Public Policy

  • July 29, 2025

    Justices Can Fix Circuit Split On Compassionate Release

    The First Step Act drastically reduced the mandatory minimum sentences for certain federal crimes, but it will be up to the U.S. Supreme Court to settle a 6-4 circuit split over whether courts can consider those changes when weighing a prisoner's compassionate release, attorneys tell Law360.

  • July 29, 2025

    Ga. Senators Accuse DA Of 'Stonewalling' In Testimony Fight

    A Georgia Senate committee investigating Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' prosecution of President Donald Trump and others in an election interference case told the state's Supreme Court that her bid to escape its subpoena for her to testify before the committee seeks "to reward her stonewalling" and "delay tactics."

  • July 29, 2025

    4th Circ. Rejects BofA's Claim Of Tax Offsets After Mergers

    Bank of America cannot use its tax overpayments to offset interest on tax underpayments by Merrill Lynch just because the two companies later merged, the Fourth Circuit affirmed Tuesday in a $163 million case that affects more than 20 years' worth of tax adjustments.

  • July 29, 2025

    Okla. Cannabis Attorney Sues State Bar Over Suspension

    An Oklahoma-based attorney specializing in First Amendment and cannabis law is suing the state's bar association and Supreme Court, alleging that he was wrongfully suspended last year in retaliation for criticizing the bodies.

  • July 29, 2025

    Colo. Conservative Group Says New OT Law Violates TABOR

    Colorado's new overtime law, which requires overtime deducted from federal gross income to be added back to a taxpayer's federal taxable income for state income tax, violates the state's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, a conservative advocacy group told a state district court.

  • July 29, 2025

    Calif. Allows Retroactive Tax Exclusion For Solar Property

    California will allow the purchaser of a new property a three-year window to apply for a property tax exclusion for solar energy systems under a bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

  • July 29, 2025

    What To Watch As Deadline Looms For Jay Clayton At SDNY

    The clock is ticking closer to the expiration of Jay Clayton's appointment as interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, setting him on a likely collision course with the district's judges, who have the power to vote on whether he can continue overseeing one of the top prosecutorial offices in the country.

  • July 29, 2025

    Judge Wants Docs On Feds' Role In Fla. Detention Center Suit

    A Florida federal judge has said agreements between the federal government and the state concerning the immigrant detention center in the Everglades dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" could help the court decide if federal environmental laws are at play in a suit from environmental groups.

  • July 29, 2025

    Ark. Law Banning PBM-Owned Pharmacies Put On Ice

    Arkansas can't enforce a law banning pharmacy benefit managers from owning pharmacies in the state, a federal judge ruled, saying that CVS, Express Scripts, Optum and a trade group are likely to succeed on their claims that the statute unlawfully restricts interstate commerce.

  • July 29, 2025

    Federal Cuts Shake Up Clinical Research Funding Landscape

    As the Trump administration makes deep cuts to clinical research funding, healthcare attorneys worry that the delicate balance between federal grants and private investment is at risk. Crowell & Moring LLP partner Linda Malek talks to Law360 Healthcare Authority about the industry's concerns.

  • July 29, 2025

    Key Immigration Policies Of 2025: Midyear Report

    President Donald Trump signed a flurry of immigration-related executive orders on Inauguration Day to sharply curtail asylum at the southern border and lay the groundwork for a sweeping approach to immigration enforcement. Here, Law360 looks at some of the most significant developments in immigration policy this year.

  • July 28, 2025

    9th Circ. Wants More Info On Trump Admin's Arrest Policy

    A Ninth Circuit panel doubted Monday the government's request to lift a ruling blocking the Trump administration from relying on people's perceived ethnicity or job to stop individuals amid immigration raids, with one judge ordering the government to submit more details on whether it has a 3,000 arrests per day quota.

  • July 28, 2025

    Retired Judges Say DOJ Suit 'Threatens' Core Of Judicial Role

    A group of retired federal judges on Monday threw their support behind Maryland federal judges targeted in a Trump administration lawsuit over their habeas petitions standing order, arguing that the suit "threatens the judicial role to its core" and is trying to block judges from employing "a commonplace docket-management technique."

