Public Policy

  • April 22, 2026

    Federal Agencies Hit With FOIA Suit Over Palantir Records

    A transparency-focused nonprofit has asked a Washington federal court to order federal agencies to respond to its Freedom of Information Act request regarding their involvement with technology company Palantir after President Donald Trump called for maximal interagency information sharing.

  • April 22, 2026

    Va. Lawmakers Reject Governor's Changes To Pot Bill

    Virginia legislators on Wednesday rejected Gov. Abigail Spanberger's proposed changes to a bill that would create a regulated cannabis market.

  • April 22, 2026

    Commerce Opens Path For Canadian, Mexican Metal Tariff Cut

    Canadian and Mexican steel and aluminum producers that commit to expanding their U.S. domestic production capacity and provide the goods to U.S. automotive manufacturers can apply to have the 50% tariff rate on the metals halved, the U.S. Department of Commerce said Wednesday.

  • April 22, 2026

    Bondi's Proposed Rule Change May Shield Her In Ethics Case

    A federal rule change that Pam Bondi proposed before she was fired as U.S. attorney general could stymie an ethics complaint against her in Florida, which is expected to be refiled after the state bar declined to take up the case during her tenure, experts say.

  • April 22, 2026

    Developer Says Power Broker, Atty Brother Seek Rushed Ruling

    A Philadelphia-based developer has told a New Jersey state court that South Jersey power broker George Norcross and his attorney brother's opposition to his bid to amend his suit is really an effort to get an untimely ruling.

  • April 22, 2026

    WIPO Head Gets Another Term To Lead UN Agency

    World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Daren Tang has been reappointed to the position after being nominated by its coordination committee earlier this year to again lead the United Nations agency.

  • April 22, 2026

    Mass. Justices Reject Additional Rules For Punitive Damages

    Massachusetts' highest court on Wednesday rejected a bid by Philip Morris USA Inc. to impose rules aimed at curbing big-dollar punitive damages awards, declining to wipe out or further reduce a verdict against the tobacco company that was already slashed from $1 billion to $56 million.  

  • April 22, 2026

    Neb. Agrees To Ax Unauthorized Immigrants' Tuition Benefits

    The Trump administration and the state of Nebraska have asked a Nebraska federal court to sign off on a consent decree they reached seeking to permanently block state laws that provide in-state tuition benefits to unauthorized immigrants, agreeing that federal law preempts them.

  • April 22, 2026

    DHS Says Mich. Lacks Standing To Block Planned ICE Center

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency are fighting back against a suit filed by Michigan and one of its cities in Michigan federal court over a planned ICE detention center, arguing that the plaintiffs lack standing and that the Immigration and Nationality Act allows the federal government to convert a local warehouse into an immigrant detention center.

  • April 22, 2026

    Feds Get More Time To Tell Immigrants Of Bond Rights

    A Massachusetts federal judge has said she will give the government more time to notify detained immigrants of their right to a bond hearing and appeal, but also added a restriction barring transfers of detainees to other jurisdictions for at least 24 hours after they have been served.

  • April 22, 2026

    Chancery Sends Masimo Ex-CEO Pay Fight To California

    The Delaware Chancery Court sided with former Masimo Corp. CEO Joe E. Kiani in his fight with the global medical technology company, dismissing the company's lawsuit over a disputed $450 million severance package and ruling that the case must proceed in California, not Delaware.

  • April 22, 2026

    Uber, DoorDash Can't Pause NYC Tip Prompt Laws On Appeal

    Uber and DoorDash cannot temporarily block New York City laws regulating how they display gratuity options as an appeal moves forward, the Second Circuit ruled, finding the companies failed to show that an injunction is warranted.

  • April 22, 2026

    Okla. Defines Entities Eligible For Development Tax Credits

    Oklahoma defined entities that are eligible to receive income tax credits for capital contributions to qualified economic development and infrastructure projects under a bill signed by the governor.

