Public Policy

  • June 02, 2026

    Hemp Cos. Say DEA Overreached By Criminalizing HHC

    Two hemp companies are challenging a recent U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration rule that designated a hemp-derived psychoactive compound as a Schedule I substance, saying the agency's move was an unlawful overreach that contradicts Congress' legalization of hemp.

  • June 02, 2026

    Senate Confirms Montana, Kansas Judges

    The Senate confirmed judges Tuesday for Montana and Kansas, one of whom was the first judicial nominee of the second Trump administration to receive a "not qualified" rating from the American Bar Association.

  • June 02, 2026

    Monthly Merger Review Snapshot

    Nexstar and Tegna defended their merger from multiple challenges on both coasts, federal rail regulators said they need more information to review Union Pacific's proposed $85 billion purchase of Norfolk Southern and U.K. officials cut a deal allowing Getty Images to buy its rival Shutterstock.

  • June 02, 2026

    Trump Taps Housing Finance Head For Intelligence Role

    President Donald Trump announced Tuesday on Truth Social that he was naming Federal Housing Finance Agency head and political ally William Pulte as acting director of national intelligence.

  • June 02, 2026

    Bipartisan Bill Would Modernize Court Records Systems

    U.S. Sens. John Kennedy, R-La., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., on Tuesday jointly introduced the Open Courts Act, which they said would modernize the court records systems PACER and CM/ECF.

  • June 02, 2026

    Kalshi Looks To Halt Minnesota Sports Prediction Market Ban

    Kalshi has moved to freeze the enforcement of a new Minnesota law barring prediction markets, telling a federal judge the company will face "acute" harm if it is unable to offer sports event contracts on its online platform.

  • June 02, 2026

    Texas AG Investigates Bayer, PepsiCo For Glyphosate Residue

    The Texas attorney general on Tuesday announced an investigation into glyphosate residue in food from major pesticide and food companies such as Bayer and PepsiCo, claiming some are sourcing food from foreign countries that may be contaminated with the substance.

  • June 02, 2026

    7th Circ. Fines Deported Migrant's Atty For ChatGPT Misuse

    The Seventh Circuit has rejected a Mexican citizen's petition challenging an immigration court's removal order on the merits, while sanctioning his attorney $5,000 for filing two legal briefs "riddled with" fabricated quotes and case citations hallucinated by ChatGPT.

  • June 02, 2026

    Texas Crypto Group Ordered To Halt Unregistered Token Sales

    The Texas State Securities Board announced it has entered an emergency order to halt a purported property group, its principals and an associated Texas resident from offering and selling unregistered and fraudulent tokenized real estate investments, saying the conduct "threatens immediate and irreparable public harm."

  • June 02, 2026

    DC Mayor OKs Appeal Process For Property Transfer Taxes

    Washington, D.C., would allow a new way to appeal the fair market value, used to calculate transfer and recordation taxes, of properties transferred for no or nominal consideration under legislation signed into law, subject to 30-day congressional review.

  • June 02, 2026

    EU Parliament Trade Committee Advances US Trade Deal

    With a July 4 deadline set by President Donald Trump looming, the European Union moved one step closer to implementing its trade deal cutting tariffs — though with added guardrails — as a Parliament committee voted Tuesday to advance the legislation.

  • June 02, 2026

    Trump Lowers Metals Tariff For Farm Equipment, HVAC

    President Donald Trump announced that he is cutting the tariffs on certain metal derivatives, such as agricultural equipment and some heating, ventilation and air conditioning products, to 15% from 25% following recommendations from the commerce secretary.

  • June 02, 2026

    Feds Scrub 'Reputation Risk' From Raft Of Banking Guidance

    Federal banking regulators said Tuesday that they are reissuing a slew of longstanding guidance documents to take out mentions of so-called reputation risk, the latest move in the Trump administration's push to eliminate bank examiners' use of the concept.

  • June 02, 2026

    Trump Rescinds 50-Year Off-Road Rules For Public Lands

    Environmental groups are decrying the Trump administration's decision to rescind orders that limited off-road vehicle use on national public lands, arguing the safeguards provided a common-sense framework for reducing conflicts among land users while protecting clean water, wildlife habitat and fragile landscapes.

