Public Policy

  • June 26, 2026

    At Angola Farm Line Trial, An Enduring Debate Over Slavery

    A yearslong federal case over forced agricultural labor at Louisiana's Angola prison raised questions about prison labor and its ties to slavery, but ended earlier this year with a judge's refusal to halt the practice despite finding workers remained exposed to dangerous heat. Advocates say that was a mistake.

  • June 26, 2026

    NC Creates Property Tax Break For Special District Projects

    North Carolina authorized local governments to approve special districts and provide property tax exclusions for eligible development projects in those areas under a bill signed by the governor.

  • June 26, 2026

    DC Circ. Preserves Biden-Era EPA Soot Rule

    The D.C. Circuit Friday rejected challenges from Republican states and business groups to a Biden-era rule setting tighter national limits on soot, as well as the Trump administration's request to vacate the rule.

  • June 26, 2026

    Police Union Offers Sens. Revamped FirstNet Renewal Draft

    The Fraternal Order of Police has submitted draft language to the U.S. Senate to reauthorize the nation's first responder communications network that reasserts law enforcement's role in governing the network.

  • June 26, 2026

    Bankers Want Beefed Up 'Know Your Customer' FCC Rules

    Bankers are behind the Federal Communications Commission all the way when it comes to the agency's plan to impose "know your customer" rules on originating telecom providers and fining those that don't comply, myriad financial service trade groups have told the commission.

  • June 26, 2026

    DC Circ. Backs CMS In Medicare Advantage Rating Fight

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Friday upheld the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' calculation of a Louisiana insurer's Medicare Advantage star rating, rejecting the insurer's claims that the agency unlawfully included data from a contract that had been folded into another one.

  • June 26, 2026

    Texas Justices Block Harris County Immigrant Aid Funding

    The Texas Supreme Court on Friday granted Texas' bid to temporarily block a Harris County program from disbursing funds to nonprofits to provide legal services to detained noncitizens facing deportation while a state challenge proceeds.

  • June 26, 2026

    Fintech Execs Tell 11th Circ. Token Wasn't Security

    Two former executives at fintech company Hydrogen Technology Corp. have asked an Eleventh Circuit panel to vacate their convictions and sentences, arguing there was insufficient evidence to support the charges that they conspired to manipulate the market for Hydrogen's digital assets.

  • June 26, 2026

    DEA Will Back Cannabis' Medical Utility In Historic Hearing

    The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will kick off three weeks of hearings Monday on a proposal to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, by presenting testimony asserting that the drug has a valid, currently accepted medical use.

  • June 26, 2026

    ABC Viewers Seek License Denials If Disney Cuts FCC Deal

    Several media advocacy groups and ABC viewers petitioned the Federal Communications Commission Friday to deny broadcast license renewals to eight Disney-owned stations if they strike a deal with the FCC meant to keep their operations intact.

  • June 26, 2026

    Fla. Justices 'Recede' From Opinion On Forced-Entry Evidence

    A split Florida Supreme Court has ruled that defendants must not suppress evidence obtained under a valid search warrant where officers violated the state's "knock-and-announce" laws, walking back a previous decision.

  • June 26, 2026

    Kratom Interests Urge Court, Again, To Halt Utah Law

    It is impossible to manufacture kratom beverages under Utah's new kratom law, according to a dietary supplement maker that urged a federal court to block enforcement after its effort to make a new statute-compliant kratom beverage was thwarted by the law's ban on a naturally occurring compound.

  • June 26, 2026

    5 ERISA Cases To Keep An Eye On In The Second Half Of 2026

    A U.S. Supreme Court challenge to Intel Corp.'s 401(k) investment lineup tops the list of cases benefits attorneys will be watching this summer and fall, though appeals involving health plan tobacco fees, plan forfeiture spending and a potential Eleventh Circuit precedent shift are also top of mind. Here, Law360 looks at five ERISA cases that attorneys should have on their radar as 2026 rolls on.

  • June 26, 2026

    High Court To Issue Big Decisions In Term's Final Days

    As the U.S. Supreme Court enters the final days of its term, the justices still have several major decisions to issue, including some concerning birthright citizenship, the president's power to remove independent agency officials, transgender athletes and election rules. 

