Public Policy

  • October 28, 2026

    Interior Says Records Order Not Needed For Golf Course Suit

    The U.S. Interior Department told a D.C. federal judge Wednesday there's no need to order it to retain records on East Potomac Golf Course tree removals or makeover plans in a case where its assertions have often conflicted with President Donald Trump's online posts.

  • October 28, 2026

    FTC Probes Delta, Uber, Others Over Data-Driven Pricing

    The Federal Trade Commission is pressing Delta, Uber, Target and a half-dozen other companies to detail how they're using personal data to set individualized pricing for consumers and compensation for workers, marking the latest escalation of the agency's growing scrutiny of the increasingly prominent business practice.

  • October 28, 2026

    4th Circ. Judge Sees 'Big Brother' In Va. Social Media Limits

    A Fourth Circuit judge Wednesday expressed concern with a Virginia law limiting children's access to social media, telling counsel for the commonwealth that the provision has a "Big Brother atmosphere" to it and suggesting he'd back the district court's injunction halting enforcement of the regulation.

  • October 28, 2026

    Wash. Gov. Creates Fraud Post, Backs Broader Medicaid FCA

    As part of a push to expand fraud prevention efforts in Washington, Gov. Bob Ferguson signed an executive order Tuesday to create a new chief fraud prevention officer position and a statewide fraud prevention work group, also announcing forthcoming legislation that would broaden the state's Medicaid False Claims Act.

  • October 28, 2026

    City Says Waiver And Federal Pot Ban Beat Licensing Suit

    A cannabis company that spent $1.7 million to open a dispensary in a town on the shores of the Great Lakes cannot sue the city or its officials for failing to issue allegedly promised retail licenses, the municipality told a federal court, saying the business signed a waiver that bars litigation.

  • October 28, 2026

    7th Circ. Takes Up Ill. Ban On Firearm Silencers

    A Seventh Circuit panel questioned Wednesday whether firearm silencers should be considered part of a constitutionally protected weapon or are merely optional accessories, as gun owners seeking to overturn Illinois' ban argued the devices improve firearms' functionality and protect users from hearing damage.

  • October 28, 2026

    Sportsbooks Say DC Law Bars Bettor Loss Recovery

    Sportsbook operators are urging the D.C. Circuit not to revive a lawsuit challenging the legality of their operations there, arguing the city expressly excluded licensed sports wagering from the statute being invoked to recover losses for bettors.

  • October 28, 2026

    USPTO Removed 14,000 Invalid TM Filings In Fiscal 2026

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office took off more than 14,000 improper trademark filings from the Federal Register and removed more than 42,000 unused goods and services from registrations in the 2026 fiscal year, agency officials said at a webinar Wednesday.

  • October 28, 2026

    DC Judge Finds Trump Ads Likely Broke Propaganda Ban

    A D.C. federal judge once again blocked taxpayer-funded campaign-style television ads for President Donald Trump from hitting the air Wednesday, ruling that the Democratic National Committee, which challenged the spots earlier this month, was likely to succeed on its claim that the spending violated a congressional ban on propaganda.

  • October 28, 2026

    ICE Sued After Detainees Removed From Online Locator

    Legal aid organizations said Wednesday a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement database no longer shows where detainees with final removal orders are being held, claiming in a lawsuit the move has made it difficult to reach their clients.

  • October 28, 2026

    Robinhood Agrees To Pause Sports Event Contracts In Ohio

    Robinhood Markets Inc. on Wednesday said it struck an agreement with Ohio's gaming commission to stop offering new sports-related event contracts in the Buckeye State in exchange for an enforcement reprieve while litigation over the contracts' legality plays out in federal courts.

  • October 28, 2026

    FCC Wants To Loosen Rules For Jamming Cell Phones

    The Federal Communications Commission plans to legalize cellphone signal jamming, at least when it comes to phones that have been snuck into prisons, the head of the agency revealed at a Wednesday press conference in Arkansas.

  • October 28, 2026

    FEMA Contractors Say No-Poach, Wage-Fixing Suit Still Faulty

    Fluor Federal Services and some of its federal disaster response subcontractors urged a Florida federal judge Tuesday to definitively end a proposed class action accusing them of agreeing to fix wages and avoid hiring each other's workers, arguing the amended complaint still doesn't fix shortcomings identified by the court.

