Public Policy

  • July 08, 2025

    Environmental Regulations To Watch In 2025: Midyear Report

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it is planning big changes to existing regulations and policies, including possibly rescinding its finding that greenhouse gases pose a danger to people's health and rolling back standards for forever chemicals. Here are some of the biggest regulatory matters to watch in the second half of 2025.

  • July 08, 2025

    DEA Tells DC Circ. To Toss Ayahuasca Church's Petition

    Federal drug enforcers urged the D.C. Circuit on Tuesday to toss a petition brought by an Iowa church seeking a religious exemption to use a psychedelic in its rites, saying there was no legal basis to the organization's allegations that the agency took too long to process its application.

  • July 08, 2025

    Pa. Panel Grants Immunity To Nursing Board In Exam Dispute

    A Pennsylvania appellate court on Tuesday narrowly rejected a lawsuit filed by an ex-nurse who contends a state board violated her rights by ordering her to undergo a mental health exam, finding instead that the board members are entitled to quasi-judicial immunity.

  • July 08, 2025

    FCC Urged To Mandate Phone Unlocking For Dual SIM Use

    As Verizon pushes to end a requirement by the Federal Communications Commission allowing the company's customers to switch carriers after 60 days, cloud service providers say the FCC should make sure customers who need dual SIM cards can use more than one provider.

  • July 08, 2025

    HHS Can't Dodge Suit Over Nixed LGBTQ Bias Protections

    A New York federal judge declined Tuesday to toss a transgender woman's suit challenging President Donald Trump's decision to roll back anti-discrimination regulations for LGBTQ patients during his first term, rejecting arguments from the government that the case is moot given that a Biden-era rule restored the protections.

  • July 08, 2025

    Ex-DC Prosecutors Rip Pick Of Emil Bove For 3rd Circ.

    In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, a group of former federal prosecutors in Washington panned Emil Bove as a "dangerous" pick for the Third Circuit and criticized his record as a prosecutor as that of a loyal follower of President Donald Trump.

  • July 08, 2025

    3rd Circ. Probes Constitutionality Of NJ Judicial Privacy Law

    A Third Circuit panel on Tuesday dug into the constitutionality of a New Jersey judicial privacy statute, with data brokers, a data protection company and the state debating whether the law provides a vital safeguard or imposes too-burdensome restrictions on the publication of publicly available information.

  • July 08, 2025

    'Tornado Cash' Trial Judge Curbs Talk Of North Korea WMDs

    A Manhattan federal judge on Tuesday sharply limited the extent to which prosecutors may mention North Korea's alleged efforts to obtain weapons of mass destruction as they seek to convict a crypto engineer who allegedly facilitated big-dollar transactions for the secretive dictatorship.

  • July 08, 2025

    Trump Admin Backs Off Plan To Revisit Biden Asbestos Ban

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday told the Fifth Circuit it's not going to revise a Biden-era rule strengthening restrictions on asbestos use, and asked the court to restart litigation challenging the Biden rule.

  • July 08, 2025

    High Court Allows Trump's Gov't Cuts And Restructuring

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled the Trump administration can move forward with its plans for large-scale layoffs and reorganizations at various federal departments and agencies, lifting a California federal judge's order that had paused the efforts while a legal challenge continues.

  • July 08, 2025

    Calif. Agency Rolls Out Guidance For Violence Survivor Leave

    The California Civil Rights Department rolled out its latest guidance and model notice for employees who are victims of violence or abuse and wish to take time off under a law that went into effect in the state in January.

  • July 08, 2025

    Pa. County Wants 3rd Circ. To Revive Dominion Contract Suit

    A central Pennsylvania county in hot water with state officials for unauthorized inspections of its voting equipment wants the Third Circuit to reconsider its commissioners' standing to bring a lawsuit against Dominion Voting Systems.

  • July 08, 2025

    Fishing Industry Alleges Feds Allow Red Snapper Overfishing

    A group of commercial fishers and buyers is claiming in a new lawsuit that the National Marine Fisheries Service has failed to set proper catch limits and allowed the overfishing of red snapper due to massive "dead discards." 

