Public Policy

  • May 21, 2026

    Mich. Judge Expedites Suits Over Candidate Affidavit Rules

    A Michigan claims court judge has consolidated three election-related lawsuits challenging Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's rules and guidance regulating candidate affidavits of identity, while ordering expedited briefing as ballot certification deadlines approach for the August primary election.

  • May 21, 2026

    Newsom Order Eyes Labor Protections Amid AI Growth

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday issued what his office called a "first-in-the-nation" executive order aiming to shore up state labor policies in an effort to prepare workers and businesses in the event of mass workforce disruption caused by artificial intelligence.

  • May 21, 2026

    Feds Accuse Contractors Of DOD Bribery Scheme In Hawaii

    The U.S. Department of Justice has accused two Florida residents of conspiring to bribe a U.S. Army employee and defraud the federal government in connection with the development of a U.S. Department of Defense innovation lab in Hawaii.

  • May 21, 2026

    Legislative Update: Cannabis And Psychedelics Bill Roundup

    Virginia's governor vetoed legislation to establish adult-use marijuana sales, keeping the state in cannabis legal limbo; Illinois lawmakers introduced legislation to rein in hemp products, aligning state policy with an upcoming shift in federal law; and Louisiana lawmakers sent a bill to the governor that would allow terminally ill patients to access medical marijuana in healthcare facilities. Here are the major moves in cannabis and psychedelics legislation from the past week.

  • May 21, 2026

    Feds Tell 4th Circ. Maryland Judges Went Too Far On Removals

    The Trump administration told the Fourth Circuit that a district court wrongly deemed its suit challenging a standing order temporarily barring the immediate removal or transfer of detained noncitizens out of the District of Maryland a "branch-on-branch" dispute.

  • May 21, 2026

    Portugal Must Reclaim Illegal State Aid, EU Court Says

    The European Union's top court said Thursday that Portugal can't suspend tax enforcement proceedings against a company that benefited from unlawful state aid granted by the Madeira Free Zone.

  • May 21, 2026

    OCC Says Fintech Partner Bank Fell Behind On AML Controls

    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has ordered Community Federal Savings Bank to strengthen its anti-money laundering controls after finding that the New York-based bank failed to keep pace with the risks from its fast-growing payment-processing business.

  • May 21, 2026

    DC Judge Says Gov't Must Tell Afghans About Visa Relief Limits

    A D.C. federal judge ordered the Trump administration to inform a certified class of Afghan nationals seeking special immigrant visas for aiding the U.S. government overseas about a proclamation that suspended visas for people from Afghanistan and dozens of other countries.

  • May 21, 2026

    NC Justices Told AG Powerless To Bring DuPont Pollution Suit

    The North Carolina attorney general does not have the authority to sue two DuPont spinoffs over contamination from forever chemicals because the same claims were already resolved by an order with state environmental regulators, the spinoffs told the Tar Heel state's high court.

  • May 21, 2026

    Immunity Bid Can't Stop Discovery In THC Abuse Registry Suit

    There's little chance that the Idaho state health director can ditch litigation by mothers challenging the automatic placement of women on the child abuse registry for prenatal THC use, a federal judge said after taking a "preliminary peek" at the state's pending motion to dismiss.

  • May 21, 2026

    Tenn. Pro Se Defendant's 'Botched' Execution Halted

    Tennessee on Thursday halted the execution of Tony Von Carruthers, a man convicted of a triple murder who was forced to represent himself at his capital trial, after officials failed to establish a suitable backup IV line for lethal injection drugs, according to statements from state officials and his attorneys.

  • May 21, 2026

    Exoneree Says New Haven, Conn., Had DNA Proof For Decades

    A Connecticut man who was exonerated of sex crimes is seeking compensation after at least one rape kit that the New Haven Police Department had long claimed was destroyed was located and tested, ruling him out as a suspect, nearly 38 years after he was locked up.

  • May 21, 2026

    Audit Flags Connecticut Agency's Wage Complaint Backlog

    The backlog of complaints about potential labor law violations received by Connecticut's Department of Labor grew from 843 to 980 between May 2023 and July 2024, said a report released Thursday from state government auditors that also flagged a lack of supporting documentation and approvals for some civil penalties.

