Public Policy

  • July 09, 2026

    State Of 2026 Energy Dealmaking: Midyear Report

    The war in Iran is the most influential development that has shaped energy dealmaking so far in 2026, and that figures to still be the case in the second half of the year. Other factors include data center demands and tax credits. Here, attorneys outline to Law360 the trends that are defining energy transactions this year.

  • July 09, 2026

    FCC, IHeart Reach Deal Over 'Showola' Investigation

    The Federal Communications Commission and iHeartMedia have reached a deal resolving the commission's investigation into whether the radio station giant gave musicians additional airplay on its stations in exchange for them performing at its live concerts or festivals, the FCC announced Thursday.

  • July 09, 2026

    Judge Skeptical On Restraining Order In Affirming Care Case

    A D.C. federal judge appeared skeptical Thursday that a Federal Trade Commission case against a gender-affirming care organization must be halted while the group wages a separate case against the commission's investigation into the organization.

  • July 09, 2026

    Exxon, Chevron Can't Exit Climate Suit Over Wash. Heat Death

    A Washington state judge said Wednesday that Exxon, Chevron and other oil giants must face a lawsuit over a death in a 2021 heat wave, distinguishing the case from other climate torts brought by cities and rejecting the companies' contention that the family of Juliana Leon is seeking to regulate global greenhouse gas emissions.

  • July 09, 2026

    7th Circ. Upholds Ill. Ban On AR-15s, High-Capacity Magazines

    The Seventh Circuit on Thursday upheld an Illinois state law banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, reversing a lower court that deemed it unconstitutional and holding that restrictions on highly lethal, military-style weapons are "consistent with the principles that underpin our nation's tradition of firearm regulation."

  • July 09, 2026

    Judge Urged To Deny Transfer Of SpaceX Land-Swap Suit

    Environmental groups urged a D.C. federal judge to reject an attempt by SpaceX and the federal government to transfer the groups' lawsuit challenging a land-exchange deal to Texas, saying the deal was reviewed and approved by officials and lawmakers in D.C.

  • July 09, 2026

    FCC Doesn't Need New Tools To Curb Robocalls, Org. Says

    The Federal Communications Commission should cut down on robocalls not by making it harder for service providers to obtain new numbers, but by leveraging its control of the phone number assigning system to force them to use the anti-spoofing tools the agency already provides.

  • July 09, 2026

    FCC Puts Voice Provider On Robocall Compliance Plan

    A company that provides cloud-based call center software and voice services is in hot water with the Federal Communications Commission over its robocall database paperwork, but it has worked out a deal with the agency that will allow it to avoid a fine.

  • July 09, 2026

    Minn. Says Social Media Giants Are Emulating Big Tobacco

    Minnesota officials are looking to shut down a social media trade group's bid to block a state law requiring mental health warnings at the login page, telling a federal court that such a notice is constitutionally permitted commercial speech regulation, not that different from tobacco warnings.

  • July 09, 2026

    Biggest NCAA Issues To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2026

    The NCAA's recent change in traditional eligibility limits, amid ongoing state and federal lawsuits from athletes seeking compensation, continues to dominate the college sports landscape as the second half of 2026 begins.

  • July 09, 2026

    6 Questions For NGSO Satellite Advocate David Redl

    Non-geostationary orbit satellites are at the forefront of the new space race, and David Redl, the executive director of the new SpaceConnect Association, wants to make sure decision-makers on the national and global scenes craft policies that match the industry's frenetic pace.

  • July 09, 2026

    Feds Say Justices' Ruling Can Affect ICE Profiling Suit

    A California federal judge overseeing claims that federal immigration agents indiscriminately target Latinos in Southern California asked the parties during a Thursday hearing to brief her on the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Mullin v. Doe ruling, which the government said could doom plaintiffs' equal protection claim.

  • July 09, 2026

    Mass. Justices Affirm Posttrial Forensic Exam Of Cellphones

    Massachusetts' highest court said Thursday that a man convicted of murder may seek posttrial access to cellphones to look for potential evidence in support of a new trial, explaining that a 2012 statute expanding access to forensic testing for biological material also applies to digital and electronic evidence.

  • July 09, 2026

    EPA Floats Compliance Changes To Truck Emission Regs

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday proposed reducing the mileage for which trucks that will be built in 2027 have to adhere to emissions standards established in 2023.

  • July 09, 2026

    DOJ Joins Another Suit Aimed At Calif. Emissions Rules

    The U.S. Department of Justice has intervened in another lawsuit targeting California's emission rules for heavy-duty trucks, arguing the Clean Air Act bars states from attempting to enforce or adopt their own emissions standards for new vehicles.

  • July 09, 2026

    Orbital Data Centers Pose Environmental Risks, FCC Warned

    Groups aimed at combatting pollution have urged the Federal Communications Commission to assess the environmental effects of low-orbit, satellite-based data centers before issuing any licenses for such projects, saying existing proposals "describe their plans in grandiose, civilization-changing terms."

