Public Policy

  • December 19, 2025

    Court Nixes Labor Requirements From Army Corps Contract

    The U.S. Court of Federal Claims granted a construction company's request to strike negotiated labor prices and work terms from a hurricane-mitigation contract with the Army Corps of Engineers, finding the requirements were unrelated to the project's needs.

  • December 19, 2025

    Justices Let Immigration Judges' Free Speech Suit Continue

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the Trump administration has failed to show it will be irreparably harmed by a Fourth Circuit decision that revived immigration judges' lawsuit challenging restrictions on their ability to speak publicly.

  • December 19, 2025

    NLRB Prosecutors Drop Challenge To SpaceX Severance Pact

    National Labor Relations Board prosecutors have dropped a challenge to SpaceX's severance agreement that spurred a fight over the agency's constitutionality, telling a Texas federal judge that "further proceedings would not effectuate the purposes of the National Labor Relations Act."

  • December 19, 2025

    Veolia Hit With $4M Overcharge Claim By NJ Borough

    A Garden State municipality is suing Veolia Water New Jersey Inc. and two affiliated entities in state court, alleging the private water provider orchestrated a yearslong scheme to falsify consumption data, manipulate meter readings and induce the town into paying millions more for water than it actually used.

  • December 19, 2025

    Calif. Appeals Court Upholds Los Angeles' Mansion Tax

    A property transfer tax that adds 4% to 5.5% to the cost of Los Angeles real estate deals of more than $5 million is legal under the U.S. and California constitutions, a state appeals panel ruled, upholding a trial court.

  • December 19, 2025

    Green Groups Sue Over Interior's Environmental Policy Shift

    Two conservation groups are asking a Northern California federal district court to vacate an interim U.S. Department of the Interior final rule that rescinds decades-old environmental policies concerning the public's right to participate in reviews for logging, drilling and other industrial projects on public lands.

  • December 19, 2025

    Bill Shields Public Housing Tenants Using Legal Pot

    A pair of Democratic lawmakers from the House and Senate have introduced a bill that would prohibit landlords who take federal funding from evicting tenants or denying applicants just because they use or possess marijuana in a state where it is legal.

  • December 19, 2025

    Medical, School Groups Seek Order Halting $100K Visa Fee

    A medical practice in rural North Carolina and other employers asked a federal judge Friday to block enforcement of the Trump administration's $100,000 fee on H-1B visas, arguing the "massive" fee hike will inflict irreparable harm on their communities.

  • December 19, 2025

    Judge Weighs Trump's Immunity Claim In Riot Lawsuit

    Pres. Donald Trump's immunity from liability for his actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was once again argued in D.C. federal court Friday, this time in the civil context as lawmakers suing Trump fought his bid to exit their long-running suit.

  • December 19, 2025

    Florida Supreme Court To Review Pot Legalization Effort

    The Florida Supreme Court has agreed to weigh whether a new proposal to legalize retail marijuana via ballot initiative complies with the state's constitution.

  • December 19, 2025

    EU High Court Advised To Force Portugal To Reclaim Taxes

    The European Union's top court should rule that Portugal can't allow tax enforcement proceedings to be suspended in the case of unlawful state aid granted by the Madeira Free Zone, an adviser to the court said.

  • December 19, 2025

    Ill. Judge Affirms $2.6M Verdict For Fired Court Clerk Workers

    An Illinois federal judge has refused to order a new trial or alter a roughly $2.6 million damages award after a jury sided with three former employees of the Lake County Circuit Court Clerk's office who claimed they were fired by the new clerk for campaigning for the incumbent she defeated in the 2016 election.

  • December 19, 2025

    More Pardon Seekers Going 'Straight To The White House'

    A nonprofit's unusual plan to make a mass pardon request directly to the Trump administration highlights burgeoning optimism among white collar defendants about their chances of securing relief, and a recognition that the clearest path to clemency no longer runs through the traditional channels.

  • December 19, 2025

    Federal Courts Not Subject To FOIA, DC Judge Rules

    The conservative litigation group America First Legal Foundation cannot demand documents from the federal Judicial Conference of the U.S. and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts under the Freedom of Information Act because they are not executive agencies, a D.C. federal judge ruled Thursday.

