Public Policy

November 05, 2025
San Antonio Voters Approve Funding For New Spurs Arena

Texas voters have approved a tax that will provide up to $311 million for a planned $1.3 billion arena for the NBA's San Antonio Spurs, paving the way for a partial downtown redevelopment.
November 05, 2025
Del. Justices Hear Early Challenge To Corp. Law Amendments

Delaware's corporate litigation elites squared off before the state's Supreme Court on Wednesday over arguments that state lawmakers either righted — or subverted — the Court of Chancery's equity powers in amending the state's General Corporation Law earlier this year.
November 05, 2025
Texas Justices Mull Pro Se Atty's Contact With Opposite Party

Texas Justices appeared skeptical that a lawyer deserved to get suspended for five years after he contacted members of the Commission for Lawyer Discipline, asking Wednesday whether the rule barring attorneys from directly contacting a party represented by counsel applies to lawyers representing themselves.
November 05, 2025
Conn. Justice Questions 'Credibility Contest' In Fatal Fire Suit

A Connecticut Supreme Court justice wondered Wednesday if a trial court should rely on expert affidavits to determine the law in a foreign jurisdiction, probing whether a "credibility contest" was the right method for deciding that a lawsuit over a massive fatal fire belongs in the Philippines instead of the U.S.
November 05, 2025
Justices Skeptical About Trump's Emergency Tariff Authority

Several U.S. Supreme Court justices asked the government to defend why well-established judicial doctrines shouldn't limit President Donald Trump's tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act during oral arguments Wednesday, casting doubt on whether they believe the law provides that kind of authority.
November 05, 2025
Taft Adds DC Water Leader To New Government Practice

The top attorney at D.C. Water, the independent authority overseeing water and wastewater matters in the nation's capital, has joined a new team at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, the firm announced Tuesday.
November 05, 2025
Philip Morris Damages Guardrail Bid Meets Skeptical Justices

Massachusetts' top court appeared unreceptive Wednesday to arguments made by Philip Morris USA Inc. that a since-reduced $1 billion verdict issued by a state court jury means more guidelines are needed to curtail massive awards.
November 05, 2025
NJ Says Towns Can't Redo Affordable Housing Suit

New Jersey asked a federal court once again to toss claims brought by a group of municipalities and elected officials challenging a provision of the state's affordable housing framework, arguing that they've already brought and abandoned similar claims in state court.
November 05, 2025
NJ Appeals Court Tosses Claim In Ex-Prosecutor's Suit

A New Jersey state appeals court dismissed one count on Wednesday from the former Warren County prosecutor's suit against Gov. Phil Murphy and Attorney General Matthew Platkin that alleges he was deceived into resigning from his role.
November 05, 2025
Ga. Nonprofit Policy Leader Joins New Atlanta Lobbying Firm

A new Atlanta government relations firm Gold Dome Partners has brought on the policy director of the Georgia Justice Project to be its director of policy and advocacy, bolstering the firm with an attorney who has worked as a lawyer and lobbyist in the nonprofit sector for 12 years.
November 05, 2025
Fed. Judiciary Tackles Design, Need For AI Evidence Rules

Federal judiciary members wrestled Wednesday with the appropriate parameters of a proposed rule that would govern machine-generated evidence, while questioning the need for another proposed rule dealing with so-called deepfake evidence.
November 05, 2025
Mass. Justices Consider Raises To Address Counsel Shortage

Justices on Massachusetts' highest court grappled at a hearing Wednesday with its ability to address an ongoing shortage of attorneys willing to represent indigent defendants, after lawyers in two of the state's busiest counties stopped taking cases in May in protest over the low pay compared with other states.
November 05, 2025
What To Know About Changes To Texas Judicial Ethics Panel

Lone Star State voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly supported a ballot measure that will eliminate the role of the State Bar of Texas in appointing members to a judicial misconduct commission and give more power to the governor, a move hailed by supporters as promoting accountability and derided by critics over politicization concerns.
November 05, 2025
Judge Slams DOJ's 'Indict First' Strategy In Comey Case

