Public Policy

  • April 08, 2026

    Heat Increases On FERC To Tackle Data Centers' Grid Demand

    A complaint from electric utilities demanding that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission override how regional grid operators choose new transmission projects underscores the growing pressure on the agency for changes amid the rise of electricity-hungry data centers and artificial intelligence.

  • April 08, 2026

    3rd Circ. Asked To Undo Atty Fees For ICE Cooperation Suit

    A former Bucks County, Pennsylvania, sheriff asked the Third Circuit on Wednesday to undo a $35,000 attorney fee award granted to groups that remanded their case over his cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arguing the case belonged in district court because he'd effectively become a federal officer.

  • April 08, 2026

    Fla. Panel Told New Proposals Don't Protect Natural Springs

    A nonprofit urged a Florida state appellate panel Wednesday to overturn an administrative judge's decision siding with an agency's proposed rules for protecting natural springs, arguing the permitting measures are essentially the same as existing ones and do nothing to prevent overconsumption. 

  • April 08, 2026

    Debt Collectors Sue Calif. Over 'Excessive' Licensing Fees

    California's financial services regulator has been hit with a proposed class action that seeks to recoup potentially millions of dollars for debt collectors in the state over claims the agency is unlawfully charging inflated fees to license and oversee them.

  • April 08, 2026

    DC Circ. Allows DOD To Ax Anthropic Contracts Amid Review

    The D.C. Circuit Wednesday shot down Anthropic's request for an emergency order temporarily barring the U.S. Department of Defense from designating the artificial intelligence company as a national security risk while Anthropic's appeal plays out, although it agreed to expedite the appeal.

  • April 08, 2026

    NY Panel Skeptical Of TikTok Bid To Ax AG's Addiction Suit

    A five-judge appellate panel Wednesday voiced doubts about TikTok's bid to dismiss the New York attorney general's claims that the social media platform is an addictive product that targets and harms children, pushing back on the company's free speech defense.

  • April 08, 2026

    Ed. Dept. Says It's Not Required To Fund $1B In Youth Grants

    The U.S. Department of Education denied accusations by 16 U.S. states that it is flouting a court order to restore nearly $1 billion in K–12 mental health grants, arguing in a Western District of Washington filing that the order required officials to re-review the grants, not actually provide full funding.

  • April 08, 2026

    Alaska Says Refuge Land Swap Allows Community Access

    Alaska has asked a federal judge to deny a summary judgment bid by three tribal communities and an environmental group to vacate a U.S. Department of the Interior decision that traded federally protected wilderness to allow for a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.

  • April 08, 2026

    Ex-US Atty Rollins Eyes Boston DA Comeback After Probes

    Former Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins, who stepped down amid multiple ethics investigations, pulled papers Wednesday to run for a return to her former office as Suffolk County district attorney, an elections official confirmed.

  • April 08, 2026

    Qualcomm Wants To Be Let Into 2 Closed-Off Spectrum Bands

    Qualcomm is asking for the Federal Communications Commission's permission to start operating in two bands that are currently not open to commercial users so that it can launch its 5G sidelink service, which allows devices to connect to each other without cellular towers.

  • April 08, 2026

    Trump Asks NY's Top Court To Toss AG's 'Flawed' Fraud Case

    President Donald Trump on Wednesday asked New York's highest court to throw out New York Attorney General Letitia James' "deeply flawed" civil fraud judgment entirely after a lower appellate court tossed what it called an "excessive" $489 million penalty against the president, his sons and his real estate companies.

  • April 08, 2026

    Enviro Groups Sue To Stop Fla. Project, Save Panthers

    Conservation groups sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday for signing off on a 10,000-acre residential and commercial development project in Southwest Florida that the groups say will destroy the rapidly shrinking habitat of the endangered Florida panther.

  • April 08, 2026

    AbbVie Says 340B Program Defines 'Patient' Too Broadly

    Federally funded healthcare providers in the 340B Drug Pricing Program are using an "overly broad" interpretation of the word "patient" based on government guidelines, and it's leading to them abusing 340B discounts, AbbVie claimed in a lawsuit filed against two federal health agencies Wednesday.