  • June 02, 2026

    Colorado Extends Conservation Easement Income Tax Credit

    Colorado is extending its conservation easement tax credit for five years under legislation signed by Gov. Jared Polis.

  • June 02, 2026

    30-Year Foreign Service Leader Joins Squire Patton In DC

    Squire Patton Boggs LLP has hired the State Department's former acting assistant secretary for Near East Affairs, who was also the first U.S. special envoy for Yemen and throughout his more-than-30-year career with the agency held posts in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iraq and other countries.

  • June 01, 2026

    3rd Circ. Preview: AI Copyright Spat, NJ Gun Law Battle

    A copyright fight over the future of AI‑powered legal research heads to the Third Circuit, where a legal publisher will argue this month that a legal technology company's use of its headnotes does not constitute fair use of copyrighted material. The court will also take up a challenge to New Jersey's firearm nuisance law in a case that asks when a trade group can bring a federal suit over a state statute.

  • June 01, 2026

    5th Circ. Probes Standing In Challenge To EPA Asbestos Rule

    Fifth Circuit judges Monday questioned whether challengers to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule that addresses chrysotile asbestos, the only known form of the carcinogen still used and imported in the country, have a legal right to sue over their alleged injuries.

  • June 01, 2026

    Students Win Class Status In Elite College Aid-Fixing Suit

    Cornell University and several other elite schools are now facing a certified class action accusing them of conspiring to fix the amount of financial aid they gave out after the Illinois federal judge overseeing the case certified a 74,000-strong class Monday.

  • June 01, 2026

    Ala. Redistricting Fight Tests Justices' Voting Rights Ruling

    Alabama officials and Black voters have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to decide if an order requiring the state to hold this year's elections under a court-drawn map that gives Black voters a chance to elect two preferred congressional candidates constitutes a "roadmap for evading" or a faithful application of the high court's recent Voting Rights Act ruling.

  • June 01, 2026

    Albertsons Had Duty To Curb Opioid Diversion, Judge Rules

    As providers of controlled substances, pharmacy giants Albertsons and Safeway had legal duties to prevent the diversion of opioid drugs, a Washington state judge ruled on Monday, though whether the companies failed to fulfill those duties will be determined at trial.

  • June 01, 2026

    Trump Unveils 3 Picks For International Trade Commission

    President Donald Trump on Monday announced three more nominees to be members of the U.S. International Trade Commission, including the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary's intellectual property policy director, a deputy assistant U.S. trade representative and a lobbying group's government affairs director.

  • June 01, 2026

    DOJ Says Immigrants Need 5 Years Here For Lifeline Eligibility

    Immigrants aren't eligible for the Federal Communications Commission's Lifeline program, which subsidizes the cost of phone and internet service for low-income households, unless they've been in the country for five years, the U.S. Department of Justice has declared.

  • June 01, 2026

    DC Circ. Says Military Trans Ban Flouts Constitutional Rights

    A divided D.C. Circuit panel Monday said the Trump administration illegally banned transgender individuals from military service, then narrowed a preliminary injunction to prevent the government's exclusion of transgender people presently serving in the military but not those desiring to enlist.

  • June 01, 2026

    Jan. 6 Participants Sue Feds For 'Vindictive' Prosecutions

    Nine Jan. 6 participants sued the federal government, former Attorney General Merrick Garland, and several prosecutors and FBI agents Friday, claiming they were subject to malicious prosecutions and unconstitutional retaliation for their roles in the attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021.

Expert Analysis

  • How To Gear Up For Trump's Pharma Tariffs

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    President Donald Trump's proclamation establishing tariffs on certain pharmaceutical products holds a few areas of ambiguity that companies should review and prepare for before the tariffs come into effect later this year, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Mapping Bank Exec Clawback Risk Ahead Of Revived Bill

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    The reintroduction of the Failed Bank Executives Clawback Act would allow recovery of executive compensation after bank failures, making it important for executives and counsel to take steps such as mapping compensation, reviewing employment agreements, documenting decisions, and confirming D&O insurance, says Drew Jones at Diamond McCarthy.

