Public Policy

  • January 12, 2026

    Local Governments Ask Texas Judge To Keep NFA Intact

    Two U.S. cities and a Texas county asked a federal judge to knock down a bid by gun rights groups to repeal the National Firearms Act, saying that without the law, criminals would have greater access to especially dangerous weapons, such as short-barreled rifles.

  • January 12, 2026

    Justices Won't Look At Michigan's Foreclosure Sale Rule

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to review three cases that ask whether Michigan's process to claim surplus proceeds after a tax foreclosure sale violates the takings and due process clauses.

  • January 12, 2026

    UNC, Ex-Provost Eye Deal In Open Records Lawsuit

    The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and its former provost are in settlement talks to resolve the ex-provost's lawsuit alleging UNC board members violated open meetings law by using auto-deleting messaging platforms and unlawfully closing public meetings.

  • January 12, 2026

    European Union Carrying Out Revised Min. Corp. Tax Regime

    The European Union's executive body is implementing changes to the 15% minimum corporate tax regime across the trade bloc after a renegotiation of Pillar Two last week, according to a notice published Monday.

  • January 12, 2026

    DOL Tells 4th Circ. Lockheed Pensioner Class Lacks Standing

    The U.S. Department of Labor urged the Fourth Circuit to shut down a proposed class action from Lockheed Martin Corp. pension plan participants challenging the company's $9 billion pension risk transfer, arguing a Maryland federal court erred in holding that retirees had established standing.

  • January 12, 2026

    Boston Demoted Police Official Who Probed Fraud, Suit Says

    A high-ranking Boston Police Department official claimed Monday in Massachusetts state court he was demoted in retaliation for continuing an investigation into paid detail fraud after the police commissioner told him that the findings would give the department "a black eye."

  • January 12, 2026

    Joint Cannabis Firms Settle Antitrust, 'Gun Jumping' Claims

    Four Connecticut cannabis companies and their principals have agreed to pay $416,000 to settle claims that they violated state marijuana, antitrust and unfair trade practices laws by skipping a mandatory merger review process, the attorney general's office said Monday.

  • January 12, 2026

    Compromise Funding Bill Gives Judiciary $9.7B

    Congressional appropriators have unveiled a bipartisan compromise funding bill for the federal judiciary for fiscal 2026, which includes the judiciary's requested funding for court security and federal public defenders.

  • January 12, 2026

    Solar Co. Blames Broker's Error For $6M Tariff Bill

    A renewable energy company wants its customs broker and agent held responsible for over $6 million in antidumping and countervailing duties it had to pay on imported solar panels due to the broker's alleged failure to properly record them.

  • January 12, 2026

    High Court Won't Hear Challenge To NLRB Toss Of Complaint

    The Supreme Court on Monday declined a food distributor's bid for review of a decision tossing a challenge to a National Labor Relations Board ruling that backed the withdrawal of a complaint of unfair labor practices against two Teamsters locals.

  • January 12, 2026

    Texas AG Investigating Major Grocery Chains' Pesticide Use

    The Texas attorney general's office on Monday said it has started an investigation into major grocery store chains in Texas that the state accuses of spraying organic produce with pesticides without informing consumers.

  • January 12, 2026

    Judge Won't Reconsider Pot Club Owners' Injunction Bid

    A New York federal judge won't reconsider his decision to deny a motion for a preliminary injunction brought by the owners of an unlicensed cannabis club, saying they haven't overcome the fact that they don't have standing to block the state from enforcing its cannabis laws.

  • January 12, 2026

    Gov't Defends IRS, SSA Handing Taxpayer Data To ICE

    The Trump administration has asked a Massachusetts federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit that seeks to block the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration from sharing taxpayer addresses with immigration enforcement officials, saying the data sharing pacts are legal.

  • January 12, 2026

    Calif. City Claims Void Development Deal In SoFi Owner's Suit

    The city of Inglewood asked a California state court to dismiss real estate magnate Stan Kroenke's claim that he's owed $376 million in support costs on SoFi Stadium, arguing that a decade-old development agreement is void based on a state appeals court decision.

  • January 12, 2026

    DC Circ. Told $100K H-1B Fee Threatens Congress' Tax Power

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce urged the D.C. Circuit to bar the Trump administration from charging employers its new $100,000 H-1B visa fee, arguing it presents a "grave threat" to Congress' exclusive power to levy taxes.

  • January 12, 2026

    NJ US Atty Office's 3-Person Leadership Unlawful, Court Told

    Criminal defendants in the District of New Jersey are challenging the three-person leadership structure now in place at the Garden State's U.S. attorney's office following the disqualification of Alina Habba, telling the court their due process rights have been violated by the allegedly unlawful system.

  • January 12, 2026

    Minn. Lawmakers Demand ICE Halt Native Detentions

    Members of the Minnesota Legislature's Native American Caucus are demanding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement stop targeting Indigenous individuals after four Oglala Sioux tribal members were detained in Minneapolis amid continuing immigration raids.

  • January 12, 2026

    Amendments Can't Fix Faulty Indictment, Mass. Justices Say

    A Massachusetts man's indictment under the wrong subsection of a criminal statute could not be addressed through an amendment because it went to the substance of the case, the state's highest court said Monday in vacating his convictions for aggravated child rape.

  • January 12, 2026

    Neb. Bill Would Allow Income Tax Deductions For Tips, OT

    Nebraska would allow individual income tax deductions for tips and overtime pay under a bill introduced in the state's unicameral Legislature.

  • January 12, 2026

    Sitting Judges Advocate For Bill To Allow Them To Carry Guns

    Three federal judges have come out in support of a Republican-led bill to allow judges and prosecutors to carry concealed firearms across state lines.

