Public Policy

  • July 22, 2026

    6 Copyright Cases To Watch In The Second Half Of 2026

    An appeal over whether an AI-powered legal research tool unlawfully used Westlaw material and a long-running fight involving a Miles Davis tattoo could produce some of 2026's most significant copyright rulings. Here is Law360's list of the most notable copyright cases to watch for the rest of the year.

  • July 22, 2026

    OpenAI Says AI Agent Hacked Startup Platform During Testing

    OpenAI disclosed "an unprecedented cyber incident" that occurred when two of its artificial intelligence models broke out of their testing environment and accessed the servers of Hugging Face, a third-party AI and machine learning startup that operates an open-source platform for developers and others to share models and datasets.

  • July 22, 2026

    House Republicans Urge Fed To Speed Up Bank M&A Reviews

    Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee are calling on the Federal Reserve to explore what else can be done to speed up its bank merger reviews, urging it to look into clearing long-delayed applications and allowing more approvals without a board vote.

  • July 22, 2026

    Amazon's Deal To End Gambling Suit Draws App Makers' Ire

    Developers of casino-style mobile apps sought to intervene Wednesday in Amazon's tentative deal to end consumers' proposed class action accusing the platform of enabling illegal online gambling, arguing that the settlement would leave the developers on the hook for $140 million while forcing Amazon to pay just $2.5 million.

  • July 22, 2026

    Nadex Seeks To Shield OG Prediction Market Biz In Wash.

    North American Derivatives Exchange asked a Washington federal court Wednesday to protect its prediction market platform OG from potential enforcement action by the state, pointing to the state attorney general's lawsuit going after Kalshi for alleged violations of state gambling law.

  • July 22, 2026

    SEC To Pay Coinbase's Atty Fees In FOIA Suit Settlement

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Wednesday that it will pay $150,000 in attorney fees and share its document retention policies to resolve a Coinbase-backed lawsuit seeking internal documents surrounding closed crypto investigations.

  • July 22, 2026

    US Marshals Can't Make Immigration Arrests In DC Court

    A D.C. federal judge Wednesday refused to toss a lawsuit from a certified class of immigrants challenging immigration arrests by U.S. marshals in D.C. Superior Court, declaring that the marshals lack authority and necessary training for the arrests.

  • July 22, 2026

    DC Judge Wary Of Tribe's Bid To Halt Border Wall In Arizona

    A D.C. federal judge appeared reluctant Wednesday to hand the Tohono O'odham Nation a preliminary injunction blocking the construction of 62 miles of border wall within what the tribe claims are its lands, saying that what the tribe was asking him to do was unprecedented.

  • July 22, 2026

    Sen. Warren Urges Watchdog Probe Of CFTC Staff Cuts

    U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on Wednesday urged the Government Accountability Office to investigate the impact of staffing cuts at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, saying the reductions come as the CFTC faces increased responsibilities in overseeing prediction markets and implementing cryptocurrency market legislation.

  • July 22, 2026

    Reps. Hit With Robocalls As They Discuss How To Stop Them

    Robocalls were the thing on everyone's mind Wednesday morning as a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee heard from witnesses about a half dozen bills that lawmakers hope will protect the nation's telecommunications networks.

  • July 22, 2026

    Migrants Seek Stay Of DHS' 'Life-Altering' Fines

    Lawyers for noncitizens challenging steep fines on people who remain in the U.S. after a final removal order urged a Massachusetts federal judge Wednesday to halt the fines now, citing crippling effects on immigrants seeking lawful status.

  • July 22, 2026

    GOP Sens. Unveil Crypto Bill With New Gov't Ethics Provision

    U.S. Senate Republicans released an updated draft of a bill to regulate digital asset markets Wednesday that includes an ethics provision limiting President Donald Trump's and other officials' involvement with crypto, but a coalition of Democrats said the text "falls short" on several issues.

  • July 22, 2026

    EPA 'Defying' Order Reviving $2.8B Grant Program, Judge Says

    A South Carolina federal judge Wednesday told the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency it must comply with the court's prior order and continue administering a $2.8 billion environmental and climate justice grant funding program that was authorized by Congress in 2022.

