Public Policy

  • October 08, 2025

    FCC Tells Justices 5th Circ. Used Jarkesy To Gut Enforcement

    The Fifth Circuit erroneously used a major U.S. Supreme Court decision curtailing U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission trials to "severely impair" Federal Communications Commission enforcement in the telecommunications industry, the FCC said in a petition urging the justices to resolve a new circuit split.

  • October 08, 2025

    Miami College Sued Over Land Transfer For Trump Library

    A retired professor is seeking to block the transfer of roughly three acres of land Miami Dade College has given away to build the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library, telling a Florida state court that the school broke a state public meeting law by providing scant details of the possible transfer.

  • October 08, 2025

    GOP Sens. Talk Big Tech Censorship While Dems Talk Kimmel

    Senate Republicans convened a committee hearing Wednesday morning to discuss "how Uncle Sam jawboned Big Tech into silencing Americans," but Democrats wanted to talk about censorship of a different stripe and kept pulling the conversation back to Jimmy Kimmel and the Federal Communications Commission.

  • October 08, 2025

    Trade Court Tosses Wis. Man's Trump Tariff Suit

    The U.S. Court of International Trade recently dismissed with prejudice a challenge to President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs after the Wisconsin man who filed suit failed to sufficiently amend his complaint.

  • October 08, 2025

    Shinnecock Tribe Wants In On Long Island Land Dispute

    A Native American tribe at the heart of a Long Island, New York, town's lawsuit over a U.S. government decision to place 84 acres of land into "restricted fee" status for the tribe has asked a federal judge to let it intervene in the suit.

  • October 08, 2025

    Chancery Extends Pause On Hospital Board Law Challenge

    The pause on ChristianaCare's lawsuit in Delaware Chancery Court against state officials in which it's challenging legislation that created a state-appointed board to review and approve hospital budgets was extended four months Wednesday to allow more time for the sides to reach a settlement.

  • October 08, 2025

    Big Banks' Gain Could Be Small Banks' Pain, Fed's Barr Says

    Federal regulators' plans to ease capital rules and other supervisory safeguards at big banks may jeopardize financial stability and leave community banks to pick up the pieces if something goes wrong, Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr warned in a speech Wednesday.

  • October 08, 2025

    5th Circ. Wary Of TitleMax Affiliate's Aim To Skip Usury Case

    A Fifth Circuit panel appears skeptical of a TitleMax affiliate's argument that it should get to escape the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities usury case alleging the affiliate breached state law, saying Wednesday the proceedings looked like typical state police power.

  • October 08, 2025

    Senate IP Leader Plans Push To Pass Patent Eligibility Bill

    Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., the leader of the Senate's intellectual property subcommittee, said Wednesday that before he leaves Congress in just over a year, one of his primary goals will be to advance his long-gestating bill to make more inventions eligible for patents.

  • October 08, 2025

    ICE Can't Use Force Vs. Ill. Press, Peaceful Protesters, Judge Says

    An Illinois federal judge said Wednesday that she will temporarily restrain federal agents from using allegedly violent silencing tactics against press and peaceful protesters, and she won't limit her order to the detention facility U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operates in the Chicago suburb of Broadview.

  • October 08, 2025

    Kalshi Fights Ohio Ban As Pa. Flags Sports Betting Loophole

    The clash between state gaming regulators and federally regulated platforms offering sports wagers continued this week as Kalshi sued Ohio agencies over a directive to shut down its sports event contracts, while Pennsylvania's Gaming Control Board warned Congress that prediction markets broadly "create a backdoor to legalized sports betting."

  • October 08, 2025

    'I Don't Want To Be A Referee,' Google Search Judge Says

    A D.C. federal judge faced the prospect Wednesday of years more involvement in the U.S. Justice Department's case against Google's search monopoly, saying during a hearing that he's trying to balance avoiding being a "referee" for his remedies decision while preventing "misuses" of data sharing and search syndication mandates.

