Public Policy

  • September 23, 2025

    Chief Judge In Ala. To Take Semiretirement Status Next Year

    Chief U.S. District Judge David Proctor of the Northern District of Alabama has informed the president that he will take senior status Jan. 1, 2026.

  • September 23, 2025

    Texas Bans Hemp Sales To Minors Under Emergency Rule

    Texas regulators on Tuesday adopted emergency rules restricting the sale of hemp-derived psychoactive products to anyone under the age of 21.

  • September 23, 2025

    1st Circ. Won't Let Citizens Bank Escape Escrow Interest Suit

    The First Circuit has revived a proposed class action accusing Citizens Bank of violating Rhode Island law by not making interest payments for mortgage escrow accounts, ruling the action must be reinstated in part because of a U.S. Supreme Court decision handed down after the case was dismissed.

  • September 23, 2025

    Minnesota's Deepfake Crackdown Foreshadows Legal Clashes

    Minnesota's law cracking down on deepfake videos aimed at influencing elections has drawn separate court challenges to stop its enforcement, including one by X Corp., offering a glimpse into the hurdles other states and Congress may face as they address the proliferation of digital replicas created with artificial intelligence.

  • September 23, 2025

    Judge Demands Summary Of Unspent Foreign Aid Funds

    A D.C. federal judge ordered the Trump administration to file a summary of uncommitted foreign aid funds from pre-2024 appropriations acts expiring at the end of September, after aid organizations said the government was deliberately trying to evade his injunction requiring that it obligate more than $6 billion by the end of the month.

  • September 23, 2025

    Chemours Asks 4th Circ. To Toss Ohio River Pollution Order

    Chemours told the Fourth Circuit a West Virginia federal judge botched the law and the science about the risks a forever chemical poses when he ordered its Washington Works facility to stop discharging permit-exceeding amounts of the substance into the Ohio River.

  • September 23, 2025

    Admin Argues Copyright Chief Seeks 'Sweeping Remedies'

    The Trump administration told a D.C. federal court that it had the authority to remove Shira Perlmutter as head of the U.S. Copyright Office, saying her suit over her firing seeks "sweeping remedies" she isn't entitled to.

  • September 23, 2025

    Bipartisan House Reps Float Bill Protecting Older Job Seekers

    House lawmakers from both sides of the aisle said they have introduced legislation that would amend the Age Discrimination in Employment Act to state explicitly that it shields job applicants as well as employees.

  • September 23, 2025

    DOL Greenlights Guaranteed Income Investments In 401(k)s

    The U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits arm issued guidance Tuesday making clear that employers can offer lifetime income insurance products as a default investment in 401(k) plans, responding to an executive order by President Donald Trump calling for expanded access to nontraditional retirement plan assets.

  • September 23, 2025

    Ga. Panel Says Kemp Doesn't Have To Probe Election Board

    The Georgia Court of Appeals on Tuesday said a trial court rightly dismissed a suit that sought to force the state's governor to hold a hearing on ethics charges brought against three Republican members of the State Election Board.

  • September 23, 2025

    Star Chef Didn't Violate 'Vague' Pact With Boston, Judge Says

    A Massachusetts state court has ruled that a "vague" agreement between celebrity chef Barbara Lynch and the city of Boston to escrow proceeds from the sale of her flagship No. 9 Park restaurant while the city seeks to collect her unpaid taxes doesn't prevent Lynch from using the funds to pay other creditors.

  • September 23, 2025

    Full Effects Of US Tariffs 'Yet To Be Felt,' OECD Report Says

    Economic growth in the U.S. is expected to dip in 2026 partly because of global trade tensions, the full effects of which "have yet to be felt," the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reported Tuesday.

  • September 22, 2025

    Trump Appoints 'Loyal' Aide Following Va. US Atty's Exit

    One of President Donald Trump's White House aides and former personal attorneys Monday was sworn in as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, a day after the resignation of the office's previous Senate-approved top prosecutor, who had declined to bring charges against two of the president's foes.