  • May 21, 2026

    Immigration Judges' 'Anxiety' Dialed Up Amid Mass Exodus

    Current and former immigration judges spoke on a web panel Thursday about threats to the independence of immigration judges and the strains on the immigration system, such as a massive backlog of cases at a time when many judges have been pushed out or fired.

  • May 21, 2026

    DOJ Says Trump Immunity Bars Jan. 6 Discovery For All

    A top Trump administration attorney told the D.C. federal judge overseeing a slate of consolidated Jan. 6 civil suits against President Donald Trump and others Thursday that the president's immunity from civil litigation should halt all discovery in the suits, even as it pertains to other defendants.

  • May 21, 2026

    FERC Proposes Broader Fast Track For Gas Pipeline Work

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday proposed to overhaul regulations approving gas pipeline construction activities without case-specific authorizations, which the agency claims will speed up the permitting and construction of gas infrastructure projects.

  • May 21, 2026

    Justices Urged To Uphold Ethics Ruling On Ga. Candidates

    Georgia's judicial ethics watchdog urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to uphold an Eleventh Circuit ruling that allowed it to publicize accusations that a pair of unsuccessful Georgia Supreme Court candidates violated electoral rules.

  • May 21, 2026

    2nd Circ. Agrees Amazon Not Liable In Fur Import Evasion

    A U.S. fur company couldn't show that Amazon willfully ignored a 15-year scheme carried out by foreign fur sellers to avoid certain tariffs and import fees, a Second Circuit panel found, affirming the dismissal of a False Claims Act suit against the company.

  • May 21, 2026

    Instacart Can't Halt NYC Tip, Wage Laws On 2nd Circ. Appeal

    A Second Circuit panel refused to pause New York City laws setting minimum pay and other protections for grocery delivery workers while Instacart appeals a lower court order that allowed the rules to take effect.

  • May 21, 2026

    Bush-Appointed Missouri Judge To Take Senior Status

    U.S. District Judge David Gregory Kays of the Western District of Missouri will take semi-retired status in May 2027, according to an update from the federal judiciary on Thursday.

  • May 21, 2026

    How Exxon Attys Beat A 10-Year-Old Securities Class Action

    This month, Exxon Mobil's defense team helped deliver a clean sweep victory for the energy giant when a federal jury in Texas found the company did not lie to investors about the profitability of some operations.

  • May 21, 2026

    UK To Block Foreign Co. Losses From Lowering Domestic Tax

    The U.K. will require companies to exempt profits and losses attributed to a foreign permanent establishment from domestic taxation beginning next year, HM Revenue & Customs said Thursday.

  • May 21, 2026

    Iowa Caps Property Tax Revenue For Localities

    The amount of property tax revenue that can be raised by an Iowa city or county will be limited beginning in 2026 under a bill signed by the governor. 

  • May 21, 2026

    Feds Want Funding Details To Fight Academic Group's Fee Bid

    The U.S. Department of Energy asked a Massachusetts federal judge to let it look at the finances of an academic organization that successfully challenged a cap on indirect research costs, questioning the source of funding for legal fees in that case and three others.

  • May 21, 2026

    North Dakota, US Look To Vacate $28M Pipeline Order

    The United States and North Dakota are seeking to vacate a judgment that awarded the state $28 million in damages over the federal government's failure to control Dakota Access Pipeline protesters after nearly a year of settlement negotiations.

Expert Analysis

  • Becoming The Biz-Savvy GC That Portfolio Companies Need

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    Candidates for general counsel roles at private equity-backed portfolio companies should prioritize proving their sector-specific experience, commercial judgment and ease with uncertainty — and attorneys hoping to be candidates in five to 10 years should start working on those skills now, says Dimitri Mastrocola at Major Lindsey.