  • October 08, 2025

    North Dakota To Issue Stablecoin Through State-Owned Bank

    North Dakota on Wednesday announced plans to issue its own stable-value token through a partnership between fintech Fiserv Inc. and the state-owned Bank of North Dakota.

  • October 08, 2025

    Firm Owner Benefited From Ex-Official's Help, Jury Hears

    A construction management firm owner who claimed she felt pressured to pay Kosta Diamantis and to hire the Connecticut budget official's daughter also accepted business advice and landed government contracts with Diamantis' assistance, helping the fledgling company she launched without much experience, the official's attorney argued Wednesday.

  • October 08, 2025

    Welder Asks Fla. High Court To Revive Whistleblower Claims

    A welder mechanic asked the Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday to revive his whistleblower retaliation claims against his former employer, Gulf Power Co., arguing that state law requires only that he reasonably believed a violation of law or regulation occurred, not that he have to prove an actual violation.

  • October 08, 2025

    SoCal City Can't End Contract Dispute With Cannabis Co.

    A Southern California municipality cannot escape a multi-year legal battle over a controversial exclusive cannabis transport deal it made with Rukli Inc., a Los Angeles County judge has ruled, saying if the current contract is "void," as the city argues, then the original is revived.

  • October 08, 2025

    Oil Terminal Sale May Tank Conn. Climate Suit, Judge Hints

    A Connecticut federal judge appeared sympathetic Wednesday to Pike Fuels' argument that an environmental nonprofit is not suing the correct party over alleged permit violations at a bulk storage and fuel terminal in New Haven, since the defendant sold the facility at issue more than a year ago.

  • October 08, 2025

    Calif. Mandates Browser Ad Tracking Opt-Out In US First

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Wednesday that requires browser developers to offer a digital tool enabling consumers to more easily opt out of online behavioral advertising throughout the web, making the Golden State the first in the nation to enact the regulations.

  • October 08, 2025

    PTAB's Petitions Data Shows Decrease In Multiple Challenges

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has adjusted the way it calculates how many patents are subject to repeated scrutiny, a pet issue of agency leadership, releasing data Wednesday that says over half of challenges are "one of multiple petitions" filed against the same patent.

  • October 08, 2025

    Gov't Shutdown Essentially 'Freezes' IPO Market, Attys Say

    While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission technically remains open during the ongoing government shutdown that has now exceeded one week, staffing shortages have made it increasingly difficult for companies to launch initial public offerings, leaving them with few options.

  • October 08, 2025

    5th Circ. Says Some NOLA Rental Rules Are Unconstitutional

    A Fifth Circuit panel partially revived a proposed class action filed by homeowners and two companies challenging New Orleans' short-term rentals regulations, ruling in a published opinion that some of the regulations are unconstitutional.

  • October 08, 2025

    Judge Rejects Feds' Bid To Reassign USPTO Union Cases

    A D.C. federal judge has rejected the Trump administration's claim that suits by unions representing employees of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office challenging an executive order ending their collective bargaining rights are not related to similar cases before him.

  • October 08, 2025

    Group Claims Mich. 24% Pot Tax Enacted Unlawfully

    Michigan's impending wholesale marijuana tax was approved by lawmakers unlawfully, an industry group alleged, saying the legislation signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer authorizing the tax did not have the votes of three-fourths of the majorities required in each legislative chamber.

  • October 08, 2025

    AFL-CIO Opposes Draft Senate Crypto Bill

    A major labor organization, the AFL-CIO, has come out against a Republican draft bill on crypto market structure, saying the draft lacks "meaningful safeguards."

  • October 08, 2025

    Federal Court Tosses Challenge To DC Cannabinoid Rule

    A lawsuit seeking to upend Washington, D.C.'s statutes that placed hemp products containing delta-9 THC into same category as marijuana was dismissed on Wednesday when a federal judge ruled that a hemp retailer, who filed the suit after its shop was shut down, totally misunderstood the "2018 Farm Bill and its impact on D.C. 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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