Public Policy

  • August 27, 2026

    SpaceX Seeks Green Light On Gen3 System

    Since the FCC is already in the middle of overhauling its satellite licensing framework to presume applications are in the public interest if they follow certain rules, SpaceX wants the agency to apply that presumption to the 100,000-satellite constellation it has proposed.

  • August 27, 2026

    Ex-West Point Prof Says Climate Science Stand Cost Him Job

    A former West Point professor is alleging in New York federal court that the military academy violated his First Amendment rights when it forced him out after he voiced opposition to a directive to stop teaching cadets about human contributions to climate change.

  • August 27, 2026

    Charter Schools Blast Proposal To Limit E-Rate To Rural Areas

    Public charter schools told the Federal Communications Commission that the agency cannot pare back the E-Rate subsidy program to just rural areas because Congress meant the program to serve all low-income areas, including urban neighborhoods.

  • August 27, 2026

    AG Says Florida Won't Take Part In Meta's 'Weak' $17B Deal

    Florida will take no part in Meta's $17 billion social media addiction settlement, according to state Attorney General James Uthmeier, who has slammed the sum as "weak" and said the Sunshine State will not be bought off for "pennies on the dollar."

  • August 27, 2026

    Developer Says Mass. City Can't Tie Permits To Rent Caps

    A developer seeking to build a mixed-use mid-rise in Cambridge, Massachusetts, says the city is unlawfully withholding its building permit unless the developer meets affordable-housing requirements and pays a $450,000 permit fee under an inclusionary housing ordinance, according to a complaint filed Thursday in state court.

  • August 27, 2026

    Ukrainians Still Can't Tie Cos. To Russian Missiles, TI Says

    Several semiconductor manufacturers, including Mouser Electronics Inc. and Texas Instruments Inc., asked a Texas federal court to throw out claims brought by Ukrainian civilians alleging the companies' parts ended up in Russian missiles, saying the civilians failed to cure defects in their pleadings.

  • August 27, 2026

    6th Circ. Rules Mich. Doesn't Own Unclaimed Accounts

    The Sixth Circuit revived proposed class claims accusing Michigan officials of violating property owners' due process rights by keeping interest earned on unclaimed financial accounts, holding that the state takes custody of abandoned property but does not take ownership of it. 

  • August 27, 2026

    Feds Fight 'Premature' Attempt To Block New Birthright Order

    The Trump administration has defended its new executive order targeting birthright citizenship after losing at the U.S. Supreme Court in June, urging a Maryland federal court not to block the new order from being implemented.

  • August 27, 2026

    FCC Urged To Hold Off On New Subsea Cable Security Regs

    A trade association for submarine cable owners and other groups urged the Federal Communications Commission to hold off on adopting more regulations for undersea communication cable equipment until more information is available.

  • August 27, 2026

    USPTO Sets Radiation Monitoring Patent Order As Informative

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has added weight to a Patent Trial and Appeal Board order from earlier this year that undid a decision rejecting an RNA patent application.

  • August 27, 2026

    MARTA, Atlanta Reach $52M Deal In Lengthy Tax Dispute

    The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority and the city of Atlanta announced a $52 million settlement Thursday to end their yearslong dispute over the amount of sales tax proceeds allocated for its enhanced bus service.

  • August 27, 2026

    Dems Want DOJ, FTC To Look At Sysco's $29B Jetro Buy

    Two Democratic lawmakers called on the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday to closely inspect Sysco Corp.'s plans to buy competitor Restaurant Depot LLC aka Jetro Restaurant Depot at a total enterprise value of $29.1 billion, warning in a letter the transaction could hurt independent restaurants, farmers and Americans who "are already facing an affordability crisis."

  • August 27, 2026

    DOJ Can't Get Rethink On Apple Peek Into Fed Phone-Buying

    A special master has refused to reconsider his New Jersey federal court mandate giving Apple a look into how the Pentagon, CIA, State Department and other agencies purchase smartphones, criticizing the Justice Department for trying to "split hairs" in contending the agencies aren't "party" to the monopolization lawsuit.

