Public Policy

  • February 04, 2025

    Don't Let Trump's Changes Touch Patent Office, IP Attys Urge

    U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order shake-ups have drawn the ire of intellectual property lawyers, who are complaining about how the prospect of mass resignations of federal workers, a hiring freeze and the end of telework policies will impact their work in front of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

  • February 04, 2025

    Auto Cos., Mass. AG Make Final Case In 'Right To Repair' Fight

    The stagnated four-year battle over a Massachusetts law requiring vehicle manufacturers to provide open access to vehicle telematics software saw its final salvos Tuesday as attorneys for an automotive industry group and the state clashed over the merits of the federal preemption case.

  • February 04, 2025

    White House Lacks Authority To Issue NEPA Regs, Judge Says

    The White House Council on Environmental Quality has no authority to issue binding National Environmental Policy Act regulations, a North Dakota judge has ruled, scrapping challenged regulations the Biden administration had enacted.

  • February 04, 2025

    Ex-NJ Mayor Gets Probation For Defying Public Office Ban

    The former mayor of the third-largest city in New Jersey has been sentenced to three years of probation for trying to retake the mayoral office in 2022, in violation of a 2017 judicial order banning him from running for or holding public office, the state attorney general and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability announced Tuesday.

  • February 04, 2025

    NY Advocates Urge Pols To Enact Sentencing Reforms

    New York lawmakers on Tuesday joined former prisoners and families of incarcerated people in Albany to urge elected officials and Gov. Kathy Hochul to enact bills that would reshape state sentencing laws that critics say are both too harsh and ineffective in deterring crime.

  • February 04, 2025

    RI Says Flavored Vape Ban Is 'Rational,' And Must Stand

    The state of Rhode Island is urging a federal court to throw out a suit by two retailers challenging the state's ban on the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, saying the plaintiffs can't show that there's no rational basis for the law.

  • February 04, 2025

    Apple Asks DC Circ. To Pause Google Search Case For Appeal

    Apple has asked the D.C. Circuit to pause the remedies phase of the landmark monopolization case targeting Google's search dominance, arguing it needs to intervene to protect its contracts with Google that are worth billions of dollars each year.

  • February 04, 2025

    Cherokee Nation, Group Spar Over Ark. Casino License Docs

    A federal district court is set to determine if the officers of a ballot issue committee backing an Arkansas amendment that revoked a Cherokee Nation business' casino license and the public affairs firm must hand over documentation in the dispute.

  • February 04, 2025

    Wash. Gov. Orders Look At Data Centers' Tax Revenue Impact

    Washington's governor issued an executive order directing the state's Department of Revenue to create a work group to examine the impact of data centers on the state's tax revenue and economy and recommend policies to address tax revenue needs in relation to other priorities.

  • February 04, 2025

    Southern Glazer's Wants FTC Unfair Pricing Suit Canned

    Southern Glazer's asked a California federal judge Monday to dismiss the Federal Trade Commission's first price discrimination lawsuit in 25 years, arguing that even if the "mistaken economic theory" undergirding it holds true, dissents from the FTC's Republicans illustrate why the case fails anyway.

  • February 04, 2025

    Docs Say DEA Didn't Put All Documents In Pot Hearing Record

    A group of doctors who had petitioned to halt the Drug Enforcement Administration's hearings on whether to reschedule cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act are asking the D.C. Circuit to order the agency to add documents to the record that they say have been wrongly excluded.

  • February 04, 2025

    Trump Names Sen. Cruz Aide To Lead NTIA

    The White House is nominating Arielle Roth, a top aide to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and an outspoken critic of what she called the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's "woke social agenda," to head up the agency.

  • February 04, 2025

    DOJ Criminal Division Leader Joins White & Case's DC Shop

    White & Case LLP announced on Tuesday it was growing its white collar team with the addition of partner Brent Wible, who told Law360 Pulse that it was time for him to step back into private practice following a five-year stint with the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • February 04, 2025

    Walmart Gets Arbitration In Fla. Delivery Fee Tax Fight

    An accusation that Walmart unlawfully charged Florida customers sales tax on delivery fees will go to arbitration, a federal judge ruled Tuesday, saying shoppers agreed to arbitration when they accepted the terms of use of the retailer's website.

  • February 04, 2025

    Boeing Supplier Tells 5th Circ. To Ax Texas Biz Records Law

    Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems Inc. cited U.S. Supreme Court precedent in urging the Fifth Circuit to uphold a lower court finding that a Texas statute requiring businesses to immediately comply with the state's demand to examine business records is facially unconstitutional.

  • February 04, 2025

    GOP Judge Too Late To Alter Election Rules, NC Court Told

    A Republican judge is trying to retroactively change election rules in North Carolina by asking a trial court to throw out scores of ballots cast in his race for a seat on the state Supreme Court, according to his Democratic challenger and state election officials.

  • February 04, 2025

    FBI Agents, Workers Sue To Stop Trump's Threatened Purge

    FBI staff members filed two suits against the Trump administration on Tuesday in D.C. federal court, seeking to stop the president from compiling a list of agents and employees who worked on investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and his retention and storage of classified documents.

  • February 04, 2025

    US Drops Out Early From UN Global Tax Convention Talks

    The U.S. government will no longer participate in United Nations negotiations aimed at drafting a framework convention on international tax cooperation, intends to reject the outcome and welcomes other countries to join in its opposition, a U.S. diplomat said.

  • February 04, 2025

    NYC Mayor's Ex-Aide Seeks Wiretap Data As DA Investigates

    Defense counsel for the former chief adviser to New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday pushed state prosecutors to expand access to evidence of alleged bribery tied to ongoing probes.