  • September 22, 2025

    Oracle To Secure TikTok Users' Data In Deal To Skirt US Ban

    Tech giant Oracle will be tasked with safeguarding U.S. TikTok users' personal data, and the app's recommendation algorithm will be "retrained" and operated outside the control of TikTok's Chinese parent company under a deal that President Donald Trump is expected to sign this week to avert a shutdown of TikTok, the White House said Monday. 

  • September 22, 2025

    Google Ad Tech Breakup 'Drastic' But Best, DOJ Tells Judge

    A U.S. Department of Justice attorney pressed a Virginia federal judge Monday to break up Google's advertising placement technology business, asserting in opening statements that a divestiture is doable and the only way to fully address Google's monopoly.

  • September 22, 2025

    VoIP Provider Seeks Faster Switch To Internet-Based Lines

    Local carriers are dragging their feet in changing from older switching systems to internet-based call interconnection, and federal rules should be crafted to hasten the transition, says a telecom technology platform.

  • September 22, 2025

    $100K H-1B Fee Will Likely Hurt Both US And Foreign Workers

    The new $100,000 fee for H-1B visas, which took effect on Sunday with little advance notice, blindsided immigration attorneys who told Law360 that it could ultimately hurt domestic workers by driving U.S. companies to do business elsewhere.

  • September 22, 2025

    Colo. Justices Unsure How To Interpret Open Records Law

    Colorado Supreme Court justices grilled an attorney representing the state Monday about how its interpretation of Colorado's open records laws actually protects the identity of children, and whether its reading of the statute isn't overly broad.

  • September 22, 2025

    New Framework Needed For Satellite Power Caps, Orgs Say

    More than a dozen groups on Monday told the Federal Communications Commission it's time to update spectrum sharing rules between low earth orbit and other satellites to spur industry growth.

  • September 22, 2025

    UK, US To Collaborate On Capital Markets, Crypto Policy

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the United Kingdom's financial ministry on Monday announced the formation of a joint taskforce to explore ways to collaborate on digital asset policy and "improve links" between the two countries' capital markets.

  • September 22, 2025

    T-Mobile, Sprint Push DC Circ. To Revisit $92M FCC Fines

    T-Mobile and Sprint are asking the full D.C. Circuit to review a $92 million fine from the Federal Communications Commission over their sale of sensitive user location data with third-party companies, asking for an en banc rehearing of their challenge after a three-judge panel unanimously affirmed the penalty last month. 

  • September 22, 2025

    DC Circ. Mulls International Media Funding, Firings

    The D.C. Circuit is set to decide whether or not to allow the Trump administration to continue dismantling the agency that oversees state news broadcaster Voice of America after hearing consolidated arguments Monday morning in a quartet of cases challenging the shutdown.

  • September 22, 2025

    DOJ Urges 7th Circ. To Affirm Strike Of Ill. Assault Rifle Ban

    The Department of Justice's civil rights chief told a Seventh Circuit panel on Monday that an Illinois law banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines is unconstitutional and that the appellate court set an "inaccurate standard" when it denied an earlier bid to block the law's enforcement.

  • September 22, 2025

    Feds Urge No Injunction In Ill. Migrant Shelter Fund Fight

    An Illinois federal judge hearing Chicago and other municipalities' dispute over migrant-focused grant funds the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stopped reimbursing should not halt that decision while the parties' case plays out, because the funds aren't being moved or used elsewhere, the federal government argued Monday.

  • September 22, 2025

    Judge Lets Suit Over Audible's Expiring Credits Move Forward

    A Washington federal judge has declined to toss a consumer's proposed class action against Audible Inc. over the expiration dates on membership "credits," saying such vouchers don't have to be backed by a specific cash value to be covered by the Evergreen State's gift card law.

Expert Analysis

  • Annual Report Shows CFIUS Extending Its Reach In 2024

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    The recently released 2024 annual report from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States reveals record civil penalties and enhanced internal capabilities, illustrating expanding jurisdiction and an increasing appetite for enforcement actions, says Nathan Fisher at StoneTurn.

