Public Policy

  • June 18, 2025

    High Court Says Texas Can't Challenge Nuclear Waste Site

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday said Texas and a mineral owner could not challenge the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's approval of a temporary nuclear waste storage facility in the state, while sidestepping the issue of whether the agency is authorized to license such facilities.

  • June 17, 2025

    Mass. Judge Expands Block On Trans Passport Policy

    A Massachusetts federal judge Tuesday expanded to thousands of people a preliminary injunction ordering the U.S. Department of State to issue or renew passports to six transgender or nonbinary people to reflect their gender identity.

  • June 17, 2025

    Mass. Judge Temporarily Blocks DOD Research Funding Cuts

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration's planned cuts to U.S. Department of Defense-funded research, granting the injunction just a day after a slew of institutions sued on allegations that the move would "stop critical research in its tracks."

  • June 17, 2025

    Block On Job Corps Cuts Extended As Judge Weighs Injunction

    A New York federal judge on Tuesday extended a temporary restraining order prohibiting the U.S. Department of Labor from "suspending" most of the Job Corps program, which contractors and others say is tantamount to shuttering the youth education and vocational training program and will likely result in student homelessness.

  • June 17, 2025

    Sunoco Pipeline Leak Class Claims Return To Philly Court

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has sent environmental class claims over a Sunoco pipeline leak back to state court in Philadelphia, ruling that a carveout to federal class action law where the majority of plaintiffs reside in the same place makes it a state court matter.

  • June 17, 2025

    States Say Trump Admin Can't Freeze EV Charging Funds

    An attorney for the Washington Attorney General's Office on Tuesday urged a federal judge in Seattle to issue a preliminary injunction requiring the Trump administration to release funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure projects in 16 states, saying the administration cannot "go back in time" and eliminate congressionally approved funding.

  • June 17, 2025

    Senate Passes Stablecoin Legislation With Bipartisan Support

    The Senate's proposal to regulate stablecoins passed the chamber on Tuesday with support from both parties, sending it on to the House where lawmakers are still working on their own proposal.

  • June 17, 2025

    La. Law Will Make Tesla Sales Less Onerous, Justices Told

    Louisiana regulators are hoping the U.S. Supreme Court will hold off on considering their request to take up a Tesla-brought case targeting the state's ban on direct sales by automakers, saying a new law is about to change things and the justices should wait until it takes effect.

  • June 17, 2025

    Ex-Low Power TV Owner Hit With $188K In Fines

    A Federal Communications Commission administrative law judge has slapped the former licensee of Hispanic Christian Community Network with $188,000 in fines, finding the man paid "utterly no attention ... to statutory and regulatory responsibilities."

  • June 17, 2025

    EPA Ordered To Rethink Enviro Justice Grant Terminations

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority by canceling certain grants without a "reasoned explanation" beyond the Trump administration's deprioritization of "environmental justice" initiatives, a Maryland federal judge ruled Tuesday, saying the grant terminations must be vacated and sent back to the EPA for further review.

  • June 17, 2025

    9th Circ. Skeptical Of Blocking National Guard Deployment

    A Ninth Circuit panel appeared open Tuesday to striking down a temporary restraining order — currently paused — that would block President Donald Trump from sending the National Guard into Los Angeles, with two judges repeatedly citing case law suggesting the president has broad discretion to mobilize the Guard.

  • June 17, 2025

    Jeanine Pirro Formally Nominated For DC US Atty

    Former judge and Fox News host Jeanine Pirro has been nominated for the full-time U.S. attorney role for the District of Columbia after having been tapped previously for the position on an interim basis.

  • June 17, 2025

    NYC Comptroller, Mayoral Candidate, Arrested In Courthouse

    New York City comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested by federal agents outside an immigration courtroom on Tuesday after linking arms with a man about to be detained, according to numerous sources.

  • June 17, 2025

    5th Circ. Finds $37M For PPE Delivery Problems Went Too Far

    The Fifth Circuit on Monday kept partially intact a $37 million award the Federal Trade Commission secured against a drop-shipping company, but found part of the award went too far because it fully refunded customers for COVID-19 protective gear that was delivered late.