  • August 27, 2026

    Albright Cuts $9M IP Verdict Against GlobalFoundries To $1M

    A Texas federal judge has reduced a $9.2 million jury verdict against semiconductor-maker GlobalFoundries Inc. for patent infringement to $1 million, faulting several aspects of Katana Silicon Technologies LLC's damages theory.

  • August 27, 2026

    Kratom Group Says DEA Order Could Snare Natural Wares

    A kratom trade group has asked a D.C. federal judge to find that a recent U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration rule change targeting certain kratom-derived compounds should not apply when those compounds naturally occur in the kratom leaf.

  • August 27, 2026

    Data Brokers Can't Pause Judicial Privacy Law Fight

    A federal judge has denied a bid to pause dozens of lawsuits brought under the state's judicial privacy law, rejecting data brokers' request to stay the litigation while the Third Circuit weighs the statute's constitutionality.

  • August 27, 2026

    Mass. Judge Nixes HUD's Changes To Fair Housing Grants

    A Massachusetts federal judge has sided with two fair housing groups that sued the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development over grant funding changes to HUD's Fair Housing Initiatives Program, ruling that the planned revisions for fiscal year 2025 must be vacated, in part, because the federal government failed to justify them.

  • August 27, 2026

    Mexico Growers Say US Erred In Not Revoking Tomato Duty

    The U.S. International Trade Commission based its determination not to revoke an antidumping duty on Mexican fresh tomatoes on faulty reasoning, a group of Mexican farm associations told the U.S. Court of International Trade, seeking a redo.

  • August 27, 2026

    Flint Council Candidate's Ballot Misconduct Claims Tossed

    A former Flint City Council candidate cannot pursue a lawsuit seeking to invalidate the results of a 2025 special election she claimed was tainted by absentee-ballot misconduct, a Michigan federal judge ruled Thursday, finding the candidate lacked standing and waited too long to challenge the certified results.

  • August 27, 2026

    Disabled Adults Fight Connecticut's IQ Cutoff For Services

    A group of young adults who say they have intellectual disabilities alleged in a new lawsuit that Connecticut's "strict intelligence quotient cutoff" for receiving state agency services is unconstitutional and ignores shifts in the medical and legal landscapes.

  • August 27, 2026

    DC Circ. Says Challenges To Pa. Power Plant Orders Can Wait

    A D.C. Circuit panel granted the Trump administration's push to pause consolidated cases challenging orders that blocked a Pennsylvania power plant from retiring while litigation over similar orders involving a Michigan power plant play out.

  • August 27, 2026

    Dems Say DOJ Opinion Aims To Foil Oversight Of White House

    With midterm elections right around the corner, Senate Democrats are worried the new legal opinion from the U.S. Department of Justice could let the Trump Administration obstruct congressional oversight of the White House.

  • August 27, 2026

    NLRB Seeks To Permanently Block Calif. Fill-In Law

    The National Labor Relations Board urged a California federal court to bar a state law allowing the state labor board to perform certain duties if the national board cannot, arguing that recent decisions in other cases "confirmed" the court should find the law is preempted.

  • August 26, 2026

    5th Circ. Upholds Drug Negotiations In Blow To Big Pharma

    Medicare's landmark program of drug price negotiations doesn't flout constitutional provisions involving the separation of powers, due process or excessive fines, the Fifth Circuit ruled late Wednesday, delivering a fresh blow to the pharmaceutical industry's campaign to tee up U.S. Supreme Court review.

  • August 26, 2026

    Top Takeaways From Meta's $17B Kid Safety Deal

    A $17.1 billion deal with 29 states and Meta Platforms Inc. that includes reforms to Facebook and Instagram to protect children is seen as a benchmark for other settlements with social media companies as litigation and public pressure mounts over mental health harms to youth.

Expert Analysis

  • How FCC Covered List Blitz Is Sidelining Commerce Dept.

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    The swath of recent Federal Communications Commission rulemakings raises serious questions about the purpose and future of Commerce's Office of Information and Communications Technology and Services, and how the U.S. government will go forward in imposing national security regulation on domestic applications of adversary-linked technologies, says Peter Jeydel at Troutman.