  • July 08, 2025

    Texas Stock Exchange Taps Former SEC Markets Executive

    The Texas Stock Exchange's owner on Tuesday said it has hired U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission veteran David Saltiel to join the startup, which aims to compete with the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq.

  • July 08, 2025

    Approach The Bench: Judge Biery Has Fun Writing

    U.S. District Judge Fred Biery is now famous for the quirky written opinions he's produced during three decades as a trial judge for the Western District of Texas, but he was on the federal bench for a few years before he started to experiment in his opinion writing.

  • July 08, 2025

    Abuse Reporting Experts See Flaws In Texas HIPAA Ruling

    A Texas federal court ruling that invalidated a Biden-era reproductive health privacy rule has perplexed mandatory reporting experts who say it clearly misconstrues the law around doctors' duties to report child abuse and neglect.

  • July 08, 2025

    Churches Can Endorse Political Candidates, IRS Says

    Churches can endorse political candidates without losing their tax-exempt status despite a ban on political activity by certain nonprofits, the IRS said in a Texas federal court document seeking to settle a suit by religious groups that claimed the prohibition on campaigning was unconstitutional.

  • July 08, 2025

    Feds Say Trade Group Lacks Standing In Anti-DEI Orders Suit

    A Chicago-based trade group can't show that Trump administration executive orders restricting federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs infringe on its free speech rights, the federal government argued, telling an Illinois federal court it should toss the organization's suit alleging the directives are unconstitutional.

  • July 08, 2025

    NYC Seeks To Keep Broker Fee Ban Over Injunction Ask

    New York City told a federal judge that a group of real estate interests, landlords and brokers failed to present a compelling case for blocking a law preventing landlords from passing on broker fees to tenants less than a month after the provision took effect.

  • July 08, 2025

    FCC Holds Off Next-Gen 911 Deadlines To Gather Expertise

    The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday partially granted a request to delay deadlines for public input into next-generation 911 systems so that call center administrators can gather more expertise on the issue.

  • July 08, 2025

    After Conviction Upheld, Bridge Fraudster Gets Time Served

    A government contractor whose wire fraud conviction was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court was resentenced to time served in Pennsylvania federal court on Tuesday.

  • July 08, 2025

    Calif. Justices Say Elected Officials Lack Whistleblower Shield

    California elected officials are not covered by the state's whistleblower protections because they don't fall under the definition of employees, the California Supreme Court ruled, affirming a state appeals court decision to nix a retaliation suit from the City of Inglewood's former elected treasurer.

  • July 08, 2025

    VA Says It Plans To Have 30K Fewer Staff By October

    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said it expects to have another 12,000 employees depart as a result of resignations, retirements and attrition by October, amounting to a reduction of nearly 30,000 staff this fiscal year and rendering a formal reduction in force unwarranted.

  • July 08, 2025

    Trade Court Judge Sworn In As USDA Deputy Secretary

    Judge Stephen A. Vaden of the U.S. Court of International Trade has resigned from his judgeship to join the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the second-in-command.

  • July 08, 2025

    EU Gives Final Go-Ahead For Bulgaria To Switch To Euro

    The Council of the European Union gave its final approval Tuesday for Bulgaria to transition to using the euro next year, with the bloc saying the change will give Bulgarians "real, everyday benefits" like easier cross-border payments and greater access to foreign investment.

Expert Analysis

  • Focusing On Fluoride: From FDA To Class Action

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    A class action filed two days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans to remove ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children from the market may be the tip of the iceberg in terms of the connection between government pronouncements on safety and their immediate use as evidence in lawsuits, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.

  • How Energy Cos. Can Prepare For Potential Tax Credit Cuts

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    The Senate Finance Committee's version of the One Big Beautiful Bill act would create a steep phaseout of renewable energy tax credits, which should prompt companies to take several actions, including conduct a project review to discern which could begin construction before the end of the year, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • The CFTC Is Shaking Up Sports Betting's Legal Future

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    The sports betting industry faces a potential sea change amid recent state and federal actions across the regulatory landscape that have expanded access to sporting event contracts against the backdrop of waning Commodity Futures Trading Commission opposition, says Nick Covek at Foley & Lardner.

