Public Policy

  • July 08, 2025

    Chinese Man Arrested Over COVID Data Theft, Law Firm Hack

    Federal agents have arrested a Chinese citizen to face criminal charges for his alleged role in the Microsoft "HAFNIUM" cyberattack in which the People's Republic of China allegedly directed him and a co-conspirator to hack email accounts at a law firm and a Texas university to steal crucial COVID-19 vaccine information.

  • July 08, 2025

    Puerto Rico Bond Suit Doesn't Belong In Conn., Insurers Say

    The insurers of billions in bonds issued by the Puerto Rico Sales Tax Financing Corp. say a Connecticut federal judge can't hear a proposed class action accusing them of failing to pay bondholders the full value of their investments after a 2016 bankruptcy default.

  • July 08, 2025

    Pot Smell May Be Hemp So No Probable Cause, 4th Circ. Told

    A North Carolina man urged the Fourth Circuit on Monday to revive his challenge of a police officer's search of his car based on the smell of marijuana, saying the government is wrongly asserting the search was legal because there are legal forms of hemp with an indistinguishable odor. 

  • July 08, 2025

    Trump, Iowa AG Back Florida's Push To Enforce Migrant Law

    The Trump administration, the state of Iowa and the Immigration Reform Law Institute told the Eleventh Circuit they support Florida's push to enforce a law criminalizing the entry of unauthorized immigrants into the state, arguing the law isn't preempted by federal statutes. 

  • July 08, 2025

    Trump Declares 50% Copper Tariff, Floats 200% Pharma Tariff

    President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he will impose a new 50% tariff on copper imported into the U.S., while also raising the possibility of imposing a 200% tariff on pharmaceuticals.

  • July 08, 2025

    Crypto Groups Back Developer's Money Transmitter Challenge

    A coalition of crypto industry groups voiced their support for a challenge seeking to protect software developers from catching criminal cases over others' use of their creations, telling the Texas federal judge overseeing the case that the U.S. government has recently taken "an unprecedented, sweeping interpretation" of money transmission statutes.

  • July 08, 2025

    Judge Tosses Pot Convict's Gun Rights Case

    A Maine federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a suit from a man convicted of trafficking cannabis who alleged that his Second Amendment rights were being violated, finding that policies barring felons from gun ownership have been consistent with the country's history.

  • July 08, 2025

    8th Circ. Strikes Down FTC's Click-To-Cancel Rule

    An Eighth Circuit panel on Tuesday vacated the Federal Trade Commission's planned "click-to-cancel" rule, which would have required companies to allow customers to ditch their subscriptions with a single click, finding that the commission did not follow the proper procedures once a judge determined the rule change would cost over $100 million. 

  • July 08, 2025

    Chicago Nabs Early Win In City Workers' Genetic Bias Suit

    The city of Chicago defeated allegations that the genetic information of two employees was taken when their spouses took part in a wellness program, with an Illinois federal judge finding that evidence does not back the claims that detailed information was disclosed in violation of federal law.

  • July 08, 2025

    Mich. Judge Certifies Edenville Dam Flood Victim Classes

    A Michigan claims court judge has certified classes of businesses and residents affected by flooding from the collapse of a hydroelectric dam, ahead of a January trial to determine if state agencies are liable for the disaster. 

  • July 08, 2025

    States Back Enviro Orgs. Bid To Block EPA's Halt Of $3B Grant

    A group of Democratic attorneys general on Monday told a D.C. federal district court that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's decision to terminate environmental justice grants deprives vulnerable communities of funding "necessary to achieve a healthy environment."

  • July 08, 2025

    DHS Faces New Suit Over Protected Status Terminations

    An immigration rights group hit the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with another Administrative Procedure Act lawsuit in California federal court on Monday, challenging its abrupt termination of temporary protection for over 60,000 immigrants from Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal who've sought refuge from environmental and political crises in their home countries.

  • July 08, 2025

    Feds Fight Class Injunction Bid In Birthright Citizenship Row

    The Trump administration Monday opposed two immigration advocacy groups' bid to block President Donald Trump's birthright citizenship executive order for a proposed nationwide class, saying the groups were essentially seeking a universal injunction that the U.S. Supreme Court had recently rejected.

