Public Policy

  • August 18, 2025

    Battle Brews Over Fed's Plan For Big Bank Ratings Revamp

    Leading banking industry groups are urging the Federal Reserve to move full speed ahead with a supervisory ratings overhaul that could classify more big banks as "well managed," but critics warn the plan amounts to dangerous, and potentially unlawful, grade inflation.

  • August 18, 2025

    Meta Faces Senate Probe Over AI Chatbots' Talks With Kids

    Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri has launched an investigation into how artificial intelligence-fueled chatbots being deployed by Meta interact with children, following reports that the social media giant internally approved rules that would enable these products to engage "romantic" and "sensual" exchanges with minors. 

  • August 18, 2025

    HHS Says Layoffs, Reorganization Are Within Its Authority

    The Trump administration urged a Rhode Island federal judge to toss claims that massive cuts to the Health and Human Services Department violate the U.S. Constitution and usurp congressional authority, arguing the state plaintiffs don't have the authority to dictate how the executive branch manages its personnel.

  • August 18, 2025

    Ex-NY AG Immune From Malicious Prosecution Suit

    Former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has immunity from a suit by a former New York City Council member claiming wrongful prosecution, a federal judge has ruled.

  • August 18, 2025

    SDNY Judges OK Trump's Selection Of Jay Clayton As US Atty

    The Southern District of New York on Monday permitted Jay Clayton to continue overseeing the district's prosecutorial office, appointing Clayton as U.S. attorney just a day before his tenure as interim U.S. attorney was set to expire.

  • August 18, 2025

    OMB Says Agencies Can Cut Some Gov't Contract Requirements

    The Office of Management and Budget authorized federal agencies to immediately start eliminating requirements from future government contracts as part of the Trump administration's effort to get rid of non-statutory rules from the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

  • August 18, 2025

    9th Circ. Splits Over Ore.'s Denial Of Christian Youth Grants

    A split Ninth Circuit panel on Monday largely upheld a lower court's refusal to preliminarily block Oregon's requirement that recipients of certain youth grants agree not to discriminate on the basis of religion, though it also said the rule is unconstitutional if it restricts any initiatives that aren't tied to the grants.

  • August 18, 2025

    Unions Attack Gov't's Bid To Nix Federal Firings Dispute

    Four unions representing federal workers challenged the Trump administration's request to end an amended lawsuit fighting the efforts to downsize the federal workforce, telling a D.C. federal judge that the government is trying to send claims to administrative agencies that are nonfunctional.

  • August 18, 2025

    Monsanto Reaches Terms To Settle Wash. School PCB Torts

    Monsanto has come to tentative settlement terms to end claims from roughly 200 people who say they developed various health problems from chemical contamination at a Washington state school site, parent company Bayer AG said Monday.

  • August 18, 2025

    Texas Judge Stays PWFA Suit After 5th Circ. Decision

    A Texas federal judge on Monday stayed a challenge to the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act after the Fifth Circuit ruled in a separate case that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission could enforce the law.

  • August 18, 2025

    FTC Targets Ticket Resellers Over Eras Tour Sales Meltdown

    The Federal Trade Commission on Monday sued ticket brokers in Maryland federal court for allegedly snatching up hundreds of thousands of Taylor Swift Eras Tour tickets and selling them at high markups after bypassing Ticketmaster's purchase limit rules and verification processes by using fake accounts and spoofed IP addresses.

  • August 18, 2025

    College And Students Take Texas Dream Act Suit To 5th Circ.

    A Texas federal judge has ruled that bids by a state community college and a student association to intervene in a suit challenging a Texas law allowing in-state tuition for unauthorized immigrants would be "legally futile," prompting their appeal to the Fifth Circuit.

  • August 18, 2025

    Colo. AG Blasts FCC's T-Mobile, Skydance Approvals

    Colorado's top law enforcer has said he's unhappy with the way the federal government has ushered through major telecom and media mergers after only locking down concessions on diversity, hiring and news coverage.

  • August 18, 2025

    Mexican Bank Sues Treasury Over Opioid Order Death Knell

    Mexico-based bank CIBanco has sued the U.S. Department of the Treasury and its criminal enforcement wing for cutting off its access to the U.S. financial system through an order aimed at combating opioid trafficking, arguing it faces an "imminent demise" if it doesn't get the chance to show the regulator's allegations are false.

  • August 18, 2025

    Fla. Suit Over Atty Access To Detention Center Transferred

    A Florida federal judge on Monday transferred a proposed class action lawsuit accusing the government of restricting attorney access to an Everglades immigrant detention center, ruling that the current district isn't proper for the claims against state officials.

  • August 18, 2025

    NC Sheriff's Office Must Hand Over Officer Names In Raid Suit

    A North Carolina federal judge has ordered a county sheriff's office to turn over the names of officers involved in a midnight raid on a home they incorrectly believed was harboring a suspected carjacker.

  • August 18, 2025

    NY Cannabis Regulators Sued Over Proximity Rule Change

    New York cannabis dispensaries are suing state regulators claiming they have changed the minimum distance their businesses need to be from a school and ordered them to move or lose their licenses, threatening millions of dollars in investments and the "life savings" of many entrepreneurs.

  • August 18, 2025

    Pittsburgh Balks At Developer Joining Inclusive Zoning Fight

    The city of Pittsburgh is urging a Pennsylvania federal court to reject a real estate trade association's bid to stop the city from enforcing an inclusionary zoning ordinance, arguing that the trade association is trying to block the ordinance on behalf of a private developer.

  • August 18, 2025

    Tribe, Groups Appeal Oak Flat Land Exchange To 9th Circ.

