Public Policy

  • May 18, 2026

    Boeing Owed Duty To Worker's Future Kid, Wash. Panel Says

    Boeing must face claims that a factory worker's on-the-job chemical exposure caused birth defects in his child, a Washington Court of Appeals panel said in a published ruling Monday, finding that an employer "may be liable for negligence towards an employee's not-yet-conceived offspring."

  • May 18, 2026

    Judge Questions Bid To Halt Texas Mayor's Removal Process

    A Texas federal judge on Monday considered whether he has the power to stop removal proceedings against the mayor of Corpus Christi, Texas, and whether the city charter allows the potential ouster, pressing counsel on legal and factual questions surrounding the removal process.

  • May 18, 2026

    USPTO Data Error Kept Patent Assignment Files From Public

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office data indicates the office mistakenly kept hundreds of thousands of records of patent ownership transfers from becoming public for years, according to researchers who analyzed the files, an error that experts say could cause complications for anyone who relied on the incomplete data.

  • May 18, 2026

    Calif. Kicks Off Rulemaking For Social Media Addiction Law

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta is seeking public comment on a new set of proposed regulations for complying with the age determination and parental consent aspects of a looming law that restricts social media platforms from using algorithms to deliver addictive feeds to children.

  • May 18, 2026

    NY Judge Largely Halts Manhattan Immigration Courts Arrests

    A New York federal judge Monday largely barred U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from conducting arrests at three Manhattan immigration courthouses, finding there was no good reason why "unfettered discretion" by ICE officers was better than a policy with arrest limitations.

  • May 18, 2026

    Texas AG Joins DOJ In Investigating Beef Antitrust Claims

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched his own investigation into potential anticompetitive conduct among the country's meatpackers, a probe that will take place alongside the U.S. Department of Justice's ongoing investigation into the same allegations.

  • May 18, 2026

    Feds Want Research Coalition's Visa Censorship Suit Tossed

    The Trump administration told a D.C. federal judge that a technology research coalition's lack of injury should doom a suit challenging its new visa restriction policy targeting noncitizens who help foreign governments censor protected expression by American citizens and tech companies.

  • May 18, 2026

    EPA Plans To Repeal Biden-Era 'Forever Chemicals' Rules

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday officially unveiled plans to roll back limits for certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, aka forever chemicals, in drinking water systems and to delay compliance requirements, a move environmentalists said "needlessly" exposes Americans to dangerous chemicals and could be illegal.

  • May 18, 2026

    Marlboro Smoker Was Victim Of Ubiquitous Ads, Jury Hears

    A Florida jury heard opening arguments Monday in a trial over the lung cancer death of a woman who started smoking at a time when Philip Morris was "wallpapering" the nation with pro-smoking messages, her family's lawyer said.

  • May 18, 2026

    FCC Told It's Obligated To Answer Petition On Fox Philly

    The D.C. Circuit recently said that the Federal Communications Commission has a "non-discretionary obligation" to respond to applications for review, and an advocacy group that's spent almost three years pushing to strip a Fox affiliate station of its license on allegations it aired election conspiracy theories says that obligation applies to it as well.

  • May 18, 2026

    Madigan Ruling May Offer High Court New Bribery Test

    The Seventh Circuit found enough "overwhelming" evidence last month to sustain the conviction of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, but a U.S. Supreme Court that's spent years narrowing the reach of public corruption laws may be interested in whether prosecutors proved a sufficiently specific quid pro quo.

  • May 18, 2026

    NYT Attacks Pentagon's Media Escort Policy In New Suit

    The New York Times filed a second lawsuit in D.C. federal court on Monday challenging the Department of Defense's interim policy requiring reporters to be accompanied by an official escort while on Pentagon premises, arguing that it revives vacated prohibitions on newsgathering that were already found to be unconstitutional.

  • May 18, 2026

    Native, Enviro Groups Challenge Calif. Oil Pipeline Waiver

    California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection granted safety regulation waivers without proper review, allowing Sable Offshore Corp. to restart operations of a Santa Barbara oil pipeline system a decade after a catastrophic oil spill, environmental and Native American organizations said in a suit removed to federal court.