  • July 08, 2025

    Trump Tariff Fights Put Spotlight On Major Questions Doctrine

    Challenges to President Donald Trump's global tariffs have brought renewed attention to the U.S. Supreme Court's major questions doctrine, including observations that lower courts have so far inconsistently applied this approach when scrutinizing a range of agency actions.

  • July 08, 2025

    Kansas Extends STAR Bonds To Continue Chiefs, Royals Talks

    Kansas lawmakers have approved a one-year extension of the state's Sales Tax and Revenue bonds while the Missouri-based Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals continue talks with officials about migrating to Kansas.

  • July 08, 2025

    Biosimilars Industry Group Backs Interchangeability Bill

    The current law on how biosimilars are deemed interchangeable or not with their name-brand biologic equivalents has led to public confusion over how safe biosimilars are, a coalition of healthcare industry groups told lawmakers in a letter Monday.

  • July 08, 2025

    Judge Halts Plan To Slash AmeriCorps Workforce, Funding

    A Maryland federal judge determined that the Trump administration must reinstate hundreds of AmeriCorps employees and restore $400 million in funding and grants to nonprofits, saying public interest and a balance of equities favor a preliminary injunction.

  • July 08, 2025

    Poultry Farm Urges NC Justices To Reject Animal Cruelty Case

    A North Carolina poultry farm lambasted a chicken welfare group as allegedly seeking a "third bite at the proverbial apple" by petitioning the state's highest court to revive its animal cruelty case, saying the state's animal protection statute doesn't apply to commercial farmers.

  • July 08, 2025

    DOJ Antitrust Unit Launches Program To Pay Whistleblowers

    The U.S. Department of Justice launched a new program on Tuesday to provide rewards for people who report antitrust crimes related to the postal service, giving whistleblowers the opportunity to receive 30% of any criminal fines recovered for violations.

  • July 08, 2025

    Ex-ComEd CEO Should Get 6 Years In Prison, Prosecutors Say

    Chicago federal prosecutors said Monday that former Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore, convicted alongside three others for falsifying books and records in a yearslong scheme to bribe former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan, should serve nearly six years behind bars, while Pramaggiore said she should receive a sentence of probation.

  • July 08, 2025

    GOP Senators Unveil Employment Bills Package

    Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., and two other Republican senators jointly introduced a package of bills that would give independent contractors access to retirement and health benefits, and introduce a new independent contractor definition. 

  • July 08, 2025

    Okla. City Illegally Prosecutes Natives On Rez, Tribe Says

    The Muscogee (Creek) Nation sued the city of Henryetta in Oklahoma federal court Tuesday accusing it of violating federal laws and its sovereign rights by prosecuting Native Americans for conduct within the tribe's Creek Reservation, despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision restricting the state and its political subdivisions' ability to do so.  

  • July 08, 2025

    SiriusXM Says FCC Is Making It Pay For Defunct Satellites

    Two of the satellites the Federal Communications Commission is getting ready to charge SiriusXM annual regulatory fees for have already been decommissioned, the satellite radio company told the agency.

  • July 08, 2025

    Team Telecom Backs $3.1B SES-Intelsat Deal, With Conditions

    Team Telecom, an interagency group that advises the FCC on security risks, has said it sees no issue with the agency approving satellite titan SES SA's $3.1 billion plan to buy rival satellite operator Intelsat Holdings, so long as it abides by a few conditions.

  • July 08, 2025

    Tax Court Says IRS Offer In $57M Easement Case Isn't Binding

    A settlement offer the Internal Revenue Service said it mistakenly made to a partnership after rejecting its $57 million conservation easement deduction is not binding, the U.S. Tax Court said Tuesday, declining the partnership's request to enforce the deal.