    The San Carlos Apache Tribe and environmental groups have filed a Ninth Circuit appeal looking to overturn an Arizona federal court judge's decision that denied their bid to block the transfer of 2,500 acres to a copper mining company that they say will crater an ancient Indigenous worship site.

  • August 18, 2025

    Fired DOJ Antitrust Deputy Warns Of Lobbyist Influence

    The former top deputy for the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division, Roger P. Alford, defended the agency's leadership Monday while calling out a pair of senior officials and warning of the influence that lobbyists are wielding over merger reviews and other issues.

  • August 18, 2025

    11th Circ. Revives Speech Suit Against Fla. Superintendent

    The Eleventh Circuit on Friday revived part of a man's First Amendment suit against a Florida school superintendent for ordering him removed from a school board meeting, ruling that the superintendent had not shown she was entitled to qualified immunity.

  • August 18, 2025

    Wash. High Court OKs Gun Rights Restoration In State Courts

    The Washington Supreme Court will allow trial courts across the state to hear firearms rights restoration claims from citizens who were previously convicted of a felony, reversing a state appeals court and rebuffing the state Legislature's attempt to restrict such claims.

  • August 18, 2025

    Texas Investigates Meta Over AI Mental Health Services

    The Texas attorney general said his office will investigate Meta AI Studio and Character.AI on allegations they are misleading consumers into thinking their chatbots are mental health tools, according to an announcement issued Monday, which also suggested the companies' activities may violate the state's privacy laws.

  • August 18, 2025

    $28M ND Pipeline Protest Case Paused Amid Settlement Talks

    A federal district court and the Eighth Circuit have paused a $28 million dispute between North Dakota and the United States over failure to control Dakota Access Pipeline protesters after the parties said they were negotiating to settle the case.

  • August 18, 2025

    AGs Sue DOJ For Tying Victim Aid To ICE Enforcement

    A coalition of 21 state attorneys general, led by Matthew Platkin of New Jersey, filed suit against the Trump administration on Monday, accusing it of unlawfully tying $1 billion in crime victim funding to immigration enforcement, a move they say defies congressional intent and jeopardizes critical support for survivors.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • Assessing Impact Of USPTO's New Patent Policies

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    Recent data shows how the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's new patent policies are affecting America Invents Act trial institution rates, including spurring an uptick in discretionary denials, say attorneys at Armond Wilson.

  • What US Medicine Onshoring Means For Indian Life Sciences

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    Despite the Trump administration's latest moves to onshore essential medicine manufacturing, India will likely remain an indispensable component of the U.S. drug supply chain, but Indian manufacturers should prepare for stricter compliance checks, says Jashaswi Ghosh at Holon Law Partners.

  • APA Relief May Blunt Justices' Universal Injunction Ruling

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    The Administrative Procedure Act’s avenue for universal preliminary relief seems to hold the most promise for neutralizing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. CASA to limit federal district courts' nationally applicable orders, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • Wells Fargo Suit Shows Consumer Protection Limits In Mass.

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    The Massachusetts Appeals Court's May decision in Wells Fargo Bank v. Coulsey underscores that consumer rights are balanced against the need for closure, and even the broad protections of state consumer protection law will not open the door to relitigating the same claims, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Series

    Ohio Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    Ohio's financial services sector saw several significant developments in the second quarter of 2025, including a case that confirmed credit unions' setoff rights, another that established contract rights between banks and cardholders, and the House passage of a digital asset bill, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

  • Building Better Earnouts In The Current M&A Climate

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    In the face of market uncertainty, we've seen a continued reliance on earnouts in M&A deals so far this year, but to reduce the risk of related litigation, it's important to use objective standards, apply company metrics cautiously and ensure short time periods, among other best practices, say attorneys at White & Case.

  • Managing Risks As State AGs Seek To Fill Enforcement Gap

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    Given an unprecedented surge in state attorney general activity resulting from significant shifts in federal enforcement priorities, companies must consider tailored strategies for navigating the ever-evolving risk landscape, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • A Deep Dive Into 14 Nixed Gensler-Era SEC Rule Proposals

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last month formally withdrew 14 notices of proposed rulemaking, including several significant and widely criticized proposals that had been issued under former Chair Gary Gensler's leadership, signaling a clear and definitive shift away from the previous administration, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • A Look At Trump 2.0 Antitrust Enforcement So Far

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    The first six months of President Donald Trump's second administration were marked by aggressive antitrust enforcement tempered by traditional structural remedies for mergers, but other unprecedented actions, like the firing of Federal Trade Commission Democrats, will likely stoke heated discussion ahead, says Richard Dagen at Axinn.

  • Reform Partly Modernizes Small Biz Stock Gains Exclusion

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    Changes to the Internal Revenue Code in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act update the qualified small business stock gains exclusion to reflect inflation, but the regime would be more in line with current business realities if Congress had also made the exemption available to additional business structures, says Mark Parthemer at Glenmede.

  • Breaking Down Novel Va. Social Media Law For Minors

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    While a Virginia bill passed in May is notable for setting a one-hour daily limit on minors' use of social media, other provisions create compliance burdens for social media operators and app store providers, and increase privacy and security risks associated with the collection of sensitive information to prove identity, says Jenna Rode at Hunton.

  • Lessons From Crackdown On Mexican Banks With Cartel Ties

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    Recent U.S. Treasury Department orders excluding three major Mexican financial institutions from the U.S. banking system for laundering drug cartel money and processing payments for fentanyl precursor chemicals offer guidance for companies in reviewing their procedures and controls to ensure they are not the next targets, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

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