Public Policy

  • July 16, 2026

    AG Merger Case Gets New Judge After Paramount Recusal Bid

    A new California federal judge has taken over from the one originally assigned the lawsuit from Democratic state attorneys general challenging Paramount Skydance's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, putting the case in front of the same judge hearing challenges from consumers and the Writers Guild of America.

  • July 16, 2026

    GOP Sen. Tillis Presses Vought On DOGE's 'Amateur' Record

    Retiring Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., on Thursday ripped into White House budget chief Russell Vought over the Trump administration's now-disbanded Department of Government Efficiency, pressing him repeatedly to substantiate its claims of massive taxpayer savings.

  • July 16, 2026

    Whidbey Has To Notify Lummi Nation Before Digging

    A Washington federal judge has ordered Whidbey Telephone to give a tribe notice before resuming ground-disturbing work on a federally funded broadband project that had disturbed remains of the tribe's ancestors.

  • July 16, 2026

    Immigration Board Clarifies Burden To Argue Bad Counsel

    The Board of Immigration Appeals has clarified the requirements to reopen removal proceedings due to ineffective counsel, saying a copy of a bar complaint and proof of its filing are needed, or an explanation as to why one wasn't filed.

  • July 16, 2026

    Diagnostics Co. Labcorp Settles FCA Claims For $14.5M

    Diagnostics testing company Labcorp will pay $14.5 million to settle False Claims Act allegations that it submitted unnecessary Medicare claims for urine drug tests, the Massachusetts U.S. attorney's office announced.

  • July 16, 2026

    Minn. Court Denies Religious Tax Break For Leased Property

    A Minnesota property owned by a church and leased to a nonprofit organization doesn't qualify for a tax break as a house of worship, the state's tax court said, but a break may be allowed for its use as a public charity.

  • July 16, 2026

    US Probes Whether Ethiopian Solar Cells Skip Chinese Duties

    The U.S. Department of Commerce is investigating whether solar cell products completed in Ethiopia using Chinese inputs are circumventing duties against Chinese versions of the products, the department said Thursday.

  • July 15, 2026

    Ex-Fed Adviser Gets 38 Months For Lying To Investigators

    A former senior adviser to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors was sentenced Wednesday to more than three years in federal prison for lying to investigators about sharing confidential information outside the agency, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

  • July 15, 2026

    Albertsons Slow To Review Wash. Opioid Sales, Judge Told

    Albertsons conducted few reviews of opioid dispensing by its Washington pharmacies for years after establishing a controlled substances compliance team, according to testimony played on Day 3 of a bench trial in the state's lawsuit accusing the company and its Safeway subsidiary of exacerbating Washington's opioid epidemic.

  • July 15, 2026

    ESA 'Harm' Rollback Defies 50-Year Precedent, Groups Say

    The Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, WildEarth Guardians and a half dozen other environmental groups have become the latest to challenge the Trump administration's new definition of "harm" under the Endangered Species Act, initiating a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to restore the meaning that's been the prevailing interpretation for 50 years.

  • July 15, 2026

    Circuit-By-Circuit Guide To The US Supreme Court's Term

    Federal appeals courts had wide-ranging successes and struggles during the U.S. Supreme Court's recently completed term: One had its best showing in years following its worst showing in years; one felt déjà vu after recently starting to find favor with the justices; and one saw its reputation for independence occupy a rare role in the Supreme Court spotlight.

  • July 15, 2026

    Intel, Google Fight 'Free Rein' Given To USPTO Head

    Intel and Google have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to vacate a Federal Circuit ruling upholding the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's precedent allowing Patent Trial and Appeal Board petitions to be denied based on related litigation, saying the ruling essentially gives the patent office director "free rein."

  • July 15, 2026

    Dems Probe Clayton's Independence, 2020 Election Views

    During a Wednesday confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump's pick for national intelligence director, Democratic lawmakers pressed Jay Clayton to explain whether predecessor Tulsi Gabbard should have traveled to Georgia to oversee a search warrant executed at a Fulton County election facility, which she testified the president asked for.