  • May 18, 2026

    Seattle YMCA Biased Against Workers Of Color, Suit Claims

    Three former YMCA of Greater Seattle employees sued the nonprofit in Washington state court Friday, claiming the organization's leadership "treated workers of color differently and more harshly than white employees with respect to discipline, leave use, scrutiny, and termination."

  • May 18, 2026

    Wyoming Prosecutor Confirmed Despite Misconduct Rebuke

    Just a few days ago, federal judges tossed nine criminal indictments after President Donald Trump's pick to lead the U.S. attorney's office of Wyoming was accused of prosecutorial misconduct. On Monday evening, he was confirmed to permanently lead the office.

  • May 18, 2026

    Aspiring Ga. Justices Flagged For Possible Ethics Violations

    A pair of plaintiffs attorneys running to unseat Republican-appointed justices on the Georgia Supreme Court in Tuesday's election may have violated state ethics rules, an oversight commission said Sunday in public statements after securing an Eleventh Circuit ruling.

  • May 18, 2026

    DOJ Charges Bring More Complications For Key Bridge Ship

    Recent federal criminal charges over Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster have created new risks for operators of the cargo ship at the center of the wreck, potentially upending a civil trial that's set to start next month to determine the scope of damages for victims' families and other injured claimants.

  • May 18, 2026

    Squires, Stewart Zero In On PTAB's Burden Of Proof At Panel

    The leaders of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Monday asked intellectual property experts to wade into debates over the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, focusing in part on whether switching to a stricter burden of proof would address disparate outcomes between the board and district court.

  • May 18, 2026

    House Ag Leaders Urge Trump To Fill Bipartisan CFTC Seats

    Leaders of the House agriculture committee are jointly urging President Donald Trump to nominate bipartisan candidates to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission to serve alongside lone Republican Chairman Michael Selig.

  • May 18, 2026

    5th Circ. Revives Stabbing Victim's Suit Over Officer's Delay

    The Fifth Circuit, in a published opinion issued Monday, revived a civil lawsuit from a Texas woman claiming a federal probation officer did not take steps necessary to protect her from her ex-boyfriend who ultimately stabbed her, leaving her with near full-body paralysis.

  • May 18, 2026

    EPA, Flint Plaintiffs Clash Over Facts After Bellwether Trial

    Residents of Flint, Michigan, and the federal government have offered sharply different accounts of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's role in the city's water crisis in hundreds of pages of proposed findings submitted after a bellwether bench trial that lasted more than a month and ended in March. 

  • May 18, 2026

    Volvo Inks $197M Emissions Deal With Calif. Regulators

    Volvo Group North America has agreed to pay roughly $197 million to resolve allegations the automaker violated California's emissions and certification standards, according to an announcement made Monday by the California Air Resources Board.

  • May 18, 2026

    Online Directory Wrongfully Listed Cell Numbers, Suit Says

    An online directory operator published thousands of residents' cellphone numbers without their consent, exposing them to scams, harassment and identity theft, according to a proposed class action filed in Colorado state court Monday.

  • May 18, 2026

    Half The Nation's Bar Apps Could Remove Rape Questions

    By next year, it's possible that about half of U.S. jurisdictions will have amended character and fitness questions to avoid dredging up aspiring lawyers' sexual trauma. But while advocates hail the reforms as progress, concerns linger about the patchwork this could create across the country.

  • May 18, 2026

    DOD Says Chipmaker Belongs On Chinese Military List

    The U.S. Department of Defense has said it has "substantial" evidence to back labeling Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. a Chinese military company because its products have military applications, urging a D.C. federal judge to reject the chipmaker's lawsuit challenging the label.

Expert Analysis

  • 7 Steps For Gov't Contractors In Post-IEEPA Tariff Landscape

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    In response to U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to strike down tariffs issued by the Trump administration under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, there are several actions federal contractors should take to preserve their place in any refund waterfall, and to manage audit, overpayment and False Claims Act risk, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • How DExit, Mandatory Arbitration Could Alter IPO Outlook

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    As companies continue to leave Delaware and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission begins allowing companies to implement mandatory arbitration provisions, these developments could have a major impact on the initial public offering, securities class action, and directors and officers insurance landscapes, says Walker Newell at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

  • How High Court Recast State Sovereign Immunity In Galette

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous ruling in Galette v. New Jersey Transit, asserting that the state-chartered transit agency has independent corporate personhood and sole obligation to pay judgments against it, turned on substance rather than form — and its analysis should be carefully reviewed in courthouses and statehouses, say attorneys at McCarter & English.