  • February 04, 2025

    Pa. Fines Allegheny Co. Contractor For Misclassified Workers

    An Allegheny County contractor will pay $144,000 to settle claims from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry that it had misclassified nearly 200 workers, the department announced Monday.

  • February 04, 2025

    Doctors Org. Sues Over Health Agency Website Purges

    An advocacy organization representing physicians sued the U.S. Office of Personnel Management in D.C. federal court Tuesday after it directed federal agencies to root out references to "gender ideology" on their websites — a move the physicians claim deprives doctors and researchers of needed information.

  • February 04, 2025

    Pa. Governor Puts Cannabis Legalization In Budget Proposal

    Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday announced a plan to legalize recreational cannabis later this year as part of his budget proposal.

  • February 04, 2025

    Ex-Fed Adviser Charged With Espionage Called Flight Risk

    Prosecutors told a D.C. federal judge on Tuesday that a former senior adviser to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors accused of stealing confidential data for China needs to be detained while he awaits trial due to his ample ability to flee the U.S.

  • February 04, 2025

    Attys Seek $1.25M From Shuttered Nursing School Settlement

    Attorneys with the Connecticut boutique firm Hurwitz Sagarin Slossberg & Knuff LLC are seeking a 25% cut of a $5 million class action settlement for students whose career paths were sent spiraling by for-profit nursing school Stone Academy's sudden shutdown in February 2023.

  • February 04, 2025

    Holtzman Vogel Adds Election Law Talent In Arizona, Virginia

    Holtzman Vogel Baran Torchinsky & Josefiak PLLC has hired six attorneys in offices across the United States, including some based in Arizona and Virginia who focus their practices on election and constitutional law issues.

Expert Analysis

  • Expect A Big Shake Up At The EEOC Under 2nd Trump Admin

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    During President-elect Donald Trump’s second term, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is likely to significantly shift its focus and priorities, especially where workplace DEI initiatives, immigration enforcement, LGBTQ+ rights and pregnancy protections are concerned, say attorneys at Stoel Rives.

  • Series

    Illinois Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q4

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    While the last quarter of 2024 didn't bring any notable state financial legislation, Illinois banks did see developments in the challenge to the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act, and received some awaited guidance on credit line disclosures and bank-fintech relationships, say attorneys at Dykema.

  • 7 Ways 2nd Trump Administration May Affect Partner Hiring

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    President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House will likely have a number of downstream effects on partner hiring in the legal industry, from accelerated hiring timelines to increased vetting of prospective employees, say recruiters at Macrae.

  • How Trump 2.0 May Change Business In Latin America

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    Companies in Latin America should expect to face more trade restrictions, tighter economic sanctions and enhanced corruption risks, as the incoming administration shifts focus to certain non-U.S. actors, most notably China, says Matteson Ellis at Miller & Chevalier.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Custodian Selection

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    Several recent rulings make clear that the proportionality of additional proposed custodians will depend on whether the custodians have unique relevant documents, and producing parties should consider whether information already in the record will show that they have relevant documents that otherwise might not be produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Opinion

    Section 230 Debates Will Continue, With Or Without TikTok

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    Regardless of whether TikTok is forced to shut down in the U.S. in the coming weeks, legal disputes will continue over social media platforms' responsibility under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act for harms allegedly caused by content shared on their apps, says Carla Varriale-Barker at Segal McCambridge.

  • Impact Of Successful Challenges To SEC's Rulemaking Ability

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    In 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission faced significant legal challenges to its aggressive rulemaking agenda as several of its rules were vacated by the Fifth Circuit, which could hinder the SEC's ability to enact rules extending beyond express statutory authority in the future, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Takeaways From DOJ, FTC End To Collaboration Guidelines

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    The Federal Trade Commission's and U.S. Department of Justice's recent decision to withdraw the guidelines for collaborations among competitors may reflect a desire for clearer parameters by emphasizing case law on specific ventures, but it also carries the potential to chill some future collaboration, say attorneys at Patterson Belknap.

  • 5 Transition Tools Trump Could Use To Implement His Agenda

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    President-elect Donald Trump will have several tools available to him to halt or otherwise claw back federal regulations promulgated during the Biden administration, including reconciliation, executive orders and memoranda, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • 5 Privacy Law Trends That Will Continue In 2025

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    While preparing privacy programs for the year, companies should keep in mind several developments from 2024 that will carry over — namely, in the realm of artificial intelligence, passive data collection, combining data from multiple sources, privacy program expectations and managing vendors, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Justices Seem Focused On NEPA's Limits In Utah Rail Case

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    After last month's oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado, the court appears poised to forcefully reiterate that the National Environmental Policy Act requires federal agencies to review only those environmental impacts within their control, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • A Look At PCAOB's Record-Breaking Enforcement In 2024

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    The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in 2024 brought more enforcement actions against auditors and imposed increasingly higher monetary penalties, showing that it was not afraid to exercise its power to fine and reprimand firms, a trend that will likely continue in 2025, say attorneys at Briglia Hundley.

  • Complying With Seasonal Product Labeling Requirements

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    Though the holiday season is in the rearview, many seasonal alcohol products remain in the market, and producers should ensure that their labels comply with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau's additional requirements for such products, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • The OIG Report: Preparing For Oversight In 2025

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    Across sectors, Office of Inspector General work plans and challenge reports for 2025 provide a trove of information on the issues and industries that will likely be the focus of government oversight in the year to come, says Diana Shaw at Wiley.

  • What To Expect In Higher Ed Enforcement Under Trump

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    Colleges and universities should prepare for shifting priorities, as President-elect Donald Trump is likely to focus less on antitrust cases and more on foreign relations policy, while congressional oversight of higher education continues to increase, say attorneys at Steptoe.

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