  • July 22, 2026

    Mamdani Taps Lina Khan, McKinsey Partner For EDC Roles

    New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday named former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan board chair of the ​New York City Economic Development Corp. and Anthony E. Shorris, a partner at consulting giant McKinsey & Co., as its president.

  • July 22, 2026

    NY Stablecoin Rule Update Advances Amid Genius Act Rollout

    New York's Department of Financial Services moved Wednesday to formally propose rules that would align its existing stablecoin oversight framework with federal standards, advancing a fresh draft following a so-called preproposal version released last month.

  • July 22, 2026

    Judge Won't Pause Bison Plan Fight For New NEPA Review

    A Montana federal judge says the U.S. Department of the Interior can't pause challenges to its Yellowstone National Park bison management plan while the agency prepares a supplemental environmental impact statement, finding the conservation group plaintiffs would suffer a hardship if the proceedings were put on hold.

  • July 22, 2026

    States Seek Win Over Trump Admin In DEI Contracts Dispute

    Nineteen states and the District of Columbia are urging a Maryland federal judge to vacate federal agencies' implementation of President Donald Trump's executive order requiring government contractors to agree that they won't engage in "racially discriminatory" diversity, equity and inclusion activities.

  • July 22, 2026

    Writers Guild Wants Paramount-Warner Bros. Block Extended

    The Writers Guild of America asked a California federal judge Wednesday to extend the two-week injunction against Paramount Skydance's proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, warning that permitting the deal to close while challenges proceed would allow the companies to shut down projects and share negotiation information.

  • July 22, 2026

    11th Circ. Mulls Forcing Board To Testify In Book Ban Suit

    Members of a Florida school board on Wednesday told the Eleventh Circuit they shouldn't be forced to testify on their reasons for banning library books about people of color and the LGBTQ+ community, arguing their actions are protected by legislative privilege. 

  • July 22, 2026

    FCC Overhauls 'Nutrition' Labels For Broadband Services

    Consumers can expect to soon see a change in broadband "nutrition" labels detailing the metrics of high-speed services after the Federal Communications Commission voted to overhaul the labeling rules Wednesday.

  • July 22, 2026

    Exxon Convinces 5th Circ. To Scrap OSHA Mental Illness Reg

    The Fifth Circuit nixed an Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule requiring employers to keep track of employees' work-related mental illnesses, concluding that Congress didn't give the agency authority to regulate mental health in the workplace.

  • July 22, 2026

    NJ Judge Says ICE Can't Detain Man Leaving Voluntarily

    A New Jersey federal judge Wednesday ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release a Colombian man it continued to detain after it had prevented the man from voluntarily leaving the country in line with an immigration judge's order.

  • July 22, 2026

    Bipartisan Bill Would Tax And Regulate Hemp THC Products

    Members of Congress on Wednesday unveiled a bipartisan bill to legalize, regulate and tax the manufacture and sale of hemp-derived cannabinoid products, while a federal ban on virtually all consumable hemp products is still due to take effect in less than four months.

  • July 22, 2026

    Federal Judge Blocks NYC Uber, Lyft Driver Deactivation Law

    A New York federal judge has blocked New York City from enforcing a new ordinance prohibiting Uber and Lyft from "deactivating" drivers without formal notice and investigation, saying the ride-hailing companies have made a strong showing that the regulation unconstitutionally interferes with their contractual rights.

  • July 22, 2026

    Illinois Crypto Tax Unfairly Targets Traders, Suit Says

    Illinois' new tax on cryptocurrency, the first in the nation, discriminates against those who trade in crypto and is illegal, a trade group argued in a complaint in a state court.

Expert Analysis

  • Attorney Mental Health Is An Ethical Obligation In The AI Era

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    As attorneys cope with the increasing unpredictability that artificial intelligence and constant policy changes have created, particularly in practice areas where they carry the emotional weight of clients’ most consequential life events, otherwise soft discussions about self-care are a matter of professional competence, says attorney Jack Jrada.