  • June 26, 2026

    ATF Ends Location Data Contract After Bipartisan Push

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives canceled a contract to obtain Americans' commercial location data without a warrant, a bipartisan pair of lawmakers announced Friday.

  • June 26, 2026

    Philly Defends Federal Agent Unmasking, ID Law

    The city of Philadelphia is standing by its "ICE Out" ordinance prohibiting federal agents from wearing masks and requiring them to identify themselves as law enforcement officers, arguing in response to the federal government's lawsuit challenging the measure that it makes communities safer.

  • June 26, 2026

    Trump Threatens 100% Tariff For EU Nations Planning DSTs

    President Donald Trump threatened to impose a 100% tariff on imports entering the U.S. from countries in the European Union planning to levy new digital service taxes, according to a social media post Friday.

  • June 26, 2026

    Trump Reportedly Mulls FCC Attorney For DOJ Antitrust Chief

    President Donald Trump is reportedly preparing to nominate the Federal Communications Commission's general counsel to serve as the top antitrust official in the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • June 26, 2026

    Disposables Co. Says Ore. Recycling Law Is Unconstitutional

    A supplier of disposable food service supplies has told an Oregon federal court the state's recycling modernization law has deprived the company of its constitutional due process rights by enlisting a private entity to set fees, classify materials and conduct other regulatory actions.

  • June 26, 2026

    Firm Beats DQ Bid Over Deposition In Housing Authority Suit

    A Connecticut judge has denied a bid to disqualify Rose Kallor LLP from representing a Connecticut housing authority and related entities in litigation accusing a former employee of misappropriating funds, saying the ex-employee hasn't shown the firm or two of its attorneys should be barred from the case at this time.

  • June 26, 2026

    Caesars Expands Maine Tribal IGaming Agreement Amid Suit

    Caesars Entertainment Inc. says it has expanded an existing partnership with three of Maine's Wabanaki Nations to include online casino gambling within the state, with a launch date this year, pending regulatory approvals.

  • June 26, 2026

    John Bolton Pleads Guilty In Classified Info Case

    Former National Security Adviser John Bolton pled guilty Friday to charges that he illegally retained classified national defense information and shared it with family members after prosecutors said that an individual associated with the Iranian government accessed classified information through a hack of his personal email.

  • June 25, 2026

    Ore. Judge Grants Class Cert. In ICE Warrantless Arrest Suit

    An Oregon federal judge Wednesday granted class certification to people who have been or will be swept up in warrantless immigration arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement without individually assessing the probability of whether someone poses a flight risk, finding the named plaintiffs' claims are typical throughout the class.

  • June 25, 2026

    Black & Decker Owes Tariff Plan Refunds, DeWalt Buyer Says

    A DeWalt tools purchaser on Thursday filed a proposed class action against its parent company, Stanley Black & Decker, claiming that the company hiked prices as a result of tariffs that were later deemed illegal and now owes consumers refunds as a result.

  • June 25, 2026

    Sens. Want CFTC Restricted From Prediction Markets Suits

    A group of 17 Democratic senators has called on a U.S. Senate subcommittee to prohibit the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission from using federal funds to prevent states and tribes from enforcing their gambling laws against prediction markets as litigation over the legality of their offerings continues to spread.

Expert Analysis

  • A Core Weakness In The Challenge To Birthright Citizenship

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    The government’s recent oral arguments against birthright citizenship in Trump v. Barbara would have the Supreme Court use modern immigration classifications as markers for a constitutional boundary that is not expressed in the Fourteenth Amendment, making the theory easier to administer but weaker as a matter of text and history, says attorney Tara Kennedy.

  • Bet On Prediction Market Regulation To Accelerate

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    Watershed developments concerning prediction markets — such as the first insider trading charges, major speeches from U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission leadership, and the introduction of rulemaking and legislation — dominated the first quarter of 2026, a trend that will likely continue throughout the rest of the year, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Opinion

    Financial Meltdown Fears Don't Warrant Private Credit Regs

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    Recent withdrawals from business development companies have resurfaced theories that private credit growth poses a crisis-level risk to the financial system, but arguments that more regulation is needed should be viewed with beady and careful eyes, says James Deeken at Akin.