  • January 12, 2026

    Justices Won't Review Who Can Protest Gov't Contracts

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to tackle an en banc Federal Circuit decision limiting who qualifies as an "interested party" allowed to protest a government contract award at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

  • January 12, 2026

    Justices Pass On Bias Suit Over SBA Small Biz Program

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a veteran's constitutional challenge to a Small Business Administration contracting program over alleged racial bias, after the Fourth Circuit ruled he lacked standing to pursue his claims.

  • January 12, 2026

    Justices Want SG Input On Arthritis Drug Competition Fight

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked the Trump administration to weigh in on whether state unfair competition claims should be used to block a competitor from selling compounded versions of drugs in certain states.

  • January 12, 2026

    Justices Decline To Hear Alaska's Fishing Regulations Dispute

    The U.S. Supreme Court won't step into a dispute between Alaska, the federal government and Indigenous groups over a Ninth Circuit order barring the state from opening part of the Kuskokwim River to all fishers and upheld decades of precedent that began with an Ahtna elder's 1984 litigation.

  • January 12, 2026

    Justices Won't Hear Duke Energy Monopoly Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to review a ruling that revived antitrust claims from NTE Energy Services accusing Duke Energy of squeezing it out of the power market in North Carolina.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practical Problem Solving

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    Issue-spotting skills are well honed in law school, but practicing attorneys must also identify clients’ problems and true goals, and then be able to provide solutions, says Mary Kate Hogan at Quarles & Brady.

  • Crypto In 2025: From Federal Deregulation To State Action

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    The cryptocurrency enforcement landscape evolved in 2025, marked by federal deregulatory trends and active state attorney general enforcement, creating both opportunity and risk for businesses navigating the digital asset market, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • How CFTC Enforcement Shifted In 2025 And What's Next

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    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission pivoted sharply under acting Chairman Caroline Pham in 2025, resulting in a pared-back enforcement docket, sweeping policy changes intended to provide greater transparency, and a renewed focus on fraud prevention and maintaining market integrity for the CFTC's core markets, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Learning From 2025 FCA Trends Targeting PE In Healthcare

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    False Claims Act enforcement trends and legislative developments from this year signal intensifying state and federal scrutiny of private equity's growing footprint in healthcare, and the urgency of compliance, says Lisa Re at Arnold & Porter.

  • Reviewing 2025's State And Federal AI Regulations

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    In light of increasing state and federal action to oversee the use of artificial intelligence, companies that develop or deploy the technology should keep abreast of current and forthcoming AI laws and consider their applicability to their business activities, says Jessica Brigman at Spencer Fane.

  • Software Patents May Face New Eligibility Scrutiny

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    November guidance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, along with recent litigation trends from the Federal Circuit, may encourage new challenges in the USPTO and district courts to artificial intelligence and software patents that rely on generic computing functions without concrete details, say attorneys at Venable.

  • What Trump Order Limiting State AI Regs Means For Insurers

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    Last week's executive order seeking to preclude states from regulating artificial intelligence will likely have minimal impact on insurers, but the order and related congressional activities may portend a federal expectation of consistent state oversight of insurers' AI use, says Kathleen Birrane at DLA Piper.

  • Opinion

    A Uniform Federal Rule Would Curb Gen AI Missteps In Court

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    To address the patchwork of courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence, curbing abuses and relieving the burden on judges, the federal judiciary should consider amending its civil procedure rules to require litigants to certify they’ve reviewed legal filings for accuracy, say attorneys at Shook Hardy.

  • Investment Advisers Should Stay Apprised Of New AI Risks

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently issued annual examination priorities reiterate a host of regulatory implications for investment advisers using artificial intelligence tools, highlighting that meaningful ongoing due diligence can help mitigate both operational and regulatory surprises amid AI's rapid evolution, says Christopher Mills at Sidley.

  • New Rule Shows NRC Willing To Move Fast To Reform Regs

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    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s decision to forgo public comment and immediately rescind certain rules governing adjudicatory procedures, federal tort claims and disclosure of licensee information signals the agency's intent to accelerate the regulatory streamlining efforts ordered by the president this spring, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • AG Watch: Texas Junk Fee Deal Shows Enforcement Priorities

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    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's recent $9.5 million settlement with online travel agency website Booking Holdings for so-called junk fee practices follows a larger trend of state attorneys general who have taken similar action and demonstrates the significant penalties that can follow such allegations, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • 10th Circ. Dissent May Light Path For Master Account Access

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    While the Tenth Circuit's majority in Custodia Bank v. Federal Reserve Board recently affirmed Federal Reserve banks' control over master account access, the dissent raised constitutional questions that could support banks seeking master accounts in future litigation, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • Calif. AG's No-Poach Case Reflects Tougher Antitrust Stance

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    This month, California’s attorney general resolved the latest enforcement action barring the use of no-poach agreements, underscoring an aggressive antitrust enforcement trend with significant increases in criminal and civil penalties, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • A Look At The Wave Of 2025 Email Marketing Suits In Wash.

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    Since the Washington Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Old Navy in April, more than 30 lawsuits have alleged that a broad range of retailers across industries sent emails that violate the Washington Commercial Electronic Mail Act, but retailers are unlikely to find clear answers yet, says Gonzalo Mon at Kelley Drye.

  • 3 Defense Strategies For Sporadically Prosecuted Conduct

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    Not to be confused with selective prosecutions, sporadic prosecutions — charging someone for conduct many others do without consequences — can be challenging to defend, but focusing on materiality, prosecutorial motivations and public opinion can be a winning strategy, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

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