  • April 08, 2026

    Feds Call 3-Hour Notice In Immigrant Bond Case 'Unworkable'

    The U.S. Department of Justice told a Massachusetts federal judge that part of her order requiring the government to provide immigrants in detention with timely, written notice of their rights to a bond hearing and appeal is too burdensome.

  • April 08, 2026

    FinCEN, OFAC Propose AML Rules For Stablecoin Issuers

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a joint proposed rule Wednesday to implement the anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance program requirements of the federal stablecoin framework known as the Genius Act.

  • April 08, 2026

    States Seek Time For Talks To Settle Drug Price-Fixing Suit

    The states suing generic-drug manufacturers in one of three sprawling antitrust cases want a Connecticut federal judge to pause all deadlines for three months so they can focus on settling with the remaining defendants, according to a joint filing.

  • April 08, 2026

    Judge Says 9th Circ. OK'd 'Annihilation' Of Sacred Lands

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday issued an amended opinion in its ruling to allow a 2,500-acre land exchange within Arizona's Tonto National Forest, which includes a partial dissent from U.S. Circuit Judge Johnnie B. Rawlinson, who said the decision will "completely annihilate sacred Native lands."

  • April 08, 2026

    Trade Court Sustains Harsher Steel Duties For Japan Steel Co.

    The U.S. Department of Commerce properly justified an enforcement mechanism for insufficient compliance to trigger higher antidumping duty rates against Nippon Steel Corp. on its second try, according to an opinion published Wednesday by the U.S. Court of International Trade.

  • April 08, 2026

    SEC Watchdog To Pay Tipsters Who Uncover Agency Waste

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Office of Inspector General has launched a cash awards program that the agency hopes will incentivize its workers to report fraud, waste and mismanagement.

  • April 08, 2026

    Mass. Justices Divided Over $325M Pro Soccer Stadium Project

    Justices on Massachusetts' highest court on Wednesday appeared split on whether a $325 million professional women's soccer stadium currently being built on part of Boston's historic Franklin Park is subject to a requirement for legislative approval of plans to convert parks to a new use.

  • April 08, 2026

    Judge Halts RI Cannabis Licensure Amid Residency Challenge

    A Rhode Island federal judge on Wednesday ordered state marijuana regulators to halt social equity and adult-use cannabis licensure while a constitutional challenge from out-of-state entrepreneurs seeking to enter the market plays out.

  • April 08, 2026

    Elizabeth Warren Says FCC Must Tackle Sports 'Streamflation'

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., told the Federal Communications Commission that Disney's acquisition of Fubo and other deals in the last year showed why the FCC must use its authority over competition to protect consumers from an increasingly pricey sports streaming market.

  • April 08, 2026

    Judge Won't Toss Afghan's Challenge To Biden Asylum Rule

    A D.C. federal judge denied the government's motion to dismiss a lawsuit from an Afghan asylum-seeker and legal services providers over a Biden-era asylum rule, saying on Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Justice "jumped the gun" in trying to get the suit tossed.

  • April 08, 2026

    Fla. County Board To Discuss MLB Team's Ballpark Plan

    The Board of County Commissioners in Hillsborough County, Florida, plans to hold an April 16 workshop meeting to talk about a proposal from Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays for a 31,000-seat ballpark project, according to the board's chair.

  • April 08, 2026

    Trump Economists Say Stablecoin Yield Ban Won't Help Banks

    Economists to President Donald Trump said Wednesday that banning cryptocurrency exchanges from paying stablecoin rewards or yield would "do very little to protect bank lending" and leave consumers worse off, findings that come amid a contentious push to tighten yield restrictions.

Expert Analysis

  • Monetizing EV Charging Stations For Long-Term Success

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    An electric vehicle charging station's longevity hinges on monetizing operations through diverse revenue streams, contractual documentation of charge point operators' and site hosts' rights and responsibilities, and ensuring reliability and security of facilities, says Levi McAllister at Morgan Lewis.