  • July 09, 2026

    Transportation Cases To Watch: Midyear Report 2026

    Clashes over the Trump administration's bid to void California's vehicle emissions standards, federal restrictions on commercial drivers' licenses for foreign truckers and Boeing 737 Max securities litigation involving class certification standards are among the court battles that transportation attorneys are monitoring in the latter half of 2026.

  • July 09, 2026

    Conn. Justices Back Dem Leader's Ballot Fraud Conviction

    The Connecticut Supreme Court on Thursday affirmed the forgery and false statements convictions of Stamford Democratic party leader John Mallozzi, rejecting his claim that a judge should have allowed him to present an undisclosed, last-minute handwriting expert at his absentee ballot fraud trial.

  • July 09, 2026

    3rd Circ. Unsure DHS Can Deny Virtual Access For Detainees

    The Third Circuit seemed skeptical of the federal government's argument Thursday that it had no obligation to offer immigrant detainees virtual access to state criminal courts, questioning whether the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was denying detainees' rights to a speedy trial or access to evidence.

  • July 09, 2026

    Photographers Group Rebuts Judiciary On Court Cameras

    The National Press Photographers Association pushed back on the federal judiciary's claims that allowing cameras in courtrooms would be problematic.

  • July 09, 2026

    SEC's Atkins Says Proxy Season Disproved 'Dire Predictions'

    This year's corporate proxy season saw none of the "dire predictions" some had forecasted following the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's step back from responding to companies' bids to exclude shareholder proposals from their ballots, the agency's Chairman Paul Atkins said Thursday, while adding that he is rethinking the proposal system as a whole.

  • July 09, 2026

    Pa. Pot Convict Says Gun Carry Ban Violates 2nd Amendment

    A Pennsylvania man with a decades-old conviction for cannabis alleges in a new federal lawsuit that Pennsylvania policy barring him from getting a license to carry a gun is unconstitutional, especially in light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling asserting the gun rights of marijuana users.

  • July 09, 2026

    CFTC Puts CME's 24/7 Crude Oil Contract Trading On Ice

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Thursday slammed the brakes on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange's plan to offer round-the-clock trading on crude oil futures, calling the exchange's attempt to self-certify the contracts "wholly inappropriate" after the agency publicly sought feedback on the risks of 24/7 trading in the energy industry.

  • July 09, 2026

    Okla. Tax Officials Say McGirt Can't Upend Osage Ruling

    Oklahoma tax officials say the Osage Nation can't rely on a 2020 landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling to overturn a decision that declined to vacate a 16-year-old determination that its reservation boundaries had been disestablished, telling the Tenth Circuit that the tribe's challenge is too late.

  • July 09, 2026

    5th Circ. Backs Cops In Texas Detainee Death Suit

    The Fifth Circuit has ruled that three police officers were correctly granted qualified immunity from a civil lawsuit alleging they were deliberately indifferent to a man in their custody who died as a result of a mistreated medical emergency.

Expert Analysis

  • Rebuttal

    Pro Codes Act Does Not Pose Constitutional Concerns

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    A recent Law360 guest article that raises constitutional alarms concerning the proposed Pro Codes Act, under consideration in the U.S. House of Representatives, overstates the potential harm to standards development organizations and mischaracterizes existing law, says James Gourley at Carstens Allen.

  • High Court's Cox Ruling Leaves ISP Copyright Rules Intact

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    Though some commentators predicted a cataclysmic impact from the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Cox v. Sony, in actuality the decision correctly maintains the status quo for internet providers' copyright infringement liability, says Courtney Sarnow at CM Law.

  • FTC Focus: Ad Deal Signals Viewpoint Suppression Is A Risk

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent settlement of an antitrust case accusing major ad agency holding companies of colluding on brand safety standards underscores the risk of industry coordination on politically or socially sensitive issues and signals heightened viewpoint suppression scrutiny for companies and antitrust practitioners, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Navigating The Annulment Of NY Wetlands Permitting Rules

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    A New York state court's recent unprecedented annulment of the state's wetlands regulations brings uncertainty about the standards for determining and classifying wetlands jurisdiction and assessing compliance with permitting requirements as next steps are determined, say attorneys at Foley Hoag.

  • Banks Face Cloudy Rate Horizons As Opt-Outs Spread

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    Banks and fintechs are grappling with a fragmented, fast-changing consumer lending landscape as more states consider opting out of preemption under the Depository Institutions and Monetary Control Act, which may ultimately lead to a decrease in interstate lending and access to credit, says Marc Franson at Chapman and Cutler.

  • How Oregon Ruling Affects Federal Gender Care Crackdown

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    In a favorable development for healthcare providers, an Oregon federal court recently vacated certain U.S. Department of Health and Human Services restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors, but the government's broader campaign against this care, including proposed rulemaking and agency investigations, leaves significant uncertainty, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • AI Data Center Boom May Spur Wave Of Toxic Tort Suits

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    Nascent litigation matters against data center operators, set against limited government regulation and a growing body of public health research, suggests we may be on the cusp of an era of mass toxic tort claims, with a liability framework firmly rooted in precedent from other industries, says Benjamin Heller at RFZ Law.

  • 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.

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