Public Policy

  • August 31, 2026

    6th Circ. Splits On Tenn. Social Media Age-Verification Law

    A split Sixth Circuit panel said a lower court should have blocked Tennessee's age-verification law for social media platforms while an internet industry group challenged the statute, finding the group had shown it would be harmed by compliance costs and the loss of free speech liberties.

  • August 31, 2026

    Parler Backers Hijacked Social Media Co. From CEO, Jury Told

    Stakeholders of defunct microblogging app Parler, including hedge fund scion Rebekah Mercer and former deputy FBI director Dan Bongino, allegedly schemed to strip the social app's cofounder of his CEO role and his 40% stake, a Nevada jury heard in opening arguments in a $100 million contract trial Monday.

  • August 31, 2026

    3rd Circ. Says History Backs NJ Telehealth License Rule

    The Third Circuit on Monday upheld New Jersey's requirement that out‑of‑state physicians obtain a state medical license before consulting with in-state patients via telemedicine, concluding that the rule fits a centuries‑old tradition of regulating medical practice and does not trigger strict First Amendment scrutiny.

  • August 31, 2026

    Controversial Tweak To Calif. Antitrust Law Heads To Newsom

    A bill that would expand California's Cartwright Act to allow the state to pursue monopoly and monopsony claims against a solo company, instead of requiring multicompany coordinated conduct, is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk after state lawmakers passed a narrowed version of the controversial measure Sunday.

  • August 31, 2026

    SEC, FDA Enter Info-Sharing Pact To Bolster Enforcement

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and U.S. Food and Drug Administration are looking to bolster information-sharing related to FDA-regulated products in a bid to help each other in their respective oversight and compliance efforts, according to a three-year memorandum of understanding the agencies announced Monday.

  • August 31, 2026

    Trump Admin Fights Broad Block Of New Birthright Order

    The Trump administration is asking a Maryland federal judge to limit any forthcoming injunction of the White House's new birthright citizenship order to a narrow temporary restraining order applying only to new order's "alien-enemy" and "birth-tourism" categories, after the judge said Friday that plaintiffs challenging the order face irreparable harm.

  • August 31, 2026

    Oregon Packaging Law Survives Constitutional Challenge

    An Oregon federal judge ruled against a national trade association's challenge of an Oregon law that imposed recycling system costs on producers of packaging materials, rejecting arguments that it was unconstitutional.

  • August 31, 2026

    Sec. Of State Can't Deport Students For Speech, Judge Says

    A California federal judge has ruled in a suit from Stanford University's student newspaper that provisions of federal immigration law the Trump administration used to cancel the visas of pro-Palestinian students and try to deport them violate the First Amendment and due process.

  • August 31, 2026

    Mich. Court Upholds 2 Probate Ballot Decisions

    A Michigan state appeals court on Friday issued rulings in two disputes over the November ballot for the Wayne County Probate Court, allowing Vanessa Moss to remain on the ballot while affirming the exclusion of Susan L. Hubbard, in separate challenges over campaign finance filings and nominating petition signatures. 

  • August 31, 2026

    State Dept. Must Detail Efforts To Restart Visa Processing

    A New York federal judge said Monday she wants to know what steps the government is taking to process immigrant visa applications it halted in January, when it paused immigrant visa issuance for people from 75 countries over public charge concerns.

  • August 31, 2026

    FCC Fines Undersea Cable Cos. For Expired Landing Licenses

    The Federal Communications Commission inked a deal with a submarine cable company and its three co-licensees to end an investigation into their failure to renew their licenses on time, with the quartet agreeing to split a $45,000 fine.

  • August 31, 2026

    House Passes Bill To Curb Secret Prosecutor Orders

    The House passed a bipartisan bill via voice vote Monday afternoon to add transparency to prosecutors' use of nondisclosure orders for telephone service providers.

  • August 31, 2026

    House Passes Bill Adding Texas, California Court Sites

    The House voted 378-10 on Monday evening to expand access to federal courts in Texas and California, the two most populous states in the nation.