Federal prosecutors were given just over 24 hours to hand over all of the grand jury materials and anything seized under years-old warrants in the James Comey case when a Virginia federal judge said Wednesday that the government appeared to be pursuing an "indict first, investigate last" strategy.
November 05, 2025
JPMorgan Latest Big Bank To Disclose 'Fair Banking' Scrutiny

JPMorgan Chase & Co. has disclosed that it is responding to government inquiries tied to President Donald Trump's "fair banking" executive order targeting alleged political and religious discrimination by financial institutions, following a similar disclosure from Bank of America Corp.
November 05, 2025
Native Hawaiians Sue Over Blocked Access To Sacred Temple

A group of Native Hawaiians are asking a federal court to bar a homeowners' association from blocking their access to an ancient Indigenous temple located within the community, alleging their requests have repeatedly been denied and they are being harassed by residents with entrance rights to the property.
November 05, 2025
Senate Confirms Jones Day Partner For 9th Circuit Bench

The Senate voted 52-45 on Wednesday to confirm Eric Tung, a partner at Jones Day, as a judge on the Ninth Circuit.
November 05, 2025
US Ending Protections For South Sudanese Nationals

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it's ending deportation and work authorization protections that have been available for South Sudanese nationals for more than a decade, asserting it is now safe enough for them to return home to that country.
November 05, 2025
NY Bill Would Nix Mobile Telecom Services Sales, Excise Tax

New York would eliminate state sales and compensating use tax and state excise tax on mobile telecommunication services and authorize local governments to eliminate their portion of sales and use tax for such services under a bill introduced in the state Assembly.
November 04, 2025
CFPB's Retreat Isn't Moving Needle For Banks, Ex-Chief Says

The Trump administration's hollowing out of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau hasn't changed how banks are approaching compliance, former agency Director Kathleen Kraninger said at a Tuesday industry conference.
November 04, 2025
5th Circ. Judge Says FCA Illegally Steps On Executive Power

Fifth Circuit Judge James C. Ho says his court should reconsider what he called "serious constitutional problems with the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act," arguing that whistleblowers who sue under the law "are neither appointed by, nor accountable to, the president," and that conflicts with presidential authority.
November 04, 2025
Trump Again Nominates Jared Isaacman As NASA Chief

President Donald Trump on Tuesday again nominated Jared Isaacman to lead NASA, months after yanking an earlier nomination due to the billionaire entrepreneur's "prior associations."
November 04, 2025
OCC's Gould Pledges 'Multifaceted' Defense Of Preemption

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's top official said Tuesday that his agency will be taking steps to defend and promote federal preemption in banking, pledging a "multifaceted" effort to stem what he described as weakening support for the principle.
November 04, 2025
Banking Groups Push Back On Coinbase's Trust Charter Bid

Two banking industry groups have opposed crypto exchange Coinbase's bid for a national trust company charter, warning in comment letters to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency that granting the crypto firm's application could lead to systemic risks.
November 04, 2025
4 Sue Mormon Church Over 'Known Pedophile' High Priest

Four men are suing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the state of Washington, alleging the church reinstated a known pedophile to the position of high priest without warning members, allowing him to continue sexually abusing children as young as 5 years old.

Editor's Picks

Trump's Legal Battles

States, federal employee unions, various advocacy groups and several individuals have filed over 220 lawsuits challenging the Trump administration's implementation of executive orders and other initiatives. Law360 has created a database of those lawsuits, separated into categories based on their subject matter.

