Public Policy

  • May 21, 2025

    NC Panel Sides With County In Builder's Service Fee Spat

    North Carolina's intermediate appeals court on Wednesday backed a county's interpretation of an ordinance allowing it to collect water service fees from a homebuilder, reasoning that the builder's residential neighborhood is a "new development" subject to the law.

  • May 21, 2025

    Trump Can't Fire Privacy Board Democrats, DC Court Says

    The Trump administration is not allowed to remove two Democrats from the U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, Congress' privacy watchdog over the executive branch's counterterrorism policies, a D.C. federal judge ruled Wednesday.

  • May 21, 2025

    Device Maker Who Evaded Tax Gets 2 Years In Prison

    A Florida man who sold millions of dollars worth of medical devices that federal prosecutors said were unproven to work was sentenced to two years in prison for evading taxes and ordered to pay $2.3 million in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.

  • May 21, 2025

    EU Proposes €2 Handling Fee On Small Import Packages

    The European Commission is planning to levy a flat fee of €2 ($2.27) on billions of small packages imported into the European Union, including many Chinese goods, according to the bloc's trade chief.

  • May 21, 2025

    Gov't Violated Court Order With Removals, Judge Says

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Wednesday found that the government violated his order requiring due process protections for individuals facing removal to countries where they have no ties and may face harm, after a group of migrants were put on a plane bound for war-torn South Sudan with just hours' notice.

  • May 21, 2025

    CFTC Faces Leadership Void As 3rd Commissioner Plans Exit

    U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission member Kristin Johnson has become the third agency member to announce her upcoming departure within the space of a week, potentially leaving the market regulator with a single voting member as it awaits the appointment of a new chair.

  • May 21, 2025

    Texas Lawmakers OK More Time To Pay Property Tax Bills

    Texas would give some property owners more time to pay their tax bills under legislation approved by state lawmakers and headed to Gov. Greg Abbott.

  • May 21, 2025

    Lighting Biz Will Pay $300K For Providing Chinese Goods

    A Connecticut lighting company and its owner have reached a $300,000 settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve allegations it sold Chinese-made products to several government agencies in violation of the Buy American Act and the Trade Agreements Act.

  • May 21, 2025

    Democracy Forward Adds Another Ex-DOJ Hand

    Legal advocacy group Democracy Forward has added a former deputy associate U.S. attorney general and co-chair of the Supreme Court and appellate practice at WilmerHale to its ranks of former U.S. Department of Justice litigators.

  • May 21, 2025

    Conn. Public Defender Watchdog Wants Chief's Firing Upheld

    Connecticut's Public Defender Services Commission said in a state court brief that it was "significant misconduct," not racial bias, that caused it to fire the chief public defender, arguing the June 2024 firing came after a litany of complaints and a lengthy pattern of wrongdoing.

  • May 21, 2025

    Nadine Menendez Taps Cozen O'Connor To Fight Conviction

    Former Sen. Bob Menendez's wife, Nadine Menendez, has added Cozen O'Connor as co-counsel as she fights to overturn her conviction on bribery charges, according to a filing in New York federal court.

  • May 20, 2025

    Trump Gets Fla. Judge To Lob China Tariff Suit To Trade Court

    A Florida federal judge Tuesday relinquished jurisdiction over five small businesses' lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's tariffs on Chinese imports, agreeing with Trump that the case fell within the U.S. Court of International Trade's "exclusive jurisdiction."

  • May 20, 2025

    'Not A Denny's': 5th Circ. Judge Chides High Court Stopwatch

    The Fifth Circuit on Tuesday expedited a case brought by Venezuelans who are accused of being gang members and who are challenging the use of a 1798 wartime law to deport them to an El Salvador prison, with one judge chastising the U.S. Supreme Court's majority for allowing the appeal to move forward.

  • May 20, 2025

    Ex-Emory Prof Says Palestine Support Led To 'Brazen' Ouster

    A former professor at Emory University's medical school has sued the university, alleging that she was ousted in 2023 for her social media posts in support of Palestinians, claiming she was the victim of a smear campaign coordinated between the university and outside groups akin to "modern-day McCarthyism."

  • May 21, 2025

    Pa. Dems Coast to Primary Wins In Judicial, DA Contests

    Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner fought off a challenge from fellow Democrat and former judge Patrick Dugan on Tuesday night, clearing the way for the incumbent's third term as the city's top prosecutor.