  • December 19, 2025

    IRS Relaxes Carbon Capture Credit's Environmental Reporting

    The Internal Revenue Service released guidance Friday easing the carbon capture tax credit's environmental reporting requirements, taking effect by the end of the year, for energy systems that permanently secure the emissions in geological locations, such as deep underground rock formations.

  • December 19, 2025

    Dems Push For Scrutiny Of Compass' $1.6B Anywhere Buy

    Democratic senators urged the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to scrutinize Compass Inc.'s $1.6 billion buy of rival broker Anywhere Real Estate Inc., saying further consolidation could drive commissions higher and squeeze out remaining competitors.

  • December 19, 2025

    Top State & Local Tax Cases Of 2025

    From a Colorado appellate court upholding a tax on Netflix subscriptions to Pennsylvania's high court finding the Pittsburgh fee on nonresident pro athletes unconstitutional, 2025 was a busy year for state and local tax cases. Here, Law360 looks at the most influential cases of 2025 and their impact going into the new year.

  • December 19, 2025

    Okla. AG Says Fed Law Shields Tribal Fishing, Hunting Rights

    Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has issued a formal opinion that says federal law prohibits the state's wildlife department from citing tribal members for hunting and fishing on their reservation lands without a state-issued permit.

  • December 19, 2025

    Judge Lets White House Ballroom Project Continue For Now

    A D.C. federal judge gave President Donald Trump the green light to continue his East Wing ballroom plans, finding that the National Trust For Historic Preservation had not shown a "clear and present" reason to grant a temporary restraining order.

  • December 19, 2025

    Trade Court Remands Canada Lumber Duty Calculation Again

    The U.S. Commerce Department again failed to sufficiently justify how it calculated a subsidy rate in an antidumping duty administrative review for a Canadian exporter of softwood lumber products, the U.S. Court of International Trade said.

  • December 19, 2025

    Trump Admin Appeals Harvard Win In $2B Fund Freeze Case

    The Trump administration will ask the First Circuit to overturn a federal judge's ruling that prevented the government from withholding $2.2 billion in federal grants from Harvard University over concerns about antisemitism on campus.

  • December 19, 2025

    The 6 Biggest Rulings By Massachusetts' Top Court In 2025

    Massachusetts' top court rejected a novel double jeopardy claim in a headline-grabbing murder case, revived claims against Harvard over a "ghoulish" scheme, and said a Snapchat Bitmoji could show police bias, among other significant rulings this year.

  • December 19, 2025

    NLRB To Get Quorum, GC As Senate Confirms Trump Picks

    The National Labor Relations Board is set to end 2025 with a quorum after the U.S. Senate confirmed the president's nominees to two board vacancies and the agency's open general counsel post as part of a bloc of picks for jobs across the government.

  • December 18, 2025

    The Biggest Rulings From A Busy Year At The 1st Circ.

    The nation's smallest federal appellate panel punched above its weight in 2025, grappling with numerous suits against the Trump administration, high-profile criminal appeals, a $34 million legal fee bid and a hotly contested kickback law.

  • December 18, 2025

    Eli Lilly Workers Say Justices Needn't Mull Collective Standard

    Eli Lilly workers on Wednesday pressed the U.S. Supreme Court not to disturb a Seventh Circuit decision establishing a new, more flexible standard for certifying collective actions, arguing that there's no "urgent" need for the high court to weigh in on the dispute.

Expert Analysis

  • A 6th Circ. Snapshot: 3 Cases That Defined 2025

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    With more than a thousand opinions issued this year, three rulings from the Sixth Circuit stood out for the impact they'll have on the practice of civil procedure, including a net neutrality decision, a class certification standards ruling and an opinion about vulgarity in school, say attorneys at Ice Miller.