  • July 15, 2026

    Paramount Wants Merger Judge Recused Over Guild Work

    Paramount has asked a district judge to recuse himself from overseeing a challenge led by a dozen states to the company's proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, arguing Wednesday that the judge's former role as labor counsel for a guild that's also challenging the deal risks the appearance of impartiality.

  • July 15, 2026

    X.AI Says Man Misused Grok To Create Child Abuse Material

    Elon Musk's xAI is suing a man who faces criminal charges of sexually exploiting children, saying in a Texas federal lawsuit that he abused and circumvented the safeguards of the company's generative artificial intelligence chatbot Grok to create child sexual abuse material in violation of the terms of service.

  • July 15, 2026

    'Bind Our Agency': Vought Urges House To Curb CFPB Powers

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's acting Director Russell Vought told a U.S. House of Representatives panel Wednesday that the agency shouldn't "exist in its current form," urging lawmakers to further rein in its funding and authority as he prepares to exit as interim chief.

  • July 15, 2026

    White Farmers Win Cert. In Suit Against USDA

    The Texas Farm Bureau won certification of a class of white farmers after the federal government said it had no position on the motion in the suit accusing the government of giving minority farmers preferential treatment under a Biden administration program.

  • July 15, 2026

    Wireless Carriers Want FCC Changes To Space Reg Update

    Wireless trade group CTIA told the Federal Communications Commission it supports the agency's plans to slash satellite licensing regulations, but wants to ensure the rules protecting earth stations in shared bands are not cut in the process.

  • July 15, 2026

    US Backs ICE Agent's Removal Bid In Minnesota Assault Case

    The U.S. Department of Justice defended a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent facing assault charges for brandishing a gun at another motorist, telling a Minnesota federal judge this week that he should be able to fight the case in federal court — where he can seek immunity — because he "performed the job he is paid to do."

  • July 15, 2026

    DOJ Asks DC Circ. To Stay USDA Grant Revival Order

    The Trump administration is asking the D.C. Circuit to pause a district judge's injunction ordering the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reinstate more than $100 million in land access program grants aimed at assisting "underserved" farmers, arguing that the case belongs in the Court of Federal Claims.

  • July 15, 2026

    Judge Finds No Harm In Restarting Immigration Processing

    A Rhode Island federal judge on Wednesday refused to pause his June 5 ruling that vacated the government's indefinite hold on immigration processing for individuals subject to President Donald Trump's travel ban, finding the government would not be harmed.

  • July 15, 2026

    10th Circ. Judge Urges Inmate Sex Consent Precedent Review

    A federal appeals court judge in the Tenth Circuit said that underlying case law in the circuit surrounding sexual relationships between incarcerated people and their jailers should be revisited, and that the circuit should stop assuming these relationships can be consensual.

  • July 15, 2026

    Ex-Utah Land Exec Says Ute Tribe's Bias Suit Fails Again

    The former director of Utah's School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration has asked a federal judge to dismiss a Native American tribe's most recent complaint in a race-based suit claiming state officials conspired to freeze the tribe out of a land sale, saying he didn't discriminate against the tribe.

  • July 15, 2026

    Ex-Ill. Police Chief Gets 3 Years For Taking, Covering Up Bribe

    A former Chicago suburban police chief was sentenced to three years in federal prison Wednesday for accepting a $10,000 cash bribe and splitting the money with a former municipal employee before trying to cover the payment up as a loan years later.

  • July 15, 2026

    Local Gov'ts Seek To Bar HHS Teen Health Program Changes

    A group of local governments and health nonprofits urged a D.C. federal court Wednesday to block recent federal mandates requiring Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program grant recipients to incorporate abstinence education and other changes to their reproductive health programming, arguing the changes are arbitrary and capricious.

Expert Analysis

  • Operational AI Washing: The Section 220 Information Strategy

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    Plaintiffs filing AI washing claims will likely use Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law to obtain internal board records, but 2025 amendments have fundamentally changed the landscape of presuit shareholder document demands in ways that create both risk and opportunity for companies, say attorneys at Akerman.