  • August 31, 2026

    5th Circ. Judges Cast Doubt On Fight Over La. LNG Permit

    A Fifth Circuit panel on Monday expressed skepticism that environmental groups had standing to challenge Louisiana's approval of a preconstruction permit for a major liquefied natural gas export terminal in Cameron Parish.

  • August 31, 2026

    States Ask Fed. Circ. To Revive Their Temporary Tariff Claims

    Two dozen states pushed the Federal Circuit on Monday to revive their specific claims against now-expired temporary tariffs while simultaneously pushing the panel to otherwise back the U.S. Court of International Trade's ruling that the tariffs were illegal.

  • August 31, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives Salvadoran's Bid For Torture Protection

    The Ninth Circuit has faulted the Board of Immigration Appeals for creating a "quantitative evidence" requirement in assessing a Salvadoran's bid under the Convention Against Torture to avoid deportation to El Salvador, saying that no such requirement exists.

  • August 31, 2026

    Judge Rejects AstraZeneca's Attack On Colo. 340B Law

    A Colorado federal judge on Monday granted the state's motion to dismiss AstraZeneca's complaint challenging a state law that expands distribution of drugs discounted through a federal program, finding that the state law isn't preempted or unconstitutional.

  • August 31, 2026

    Florida Wants Discovery Pause In Trump Library Transfer Suit

    The state of Florida and The Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation on Monday sought to shut down discovery in a Florida federal lawsuit challenging the state's donation of a downtown Miami college site to President Donald Trump as a violation of the constitution's ban on domestic emoluments.

  • August 31, 2026

    Mass. Police Department Opposes FCC Drone Restriction

    A Massachusetts police chief is asking the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider banning people from buying foreign-made military-grade drones, saying law enforcement can use them to find missing people much more quickly than human search groups.

  • August 31, 2026

    9 More Drug Cos. Make Pricing Agreements With US

    Nine more branded drug manufacturers reached deals cutting prices on their medications, President Donald Trump announced Monday, with nearly 90% of such products now being covered by "most-favored nation" deals in the United States.

  • August 31, 2026

    GOP Asks Justices To Lift Block In Campaign Ad Pricing Case

    Republican fundraising committees have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to lift a Fourth Circuit order blocking the Federal Communications Commission from extending discounted television and radio advertising rates to committees that buy spots in coordination with political candidates, arguing the lower court prematurely jumped into the review process.

  • August 31, 2026

    'Reality Check' Needed For E-Rate, Says Ex-FCC Commish

    A former member of the Federal Communications Commission pushed Monday for a complete review of the E-Rate program for school and library telecom discounts, asking if instead of helping students learn, it's "doing harm."

  • August 31, 2026

    Ex-Ga. Deputies Can't Escape Stun Gun Death Suit, Court Told

    The sister of a man who died after being shot with a stun gun during a confrontation with law enforcement nearly a decade ago told a Georgia federal court the sheriff's deputies can't win summary judgment in a lawsuit she filed since her claims were "quintessentially" for a jury.

  • August 31, 2026

    DOJ Says Federal Law Permits Challenge Of Denver Gun Ban

    The Trump administration urged a Colorado federal judge Monday not to toss its challenge of the city of Denver's ordinances that ban assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, contending a federal law allows the administration to seek injunctive relief.

  • August 31, 2026

    Oregon Says Lifeline Integrity 'Robust' As FCC Probe Ensues

    Oregon told the Federal Communications Commission that its Lifeline phone subsidy program has shown low error rates as the FCC probes state programs that have opted out of a federal system to verify enrollees.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Justices' Parole Ruling Degrades Green Card Holders' Rights

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Blanche v. Lau, holding that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers can parole a returning lawful permanent resident without clear and convincing evidence of a crime, weakens the statutory and practical protections Congress intended, say attorneys at Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners.

