2025, the U.S. anti-money laundering regulatory landscape is poised for decisive shifts in enforcement priorities, compliance expectations and legislative developments — so investment advisers and other financial institutions should take steps to prepare for potential new obligations and areas of risk, say attorneys at Linklaters.

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

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    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

  • Kousisis Concurrence Maps FCA Defense To Anti-DEI Suits

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    Justice Clarence Thomas' recent concurrence in Kousisis v. U.S. lays out how federal funding recipients could use the high standard for materiality in government fraud cases to fight the U.S. Justice Department’s threatened False Claims Act suits against payees deviating from the administration’s anti-DEI policies, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

  • Despite Dark Clouds, Outlook For US Solar Has Bright Spots

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    While tariff, tax policy and bankruptcy news seemingly portends unending challenges for the U.S. solar energy industry, signs of continued growth in solar generating capacity and domestic solar manufacturing suggest that there is a path forward, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • Assessing New Changes To Texas Officer Exculpation Law

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    Consistent with Texas' recent modernization of its corporate law, the recently passed S.B. 2411 allows officer exculpation, streamlines certificate of formation amendments, authorizes representatives to act on shareholders' behalf in mergers and makes other changes aimed toward companies seeking a more codified, statutory model of corporate governance, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • How Ending OFCCP Will Affect Affirmative Action Obligations

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    As President Donald Trump's administration plans to eliminate the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which enforces federal contractor antidiscrimination compliance and affirmative action program obligations, contractors should consider the best compliance approaches available to them, especially given the False Claims Act implications, say attorneys at Ogletree.

  • Rising Enforcement Stakes For Pharma Telehealth Platforms

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    Two pieces of legislation recently introduced in Congress could transform the structure and promotion of telehealth arrangements as legislators increasingly scrutinize direct-to-consumer advertising platforms, potentially paving the way for a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration policy with bipartisan support, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

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    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

  • One Year On, Davidson Holds Lessons On 'Health Halo' Claims

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    A year after the Ninth Circuit's Davidson v. Sprout Foods decision — which raised the bar for so-called health halo claims — food and beverage companies can draw insights from its finding, subsequently expanded on by other courts, that plaintiffs must be specific when alleging fraud in healthfulness marketing, say attorneys at Sidley.

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