Public Policy

  • September 26, 2025

    Judge Says Illinois Liquor Delivery Limits Are Justified

    An Illinois federal judge ruled Thursday that Illinois liquor laws barring out-of-state retailers from delivering alcohol to in-state consumers are constitutional, saying that while they do discriminate against out-of-state sellers, it's "justifiable on public health and regulatory efficiency grounds."

  • September 26, 2025

    Off The Bench: NCAA Mostly Beats Trans Suit, Faces Another

    In this week's Off The Bench, the NCAA beat the majority of claims over its former transgender policy, but faced a new lawsuit in New York, along with the State University of New York, stemming from its current ban of transgender athletes competing in women's sports.

  • September 26, 2025

    Feds Say They Have Standing To Block Hawaii Climate Suit

    The federal government is urging a Hawaii federal court not to dismiss its suit aiming to block the state's climate change suit against energy companies, saying it has standing because the state's action would usurp its authority to regulate pollution.

  • September 26, 2025

    ICE Blocked From Holding Longtime Immigrant As Newcomer

    A Florida federal judge ruled Thursday that immigration officials can't transfer a noncitizen out of the Middle District of Florida until the court rules on his habeas petition, and that the individual has a right to a bond hearing — rather than being subject to mandatory detention — because of his current residency in the U.S.

  • September 26, 2025

    Judge Wants Clarity On Migrant Green Card Delays

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Friday said Trump administration officials may be "wordsmithing," as she asked a government lawyer to explain why some migrants trying to adjust their status from humanitarian parole to legal residency are still being told their applications are on hold despite a court order to resume processing them.

  • September 26, 2025

    Kalshi, Robinhood Fight Tribes' Bid To Block Sports Contracts

    Trading platforms Kalshi and Robinhood urged a California federal judge to reject an injunction bid lodged by Native American tribes in California that would prevent the companies from offering sports betting contracts on tribal lands, arguing their federally authorized event contract businesses would suffer "substantial and irreparable harm."

  • September 26, 2025

    Judge Won't Halt EPA's $3B Climate Grant Cuts During Appeal

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge denied conservation groups' and local governments' effort to stop the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from ending a $3 billion climate grant program while they appeal the dismissal of their lawsuit.

  • September 26, 2025

    DC Circ. Revives FCA Suit Against US Cellular

    U.S. Cellular Corp. must face a lawsuit from two whistleblowers alleging it used a sham business to fraudulently obtain discounted spectrum licenses through Federal Communications Commission auctions, a D.C. Circuit panel ruled Friday in overturning a lower court.

  • September 26, 2025

    BREAKING: High Court Pauses Distribution Of $4B Foreign Aid

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Trump administration can hold onto $4 billion in frozen foreign aid funding while Congress considers a proposal to cut it, pausing a lower court order that required the federal government to spend the money before the end of the month.

  • September 26, 2025

    DOD Says Wounded Knee Soldiers Will Keep Medals Of Honor

    Twenty soldiers who participated in the 1890 Wounded Knee conflict that left nearly 300 Lakota people dead will keep their Medals of Honor, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced, saying the previous administration withheld a decision on whether to rescind the honors since last October.

  • September 26, 2025

    FCC Rejects More Equipment Labs Tied To Adversaries

    The Federal Communications Commission said Friday it had blocked more labs tied to foreign adversaries from its equipment authorization program.

  • September 26, 2025

    Texas High Court Won't Redo Med Mal Nonprofit Liability Case

    The Texas Supreme Court said Friday it won't disturb its May ruling that nonprofit health organizations can be sued for the alleged medical malpractice of one of their physician employees.

  • September 26, 2025

    Oregon Urges 9th Circ. To Revive Cannabis Labor Peace Law

    Oregon officials urged the Ninth Circuit on Thursday to reverse a lower federal judge's decision that blocked enforcement of a voter-approved law requiring licensed cannabis businesses to enter into labor peace pacts with their workers.