  • What New PFAS Rule Means For Tracking And Disclosure

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    In the wake of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's publication of its rule adding PFHxS-Na to the Toxics Release Inventory, companies should identify this substance in their facilities and supply chains, and prepare for disclosures to both regulators and the public, says Ayodeji Ayolola at Gordon Rees.

  • Ch. 11 Ruling Raises Bar For Avoiding Default Interest

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    Following a New York bankruptcy court's recent decision in 33 Mako, solvent debtors may find it significantly harder to avoid paying contractual default interest to oversecured lenders under Section 506(b) of the Bankruptcy Code, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Survive The Tech Revolution

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    Colorado Supreme Court Justice Maria Berkenkotter and Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Lino Lipinsky de Orlov discuss how artificial intelligence has already fundamentally altered the legal system and offer tips for courts navigating deepfakes, hallucinations and a gap in access to AI tools.

  • 'Skinny Label' Arguments Spotlight Induced Infringement Risk

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    Recent oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in Hikma Pharmaceuticals v. Amarin Pharma highlight the uncertain boundary between lawful generic competition through so-called skinny labels and induced patent infringement, with potential implications for patent holders’ communication, enforcement and causation strategies across industries, says Anton Hopen at Trenam.

  • What Jury Holdouts Can Teach Trial Lawyers About Strategy

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    Though a hung jury can be a disappointment, a psychological understanding of jury holdouts can help trial lawyers shape their damages arguments and understand leadership and group composition as a function of jury selection, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation.

  • 'Mobile' Sources For On-Site Generation May Be A Risky Bet

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering treating large on-site generators used at data centers as mobile rather than stationary sources under the Clean Air Act, a significant policy change that would leave developers that adopt this solution at risk of regulatory reversals, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • AI Investment Advice May Fail Investor Protection Rules

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    Based on an ongoing study of artificial intelligence platforms' investment advice given to retail investors, direct access to AI may not yield recommendations for typical households that are suitable under relevant securities rules, raising new and important issues in the regulation of financial markets, says Bruce Carlin at Rice University.

  • Startup Founder Disputes Increasingly Turn On Governance

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    Recent Delaware developments suggest that as courts place increasing emphasis on board process, independence and oversight in founder-led startups, the growing intersection of governance, technology risk and investor oversight is accelerating both the emergence and escalation of founder disputes, says mediator Frank Burke.

  • 3 AI Adoption Mistakes GCs Should Avoid

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    The pressure in-house legal teams face to quickly adopt artificial intelligence tools, combined with budget constraints and the need to evaluate a crowded market of options, sets the stage for implementation mistakes that are often difficult to undo, says former 23andMe general counsel Guy Chayoun.

  • Series

    Playing Basketball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My grandfather used to say "I wear your jersey" as shorthand for wholly committing to support someone with loyalty and integrity — ideals that have shaped my life on the basketball court and in legal practice, says Tracy Schimelfenig at Schimelfenig Legal.

  • AG Watch: Reconciling 2 Maryland Data Privacy Statutes

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    In-house counsel should map the interplay between the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act's strictly necessary standard to deliver a requested service, and the Protection From Predatory Pricing Act's exemption of consent-based pricing within loyalty programs, before the state attorney general begins enforcement on the latter in October, says Erek Barron at Mintz.

  • EPA Listing Signals New Scrutiny Of Drugs In Drinking Water

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    The recent publication of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's latest draft drinking water contaminant list highlights pharmaceuticals as a category of concern, marking the start of a process that could shape future research priorities, monitoring requirements, and federal and state actions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • New Cuba Sanctions Raise Risks For Foreign Banks, Cos.

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    President Donald Trump's bold move leveling secondary sanctions against Cuba expands enforcement risk for foreign banks and companies with no U.S. nexus, signaling that non-U.S. businesses should reassess related transactions, counterparties and exposure as regulators test this broader authority, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • SEC Clarifies 'Baby Shelf' Restrictions For Small Cos.

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    For smaller public companies looking to access the capital markets, the so-called baby shelf requirements can be a significant limitation, but recent guidance from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission helps to alleviate the effect of subsequent baby shelf restrictions on an at-the-market facility, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

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