  • July 28, 2025

    New Jersey US Atty Faces Authority Challenge In Drug Case

    A New Jersey man facing federal drug and firearms charges is mounting what appears to be the first formal legal challenge to Alina Habba's continued role as acting U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, arguing that her appointment is unlawful and undermines the legitimacy of his prosecution.

  • July 28, 2025

    Apache Women Look To Block Arizona Site's Destruction

    A group of Apache women are looking to block the federal government from transferring their Arizona worship site to a copper mining company, telling a D.C. federal court they will be unable to practice and pass down their religion if the site is destroyed.

  • July 28, 2025

    Bondi Says Judge Boasberg Hit With 'Misconduct Complaint'

    U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Monday that the U.S. Department of Justice filed a "misconduct complaint" against Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, the D.C. federal judge who found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt for violating his order blocking deportations.

  • July 28, 2025

    Amazon Says Geostationary Satellites Causing Interference

    Amazon is asking the Federal Communications Commission to stop authorizing new geostationary satellite operators in the non-geostationary satellite primary bands, complaining that geostationary operators are haphazardly using the spectrum designated for operators like Amazon's planned Kuiper constellation and causing interference.

  • July 28, 2025

    Midband Spectrum Set-Aside Needed For Telemetry, FCC Told

    As the Federal Communications Commission considers shutting down more than 2,000 regulatory dockets that have become dormant, it shouldn't have its eye on a rulemaking aimed at setting aside midband airways for the aeronautical mobile telemetry, a defense contractor says.

  • July 28, 2025

    Rincon Band Says NEPA Reform Proposal Is Bad Idea

    The Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians says projects under the FCC's jurisdiction have historically "failed to adequately identify and assess historic properties of cultural and religious significance to Tribal Nations" and a proposal to loosen National Environmental Policy Act rules will make things only worse.

  • July 28, 2025

    Birthright Call Cited In Push To Keep TPS For Venezuelans

    The TPS Alliance is arguing to a Ninth Circuit panel that another Ninth Circuit panel's affirmation of a nationwide injunction on President Donald Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship weighs in favor of preserving a California federal judge's decision blocking the administration's attempt to end temporary protected status for Venezuelan immigrants.

  • July 28, 2025

    Fed Committee Meetings Will Remain Closed, Judge Rules

    A D.C. federal judge shot down a President Donald Trump ally's bid to open up the Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee meetings to the public Monday, questioning whether the suit was a stunt to gin up interest in his new "anti-DEI" investment fund.

  • July 28, 2025

    Congress Urged To Make FCC Merger OKs Deal-Specific

    A free-market think tank says diversity and journalism-related conditions tied to Federal Communications Commission approval of the pending Paramount-Skydance merger show why Congress needs to reform FCC reviews to make sure any conditions are transaction-specific.

  • July 28, 2025

    FCC Pushed To Rescind Biden-Era Cybersecurity Ruling

    Several telecom trade groups have urged the Federal Communications Commission to pull back a ruling from early this year that imposed new cybersecurity requirements on providers in the aftermath of the Salt Typhoon cyberattack by actors linked to the Chinese government.

  • July 28, 2025

    Florida's AG Announces 'Climate Cartel' Investigation

    Florida's attorney general announced Monday that he is investigating whether two greenhouse gas emission reduction groups violated state consumer protection or antitrust laws for allegedly coercing companies into disclosing proprietary information.

  • July 28, 2025

    Ex-Nurse's VA Negligence Case Doubted By Seattle Judge

    A Seattle federal judge appeared unconvinced on Monday that a U.S. Navy veteran had proven substandard psychiatric care caused a psychotic episode that led to her stabbing her mother, suggesting key allegations aren't backed by testimony as a bench trial wrapped in her case targeting a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs doctor. 

Expert Analysis

  • Philly Law Initiates New Era Of Worker Protections

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    A new worker protection law in Philadelphia includes, among other measures, a private right of action and recordkeeping requirements that may amount to a lower evidentiary standard, introducing a new level of accountability and additional noncompliance risks for employers, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Volunteering At Schools Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Speaking to elementary school students about the importance of college and other opportunities after high school — especially students who may not see those paths reflected in their daily lives — not only taught me the importance of giving back, but also helped to sharpen several skills essential to a successful legal practice, says Guillermo Escobedo at Constangy.