  • September 26, 2025

    Advertisers, Publishers Can Expand Google Ad MDL Markets

    A New York federal judge on Thursday allowed publishers and advertisers in multidistrict litigation over Google's advertising placement technology to expand their claims to cover a worldwide scope, like the U.S. Department of Justice's successful similar case, finding it would not prejudice the tech giant.

  • September 26, 2025

    Justices Urged To Review Suit Over Mich. City Tenant Info Law

    Real estate companies have pressed the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Sixth Circuit decision upholding the dismissal of a constitutional contract claim in their suit against a Michigan city over a law requiring commercial landlords to provide prospective tenant information in order to obtain a license to rent to them.

  • September 26, 2025

    Calif. Fights Biz Groups' Bid To Halt Climate Disclosure Rules

    California on Thursday asked the Ninth Circuit to reject business groups' effort to halt two new state climate regulations requiring large companies to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risks.

  • September 26, 2025

    Texas' Eastern District Tightens Sealed-Document Procedures

    Chief U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant III of the Eastern District of Texas issued new protocols Wednesday for filing sealed documents that will prohibit electronic access effective immediately, a move that comes amid escalating cyberattacks on the federal judiciary's case management system.

  • September 26, 2025

    Mass. Tax Board Cuts $1M Home Value To Sale Price

    A Massachusetts home valued at $1 million by a county assessor should have the value lowered to the price the home sold for, the state Appellate Tax Board ruled. 

  • September 26, 2025

    Cherokee Nation Cos. Appeal Gaming License Suit To 8th Circ.

    Two Cherokee Nation entities are looking to the Eighth Circuit to overturn an Arkansas federal court decision that dismissed their challenge to a voter-approved referendum that revoked a gambling license in the state.

  • September 26, 2025

    Commerce Opens 2 New Section 232 Investigations

    The U.S. Department of Commerce recently self-initiated investigations into imports of medical devices and personal protective equipment as well as robotics to determine whether they pose a national security threat requiring tariff actions under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, according to two notices published Friday.

  • September 26, 2025

    Ex-Perkins Coie, DOJ Enviro Lawyer Joins Greenberg Traurig

    A former assistant section chief in the U.S. Department of Justice's Environmental and Natural Resources Division has joined Greenberg Traurig LLP's Washington, D.C., office after five years with Perkins Coie LLP.

  • September 26, 2025

    Small Cable Firms Say FCC Alert Changes Could Harm Them

    A cable industry group cautioned the Federal Communications Commission that making big revisions to the country's Emergency Alert System could put some small providers out of business if the new rules mean heavy compliance burdens.

  • September 25, 2025

    DOJ Unveils New 'Affirmative Litigation' Civil Division Branch

    The U.S. Department of Justice Thursday announced its newly created "Enforcement & Affirmative Litigation Branch," part of which will be dedicated to going after states, municipalities and private entities that impede federal immigration enforcement or profit from "false and misleading claims" about gender transition.

  • September 25, 2025

    Trump Blesses Deal To Transfer TikTok To $14B US Co.

    President Donald Trump Thursday signed an executive order greenlighting a proposed deal that transfers the majority of TikTok's U.S. operations to a new U.S.-based joint venture, saying that the divestiture adequately addresses national security concerns.

  • September 25, 2025

    Ex-FBI Head Comey Indicted Days After Va. US Atty Replaced

    A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia on Thursday indicted former FBI Director James B. Comey on making a false statement and obstruction of Congress charges, just days after Donald Trump's former personal attorney took over as interim U.S. attorney in the district.

Expert Analysis

  • How Trade Fraud Task Force Launch Furthers Policy Goals

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    A new cross-agency trade fraud task force is the latest in a series of Trump administration efforts to leverage agency relationships in pursuit of its trade policy goals, and its creation signals a further uptick in customs enforcement, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Keys To Extended Producer Responsibility Compliance

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    As states' extended producer responsibility laws come into effect, reshaping packaging obligations for businesses, regulated entities should ensure they register with a producer responsibility organization, understand state-specific deadlines and obligations, and review packaging to improve recyclability and reduce compliance costs, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.

