Public Policy

  • April 25, 2025

    Judge Asks How Ed Dept. Can Fulfill Mandates Without Staff

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Friday appeared skeptical of arguments by the Trump administration that it can continue delivering legally mandated services without reinstating hundreds of U.S. Department of Education employees who were fired last month.

  • April 25, 2025

    Judge Blocks Trump Order Limiting Fed. Worker Bargaining

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge on Friday blocked President Donald Trump's order last month seeking to end collective bargaining for workers at more than a dozen federal agencies with national security roles, two days after suggesting during oral arguments that Trump's order was retaliatory.

  • April 25, 2025

    Feds Fight Unions' Bid To Reverse Cuts To FMCS

    A group of unions lack standing to ask a New York federal judge to reverse staffing cuts and field office closures at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the federal government has argued, opposing the group's bid for an injunction undoing the shrinkage of the labor-management dispute resolution agency.

  • April 25, 2025

    Low-Power Stations Seek To Avoid Next-Gen TV Mandate

    Low-power TV broadcasters are urging the Federal Communications Commission not to force stations like theirs to transition to "NextGen TV," calling the consumer uptake of NextGen-enabled televisions "laughable" and saying advancements are still being made in standard HDTV technology.

  • April 25, 2025

    Feds Say Tariff Fight Belongs In International Trade Court

    The Trump administration wants to litigate a challenge to its tariffs in a federal trade court, not the D.C. district court, arguing that the U.S. Court of International Trade is the only venue with jurisdiction to hear the case.

  • April 25, 2025

    Sen. Crapo Calls Exec Session For Commerce, Treasury Noms

    U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, announced Friday that it will hold an executive session Tuesday to consider President Donald Trump's picks for roles at the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of the Treasury.

  • April 25, 2025

    Hemp Co. Says Seller Can't Pass Buck On Pot Arrest

    A hemp company and its affiliates are urging a Wisconsin federal court to throw out a seller's claim that his shop was raided and he was convicted of drug possession because their products were falsely labeled as legal hemp, saying that the complaint fails to show the products had anything to do with the arrest.

  • April 25, 2025

    Is The 'Prevailing Party' Over For Civil Rights Attys?

    The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that preliminary injunctions don't entitle civil rights plaintiffs to recoup attorney fees was partly an attempt to reduce lengthy fee litigation, but it may have also reduced litigants' ability to vindicate their rights in court.

  • April 25, 2025

    With $1.2M Deal, Pattern Of NY Prison Abuse Cases Emerges

    A New York man who says prison guards tortured him during a medical emergency recently secured a $1.2 million settlement — one of the largest known payouts for abuse in state custody — as part of litigation that exposed a correction officer's alleged recurrent violent behavior.

  • April 25, 2025

    Broadcasters Oppose FCC Adding New Local Notice Regs

    Broadcasters said they don't like the idea of new local notice requirements for some types of new stations as part of a Federal Communications Commission plan to otherwise cut down on rules covering the industry that it believes are no longer needed.

  • April 25, 2025

    Feds Accused Of Illegal Education Data Collection Rollback

    The Department of Education is defying congressional mandates requiring the collection and analysis of national education data, including by canceling $900 million in data maintenance and collection contracts, educational organizations said in a lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C., federal court.

  • April 25, 2025

    NY Settles Class Action Over Delays In Special Ed Hearings

    New York City and state officials agreed to overhaul how special education complaints are handled, settling a 2020 class action brought by students with disabilities who waited months for crucial services.

  • April 25, 2025

    Trump Pressed To Roll Back Ligado Network Order

    A broad collection of navigation, transportation, weather and agricultural interest groups are urging President Donald Trump and Congress to roll back the Federal Communications Commission's controversial Ligado order, arguing that the company's proposed terrestrial mobile service would cause harmful interference to GPS, satellite communications and weather forecasting services.

  • April 25, 2025

    Ex-Sen. Menendez Can't Avoid Prison During Appeal

    A New York federal judge on Friday refused to allow former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and two of the businessmen who purportedly bribed him to avoid prison pending their appeal on a blockbuster corruption conviction.

  • April 25, 2025

    NJ Industrial Remediation Claims Not Time-Barred, Panel Says

    A Garden State appellate panel on Friday revived New Jersey's suit seeking the remediation of a contaminated industrial property in the city of Camden and associated damages, ruling that the state's remediation claims are not time-barred.

  • April 25, 2025

    Aggressive USPTO Policy Push Suggests 'It's Lutnick's Show'

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office acting Director Coke Morgan Stewart's three months in charge have featured an unprecedented level of policymaking for an interim leader, suggesting that Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has a vision for the agency and he's not waiting for the U.S. Senate to confirm a new director to pursue it.

  • April 25, 2025

    Feds Push To Keep Trial Date For 'Compromised' Texas Rep

    Prosecutors told a federal judge Friday that U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and his wife have plenty of time to review discovery and get their attorneys security clearances before a September trial on bribery and corruption charges.

  • April 25, 2025

    Teachers Union Blocks Feds From Freezing Funds Over DEI

    The federal government can't revoke funding from schools associated with the National Education Association and two other educator groups because of the institutions' diversity, equity and inclusion policies, a New Hampshire federal judge ruled, saying the organizations will likely succeed in their suit claiming government guidance was unlawfully vague.

