Public Policy

  • May 19, 2025

    Feds To Use FCA To Go After Antisemitism, DEI Policies

    The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday that it will use the False Claims Act to go after any recipients of federal funds that the agency determines promote diversity, equity and inclusion policies, and allow antisemitism to thrive.

  • May 19, 2025

    Feds Want Full 2nd Circ. To Toss Student Removal Challenges

    The U.S. Department of Justice has asked the full Second Circuit to reconsider a pair of decisions siding with students who say they were detained by immigration officials for expressing pro-Palestinian views, doubling down on its argument that courts don't have the jurisdiction to consider the government's removal decisions.

  • May 19, 2025

    House Urged To Ax Proposed 10-Year Ban On State AI Laws

    More than 140 civil rights and consumer advocacy groups on Monday became the latest to oppose a sweeping provision in the U.S. House of Representatives' budget proposal that would place a 10-year moratorium on states enacting or enforcing laws to regulate emerging artificial intelligence systems, joining a bipartisan coalition of state enforcers that issued a similar call last week.

  • May 19, 2025

    2 Dozen States Urge Judge To Stop AmeriCorps Cuts

    Two dozen states urged a Maryland federal judge on Monday to halt $400 million in cuts to AmeriCorps programs, while the lawyers for the Trump administration insisted that the states' challenge must be brought before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

  • May 19, 2025

    Trump Admin Fights Bid To Block OPM From Helping DOGE

    A trio of unions can't substantiate their claims that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management is inappropriately disclosing sensitive data to the Department of Government Efficiency, the Trump administration has told a New York federal judge, asking her to toss the unions' injunction request.

  • May 19, 2025

    Interior Dept. Lifts Freeze On Empire Wind Project

    The U.S. Department of the Interior has lifted its stop-work order, allowing construction to resume on the Empire Wind offshore wind energy project south of New York's Long Island, according to an announcement made Monday.

  • May 19, 2025

    Protesters Say Fort Lauderdale Cops Can't Claim Immunity

    Demonstrators who said the police improperly used were tear gas during a 2020 George Floyd protest urged a Florida federal court to not dismiss their proposed class action suit, arguing that they had presented enough facts to get past the Fort Lauderdale police officers' qualified immunity defense.

  • May 19, 2025

    Feds Denied Stay In 1st Circ. Third Country Removal Suit

    The First Circuit rejected the Trump administration's attempt to halt a federal court order directing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to provide due process protections for immigrants facing deportation to third countries where they have no ties.

  • May 19, 2025

    DuPont And Garden State Clash In PFAS Trial Opener

    New Jersey and E.I. du Pont de Nemours were at odds on Monday in federal court over the risks and cleanup of "forever chemical" contamination at a Salem County manufacturing facility, with the state claiming it was intentionally misled and DuPont arguing the state is changing the rules.

  • May 19, 2025

    FCC's Carr Claims Victory Versus DEI In Verizon-Frontier OK

    Verizon took a leap toward closing its $20 billion bid for Frontier Communications by gaining the Federal Communications Commission's approval after ditching its diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the behest of FCC Chair Brendan Carr.

  • May 19, 2025

    5th Circ. Tosses FCC Workplace Diversity Reporting Rule

    The Fifth Circuit on Monday threw out a Federal Communications Commission rule that required TV and radio broadcasters to disclose employment diversity data to the FCC.

  • May 19, 2025

    2nd Circ. Tosses Case Of 30-Year Undocumented Immigrant

    The Second Circuit on Monday affirmed the dismissal of a Chinese woman's lawsuit challenging the denial of her adjustment of status, saying the denial triggered a bar on judicial review, even if it wasn't an immigration court that denied her application.

  • May 19, 2025

    Feds Get Early Win In Drugmakers' Suit Over 340B Rebates

    A D.C. federal judge awarded an early win to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Friday on claims it illegally blocked drugmakers' efforts to implement rebates instead of discounts in a decades-old drug pricing program, finding the agency has the authority to pre-approve the price reduction models.