  • Trump Tax Law's Most Impactful Corp. And Individual Changes

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    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act built on and reshaped elements of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including business interest deductions, bonus depreciation and personal income relief, delivering substantial changes to both corporate and individual tax policy, say attorneys at Weil.

  • From Clerkship To Law Firm: 5 Transition Tips For Associates

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Transitioning from a judicial clerkship to an associate position at a law firm may seem daunting, but by using knowledge gained while clerking, being mindful of key differences and taking advantage of professional development opportunities, these attorneys can flourish in private practice, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Opinion

    Fla. Misses Opportunity To Rectify Wrongful Death Damages

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    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' recent veto of a bill that would have removed certain arbitrary and unfair prohibitions on noneconomic wrongful death damages in medical negligence cases highlights the urgent need for reforms to current state law, say attorneys at Farah & Farah.

  • Cybersecurity Risks Can Lurk In Gov't Contractor Acquisitions

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    The Justice Department’s recent False Claims Act enforcement activity against Raytheon and Nightwing-related defense contractors demonstrates the importance of identifying and mitigating potential cybersecurity compliance risks when acquiring a company that contracts with the federal government, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Budget Act Should Boost Focus On Trade Compliance

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    Passage of the One Big Beautiful Budget Act, coupled with recent U.S. Department of Justice statements that it will use the False Claims Act aggressively to pursue trade, tariff and customs fraud, marks a sharp increase in trade-related enforcement risk, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • NY Bill Would Complicate Labor Law Amid NLRB Uncertainty

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    The New York Legislature passed a bill that, if enacted, would grant state agencies the power to enforce federal labor law, potentially causing significant challenges for employers as they could be subject to both state and federal regulators depending on the National Labor Relations Board's operational status, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Trump Tax Law's Most Consequential International Changes

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    The international tax provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act may result in higher effective tax rates for some multinational corporations, but others, particularly those operating in low-tax jurisdictions, may benefit from alignment with global anti-profit shifting efforts, say attorneys at Weil.

  • Associates Can Earn Credibility By Investing In Relationships

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    As the class of 2025 prepares to join law firms this fall, new associates must adapt to office dynamics and establish credible reputations — which require quiet, consistent relationship-building skills as much as legal acumen, says Kyle Forges at Bast Amron.

  • How 6th Circ. Ruling Deepens Split On Broker Liability

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    A growing divide in Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act jurisprudence is ripe for U.S. Supreme Court review, after the Sixth Circuit last month found in Cox v. Total Quality Logistics that brokers can be held liable for negligent hiring, says Gregory Reed at Hanson Bridgett.

  • How The Genius Act May Aid In Fight Against 'Pig Butchering'

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    ​​​​​​​The recently enacted Genius Act represents a watershed moment in the fight against crypto fraud, providing new tools to freeze and recover funds that are lost to scams such as "pig butchering" schemes executed from scam factories abroad, but there are implementation challenges to watch, say attorneys at Treanor Devlin.

  • Assessing Strategies For Mixed-Use Pro Sports Projects

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    Counsel managing mixed-use sports and entertainment districts must combine expertise ranging from stadium-arena finance to municipal law to public relations into a unified strategy, and a series of practice tips can aid project management from inception to completion, say attorneys at Katten.

  • Opinion

    Congressional Bid Protest Concerns Lack Evidence

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    The U.S. Government Accountability Office's most recent congressionally mandated report on the bid protest process showed little reason for concern, and underlined that further scrutiny should cease until data is collected that would enable the identification of purported problems, say attorneys at Fox Rothschild.

  • Trending At The PTAB: IPR Memo And Its Fed. Circ. Backdrop

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    There are new rules for when and how evidence other than patents or printed publications can be considered in inter partes reviews, and while this change is intended to reflect current Federal Circuit precedent, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's memo seems to acknowledge tension with last month's Shockwave decision, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • Biosolid Contaminants Spawn Litigation, Regulation Risks

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    While nutrient-rich biosolids — aka sewage sludge — can be an attractive fertilizer, pending legislation and litigation spurred by the risk of contamination with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and other pollutants should put stakeholders in this industry on guard, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

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