  • April 25, 2025

    House Republicans Seek Info On DeepSeek Ties To CCP

    Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are pressing Chinese AI company DeepSeek for information on their data practices and relationship with the Chinese Communist Party.

  • April 25, 2025

    Spencer Fane Adds Former Oklahoma Higher Ed. Chancellor

    Spencer Fane LLP said Thursday it has hired Allison Garrett, Oklahoma's former chief executive for its higher education system, as an of counsel in its litigation and dispute resolution practice.

  • April 25, 2025

    NJ AG Gives Chief Counsel Role To Former Civil Rights Head

    The top assistant to New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin has been appointed chief counsel for the state's Department of Law and Public Safety, an appointment that follows high-profile civil rights stints in and out of the Garden State.

  • April 25, 2025

    Apache Want To Pause Enviro Study Until High Court Ruling

    An Apache nonprofit has urged an Arizona federal judge to issue an emergency injunction barring the government from transferring an ancient worship site to a mining company until the U.S. Supreme Court can rule on the group's petition, which seeks to block the endeavor.

  • April 25, 2025

    NJ Towns Challenge State Affordable Housing Framework

    A coalition of nearly two dozen New Jersey municipalities has filed suit against state officials, arguing a provision of the state's affordable housing framework unfairly places all responsibility for building such housing on non-urban municipalities.

  • April 25, 2025

    Ex-FCC Chair Back At HQ To Lobby For Mobile Biz

    A former chief of the Federal Communications Commission made a cameo appearance at the agency's Washington, D.C., headquarters in his new role as top lobbyist for the mobile services industry, calling for more spectrum to feed boundless growth in the wireless business.

  • April 25, 2025

    Atkins Vows SEC Will Pursue 'Common-Sense' Crypto Policy

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new Chair Paul Atkins told crypto industry experts on Friday that the SEC will work to establish a "fit-for-purpose" framework for digital assets, while industry participants urged a principles-based approach to cover its rapid innovation.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • A Closer Look At New NYSE, Nasdaq Listing Rule Changes

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has recently approved changes to the New York Stock Exchange's and the Nasdaq's listing rules on reverse stock splits, minimum share price requirements and required liquidity for initial listings, meaning listed companies facing delisting will have fewer means to regain compliance, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.

  • Opinion

    GENIUS Act Can Bring Harmony To Crypto-Banking Discord

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    ​​​​​​​By embracing crypto innovation while establishing appropriate guardrails, the so-called GENIUS Act charts a path forward that promotes financial inclusion and technological advancement without compromising stability or constitutional rights, says J.W. Verret at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School.

  • Opinion

    US Reassessment Of OECD Tax Deal Is Right Move

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    The wholesale U.S. reevaluation of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's global tax deal ordered by President Donald Trump is a positive step that could ultimately create a more durable international tax system, says Anne Gordon at the National Foreign Trade Council.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Be An Indispensable Associate

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    While law school teaches you to research, write and think critically, it often overlooks the professional skills you will need to make yourself an essential team player when transitioning from a summer to full-time associate, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • The Path Forward For Construction Cos. After Calif. Wildfires

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    The increasing frequency of disastrous wildfires, like those that recently occurred in California, presents a set of complex challenges for the construction industry, including regulatory hurdles and supply chain disruptions that can complicate rebuilding efforts, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • What 2nd Trump Admin Means For Ship Pollution Compliance

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    As the second Trump administration's civil and criminal enforcement policies take shape, the maritime industry must ensure it complies with both national and international obligations to prevent oil pollution from seagoing vessels — with preventive efforts and voluntary disclosures being some of the best options for mitigating risk, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Know The Rules And Costs Of New Fla. Condo Inspection Law

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    Following the first report deadline for a structural integrity law meant to prevent disasters like the 2021 Surfside collapse, Florida condominium associations and unit owners should understand the process of conducting compliant inspections and anticipate new assessments to fund required maintenance, say attorneys at Ball Janik.

  • Mass. AG Emerges As Key Player In Consumer Protection

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    Through enforcement actions and collaborations with other states — including joining a recent amicus brief decrying the defunding of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell has established herself as a thought leader for consumer protection and corporate accountability, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • SEC Confidential Review Process Provides Issuers Flexibility

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently announced enhancements to the process for confidentially submitting draft registration statements will be immediately impactful for issuers seeking to access the public capital markets, and should provide more grounds to explore and plan public offerings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    Birding Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Observing and documenting birds in their natural habitats fosters patience, sharpens observational skills and provides moments of pure wonder — qualities that foster personal growth and enrich my legal career, says Allison Raley at Arnall Golden.

  • What Pending FCPA Trials Suggest About DOJ Priorities

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    Following President Donald Trump's executive order in February instructing the U.S. Department of Justice to temporarily pause enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, developments surrounding five FCPA cases already set for trial provide a glimpse into how the DOJ is attempting to navigate the situation at hand, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Measuring And Mitigating Harm From Discriminatory Taxes

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    In response to new tariffs and other recent "America First Trade Policy" pronouncements, corporations should assess and take steps to minimize their potential exposure to discriminatory and reciprocal tax measures that are likely to come, say economists at Charles River Associates.

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