  • Md. Ruling Reflects Classic Administrative Law Principle

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    A Maryland federal court's recent decision in Columbus v. Kennedy significantly limits how far the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services can go in reshaping the Affordable Care Act through regulation, highlighting a principle that will likely be applied in similar Administrative Procedure Act challenges, says Michael King at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • DOJ China Container Indictments Signal Global Cartel Risk

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent announcement that it had indicted Chinese manufacturers for conspiring to drive up the price of shipping containers sold in the U.S. illustrates the Antitrust Division's interest in pursuing overseas cartel conduct, especially in China, signaling that multinational companies with employees abroad should strengthen antitrust compliance to avoid running afoul of U.S. national security policy, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • More Cos. Will Copy SpaceX's Shareholder Proposal Opt-Out

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    For more than 80 years, the shareholder proposal looked like a federal right guaranteed to all public company investors, but after SpaceX opted out before its recent initial public offering, other companies are likely to follow, says Mohsen Manesh at the University of Oregon School of Law.

  • How DOJ Is Approaching Monitorship After Signaling Limits

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    As the U.S. Department of Justice keeps more monitors in place than expected, a look at the matters in which prosecutors are maintaining oversight reveals the sort of companies enforcers might trust to self-remediate, and also those that may receive independent supervision, say attorneys at Kendall Brill.

  • Opinion

    DHS' World Cup Influencer Warning Overreads Visa Law

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    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s reported position that foreign influencers covering the 2026 World Cup need work visas if their content is monetized runs contrary to both legislative intent and long-standing precedent that structure the visa inquiry around labor market substitution, says Jun Li at Reid & Wise.

  • 3 Steps For Banks As Section 1071 Rule Finally Becomes Final

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    Some community banks and other lenders will get some breathing room in the final Section 1071 rule exempting them from small business lending reporting duties, but other reporting institutions should update applications, systems and staff training ahead of the 2028 compliance date, says Memrie Fortenberry at Jones Walker.

  • Why DOE Isn't Phasing Out Appliance Efficiency Regs

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    While the U.S. Department of Energy recently acted on President Donald Trump's 2025 executive order requiring it to consider sunsetting many energy regulations, the DOE has not proposed phasing out efficiency standards for appliances and industrial equipment — but it could pursue other approaches to ease such requirements, say attorneys at HWG.

  • Series

    Power To The Paralegals: Burnout As A Structural Problem

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    Law firm leadership can best retain their paralegals not by encouraging self-care, but by seeking top-down structural solutions for the quiet proliferation of responsibilities and the vicarious exposure to client trauma that particularly drive burnout in this vital role, says Erika Sneeringer at Brockstedt Mandalas.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: June Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses five recent rulings from cases involving allegations of internet data misuse, consumer fraud claims, immigration, insurance and First Amendment violation claims.

  • Justices' FCC Fine Ruling May Weaken Agency Leverage

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Federal Communications Commission v. AT&T upheld the commission's forfeiture framework as consistent with Jarkesy, but it is also likely to reduce the effectiveness of the commission’s forfeiture proceedings as a collection and deterrence tool, say attorneys at Venable.

  • Takeaways From 1st Del. Ruling Applying Moelis Amendments

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    Delaware corporations should carefully review contractual arrangements and governance documents following the Court of Chancery's recent enforcement of a non-Delaware forum selection clause in a CEO's employment agreement under 2024 amendments to the state's General Corporation Law, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Ill. Law Firm MSO Bill Clashes With Court Power, Ethics Rules

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    An Illinois bill prohibiting law firms from certain business arrangements with management service organizations, sent to the governor for signature last week, encroaches upon the courts' constitutional powers and goes beyond the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct in regulating investment in law-related services, says Matthew O’Hara at Smith Gambrell.

  • Google Antitrust Case Puts Spotlight On De Facto Exclusivity

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    Mozilla's recent amicus filing in U.S. v. Google arguing that its agreement to make Google the default search engine did not amount to de facto exclusivity highlights the growing debate over traditional indicators of exclusivity, with implications for any business that uses rebates, preferred contracts or volume incentives, says Chris Gowen at WilmU Farnan School of Law.

  • Justices' Montgomery Ruling Doesn't Expand Shipper Liability

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    Whether negligent hiring liability claims against shippers will increase after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last month in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II is anyone's guess, but the ruling itself will have no impact on shippers' actual liability in personal injury claims relating to trucking accidents, says Ronald Leibman at McCarter & English.

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