  • 5 Open Questions About FDA's AI-Assisted Review Plans

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently touted the completion of a generative artificial intelligence program for scientific reviewers and plans for agencywide deployment to speed up reviews of premarket applications, but there is considerable uncertainty surrounding the tools' ability to protect trade secrets, avoid bias and more, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • Bid Protest Spotlight: Jurisdiction, Price Range, Late-Is-Late

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    In this month's bid protest roundup, Thomas Lee at MoFo examines three May decisions from the U.S. Court of Federal Claims examining the court’s jurisdiction to rescind an executive order, the impact of agency error in establishing a competitive price range and application of the late-is-late rule to an electronic filing.

  • How Trump Administration's Antitrust Agenda Is Playing Out

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    Under the current antitrust agency leadership, the latest course in merger enforcement, regulatory approach and key sectors shows a marked shift from Biden-era practices and includes a return to remedies and the commitment to remain focused on the bounds of U.S. law, say attorneys at Wilson Sonsini.

  • Justices' Ruling Lowers Bar For Reverse Discrimination Suits

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous opinion in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, lowering the evidentiary burden for plaintiffs bringing so-called reverse discrimination claims, may lead to more claims brought by majority group employees — and open the door to legal challenges to employer diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, say attorneys at Ice Miller.

  • Fed's Crypto Guidance Yank Could Drive Innovation

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    The Federal Reserve Board's recent withdrawal of guidance letters brings regulatory consistency and broadens banks' ability to innovate in the crypto-asset space, but key distinctions remain between the Fed's policy on crypto liquidity and that of the other banking regulators, says Dan Hartman at Nutter.

  • DOE Grant Recipients Facing Termination Have Legal Options

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    Federal grant recipients whose awards have recently been rescinded by the U.S. Deparment of Energy have options for successfully challenging those terminations through litigation, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • Attacks On Judicial Independence Tend To Manifest In 3 Ways

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    Attacks on judicial independence now run the gamut from gross (bald-faced interference) to systemic (structural changes) to insidious (efforts to undermine public trust), so lawyers, judges and the public must recognize the fateful moment in which we live and defend the rule of law every day, says Jim Moliterno at Washington and Lee University.

  • Loophole To Budget Bill's AI Rule May Complicate Tech Regs

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    An exception in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that could allow state and local governments to develop ostensibly technology-neutral laws that nonetheless circumvent the bill’s ban on state artificial intelligence regulation could unintentionally create a more complex regulatory environment for technologies beyond AI, says Pooya Shoghi at Lee & Hayes.

  • A Look At Texas Corp. Law Changes Aimed At Dethroning Del.

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    Seeking to displace Delaware as the preferred locale for incorporation, Texas recently significantly amended its business code, including changes like codifying the business judgment rule, restricting books and records demands, and giving greater protections for officers and directors in interested transactions, say attorneys at Fenwick.

  • Prior Art Ruling Highlights Importance Of Detailed Elaboration

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    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's recent decision in Ecto World v. RAI Strategic Holdings shows that when there is a possibility for discretionary denial, and the examiner has potentially overlooked prior art, patent owners should elaborate on as many of the denial factors as possible, says Frank Bernstein at Squire Patton.

  • Dissecting House And Senate's Differing No-Tax-On-Tips Bills

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    Employers should understand how the House and Senate versions of no-tax-on-tips bills differ — including in the scope of related deductions and reporting requirements — to meet any new compliance obligations and communicate with their employees, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • OCC's Digital Embrace Delivers Risk, Opportunity For Banks

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    As the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency continues to release and seek more information on banks' participation in the crypto-asset arena, institutions may see greater opportunity to pursue digital asset and custody services, but must simultaneously educate themselves on transformations occurring throughout the industry, says Kirstin Kanski at Spencer Fane.

  • High Court Birthright Case Could Reshape Judicial Power

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    Recent arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in cases challenging President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order primarily focused on federal judges’ power to issue nationwide injunctions and suggest that the upcoming decision may fundamentally change how federal courts operate, says Mauni Jalali at Quinn Emanuel.

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