  • Get Smart: Navigating The Genius Act's Regulatory Gaps

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    While some recent Genius Act rulemaking has covered consumer protection issues within the stablecoin market, the context is generally narrow and the final outcome remains uncertain for financial institutions or companies in the evolving landscape, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • Opinion

    Ga. HOA Reform Bills Risk Undermining Local Governance

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    Lawmakers considering several bills in Georgia that would centralize regulation of homeowners associations should acknowledge that effective reform needs to protect homeowners’ rights while preserving the financial and governance structures that allow communities to function, says Julie Howard at NowackHoward.

  • Why Prediction Market Regulation Is At Major Inflection Point

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    As prediction markets experience tremendous growth and rapid mainstream adoption, regulators have begun to exercise enforcement authority to ensure market integrity and protect participants, though forthcoming guidance will shed light on how aggressively the agencies will police the fast-changing landscape, say attorneys at Latham.

  • How Cos. Should Prepare For NY RAISE Act Compliance

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    With the New York Responsible AI Safety and Education Act taking effect March 19, state regulators will expect subject artificial intelligence governance policies to understand whether appropriate safeguards and protocols are in place to prevent or mitigate discriminatory or adverse outcomes by frontier models, says Michael Paulino at Gordon Rees.

  • Compliance Takeaways Amid Increased Auto Finance Scrutiny

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    Recent supervisory focus on consumer protection in auto finance by agencies such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. provides meaningful signals regarding areas of heightened regulatory scrutiny for lenders, including data accuracy, AI risk management and vendor oversight, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • The Benefits Of Choosing A Niche Practice In The AI Age

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    As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly accessible, lawyers with a niche practice may stand out as clients seek specialized judgment that automation cannot replicate, but it is important to choose a niche that is durable, engaging and a good personal fit, says Daniel Borneman at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • How PBMs Can Adapt To Plan Sponsors' Disclosure Demands

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    As federal reforms, growing state regulation and litigation threats push plan sponsors to expect visibility into revenue streams, pharmacy benefit managers should leverage transparency strategically, including by simplifying how they get paid, offering clients audit-ready data and co-designing contracts that are easy for fiduciaries to explain and defend, says Kristie Blase at Frazer + Blase.

  • Section 122 Tariffs Show Shift In Strategy, Not Trade Policy

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    By imposing temporary tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act as a stopgap measure while it pivots to less transitory statutory authorities, the Trump administration sent a clear message that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Learning Resources v. Trump, invalidating duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, will not precipitate a change in policy direction, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • What New Animal Welfare Enforcement Push Means For Cos.

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    The Trump administration's recently announced multiagency focus on violations of the Animal Welfare Act and related laws will likely lead to broader enforcement actions across industries, heightened scrutiny of compliance standards and a need for businesses to adopt effective risk management practices, says Shennie Patel at Crowell & Moring.

  • The Practical Implications Of New FDIC Stablecoin Measures

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    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s recent proposal to create a formal process for issuing payment stablecoins arrives with several practical implications for FDIC‑supervised banks pursuing digital asset strategies, including a safe harbor for early applicants and a focus on ownership and governance, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Antitrust Crime Enforcement May Escalate Under New Chief

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    While the recent departure of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division chief created uncertainty about enforcement priorities, the debut speech from the new acting division head revealed that companies can only expect the division’s focus on vigorous criminal prosecution and offender deterrence to grow, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • 5 Takeaways From OCC's 'Appealing' Exam Challenge Revamp

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    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's recent proposed overhaul of its bank appeals framework introduces several attractive, high-level changes that OCC-supervised banks and their counsel should note, and may lead to an increase in successful exam challenges, says James Williams at Venable.

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