  • April 22, 2026

    Mass. Tax Board Won't Drop $954,000 Home Valuation

    A Massachusetts couple failed to convince the state Appellate Tax Board that their home was overvalued at $954,000, the board said, finding shortcomings on their analysis of nearby comparable properties.

  • April 22, 2026

    DOL Unveils Joint Employer Rule Proposal

    The U.S. Department of Labor announced its proposed rule Wednesday for clarifying when multiple employers are jointly liable for wage and hour violations.

  • April 21, 2026

    5th Circ. OKs Ten Commandments In Texas Public Schools

    The full Fifth Circuit Tuesday narrowly signed off on a Texas law requiring public schools to post copies of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, ruling that the law is indeed constitutional and reversing a lower court's injunction blocking the measure.

  • April 21, 2026

    Ohio Appeals Panel Questions Google Common Carrier Case

    An Ohio appeals panel raised several questions on Tuesday about the manageability of a bid to designate Google's search engine as a common carrier and whether the effort would regulate online speech.

  • April 21, 2026

    Breyer Says 'Shadow Docket' Not A Top Court Power Grab

    Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer said Tuesday that the rise of the so-called shadow docket is a consequence of the post-COVID era and not a bid to usurp influence by the high court. 

  • April 21, 2026

    House Subcommittee Mulls SAT Streamlining Act

    Everyone at Tuesday's SAT Streamlining Act hearing agreed it is time for U.S. policy to catch up with the booming satellite industry, but while Republicans seemed more prepared to slash and burn permitting hurdles, Democrats expressed concern about creating what one witness called a "rubber stamp."

  • April 21, 2026

    Justices Look Split In 7th Amendment Feud Over FCC Fines

    Several U.S. Supreme Court justices seemed convinced Tuesday that Federal Communications Commission fines are nonbinding unless enforced and don't deprive alleged rule violators of the right to a jury trial, but some colleagues still questioned whether the parties sanctioned by the agency have a meaningful chance of facing a jury.

  • April 21, 2026

    7th Circ. Says Fed. Laws Don't Preempt Wis. Vape Sale Ban

    The Seventh Circuit declined Tuesday to revive vaping interest groups' bid to halt enforcement of a Wisconsin law banning sales of e-cigarettes that aren't approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, finding federal law doesn't preempt the state's authority to regulate the marketing and sales of tobacco products. 

  • April 21, 2026

    Copyright Head Touts 6,000 Registrations Of Human-AI Works

    The U.S. Copyright Office has issued more than 6,000 registrations for works that incorporate artificial intelligence-generated materials and follow the agency's guidance for combined human-made and AI-created works, U.S. Copyright Office leader Shira Perlmutter said Tuesday.

  • April 21, 2026

    Fla. AG Backs Bal Harbour Shops Owner In Live Local Dispute

    Florida's Office of the Attorney General has asked a state court for permission to file an amicus brief supporting developer Bal Harbour Shops LLC's suit against a municipality that rejected the developer's application for a mixed-use project that would have included homes, a hotel and a retail area.

  • April 21, 2026

    Arkansas' Second Attempt At Age Verification Law Blocked

    Tech trade group NetChoice has won another battle in its war against age verification laws, convincing an Arkansas federal court to again block a state law that would restrict minors' ability to use social media.

  • April 21, 2026

    Congress Rallies More For Bills On Copyrights Than Patents

    There have been more intellectual property bills floated in Congress that are supportive of copyright rights than patent rights, according to a new report looking at how lawmakers treat the IP system.

Expert Analysis

  • What A Court Doc Audit Reveals About Erroneous Filings

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    My audit of 1,522 court documents from last month found that over 95% contained at least one verifiable error, with fewer than 1% showing clear indicators of artificial intelligence use — highlighting above all else that lawyers may want to focus most on strengthening their review processes, says Elliott Ash at ETH Zurich.