  • DOJ Atty Firing Highlights Tension Between 2 Ethical Duties

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent firing of a prosecutor-turned-whistleblower involved in the Abrego Garcia v. Noem case illustrates the tricky balancing act between zealous client advocacy and a lawyer’s duty of candor to the court, which many clients fail to appreciate, says David Atkins at Yale Law School.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Rejecting Biz Dev Myths

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    Law schools don’t spend sufficient time dispelling certain myths that prevent young lawyers from exploring new business opportunities, but by dismissing these misguided beliefs, even an introverted first-year associate with a small network of contacts can find long-term success, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Fla. Condo Law Fix Clarifies Control Of Common Areas

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    Florida's repeal of a controversial statutory provision that permitted developers of mixed-use condominium properties to retroactively assert control over common facilities marks a critical shift in legal protections for unit owners and associations, promoting fairness, transparency and accountability, say attorneys at Pardo Jackson.

  • Trade In Limbo: The Legal Storm Reshaping Trump's Tariffs

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    In the final days of May, decisions in two significant court actions upended the tariff and trade landscape, so until the U.S. Supreme Court rules, businesses and supply chains should expect tariffs to remain in place, and for the Trump administration to continue pursuing and enforcing all available trade policies, say attorneys at Ice Miller.

  • Shareholder Takeaways From NY Internal Affairs Doctrine Suit

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    A May New York Court of Appeals decision in Ezrasons v. Rudd involving Barclays — affirming the state's "firmly entrenched" internal affairs doctrine — is a win for all corporate stakeholders seeking stability in resolving disputes between shareholders and directors and officers, say attorneys at Sadis & Goldberg.

  • The Legal Fallout Of The Open Model AI Ecosystem

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    The spread of open-weight and open-source artificial intelligence models is introducing potential harms across the supply chain, but new frameworks will allow for the growth and development of AI technologies without sacrificing the safety of end users, says Harshita Ganesh at CMBG3 Law.

  • Move Beyond Surface-Level Edits To Master Legal Writing

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    Recent instances in which attorneys filed briefs containing artificial intelligence hallucinations offer a stark reminder that effective revision isn’t just about superficial details like grammar — it requires attorneys to critically engage with their writing and analyze their rhetorical choices, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • 3 Rulings May Reveal Next Frontier Of Gov't Contract Cases

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    Several U.S. Supreme Court decisions over the past year — involving wire fraud, gratuities and obstruction — offer wide-ranging and arguably conflicting takeaways for government contractors that are especially relevant given the Trump administration’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, say attorneys at Rogers Joseph.

  • How Ore. Law Puts New Confines On Corp. Health Ownership

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    A newly enacted law in Oregon strengthens the state’s restrictions on corporate ownership of healthcare practices, with new limitations on overlapping control, permissible services, restrictive covenants and more making it necessary for practices to review decades-old physician practice arrangements, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Early Trends In Proxy Exclusion After SEC Relaxes Guidance

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent guidance broadening shareholder proposal exclusion under Rule 14a-8 has been undoubtedly useful to issuers this proxy season, but it does not guarantee exclusion, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • How New Texas Law Revamps Electric Grid To Meet Demand

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    A new Texas law enacted in response to the burdens that data centers, crypto mining and other large-scale users are placing on the state's electric grid means that stakeholders must review updated requirements around grid interconnection, disclosure of development plans and operational flexibility during tight conditions, say attorneys at Jackson Walker.

  • Best Practices For State Banks Eyeing Federal Conversions

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    Amid a notable uptick — fueled by ongoing regulatory upheaval — in state-chartered banks exploring conversion to national bank charters, banks contemplating the decision should weigh the benefits, like uniform supervision, and potential impediments, like costly exam fees, say attorneys at Skadden.

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