  • NEPA Reforms Can Fix Permitting Without Weakening Review

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    Recent National Environmental Policy Act reforms, in tandem with a Senate bill proposing faster permitting reviews and greater agency coordination, mark a long overdue move toward more efficient energy and infrastructure permitting that does not sacrifice environmental assessment, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • 2 Microsoft Matters Could Help Shape AI Antitrust Outlook

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    A pending federal court case and investigation focusing on Microsoft's allegedly anticompetitive conduct in the deployment of artificial intelligence tools are testing whether antitrust law can distinguish ordinary competition to supply the AI ecosystem from conduct that distorts how that competition unfolds, says Kylie Kim at Massey & Gail.

  • Preparing For Next Congress With Eye On Investigation Risk

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    Rod Rosenstein, Brian Whisler and Bruce Linskens at Baker McKenzie offer advice for organizations seeking to build a proactive response plan to potential congressional oversight as the election looms.

  • Asylum Ruling Signals Larger Separation Of Powers Battle

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Mullin v. Al Otro Lado that border officials may turn away asylum-seekers without inspection is part of a broader conversation about the reach of institutional safeguards that subject governmental authority to legal constraint, says Dree Collopy at American University's Washington College of Law.

  • Solar's Momentum At Mid-2026 Will Help It Overcome Snags

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    The rapid expansion of U.S. solar development in the first half of 2026 is likely to continue its pace, even amid ongoing shifts in federal trade policy and supply chain regulations, obstacles to permitting reform, and an increasing divide between states enacting policies to encourage or stymie project development, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • The Debanking Minefield: Navigating Fair Access In 2026

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    Federal regulators' recent elimination of reputational risk from bank supervision, alongside a growing patchwork of state fair access laws, is reshaping how banks make account and service decisions and ushering in a new compliance era requiring individualized, objective and risk-based access determinations, say attorneys at Spencer Fane.

  • Carbon Health Settlement Highlights Why Evidence Is Key

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    The California Attorney General's Office's first-of-its-kind settlement with Carbon Health, imposing penalties for alleged corporate practice of medicine violations, shows that friendly professional corporation challenges usually hinge not on the parties' management services agreement, but on whether the operational record matches it, says Ben Dubin at VC Expert Services.

  • What PE Practitioners Need To Know About New Del. ABC Act

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    Delaware's new Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors statute represents a structural shift in how companies backed by private equity can be wound down and provides a more streamlined tool for managing sponsor liability without the public visibility of a bankruptcy proceeding, says Evelyn Meltzer at Troutman Pepper.

  • How To Brace For A Potential Democratic Oversight Push

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    With the possibility of a shift in congressional control after the November midterm elections, companies and their general counsel should prepare now by mapping oversight exposure, reviewing government interactions, preserving records and developing coordinated communications strategies, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • Opinion

    Labor Contract Bill Would Introduce Sweeping Risks For Cos.

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    The House-approved Faster Labor Contracts Act would force rapid first-contract bargaining, subject businesses to binding arbitration over key workplace terms, and create major uncertainty for nonunion companies, making it crucial for employers to assess their exposure and mitigate the risks now, say attorneys at FBT Gibbons.

  • Fed Autonomy Rests On Narrow Exception After Justices Rule

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions in Trump v. Cook and Trump v. Slaughter expand presidential removal power while temporarily preserving the Federal Reserve’s independence, but there is uncertainty about which of the Fed’s authorities fall within the court’s narrow monetary-policy exception, says Keith Bradley at Squire Patton.

  • Assessing New Risks After The End Of The SEC's Gag Rule

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent rescission of its long-standing no‑deny gag rule marks a transition from a regime of enforced silence to one of strategic communication, meaning the question is no longer simply whether to settle, but how to manage the narrative that follows, say attorneys at Nelson Mullins.

  • New Pipeline Repair Rules Shift Burden To Engineer Judgment

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    A proposal from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to allow operators more flexibility to make analysis-informed repair choices, rather than hew to long-standing prescriptive criteria, could make documenting the engineer’s decision-making process as important to compliance as the ultimate repair performed, says Ahuva Battams at Beatty & Wozniak.

  • Series

    Being A Magician Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I've developed as a lifelong magician have translated directly into tangible benefits in the courtroom because performing magic and trying cases both live at the intersection of psychology, storytelling, timing and disciplined rehearsal, says Mark Dombroff at Fox Rothschild.

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