  • Digital Asset Report Opens Doors For Banks, But Risks Linger

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    A recent report from a White House working group discussing digital asset market structure signals how banks may elect to expand into digital asset custody, trading and related services in the years ahead, but the road remains layered with challenges, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Series

    Power To The Paralegals: How And Why Training Must Evolve

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    Empowering paralegals through new models of education that emphasize digital fluency, interdisciplinary collaboration and human-centered lawyering could help solve workforce challenges and the justice gap — if firms, educators and policymakers get on board, say Kristine Custodio Suero and Kelli Radnothy.

  • 5 Real Estate Takeaways From Trump's Sweeping Tax Law

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    Changes to the Internal Revenue Code included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will have a range of effects on real estate sponsors, investors and real estate investment trusts — from more compliance flexibility around taxable REIT subsidiary limits to new considerations raised by a key retaliatory tax provision that was left out, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Evaluating The Current State Of Trump's Tariff Deals

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    As the Trump administration's ambitious tariff effort rolls into its ninth month, and many deals lack the details necessary to provide trade market certainty, attorneys at Adams & Reese examine where things stand.

  • Series

    Playing Softball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My time on the softball field has taught me lessons that also apply to success in legal work — on effective preparation, flexibility, communication and teamwork, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.

  • 5 Years In, COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Landscape Is Shifting

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    As the government moves pandemic fraud enforcement from small-dollar individual prosecutions to high-value corporate cases, and billions of dollars remain unaccounted for, companies and defense attorneys must take steps now to prepare for the next five years of scrutiny, says attorney David Tarras.

  • How Securities Test Nuances Affect State-Level Enforcement

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    Awareness of how different states use their securities investigation and enforcement powers, particularly their use of the risk capital test over the federal Howey test, is critical to navigating the complicated patchwork of securities laws going forward, especially as states look to fill perceived federal enforcement gaps, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Mastering Time Management

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    Law students typically have weeks or months to prepare for any given deadline, but the unpredictability of practicing in the real world means that lawyers must become time-management pros, ready to adapt to scheduling conflicts and unexpected assignments at any given moment, says David Thomas at Honigman.

  • Calif. Bill May Shake Up Healthcare Investment Landscape

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    If signed by the governor, newly passed California legislation would significantly expand the Office of Health Care Affordability's oversight of private equity and hedge fund investments in healthcare companies and management services organizations, and raise several questions about companies' data confidentiality and filing burdens, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • How Prohibiting Trigger Leads May Affect Mortgage Marketing

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    Recent amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act prohibiting the sale of trigger leads mark a significant shift in the regulatory landscape for mortgage lenders, third-party lead generators and their legal counsel, who should reevaluate lead generation strategies and compliance protocols, say Joel Herberman, Rob Robilliard and Leah Dempsey at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • How Hyperlinks Are Changing E-Discovery Responsibilities

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    A recent e-discovery dispute over hyperlinked data in Hubbard v. Crow shows how courts have increasingly broadened the definition of control to account for cloud-based evidence, and why organizations must rethink preservation practices to avoid spoliation risks, says Bree Murphy at Exterro.

  • Pharma Copay Programs Raise Complex Economic Questions

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    The growing prevalence of copay accumulator and maximizer programs in the pharmaceutical industry is drawing increased scrutiny from patients, advocacy groups, lawmakers and courts, bringing complex questions about how financial responsibility for prescription drug purchases is determined and complicating damages assessments in litigation, say analysts at Analysis Group.

  • State False Claims Acts Can Help Curb Opioid Fund Fraud

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    State versions of the federal False Claims Act can play an important role in policing the misuse of opioid settlement funds, taking a cue from the U.S. Department of Justice’s handling of federal fraud cases involving pandemic relief funds, says Kenneth Levine at Stone & Magnanini.

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