  • October 28, 2026

    CBP Clears Nearly 16M Imports In 3rd Tariff Refund Phase

    In just over two weeks, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has cleared nearly 16 million more imports as part of the third phase of its tariff refund system, according to a declaration filed by a CBP official at the U.S. Court of International Trade.

  • October 28, 2026

    LA's Top Federal Prosecutor 'Unlawfully Serving,' Judge Finds

    A federal judge has ruled that Los Angeles' top federal prosecutor isn't legally serving in the role and that he is disqualified from participating in or supervising two criminal prosecutions.

  • October 28, 2026

    DOJ Drops Bid To Block Peltola Campaign Intervention

    In light of reporting that Mary Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee allegedly were involved in recruiting a second Dan Sullivan to run for Senate, the U.S. Department of Justice is dropping its opposition to having the campaign intervene in the case.

  • October 28, 2026

    4th Circ. Judge Wary Of NC Abortion Drug Law Challenge

    A Fourth Circuit judge on Wednesday sharply questioned the attorney for a physician challenging North Carolina restrictions on the abortion medication mifepristone, citing case law he said treats federal rules as a "floor and not a ceiling" on what states can require.

  • October 28, 2026

    RealPage Says NY Can't Get Redo For Blocked Software Law

    Property management software company RealPage Inc. has urged a New York federal court to stand by a prior ruling that temporarily blocked New York's attorney general from enforcing part of a state law that aims to stop landlords from using revenue management software that allows them to engage in rent price-fixing.

  • October 28, 2026

    India, Mexico Take Step Toward Preferential Trade Deal

    Trade representatives from India and Mexico kicked off negotiations for a preferential trade agreement, the Indian government announced Wednesday, saying the hope is to increase trade between the countries.

  • October 28, 2026

    Investors, Mich. Pot Co. Settle $1.5M Contract Breach Suit

    A Michigan federal judge has dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit from an investment firm alleging that the owners of a dispensary stole its $1.5 million investment, after the parties reached a settlement to end the case.

  • October 28, 2026

    NY Judges Question Court Agency's Withholding Of Records

    Two judges on a New York state appeals court panel pushed back on arguments by the state's Office of Court Administration that no reports related to investigations of court personnel can be considered final under the state Freedom of Information Law until all proceedings have concluded.

  • October 27, 2026

    Feds Face Uphill Climb To Set Aside 20K Ballots In Calif.

    A California federal judge indicated Tuesday he'll deny the Trump administration's request for an order requiring California to set aside mail-in ballots for some 20,000 voters the federal government says are "likely" noncitizens, noting that the government can prosecute any illegal voters before California's Dec. 3 ballot cure deadline.

  • October 27, 2026

    Fla. Court Urged To Halt Blanche's 'Improper' Epstein Depo

    The government urged a Florida federal court to quash a subpoena to depose U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche in a lawsuit brought by dozens of women alleging the FBI mishandled a sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, arguing Blanche's testimony on the late financier would be "improper." 

  • October 27, 2026

    Amazon Sued Over Alleged Wash. Warehouse Water Pollution

    A Washington state environmental group launched a Clean Water Act lawsuit against Amazon in Seattle federal court on Tuesday, accusing the e-commerce giant of releasing polluted water from a warehouse site in the greater Seattle area.

  • October 27, 2026

    CFTC Sues Utah To Widen Prediction Market State Brawl

    Utah on Tuesday became the latest state to catch a suit from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission when the agency accused the state of treading on its "exclusive jurisdiction" over the prediction markets by bringing an enforcement action that branded Kalshi's sports contracts as bets.

Expert Analysis

  • How FCC Covered List Blitz Is Sidelining Commerce Dept.

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    The swath of recent Federal Communications Commission rulemakings raises serious questions about the purpose and future of Commerce's Office of Information and Communications Technology and Services, and how the U.S. government will go forward in imposing national security regulation on domestic applications of adversary-linked technologies, says Peter Jeydel at Troutman.