  • June 17, 2025

    Tufts Student Says Feds Can't Ax Visa Record Claim

    Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk fired back at the Trump administration's attempt to dismiss her claim in Vermont federal court challenging its termination of her student visa compliance record, saying court after court has found the government acted unlawfully in axing other students' records.

  • June 17, 2025

    FCC Says Tribe's New Radio Station Reach Can Fall Short

    The Northern Arapaho Tribe of Wyoming will be getting a new radio station after the FCC granted the tribe a waiver that will let it bypass a requirement that it cover 50% of the reservation, which is bigger than Delaware and Rhode Island put together.

  • June 17, 2025

    CFPB's Vought Seeks To Limit Use Of Civil Penalty Fund

    Consumer Financial Protection Bureau acting Director Russell Vought is proposing to restrict the agency's ability to tap its civil penalty fund for consumer education and financial literacy initiatives as part of a trio of draft regulatory changes posted online Tuesday.

  • June 17, 2025

    Fundraising Pro Admits To Lying In Mich. 'Dark Money' Probe

    A political fundraising consultant pled guilty in Michigan state court on Tuesday to misleading investigators regarding her role in an alleged scheme to conceal the identities of donors supporting a ballot proposal campaign at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • June 17, 2025

    X Sues Over NY Social Media Law, Citing Trimmed Calif. Law

    A New York law requiring social media companies to divulge whether they define and moderate hate speech, extremism and misinformation or face fines is unconstitutional, Elon Musk's X Corp. claims in a federal lawsuit Tuesday, noting the law mirrors a California statute that the platform got trimmed earlier this year.

  • June 17, 2025

    HHS Says Trump Orders Merit Ending Trans Health Rule Case

    The federal government urged a Mississippi federal court to end a lawsuit challenging a Biden-era rule that protected gender-affirming care under the Affordable Care Act, arguing the Republican attorneys general leading the case can't show imminent harm given the Trump administration's position on the definition of "sex."

  • June 17, 2025

    Pot Shops Have Rights In Federal Court, Mich. Judge Says

    A Michigan federal judge Tuesday declined to remand a lawsuit from cannabis companies alleging the city of Grand Rapids' marijuana licensure program imposes illegal fees, rejecting the companies' argument that the case belongs in state court since marijuana remains illegal under federal law.  

  • June 17, 2025

    ND Secretary Fights Tribes' 8th Circ. Voting Rights Rehearing

    North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe is urging the Eighth Circuit to deny two Native American tribes' bid for a rehearing in their voting rights challenge, arguing their petition misinterprets the appellate court's opinions and overstates U.S. Supreme Court precedent on the issue.

  • June 17, 2025

    GOP Lawmaker Praises DOL IG's Law Firm Agreements Audit

    The chair of the Republican-led U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Tuesday praised a U.S. Department of Labor watchdog for investigating the agency over allegations it shared confidential information with plaintiffs attorneys, which comes after the panel called for an investigation in November.

  • June 17, 2025

    9th Circ. Says Chinook Can't Get Tribal Status From Courts

    The Chinook Indian Nation can't revive its bid seeking federally recognized tribe status that would entitle it to benefits from the U.S. government after the Ninth Circuit issued an order Tuesday finding the process for federal recognition comes from the U.S. Department of the Interior, not the federal judiciary.

  • June 17, 2025

    Senate Confirms Trump's FCC Nominee, Giving GOP Majority

    The U.S. Senate confirmed Olivia Trusty to the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday, providing Republicans a 2-1 majority on the telecom regulatory body five months after President Donald Trump named her for the seat.

Expert Analysis

  • The Risks Of Trump's Plan To Fast-Track Deregulation

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    A recent memorandum issued by President Donald Trump directing the repeal of so-called unlawful regulations, and instructing that agencies invoke the good cause exception under the Administrative Procedure Act, signals a potentially far-reaching deregulatory strategy under the guise of legal compliance, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • Deregulation Memo Presents Risks, Opportunities For Cos.