  • May 19, 2025

    FCC Examines Revisions To Alaska Broadband Measurements

    The Federal Communications Commission is seeking input on a proposal to change how final milestone commitments are evaluated for the so-called Alaska Plan, with a telecom in Alaska suggesting the commission's "Fabric" dataset offers a more accurate representation of where people actually live within census blocks than the current distribution model does.

  • May 19, 2025

    21 AGs Join Fight To Keep DHS Oversight Offices Open

    A group of 21 attorneys general joined nonprofits Friday in urging a D.C. federal judge to force the Trump administration to reopen offices that oversee various U.S. Department of Homeland Security programs and investigate related civil rights claims, arguing that the DHS' abrupt closure of the offices could have devastating consequences.

  • May 19, 2025

    Feds Say Unions' Downsizing Suit Should Be Tossed

    The Trump administration urged a federal judge in D.C. to toss a lawsuit challenging three federal downsizing initiatives, arguing that the claims brought by labor unions representing federal employees belong before the agency charged with adjudicating such disputes.

  • May 19, 2025

    9th Circ. Weighs 'WallStreetBets' Ownership In Reddit TM Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday wrestled with whether the founder of Reddit Inc.'s WallStreetBets forum owns the name or if it belongs to the platform, with a judge at one point wondering whether the parties could find a way to coexist.

  • May 19, 2025

    Taxpayer Data Increasingly At Risk From DOGE, Court Told

    A group of unions and advocacy organizations trying to block the White House's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing confidential taxpayer data told a D.C. federal court they fear the data is already being shared with federal agencies beyond the IRS.

  • May 19, 2025

    5th Circ. Says EPA Flubbed Texas Air Finding, Must Redo

    A Fifth Circuit panel on Friday said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency erred in determining that two Texas counties had failed to meet air quality standards for sulfur dioxide, handing a victory to the state and Vistra Corp.

  • May 19, 2025

    Mich. AG Says Secretary Of State Broke Law With News Event

    Michigan's secretary of state violated campaign finance law by holding an announcement about her campaign for governor inside a government office building, the state attorney general's office has concluded.

  • May 19, 2025

    US Budget Would Hike Taxes On Foreign Firms, Individuals

    Foreign firms and individuals from countries with "unfair" fiscal policies such as digital services taxes, diverted profits taxes and the global minimum tax's backstop would pay higher U.S. taxes under the spending bill approved by the House Budget Committee.

  • May 19, 2025

    Trump Signs Anti-Revenge Porn Bill Into Law

    President Donald Trump on Monday signed into law a bipartisan bill to combat deep fake revenge porn, a major priority for first lady Melania Trump that has been met with criticism from some technology groups over security and constitutional concerns.

  • May 19, 2025

    Calif. Landowners Seek Review Of 7th Amendment Precedent

    A group of Northern California landowners has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case arguing that the constitutional right to a jury trial should apply in instances of local law enforcement issuing civil penalties for alleged illicit marijuana growing.

  • May 19, 2025

    Conservative Groups Push Media Ownership Deregulation

    Nearly two dozen right-leaning groups and activists made a pitch for media ownership deregulation, telling the Federal Communications Commission that outdated restrictions are stifling local broadcasters at a time of rapid change in the media sector.

  • May 19, 2025

    NC Gov. Tacks On $891M To Hurricane Recovery Plan

    North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein on Monday recommended adding $891 million to the funds earmarked for Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in the western region of the state, the largest chunk of which would go toward rebuilding the economy with small business loans and tourism promotion.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Improv Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Improv keeps me grounded and connected to what matters most, including in my legal career where it has helped me to maintain a balance between being analytical, precise and professional, and creative, authentic and open-minded, says Justine Gottshall at InfoLawGroup.

  • TikTok Bias Suit Ruling Reflects New Landscape Under EFAA

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    In Puris v. Tiktok, a New York federal court found an arbitration agreement unenforceable in a former executive's bias suit, underscoring an evolving trend of broad, but inconsistent, interpretation of the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.