  • DOJ Healthcare Declination Offers Self-Disclosure Checklist

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's declination of criminal charges against Campus Eye Management signals that its new self-disclosure policy provides a real path for healthcare companies to avoid criminal exposure, but that path is paved with speed, transparency and operational remediation, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • SEC Rulemaking Radar: The Rubber Meets The Road

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new rulemaking agenda shows its regulatory reset taking shape, with sweeping crypto proposals that could bring the biggest changes it has made to broker-dealer, exchange and trading compliance in decades, says Christopher Grobbel at Goodwin.

  • Monitor Exposure, Stay Flexible Amid Tariff Uncertainty

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    To navigate an unstable trade environment, businesses must evaluate their exposure to new tariffs invoked under a patchwork of statutory authorities and be prepared to adapt to further changes that may be on the horizon, says Bhargav Prajapati at Capital Trade.

  • CFPB Complaint Portal Overhaul Signals Changing Priorities

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's updates to its consumer complaint portal and decision to cease publishing consumer complaint narratives should be viewed by companies as one component of a larger recalibration of how the CFPB collects information and allocates its supervisory and enforcement resources, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Series

    Being In A Band Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing shows in storied New York City venues and rehearsing with my bandmates in poorly ventilated rooms helped develop the professional qualities I rely on as a litigator, including an ability to collaborate with strong-minded equals and the determination to treat each client with singular focus, says Eliad Shapiro at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Opinion

    Correctional Healthcare Requires Clearer Legal Standards

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    As the correctional healthcare industry increasingly faces financial instability due to litigation, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons should develop clear standards for constitutionally adequate care for incarcerated patients, says Susanne Moore at Blackstone Trial Group.

  • 6 Risk Areas Future Fla. Stablecoin Issuers Should Plan For

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    Companies hoping to issue stablecoins under Florida’s new supervision regime should prioritize constructing robust risk management architecture across key areas before the Oct. 1 effective date so they can secure licenses, avoid a web of potential liabilities, and operate sustainably as state and federal regulations evolve, says Elizabeth Brusa at Shumaker.

  • 6 Key Takeaways From CFIUS Annual Report

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    Attorneys at Simpson Thacher review highlights from the annual report of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., released to Congress this month, including the launch of the American First Investment Policy and the Known Investor Pilot Program, and the agency's continued focus on enforcement despite its resource constraints.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Surviving A Long Trial

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    Most of law school trial advocacy is geared toward the sprint of trying a short case, but beyond managing a cross-examination or closing argument, effectively handling the marathon of a lengthy trial requires the ability to maintain composure, organization and credibility with the jury, says Mihir Elchuri at Hirschler.

  • AI Chatbot's Medical Claims Highlight Enforcement Risks

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    The Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine's recent lawsuit against Character Technologies, arguing that an artificial intelligence chatbot engaged in the unlicensed practice of medicine, may provide other state licensing boards with a road map for going after AI platforms, and counsel should advise clients to calibrate compliance accordingly, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • A Deepening Patent-Trademark Divide Over Irreparable Harm

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    Recent Federal Circuit decisions, along with legislation being considered in Congress, may exacerbate the differences that patent owners and trademark owners face when seeking to stop infringement before irreparable harm is caused, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • Upping Fed, FDIC's Insider Loan Cap May Ease Bank Burdens

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    Coordinated Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Federal Reserve proposals to raise the 1970s-era cap for bank executives borrowing from their institutions represent a long-needed regulatory recalibration that would lighten compliance obligations caused by the outdated ceiling without diminishing the original protections against conflicts of interest, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • What Calif.'s New Focus On Microplastics Means For Cos.

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    The recent move by California's Department of Toxic Substances Control to designate microplastics as candidate chemicals under its Safer Consumer Product regulations does not create a new product restriction — but it expands the agency's future reach by putting microplastics on the department’s regulatory runway, says Gregory Berlin at Alston & Bird.

  • 7th Circ. Ruling May Reduce Litigation Risk For Text Marketers

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    The recent Seventh Circuit holding in Steidinger v. Blackstone Medical Services that unwanted marketing text messages are not telephone calls under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act may strengthen companies' responses to presuit demand letters and early-stage litigation claims premised on do-not-call text theories, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

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