Expert Analysis

  • Maintaining Legal Compliance For GenAI In Life Sciences

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    As companies continue to implement generative artificial intelligence to enhance all phases of drug discovery, they must remain mindful of legal, regulatory and practical considerations as best practices in this space emerge and evolve, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Assessing Jurisdictional Issues In 2nd Circ. Bank Audi Case

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    The Second Circuit's reasoning last month in Raad v. Bank Audi that the exercise of personal jurisdiction must be based on conduct taking place within the jurisdiction reminds foreign financial institutions to continually monitor how plaintiffs are advocating for an expansive view of personal jurisdiction in the U.S., say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Series

    Teaching Business Law Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Teaching business law to college students has rekindled my sense of purpose as a lawyer — I am more mindful of the importance of the rule of law and the benefits of our common law system, which helps me maintain a clearer perspective on work, says David Feldman at Feldman Legal Advisors.

  • Enviro Justice Efforts After Trump's Disparate Impact Order

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    The Trump administration's recent executive order directing the U.S. Department of Justice to unwind disparate impact regulations may end some Biden-era environmental justice initiatives — but it will not end all efforts, whether by state or federal regulators or private litigants, to address issues in environmentally overburdened communities, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • What Disparate Impact Order Means For Insurers' AI Use

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    A recent executive order seeking to bar disparate impact theory conveys a meaningful policy shift, but does not alter the legal status of federal antidiscrimination law or enforceability of state laws, such as those holding insurers accountable for using artificial intelligence in a nondiscriminatory matter, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • Choosing A Road To Autonomous Vehicle Compliance

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    As autonomous vehicle manufacturers navigate the complex U.S. regulatory landscape, they may opt for different approaches to following federal, state and local rules and laws, as they balance the tradeoffs between innovation, compliance and speed of deployment, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Navigating The Expanding Frontier Of Premerger Notice Laws

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    Washington's newly enacted law requiring premerger notification to state enforcers builds upon a growing trend of state scrutiny into transactions in the healthcare sector and beyond, and may inspire other states to enact similar legislation, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Evolving Federal Rules Pose Further Obstacles To NY LLC Act

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    Following the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's recent changes to beneficial ownership information reporting under the federal Corporate Transparency Act — dramatically reducing the number of companies required to make disclosures — the utility of New York's LLC Transparency Act becomes less apparent, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • The Risks Of Trump's Plan To Fast-Track Deregulation

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    A recent memorandum issued by President Donald Trump directing the repeal of so-called unlawful regulations, and instructing that agencies invoke the good cause exception under the Administrative Procedure Act, signals a potentially far-reaching deregulatory strategy under the guise of legal compliance, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • Deregulation Memo Presents Risks, Opportunities For Cos.

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    A recent Trump administration memo providing direction to agencies tasked with rescinding regulations under an earlier executive order — without undergoing the typical notice-and-review process — will likely create much uncertainty for businesses, though they may be able to engage with agencies to shape the regulatory agenda, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

  • Action Steps To Prepare For Ramped-Up Export Enforcement

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    In light of recent Bureau of Industry and Security actions and comments, companies, particularly those with any connection to China, should consider four concrete steps to shore up their compliance programs given the administration's increasingly aggressive approach to export enforcement, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Mastering Discovery

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    The discovery process and the rules that govern it are often absent from law school curricula, but developing a solid grasp of the particulars can give any new attorney a leg up in their practice, says Jordan Davies at Knowles Gallant.

  • DOJ Signals Major Shift In White Collar Enforcement Priorities

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    In a speech on Monday, an official outlined key revisions to the U.S. Department of Justice’s voluntary self-disclosure, corporate monitorship and whistleblower program policies, marking a meaningful change in the white collar enforcement landscape, and offering companies clearer incentives and guardrails, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • Understanding Compliance Concerns With NY Severance Bill

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    New York's No Severance Ultimatums Act, if enacted, could overhaul how employers manage employee separations, but employers should be mindful that the bill's language introduces ambiguities and raises compliance concerns, say attorneys at Norris McLaughlin.

  • What New Study Means For Recycling Compliance In Calif.

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    Companies must review the California recycling agency's new study to understand its criteria for assessing claims of product and packaging recyclability under a law that takes effect next year, and then decide whether the risks of making such claims in the state outweigh the benefits, say attorneys at Keller & Heckman.

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