  • Operational AI Washing: The Section 220 Information Strategy

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    Plaintiffs filing AI washing claims will likely use Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law to obtain internal board records, but 2025 amendments have fundamentally changed the landscape of presuit shareholder document demands in ways that create both risk and opportunity for companies, say attorneys at Akerman.

  • What New PFAS Rule Means For Tracking And Disclosure

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    In the wake of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's publication of its rule adding PFHxS-Na to the Toxics Release Inventory, companies should identify this substance in their facilities and supply chains, and prepare for disclosures to both regulators and the public, says Ayodeji Ayolola at Gordon Rees.

  • Ch. 11 Ruling Raises Bar For Avoiding Default Interest

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    Following a New York bankruptcy court's recent decision in 33 Mako, solvent debtors may find it significantly harder to avoid paying contractual default interest to oversecured lenders under Section 506(b) of the Bankruptcy Code, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Survive The Tech Revolution

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    Colorado Supreme Court Justice Maria Berkenkotter and Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Lino Lipinsky de Orlov discuss how artificial intelligence has already fundamentally altered the legal system and offer tips for courts navigating deepfakes, hallucinations and a gap in access to AI tools.

  • 'Skinny Label' Arguments Spotlight Induced Infringement Risk

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    Recent oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in Hikma Pharmaceuticals v. Amarin Pharma highlight the uncertain boundary between lawful generic competition through so-called skinny labels and induced patent infringement, with potential implications for patent holders’ communication, enforcement and causation strategies across industries, says Anton Hopen at Trenam.

  • What Jury Holdouts Can Teach Trial Lawyers About Strategy

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    Though a hung jury can be a disappointment, a psychological understanding of jury holdouts can help trial lawyers shape their damages arguments and understand leadership and group composition as a function of jury selection, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation.

  • 'Mobile' Sources For On-Site Generation May Be A Risky Bet

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering treating large on-site generators used at data centers as mobile rather than stationary sources under the Clean Air Act, a significant policy change that would leave developers that adopt this solution at risk of regulatory reversals, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • AI Investment Advice May Fail Investor Protection Rules

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    Based on an ongoing study of artificial intelligence platforms' investment advice given to retail investors, direct access to AI may not yield recommendations for typical households that are suitable under relevant securities rules, raising new and important issues in the regulation of financial markets, says Bruce Carlin at Rice University.

  • Startup Founder Disputes Increasingly Turn On Governance

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    Recent Delaware developments suggest that as courts place increasing emphasis on board process, independence and oversight in founder-led startups, the growing intersection of governance, technology risk and investor oversight is accelerating both the emergence and escalation of founder disputes, says mediator Frank Burke.

  • 3 AI Adoption Mistakes GCs Should Avoid

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    The pressure in-house legal teams face to quickly adopt artificial intelligence tools, combined with budget constraints and the need to evaluate a crowded market of options, sets the stage for implementation mistakes that are often difficult to undo, says former 23andMe general counsel Guy Chayoun.

  • Series

    Playing Basketball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My grandfather used to say "I wear your jersey" as shorthand for wholly committing to support someone with loyalty and integrity — ideals that have shaped my life on the basketball court and in legal practice, says Tracy Schimelfenig at Schimelfenig Legal.

  • AG Watch: Reconciling 2 Maryland Data Privacy Statutes

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    In-house counsel should map the interplay between the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act's strictly necessary standard to deliver a requested service, and the Protection From Predatory Pricing Act's exemption of consent-based pricing within loyalty programs, before the state attorney general begins enforcement on the latter in October, says Erek Barron at Mintz.

  • EPA Listing Signals New Scrutiny Of Drugs In Drinking Water

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    The recent publication of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's latest draft drinking water contaminant list highlights pharmaceuticals as a category of concern, marking the start of a process that could shape future research priorities, monitoring requirements, and federal and state actions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • New Cuba Sanctions Raise Risks For Foreign Banks, Cos.

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    President Donald Trump's bold move leveling secondary sanctions against Cuba expands enforcement risk for foreign banks and companies with no U.S. nexus, signaling that non-U.S. businesses should reassess related transactions, counterparties and exposure as regulators test this broader authority, say attorneys at Troutman.

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