  • Avoiding Pitfalls Around New Calif. Commercial Lease Law

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    A California law that became effective this year requires commercial landlords to extend certain protections previously afforded to residential tenancies, and a few key provisions of the law especially warrant reexamination of leasing and operational processes, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • How BigLaw Executive Orders May Affect Smaller Firms

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    Because of the types of cases they take on, solo practitioners, small law firms and public interest attorneys may find themselves more dramatically affected by the collective impact of recent government action involving the legal industry than even the BigLaw firms named in the executive orders, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Filial Consortium Claims' Future After Conn. High Court Ruling

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    While the Connecticut Supreme Court recently ruled for defendants in rejecting parents’ attempt to recover loss of companionship damages in a severe child injury case, there is still potential for the plaintiffs bar to lobby for a law that would allow filial consortium claims, Glenn Coffin at Gordon Rees.

  • 5 Tools To Help Existing Gov't Contracts Manage Tariff Costs

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    Five pointers can help government contractors scrutinize their existing contracts for protections like equitable adjustment and duty-free entry clauses, which may help insulate them from tariff-related cost increases, say attorneys at Covington.

  • 4th Circ. Health Data Ruling Opens Door To State Law Claims

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    In Real Time Medical v. PointClickCare, the Fourth Circuit recently clarified that state law claims can rest in part on violations of a federal law that prohibits electronic health information blocking, expanding legal risks for health IT companies and potentially creating exposure to a range of competitive implications, say attorneys at BCLP.

  • Opinion

    Lawsuits Shouldn't Be Shadow Assets For Foreign Capital

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    Third-party litigation financing amplifies inefficiencies from litigation and facilitates national exposure to foreign influence in the U.S. justice system, so full disclosure of financing arrangements should be required as a matter of institutional integrity, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • 2 Del. Rulings Reinforce Proof Needed For Records Demands

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    Two recent Delaware Court of Chancery decisions involving Amazon and Paramount Global illustrate the significance of the credible basis standard on books and records requests, underscoring that stockholders seeking to investigate wrongdoing must come forward with actual evidence of misconduct — not mere allegations, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • How To Accelerate Your Post-Attorney Career Transition

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    Professionals seeking to transition to nonattorney careers may encounter skepticism as nontraditional candidates, but there are opportunities for thought leadership and to leverage speaking and writing to accelerate a post-attorney career transition, say Janet Falk at Falk Communications and Evgeny Efremkin at Toronto Metropolitan University.

  • Key Takeaways From The 2025 Spring Antitrust Meeting

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    Leadership changes, shifting priorities and evolving enforcement tools dominated the conversation at the recent American Bar Association Spring Antitrust Meeting, as panelists explored competition policy under a second Trump administration, agency discretion under the 2023 merger guidelines and new frontiers in conduct enforcement, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • 3 Action Items For Innovators Amid Fintech Regulatory Pivot

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    As the federal banking agencies seek to smooth the way for banks to engage in crypto-related activities, banks and technology companies should take note of this new chapter in payments services, especially as leadership in digital financial technology becomes a national priority, says Jess Cheng at Wilson Sonsini.

  • What PFAS-Treated Clothing Tariff Bill Would Mean For Cos.

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    In keeping with a nationwide trend of greater restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, legislation pending in the U.S. House of Representatives would remove tariff advantages for PFAS-treated clothing — so businesses would be wise to proactively adapt their supply chains and review contracts to mitigate liability, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • How Tariffs May Affect Proxy Contests This Season

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    While global tariffs imposed by the Trump administration will certainly chill at least some activity this proxy season, and make defending contests significantly easier, there will likely be many new activist investments once there is more economic certainty, meaning more proxy fights this fall, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Running A Compliant DEI Program After EEOC, DOJ Guidance

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    Following recent guidance from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice that operationalized the Trump administration's focus on ending so-called illegal DEI, employers don't need to eliminate DEI programs, but they must ensure that protected characteristics are not considered in employment decisions, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

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