Expert Analysis

HSR Data Shows Most Deals Exit Antitrust Review Unscathed

Merger activity is up, enforcement is down and the vast majority of deals are emerging from U.S. federal antitrust review in one piece, new 2024 fiscal-year Hart-Scott-Rodino data shows, meaning companies should not shy away from deals based on a perception that recent antitrust enforcement has been unusually aggressive, says Amanda Wait at Michael Best.
AI Litigation Tools Can Enhance Case Assessment, Strategy

Civil litigators can use artificial intelligence tools to strengthen case assessment and aid in early strategy development, as long as they address the risks and ethical considerations that accompany these uses, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.
Post-Genius Landscape Reveals Technical Stablecoin Hurdles

The Genius Act's implementation has revealed challenges for mass stablecoin adoption, but there are several factors that stablecoin issuers can use to differentiate themselves and secure market share, including interest rate, liquidity, and safety and security, say attorneys at Olshan Frome.
The Emerging Issues Shaping Real Estate Project Insurance

As real estate faces increasingly complex considerations — such as climate losses, "nuclear verdicts" and regulatory changes — insurance is evolving into a strategic function that should be discussed early in the planning stages of a project, says Jason Adams at Cox Castle.
How '24 Statements Show FTC's Direction On Political Speech

Two top Federal Trade Commission officials made concurring statements in 2024 that detailed a potential push to protect political speech, which have served as a preview of the commission's potential new focus on investigating social media and financial services firms to secure changes in those companies' internal business practices, says Benjamin Goldman at Montgomery McCracken.
Attys Beware: Generative AI Can Also Hallucinate Metadata

In addition to the well-known problem of AI-generated hallucinations in legal documents, AI tools can also hallucinate metadata — threatening the integrity of discovery, the reliability of evidence and the ability to definitively identify the provenance of electronic documents, say attorneys at Law & Forensics.
What May Be Ahead In Debanking Enforcement

President Donald Trump's executive order on politicized or unlawful debanking has spurred a flurry of activity by the federal banking regulators, so banks should expect debanking-related complaints submitted by consumers to increase, and for federal regulators to look for more enforcement opportunities, say attorneys at Bradley Arant.
Balancing Reliability, Competition In FERC's Pipeline Proposal

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's proposed transparency requirements for interstate natural gas pipelines endeavor to improve electric system reliability but could also unintentionally foster coordination, says Lyle Larson at Balch & Bingham.
SEC Crypto Custody Relief Offers Clarity For Funds

A recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission staff letter supplies a workable path for registered investment advisers and funds seeking to offer crypto custody services by using state trust companies, and may portend additional useful guidance regarding crypto custody, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
DC Circuit Charts Path On FERC Orders In Loper Bright Era

The D.C. Circuit's recent decision in Solar Energy Industries Association v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, upholding the agency's assessment of a power production facility's output, laid out an approach for addressing statutory interpretation in FERC appeals in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's game-changing Loper Bright decision, say attorneys at Bracewell.
DOJ's UnitedHealth Settlement Highlights New Remedies Tack

The use of divestitures and Hart-Scott-Rodino Act compliance in the recent U.S. Department of Justice settlement with UnitedHealth Group and Amedisys underscores the DOJ Antitrust Division's willingness to utilize merger remedies under the second Trump administration, say attorneys at Buchanan Ingersoll.
When Atty Ethics Violations Give Rise To Causes Of Action

Though the Model Rules of Professional Conduct make clear that a violation of the rules does not automatically create a cause of action, attorneys should beware of a few scenarios in which they could face lawsuits for ethical lapses, says Brian Faughnan at Faughnan Law.
A Shift To Semiannual Reporting May Reshape Litigation Risk

While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's proposed change from quarterly to semiannual reporting may reduce the volume of formal filings, it wouldn't reduce litigation risk, instead shifting it into less predictable terrain — where informal disclosures, timing ambiguities and broader materiality debates will dominate, says Pavithra Kumar at Advanced Analytical Consulting Group.
TikTok Divestiture Deal Revolves Around IP Considerations

The divestiture deal between the U.S. and China to resolve a security dispute over TikTok's U.S. operations is seen as a diplomatic breakthrough, but its success hinges on the treatment of intellectual property and may set a precedent in the global contest over digital sovereignty and IP control, say attorneys at Brownstein Hyatt.
What's New In FDA's Latest Cell And Gene Therapy Guidance

New draft guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, along with other recent initiatives, come together to promote cell and gene therapy product development by streamlining development and review pathways, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.