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    A recent Trump administration memo providing direction to agencies tasked with rescinding regulations under an earlier executive order — without undergoing the typical notice-and-review process — will likely create much uncertainty for businesses, though they may be able to engage with agencies to shape the regulatory agenda, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

  • Action Steps To Prepare For Ramped-Up Export Enforcement

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    In light of recent Bureau of Industry and Security actions and comments, companies, particularly those with any connection to China, should consider four concrete steps to shore up their compliance programs given the administration's increasingly aggressive approach to export enforcement, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Mastering Discovery

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    The discovery process and the rules that govern it are often absent from law school curricula, but developing a solid grasp of the particulars can give any new attorney a leg up in their practice, says Jordan Davies at Knowles Gallant.

  • DOJ Signals Major Shift In White Collar Enforcement Priorities

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    In a speech on Monday, an official outlined key revisions to the U.S. Department of Justice’s voluntary self-disclosure, corporate monitorship and whistleblower program policies, marking a meaningful change in the white collar enforcement landscape, and offering companies clearer incentives and guardrails, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • Understanding Compliance Concerns With NY Severance Bill

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    New York's No Severance Ultimatums Act, if enacted, could overhaul how employers manage employee separations, but employers should be mindful that the bill's language introduces ambiguities and raises compliance concerns, say attorneys at Norris McLaughlin.

  • What New Study Means For Recycling Compliance In Calif.

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    Companies must review the California recycling agency's new study to understand its criteria for assessing claims of product and packaging recyclability under a law that takes effect next year, and then decide whether the risks of making such claims in the state outweigh the benefits, say attorneys at Keller & Heckman.

  • Mergers Face Steeper Slopes In State Antitrust Reviews

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    The New York Supreme Court's recent summary judgment in New York v. Intermountain Management, blocking the acquisition and shuttering of a ski mountain in the Syracuse area, underscores the growing trend among state antitrust enforcers to scrutinize and challenge anticompetitive conduct under state laws, say attorneys at Robins Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    The IRS Shouldn't Go To War Over Harvard's Tax Exemption

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    If the Internal Revenue Service revokes Harvard's tax-exempt status for violating established public policy — a position unsupported by currently available information — the precedent set by surviving the inevitable court challenge could undercut the autonomy and distinctiveness of the charitable sector, says Johnny Rex Buckles at Houston Law Center.

  • Balancing Deep-Sea Mining Executive Order, Int'l Agreements

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    President Donald Trump's recent executive order directing exploration and exploitation of deep-sea mineral resources appears to conflict with the evolving international framework regulating such activities, so companies and investors should proceed with care and keep possible future legal challenges in mind, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • CFTC Memos Clarify When 'Sorry' Still Gets You Subpoenaed

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    A pair of Commodity Futures Trading Commission advisories released in February and April open a new path to self-reporting but emphasize that serious breaches still warrant a trip to the penalty box, prompting firms to weigh whether — and how — to disclose potential violations in the future, say attorneys at Pryor Cashman.

  • Parsing The SEC's New Increased Co-Investment Flexibility

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new co-investment exemptive orders simplify processes and reduce barriers for regulated funds — and rulemaking may evolve further to allow investors access to additional investment opportunities and increase available capital for issuers seeking to raise money from fund complexes, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Cos. Must Assess And Prepare For Cartel-Related FCPA Risks

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    Given the Trump administration’s strong signaling that it will focus on drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations when it resumes Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement, global businesses should refresh their risk assessments and conduct enhanced due diligence to account for these shifting priorities, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • State AGs Shape Regulatory Dynamic In Trump's 1st 100 Days

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    With President Donald Trump's promised rollback of long-standing federal regulations and enforcement actions just beginning, alongside a flurry of executive orders, what state attorneys general do now will influence the complex state-federal regulatory landscape for years to come, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Opinion

    New Hospice Regulations Should Enforce Core Principles

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    As the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General prepares to research and expand on oversight of Medicare hospice care, the OIG should keep in mind certain core principles, such as an emphasis on preventing the entry of hospices that raise red flags, says Bill Dombi at Arnall Golden.

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