  • AG Watch: Texas Charts A Course On Investigative Authority

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    The Texas Supreme Court's recent decision in Texas v. PFLAG affirmed, and arguably expanded, the Texas attorney general's civil investigative demand authority, providing a road map that other courts evaluating state attorney general CIDs may find instructive, amid a lack of precedent, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • 8 Reasons To Consider Maryland As A 'DExit' Option

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    While Nevada and Texas have garnered the most attention as alternative states of incorporation for companies considering leaving Delaware, Maryland offers considerable benefits too, including a predictable statutory framework, robust anti-takeover protections, sophisticated business courts with decades of experience, and more, say attorneys at Miles & Stockbridge.

  • PFAS OUT Cannot Replace Broad Drinking Water Protections

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's PFAS OUT initiative may help water systems deal with two specific per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances before federal compliance deadlines arrive, but it is no substitute for broader protections the EPA is withdrawing — and in PFAS litigation, that distinction could be important, says David Meldofsky at Lawsuit Informer.

  • Mapping Philly US Atty's White Collar Enforcement Push

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    Attorneys at Blank Rome discuss the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania David Metcalf’s commitments and priorities, survey early results from his first year, and suggest practical action items for companies operating under the office's jurisdiction.

  • Opinion

    Exxon's Retail Voting Program Is A Trap For Retail Investors

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved Exxon Mobil's first-of-its-kind proxy voting program last September, but ahead of the company's annual shareholder meeting next month, it's clear that retail shareholders have delegated their voice to the entity their vote exists to check, says Christina Sautter at Southern Methodist University.

  • Opinion

    Proposed Pro Codes Act Raises Constitutional Concerns

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    If passed, the Pro Codes Act being considered in the U.S. House of Representatives would fundamentally alter how technical standards are treated under U.S. law, and potentially conflict with the Fifth Amendment's takings clause, says Paul Taylor at George Mason University.

  • What DOL Proposal Signals For 401(k)s, Alternative Assets

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    The U.S. Department of Labor recently published a highly anticipated proposed rule that could establish more defined pathways for 401(k) plan fiduciaries to consider investment options with greater alternative asset exposure, and help fund sponsors and investment managers develop such options, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Building A Persecution Case After Justices' Asylum Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Urias-Orellana v. Bondi raises the bar for overturning agency findings in federal court, changing how practitioners handling asylum and removal defense cases need to think about building a factual record and formulating arguments on appeal, say attorneys at Lai & Turner and Farzaneh Law.

  • Opinion

    New Legislation May Be Necessary To Fix Flawed Cox Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's opinion in Cox v. Sony erroneously limited the doctrine of contributory copyright infringement and effectively eliminated such liability for internet service providers, and the most viable option to remedy the damage is to codify the pre-Cox common law of contributory copyright infringement, says Michael Cicero at Mavacy.

  • SEC's Enforcement Slowdown May Raise Oversight Questions

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    After six months of enforcement activity, it's clear that fiscal year 2026 will see an unprecedented decline in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement activity relative to past years, but whether the SEC will be viewed as sufficiently policing the securities markets at the end of the fiscal year is more uncertain, say attorneys at Covington.

  • How Food, Beverage Claims May Preview Cosmetic Litigation

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    Class action litigation targeting cosmetics and personal care products is accelerating, with a playbook that comes from the food and beverage industry — and the defenses that succeeded, and failed, in past class actions offer a critical road map for beauty and personal care brands, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • Steps To Consider As DOJ Launches Fraud Division

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    The establishment this month of the National Fraud Enforcement Division within the U.S. Department of Justice is a significant reorganization that suggests an increase in enforcement activity involving federally funded programs but leaves a number of important questions unanswered, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Court's HRSA Policy Reversal Leaves 340B Rules Murky

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    A D.C. federal court's recent decision in Premier v. U.S. Department of Health limits the Health Resources and Services Administration's ability to enforce long-standing Section 340B interpretations through subregulatory guidance, leaving open core statutory questions about purchasing models, inventory classification and program oversight, says Martha Cramer at Hooper Lundy.

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