  • DOJ Healthcare Declination Offers Self-Disclosure Checklist

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's declination of criminal charges against Campus Eye Management signals that its new self-disclosure policy provides a real path for healthcare companies to avoid criminal exposure, but that path is paved with speed, transparency and operational remediation, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • SEC Rulemaking Radar: The Rubber Meets The Road

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new rulemaking agenda shows its regulatory reset taking shape, with sweeping crypto proposals that could bring the biggest changes it has made to broker-dealer, exchange and trading compliance in decades, says Christopher Grobbel at Goodwin.

  • Monitor Exposure, Stay Flexible Amid Tariff Uncertainty

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    To navigate an unstable trade environment, businesses must evaluate their exposure to new tariffs invoked under a patchwork of statutory authorities and be prepared to adapt to further changes that may be on the horizon, says Bhargav Prajapati at Capital Trade.

  • CFPB Complaint Portal Overhaul Signals Changing Priorities

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's updates to its consumer complaint portal and decision to cease publishing consumer complaint narratives should be viewed by companies as one component of a larger recalibration of how the CFPB collects information and allocates its supervisory and enforcement resources, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Series

    Being In A Band Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing shows in storied New York City venues and rehearsing with my bandmates in poorly ventilated rooms helped develop the professional qualities I rely on as a litigator, including an ability to collaborate with strong-minded equals and the determination to treat each client with singular focus, says Eliad Shapiro at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Opinion

    Correctional Healthcare Requires Clearer Legal Standards

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    As the correctional healthcare industry increasingly faces financial instability due to litigation, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons should develop clear standards for constitutionally adequate care for incarcerated patients, says Susanne Moore at Blackstone Trial Group.

  • 6 Risk Areas Future Fla. Stablecoin Issuers Should Plan For

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    Companies hoping to issue stablecoins under Florida’s new supervision regime should prioritize constructing robust risk management architecture across key areas before the Oct. 1 effective date so they can secure licenses, avoid a web of potential liabilities, and operate sustainably as state and federal regulations evolve, says Elizabeth Brusa at Shumaker.

  • 6 Key Takeaways From CFIUS Annual Report

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    Attorneys at Simpson Thacher review highlights from the annual report of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., released to Congress this month, including the launch of the American First Investment Policy and the Known Investor Pilot Program, and the agency's continued focus on enforcement despite its resource constraints.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Surviving A Long Trial

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    Most of law school trial advocacy is geared toward the sprint of trying a short case, but beyond managing a cross-examination or closing argument, effectively handling the marathon of a lengthy trial requires the ability to maintain composure, organization and credibility with the jury, says Mihir Elchuri at Hirschler.

  • AI Chatbot's Medical Claims Highlight Enforcement Risks

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    The Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine's recent lawsuit against Character Technologies, arguing that an artificial intelligence chatbot engaged in the unlicensed practice of medicine, may provide other state licensing boards with a road map for going after AI platforms, and counsel should advise clients to calibrate compliance accordingly, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • A Deepening Patent-Trademark Divide Over Irreparable Harm

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    Recent Federal Circuit decisions, along with legislation being considered in Congress, may exacerbate the differences that patent owners and trademark owners face when seeking to stop infringement before irreparable harm is caused, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • Upping Fed, FDIC's Insider Loan Cap May Ease Bank Burdens

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    Coordinated Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Federal Reserve proposals to raise the 1970s-era cap for bank executives borrowing from their institutions represent a long-needed regulatory recalibration that would lighten compliance obligations caused by the outdated ceiling without diminishing the original protections against conflicts of interest, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • What Calif.'s New Focus On Microplastics Means For Cos.

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    The recent move by California's Department of Toxic Substances Control to designate microplastics as candidate chemicals under its Safer Consumer Product regulations does not create a new product restriction — but it expands the agency's future reach by putting microplastics on the department’s regulatory runway, says Gregory Berlin at Alston & Bird.

  • 7th Circ. Ruling May Reduce Litigation Risk For Text Marketers

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    The recent Seventh Circuit holding in Steidinger v. Blackstone Medical Services that unwanted marketing text messages are not telephone calls under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act may strengthen companies' responses to presuit demand letters and early-stage litigation claims premised on do-not-call text theories, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

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