  • New Risks Emerge As States Push Proxy Voting Legislation

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    Recent state proxy voting laws have increasingly emphasized financial returns while intensifying scrutiny of proxy advisory firms and stewardship practices, creating new compliance challenges and risks, according to attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Suit's Dismissal Would Not Settle Gold Card Visa's Legality

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    The government’s recent assertion that the plaintiffs in American Association of University Professors v. Department of Homeland Security lack standing to challenge the Trump administration’s pay-to-play immigration program does not address whether an agency can deem a million-dollar gift evidence of eligibility for immigration benefits carefully defined by Congress, says Jun Li at Reid & Wise.

  • Enviro Ruling And A New Law Signal Shift In La. Legacy Cases

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    Together, a Louisiana state court decision in WMH Farms v. Apache Corp. and an incoming statutory regime signal a sea change for legacy litigation in Louisiana, as courts make it harder to establish proof of contamination, and lawmakers narrow available remedies once contamination is proven, says Philip Wood at Jones Walker.

  • DOJ's Stance On Antitrust And Patent Law Reflects Balance

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    Recent statements of interest in patent litigation and a speech from a key U.S. Department of Justice official communicate the view that strong patent rights and competition policy are complementary, and offer important guidance for intellectual property practitioners and businesses navigating patent enforcement, standard‑setting and licensing, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Ruling Shows How Texas Law Altered Derivative Suit Outlook

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    In the first test of S.B. 29's new ownership threshold requirement for shareholder actions, a Texas federal court recently dismissed Gusinsky v. Reynolds, a derivative action brought by a minority Southwest Airlines shareholder, offering key guidance for navigating the new Texas corporate litigation landscape, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • 2 AI Snafus Show Why Attys Can't Outsource Judgment

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    The recent incident involving Sullivan & Cromwell where citations in a filed motion were fabricated by artificial intelligence, as well as a punitive ruling from the Sixth Circuit in U.S. v. Farris, demonstrate that the obligation to supervise AI has belonged and always will belong to lawyers, says John Powell at the Kentucky School Boards Association.

  • NY Opioid Antagonist Mandate Leaves Employers Guessing

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    A recently enacted New York law will require employers that are federally mandated to maintain first-aid supplies to now include an opioid antagonist, but being that it is subject to a complicated Occupational Safety and Health Administration analysis, employers face several unanswered compliance questions, say attorneys at Conn Maciel.

  • Opinion

    Congress Must Repair USPTO's Inter Partes Review Process

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    To challenge recent changes to the inter partes review process issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Congress must establish clear statutory guardrails, transparency and meaningful judicial review so that questionable patents receive proper scrutiny, say Sean Tu at the University of Alabama, Arti Rai at Duke University and Aaron Kesselheim at Harvard.

  • Calif. Case Raises Questions For Medical Practice Investors

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    The California attorney general's amicus brief in Art Center v. WCE and the California Medical Association's response highlight how the California appeals court's ruling could significantly affect the structure and enforceability of succession arrangements in medical practice ownership, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Previewing FDA Preapproval Access In Psychedelics EO

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    The second of two pathways for psychedelic drug access outlined in President Donald Trump's recent executive order constitutes an unprecedented expansion of the Right to Try Act, which could fundamentally alter the psychedelic access landscape while presenting significant regulatory, operational and legal challenges, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • How Data Center Accounting May Draw Enforcement Scrutiny

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    As public and media scrutiny of the data center industry intensifies, regulators, enforcement authorities and Congress will likely focus on accounting judgments that rely on aggressive assumptions, opaque financing structures or rapidly evolving collateral classes, heightening the risk of investigations and inquiries, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • NY's Growing Enviro Reg Framework Will Transform Projects

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    Three closely connected environmental rulemakings in New York state — concerning greenhouse gas reporting, remediation standards and amendments to the State Environmental Quality Review Act — have reached critical stages, and taken together, they will have major impacts on business operations, construction project timelines and transactional risk, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

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