  • Regulators' Basel Pitch May Bring Banks Capital Relief

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    The prudential banking agencies' new proposals to implement the so-called Basel III endgame rules — which would modify the approach to risk-based capital, among other notable changes — represent a fundamental directional shift in bank capital requirements aimed at increasing lending capacity, says Chen Xu at Debevoise.

  • How SEC And CFTC Are Attempting To End Their 'Turf War'

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    Through coordinated examinations and a shared aim to end duplicative regulation, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recent memorandum of understanding could represent a significant shift in the regulatory landscape for market participants subject to the jurisdiction of both agencies, say attorneys at Jenner.

  • FTC Focus: Growing Emphasis On Competition In AI

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    The Federal Trade Commission's leadership has continued to highlight that competitive risks in artificial intelligence markets may arise at multiple levels simultaneously, considering not only who controls the resources necessary to build AI systems, but also how those systems function and yield outputs, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • What's Missing From Latest Gov't Claims Against Harvard

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    The most interesting thing about the Trump administration’s recent civil rights enforcement efforts targeting Harvard University is its decision not to assert violations of the False Claims Act when given the opportunity, despite signals that its enforcement efforts will include use of the federal FCA, say attorneys at Bass Berry.

  • How Cos. Can Prepare For 'Made In America' Ad Scrutiny

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    The Trump administration's executive order to combat fraudulent "Made in America" claims in consumer-facing advertising, along with actions by the Federal Trade Commission, suggest a potential increased focus on consumer protection and pricing-related matters, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Opinion

    FTC Case Risks Redefining Price Discrimination

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    Federal Trade Commission v. Southern Glazer puts a spotlight on the blurry line between illegal price discrimination and ordinary competition, and could potentially set a precedent that puts nearly any manufacturer at risk of Robinson-Patman Act enforcement, says Jeremy Sandford at Econic Partners.

  • Parsing Rule 12(c) Motion Overuse In Securities Class Actions

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    Defendants in securities class actions have more frequently been filing motions for judgment on the pleadings following the denial of motions to dismiss, but courts have recently demonstrated an increasing willingness to reject these previously rare motions, finding them transparent attempts to relitigate already-decided issues, say attorneys at Labaton Keller.

  • Preparing For New Calif. Pay Data Reporting Requirements

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    California's S.B. 464 overhauls the state's pay data reporting framework by requiring employers to use job categories that are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, increasing both the potential visibility of pay disparities and the complexity of compliance, say attorneys at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • Series

    Mich. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    Michigan's financial services sector saw several significant developments in 2026's first quarter, including the state Department of Insurance and Financial Services' issuance of a bulletin on the use of artificial intelligence and the Michigan House's introduction of a bill based on the Model Money Transmission Modernization Act, say attorneys at Dykema.

  • Justices' Ruling Stresses Quick Action Against Absconders

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    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent holding in Rico v. U.S. that a supervised release term is not automatically extended when a defendant absconds, probation officers and prosecutors risk being unable to address later violations if they don't act promptly to secure warrants, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • New DOD Framework Offers Key Guidance On PFAS Disposal

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    The U.S. Department of Defense's recently updated guidance on disposal of materials containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ends its moratorium on incineration of PFAS-containing waste, but contractors must be ready to demonstrate stringent compliance with the department's new permitting system, operational controls and data practices, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • How Cos. Can Navigate The Patchwork Of AI Safety Bills

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    In the first few months of 2026, state and federal lawmakers introduced hundreds of bills to address the perceived safety risks of artificial intelligence, so companies should assess whether existing or planned services could be scoped into AI safety legislation across jurisdictions, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • Unpacking FCC's Proposed Rules For Offshore Call Centers

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    The Federal Communications Commission recently proposed rules that would restrict the use of offshore customer service operations, citing consumer frustration, data security risks and fraud as core reasons for the sweeping regulatory move, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • Series

    Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    As usual, California remained a hub for financial services activity in the first quarter of 2026, with key developments including the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation's eye on consumer issues, a bill targeting "pig butchering" schemes, and jam-packed courts, say attorneys at Joseph Cohen.

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