  • Sports Gambling Scrutiny Expands Risks For Teams, Leagues

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    The Minnesota attorney general's recent warning letters to 14 gambling operators, including sports betting websites, are an example of why sports organizations, including teams and leagues, should be asking critical questions about organizational compliance, internal controls and potential criminal liability, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • The CFTC's Road Ahead Under Newly Confirmed Chair

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    Michael Selig's Dec. 18 confirmation as U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission chair comes at a critical juncture, as the agency is poised to gain oversight over the crypto industry and increase its jurisdictional mandate covering prediction markets, says Elizabeth Lan Davis at Davis Wright.

  • How Fractional GCs Can Manage Risks Of Engagement

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    As more organizations eliminate their in-house legal departments in favor of outsourcing legal work, fractional general counsel roles offer practitioners an engaging and flexible way to practice at a high level, but they can also present legal, ethical and operational risks that must be proactively managed, say attorneys at Boies Schiller.

  • SEC Rulemaking Radar: A Reset, A Shift And A Preview Of '26

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    With major proposals withdrawn and new priorities emerging, forthcoming U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposals in 2026 will look to reshape how digital assets are regulated, recalibrate market structure and simplify how small companies go public, says Christopher Grobbel at Goodwin.

  • Changes In Crypto, Cybersecurity Defined NY Banking In 2025

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    The major takeaways from 2025 in New York banking policy involve updated guidance, regulations and requirements primarily affecting innovation and digital banking, in areas such as cybersecurity, virtual currencies, and buy now, pay later programs, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • Opinion

    Justices Should Clarify Loper Bright Doctrine Via Patent Case

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    The U.S. Supreme Court should use the Lynk Labs v. Samsung patent case to provide urgently needed guidance on how last year’s Loper Bright decision should be applied to real-world questions of agency authority in the post-Chevron world, says Timothy Hsieh at Oklahoma City University School of Law.

  • How OECD Tax Update Tackles Mobile Workforce Complexity

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    The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s recently updated model tax convention — a recalibration of international tax principles in response to an increasingly mobile workforce — should prompt companies to reevaluate cross-border operations, transfer pricing policies and tax controversy strategies, say attorneys at Eversheds.

  • Reviewing 2025's Most Pertinent Wiretap Developments

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    2025 was a remarkable year in the world of web tracking wiretapping litigation, not only for the increased caseload but also because of numerous developing theories of liability, with disputes expected to continue unabated in 2026, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • 2025 Legal Milestones That Will Shape Psychedelics Sector

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    As 2025 draws to a close, psychedelic drug development stands at an inflection point, experiencing unprecedented momentum through recent sweeping regulatory changes and landmark clinical milestones, amid rapidly evolving regulatory expectations, say Odette Hauke at Odette Alina LLC and Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell.

  • M&A Midmarket Shows Resilience Amid 2025 Challenges

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    Midmarket mergers and acquisitions showed a slight decline in volume but climbed in value for much of 2025, particularly in the private equity space, indicating that the middle market M&A environment is cautious but steady heading into 2026, say attorneys at Stoel Rives.

  • Del. Dispatch: Key 2025 Corporate Cases And Trends To Know

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    The Delaware corporate legal landscape saw notable changes in 2025, spurred by amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law, ubiquitous artificial intelligence fervor, boardroom discussion around DExit, record shareholder activism activity and an arguably more expansive view of potential Caremark liability, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Series

    Nature Photography Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Nature photography reminds me to focus on what is in front of me and to slow down to achieve success, and, in embracing the value of viewing situations through different lenses, offers skills transferable to the practice of law, says Brian Willett at Saul Ewing.

  • 2025 Brought A New Paradigm For Federal Banking Regulation

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    A series of thematic shifts defined banking regulation in 2025, including a fundamental reform of prudential supervision, a strategic easing of capital constraints, steps to streamline merger reviews, and a new framework for fair access and entrants seeking to offer banking services, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • What 2025 Transpo And Logistics Legal Trends Mean For 2026

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    2025 was challenging for the transportation and logistics sector, with emergent trends including dramatic federal policy shifts, developments in tort risk, and a host of mergers and acquisitions — but a review of these themes offers a useful playbook for where the industry is headed in 2026, says Jonathan Todd at Benesch.

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