Public Policy

  • July 15, 2026

    Inventors, USPTO Agree On Scope Of Patent Program Suit

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and a pair of inventors have agreed that a review program referenced by Trump administration official Edward Martin was outside the scope of a proposed class action over the office's now-defunct program for flagging "sensitive" patent applications for extra review.

  • July 15, 2026

    Wash. Panel Says Prosecutor-Victim Doesn't DQ Colleagues

    A Washington appellate panel has held that a trial court judge erred in disqualifying a county prosecutor's office from handling charges against a driver who crashed into one of its attorneys during a police pursuit.

  • July 15, 2026

    DOJ Clears Tech Brokerage Real's $880M Re/Max Deal

    The U.S. Department of Justice has terminated its review of the Real Brokerage's planned $880 million purchase of Re/Max Holdings, allowing the technology-focused real estate brokerage to move ahead with the deal.

  • July 15, 2026

    What To Watch In Massachusetts In The 2nd Half Of 2026

    As midsummer approaches, Massachusetts attorneys are focused on much more than just the Red Sox winning streak and the fallout from the Jaylen Brown trade; from a headline-grabbing federal prosecution to the midterm elections to cases that could shape the state's noncompete laws, practitioners have plenty on their radar in the latter half of the year.

  • July 15, 2026

    Squires Grants 10 PTAB Petitions, Denies 14 In Newest Order

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires turned away 14 Patent Trial and Appeal Board petitions on Tuesday, while instituting another 10.

  • July 15, 2026

    FCC Eyes Revamp Of Telecom Subsidies' Governing Body

    After months of agency staff looking into possible changes to high-speed connectivity programs, the Federal Communications Commission is set to vote on a plan next month that would alter the structure of the outside company that manages the funds.

  • July 15, 2026

    FCC To Vote On Scrapping 39% Nat'l Broadcast Audience Cap

    The Federal Communications Commission will vote next month on whether to ease the 39% cap on national audience share controlled by a single broadcast chain, teeing up a legal fight with opponents who say only Congress can raise the decades-old limit.

  • July 15, 2026

    Trade Court Orders Redo Of Chinese Chemical Duty Review

    The U.S. Department of Commerce must take a second crack at its review of an antidumping duty order against Chinese imports of a pool cleaning chemical, the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled, saying the department didn't properly back up certain product comparisons.

  • July 15, 2026

    The Biggest Copyright Rulings Of 2026: A Midyear Report

    The U.S. Supreme Court issued a major opinion that limited contributory copyright liability for internet service providers, while a major verdict in a Digital Millennium Copyright Act case could hint at what's to come in artificial intelligence litigation. Here are Law360's picks for the top copyright rulings for the first half of 2026.

  • July 15, 2026

    Mich. Judge Lets Church Demolition Suit Move Ahead

    A Michigan federal judge will allow part of a lawsuit against Trowbridge Township to move forward, dismissing two of the four counts brought by a man who claims the township demolished a historic church after selling it to him for $1 if he agreed to refurbish it.

  • July 15, 2026

    Simpson Thacher Put Co. Out Of Business, Fla. Jury Told

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP put an insurance services company out of business with a poorly constructed private securities offering, the company's founder told a Florida state jury Wednesday in opening arguments for trial in his suit alleging the law firm owes him more than $100 million.

  • July 15, 2026

    Senate Confirms Fla. Judge Pick Tied To Trump Pulitzer Case

    The Senate voted 51-46, along party lines, Wednesday to confirm state Chief Judge Jeffrey T. Kuntz for the Southern District of Florida.

  • July 15, 2026

    Successor's Appointment Was Late, Retired Fla. Judge Says

    A recently retired Florida state judge told the Florida Supreme Court that his challenge of Gov. Ron DeSantis' failure to appoint someone to succeed him is moot since the governor had filled the vacancy, but argued that the appointment had an illegal delay of 25 days.

  • July 15, 2026

    Glenmark Reaches $29M Deal In Generics Price-Fixing Case

    Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc. and 48 states and territories have reached a $29.6 million settlement resolving allegations the company fixed prices in the generic pharmaceuticals market.

  • July 15, 2026

    Judge Says Student Visa Revocation Challenge Can Proceed

    A California federal court has allowed Chinese nationals to continue pursuing their lawsuit accusing the U.S. State Department of undertaking a policy of mass student visa revocations, finding that they are challenging an alleged policy rather than individual revocations.

  • July 15, 2026

    HMRC Still Weighing How To Treat Offshore Interest Income

    There's a general consensus that the United Kingdom's tax system creates difficulties for taxpayers with offshore interest income, but there are differing views on how to tackle the issue, so no fixes are being proposed for now, HM Revenue & Customs said Wednesday in summarizing a consultation.

  • July 15, 2026

    DC Judge Stays State Dept. 'Censorship' Policy

    A D.C. federal judge temporarily blocked a U.S. State Department policy purportedly aimed at fighting censorship, ruling a research coalition is likely to show it unlawfully targeted people for protected viewpoints and work in the realm of social media content moderation.

  • July 15, 2026

    Cornyn, Tillis Still Waver On Blanche AG Bid After Hearing

    Todd Blanche had his nomination hearing to be attorney general on Wednesday and two key Republican senators still have yet to say if they will support him.

  • July 15, 2026

    Crowell & Moring Picks Google Atty For Practice Leadership

    Crowell & Moring LLP said Wednesday that it has hired Google's former regulatory affairs counsel for global legislative oversight to lead its congressional investigations team, touting his combined government, law firm and in-house experience.

  • July 15, 2026

    Former ITA Chief Of Staff Joins Squire Patton In DC

    Squire Patton Boggs LLP has hired the former chief of staff of the U.S. Commerce Department's International Trade Administration, who joins the firm's public policy practice as a principal.

  • July 15, 2026

    New Conn. High Court Rules Put Filers On Hook For AI Errors

    The Connecticut Appellate and Supreme Courts have published new generative artificial intelligence rules which took immediate effect this week, outlining additional paths for sanctions as the justices weigh the fate of a landlord's attorney who admitted his filings contained ChatGPT-induced errors.

  • July 15, 2026

    Canada, Brazil Sign Customs Coordination Pledge

    Brazil and Canada signed a new agreement to exchange information and collaborate on addressing cross-border customs matters, according to a joint statement.

  • July 15, 2026

    Judge Rejects NY Assemblyman's Congestion Pricing Lawsuit

    A Manhattan federal judge has tossed New York state Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz's lawsuit seeking to derail congestion pricing, saying the lawmaker lacks standing to sue, and his claims are moot anyway since the judge voided the U.S. Department of Transportation's attempt to purportedly terminate the program.

  • July 15, 2026

    Russia Sanctions Bill Goes Too Far On Tariff Power, Dems Say

    A reworked version of a bipartisan bill aimed at sanctioning Russia over the war in Ukraine wrongly places too much tariff power in the hands of President Donald Trump, some leading congressional Democrats said.

  • July 15, 2026

    Minn. Tax Court Right On $108M Building Value, Justices Told

    The Minnesota Tax Court operated within its discretion to give 80% weight to Hennepin County's appraisal of a Minneapolis office building and 20% to the owner's, the county told the state Supreme Court, urging it to uphold the property's valuation.

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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