  • Calif.'s Civility Push Shows Why Professionalism Is Vital

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    The California Bar’s campaign against discourteous behavior by attorneys, including a newly required annual civility oath, reflects a growing concern among states that professionalism in law needs shoring up — and recognizes that maintaining composure even when stressed is key to both succeeding professionally and maintaining faith in the legal system, says Lucy Wang at Hinshaw.

  • A Potential Shift In FDA's Approach To Drug Trial Design

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    Recent guidance released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration clarifying how Bayesian approaches — which combine prior knowledge with new data — may be used in clinical trials reflects the agency's continued interest in innovative trial designs that may accelerate drug approvals, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • US-Ukraine Reconstruction Fund Tax Exemptions Uncertain

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    Tax provisions in the bilateral agreement to establish the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, which recently announced it is accepting applications, are so broad and imprecise as to leave uncertainty regarding whether and when tax exemptions will apply to investors' income, say attorneys at Avellum and Debevoise.

  • Opinion

    SNAP Rule Confusion Risks A Compliance Crisis

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    Recent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food restriction waivers pose a compliance crisis for legal practitioners advising food retailers, amid higher costs and lack of a coherent national standard, says Tyson-Lord Gray at Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

  • Locations, Permits And Power Are Key In EV Charger Projects

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    To ensure the success of public electric vehicle charging infrastructure projects, developers, funders, site hosts and charge point operators must consider a range of factors, including location selection, distribution grid requirements and costs, and permitting and timeline impacts, says Levi McAllister at Morgan Lewis.

  • Should Prediction Markets Allow Trading On Nonpublic Info?

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    Recent trading activity, such as the Polymarket wager on the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, has raised questions about whether some participants may be engaging in trading that is based on material nonpublic information, and highlights ongoing uncertainty about how existing derivatives and anti-fraud rules apply to event-based contracts, say economic consultants at the Brattle Group.

  • NLRB May Not See Employer-Friendly Changes Anytime Soon

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    Despite the long-awaited confirmation of a new National Labor Relations Board general counsel and two new board members, slower case processing, the NLRB's changing priorities and an unofficial rule about a three-member majority may prevent NLRB precedent from swinging in businesses' favor this year, says Jesse Dill at Ogletree.

  • FCC Satellite Co. Action Starts New Chapter For Team Telecom

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    The Federal Communications Commission's recent settlement with satellite company Marlink marks a modest but meaningful step forward in how the U.S. regulates foreign involvement in its telecommunications sector, proving "Team Telecom" conditions are not limited to companies with substantial foreign ownership, says attorney Sohan Dasgupta.

  • Series

    Trivia Competition Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing trivia taught me to quickly absorb information and recognize when I've learned what I'm expected to know, training me in the crucial skills needed to be a good attorney, and reminding me to be gracious in defeat, says Jonah Knobler at Patterson Belknap.

  • What FDA Guidance Means For Future Of Health Software

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    Two significant final guidance documents released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month reflect a targeted effort to ease innovation friction around specific areas, including singular clinical decision support recommendations and sensor-based wearables, while maintaining established regulatory boundaries, say attorneys at Covington.

  • An Instructive Reminder On Appealing ITC Determinations

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    A recent Federal Circuit decision, partially dismissing Crocs' appeal of a U.S. International Trade Commission verdict as untimely, offers a powerful reminder that the ITC is a creature of statute and that practitioners would do well to interpret those statutes conservatively, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.

  • Ruling Puts Guardrails On FTC Merger Filing Rule Expansion

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    A Texas federal court recently vacated the Federal Trade Commission's overhaul of the Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger notification form, in a significant setback for the antitrust agencies, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Opinion

    Bridging The Bench And Bars To Uphold The Rule Of Law

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    In a moment when the judiciary faces unprecedented partisan attacks and public trust in our courts is fragile, and with the stakes being especially high for mass tort cases, attorneys on both sides of the bench have a responsibility to restore confidence in our justice system, say Bryan Aylstock at Aylstock Witkin and Kiley Grombacher at Bradley/Grombacher.

  • State And Int'l Standards May Supplant EPA's GHG Rule

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection agency's recent repeal of its 2009 finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health will likely increase regulatory uncertainty, as states attempt to fill the breach with their own regulatory regimes and some companies shift focus to international climate benchmarks instead, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

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