  • May 20, 2025

    Trump Admin Rationale For HHS Firings Challenged By Judge

    A Rhode Island federal judge expressed skepticism Tuesday about the Trump administration's assertion that mass firings at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services were lawful and intended to improve national health, saying during a preliminary injunction hearing that nothing in the record demonstrates "thoughtful work" behind these decisions.

  • May 20, 2025

    Subpoena For Alleged Trans Care Must Stand, Texas Says

    A Texas appeals court on Tuesday pressed the state to explain why the principle of sovereign immunity should stop patients who potentially received gender affirming care from trying to block a subpoena, saying during oral arguments a challenge to a subpoena seems to fall outside sovereign immunity.

  • May 20, 2025

    FWS' New 'Harm' Proposal Draws Praise, Concern For Species

    Fossil fuel, construction and other industry groups say they support the Trump administration's plan to weaken regulatory protections under the Endangered Species Act, while blue state attorneys general and environmental groups urged the government to back off its proposal.

  • May 20, 2025

    Judge Questions Bank's Role In Jail Debit Card Fee Dispute

    A federal magistrate judge in Washington state signaled Tuesday she might advance a debit card fee class action against a Missouri bank to trial, suggesting there's still a factual dispute as to whether the prepaid cards were forced on people trying to regain access to their money after being released from correctional facilities. 

  • May 20, 2025

    FDIC Nixes Biden-Era Merger Rules As House Passes OCC Bill

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Tuesday finalized the repeal of stricter bank merger guidelines adopted last year, pulling them back the same day as the U.S. House moved to nullify the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's Biden-era merger policy rewrite.

  • May 20, 2025

    GAO Tells Congress New Court Design Guide Drives Up Costs

    The Government Accountability Office's director of physical infrastructure testified Tuesday that the judiciary is working to address its October report finding that the U.S. Courts' updated design guide will significantly increase the size and cost of future courthouse projects.

  • May 20, 2025

    Venezuelan Nationals' RICO Suit Asserting Defamation Tossed

    A Florida federal judge has dismissed racketeering and other claims against a director of Venezuela's state-owned oil company and others after determining that the suit accusing them of engaging in a defamatory campaign to smear civic leaders is a shotgun pleading.

  • May 20, 2025

    5 Ohio Cities Say Hyundai, Kia Negligence Claims Still In Play

    Five Ohio cities have told a California federal judge that Hyundai and Kia cannot try to circumvent the Ninth Circuit and scuttle negligence claims in consolidated litigation alleging the automakers knowingly sold vehicles with design flaws that spawned a car-theft crime wave.

  • May 20, 2025

    Dem Lawmakers Reintroduce Supreme Court Ethics Bill

    Two Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday reintroduced bills in the House and Senate that would require the U.S. Supreme Court to adopt a binding ethics code and create new recusal and disclosure standards for the nine justices.

  • May 20, 2025

    Tax Credit Repeal Would Deflate US Hydrogen Development

    The Republicans' proposal to eliminate tax credits for producing clean hydrogen in the budget reconciliation bill threatens to kneecap the nascent alternative fuel industry in the U.S. while pushing investments overseas to friendlier markets.

Expert Analysis

  • Perspectives

    Power To The Paralegals: The Value Of Unified State Licensing

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    Texas' proposal to become the latest state to license paraprofessional providers of limited legal services could help firms expand their reach and improve access to justice, but consumers, attorneys and allied legal professionals would benefit even more if similar programs across the country become more uniform, says Michael Houlberg at the University of Denver.

  • Key Digital Asset Issues Require Antitrust Vigilance

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    As the digital assets industry continues to mature and consolidate during Trump 2.0, it will inevitably bump up against the antitrust laws in a new way, with potential pitfalls related to merger reviews, conspiratorial or monopolistic conduct, and interlocking directorates, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • What's Next For Lab Test Regulation Without FDA Authority

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    A recent Texas federal court decision vacating the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's final rule that would apply FDA regulations to laboratory-developed tests signals potential positive impacts in the diagnostic space, and could inspire more healthcare entities to litigate against the government, say attorneys at Hooper Lundy.

  • 11 Tips For Contractors Dealing With DOD Staff Reductions

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    Defense contractors should prepare for a wide range of disruptions related to procurement and contract administration that are likely amid federal workforce reductions, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Pay Cos. That Adapt Can Benefit As Gov't Ends Paper Checks

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    Recent executive orders, instructing the government to cease issuing paper checks and to modernize and fraud-proof federal payments, will likely benefit financial services providers that facilitate government disbursements — provided they can manage the challenges and risks of transitioning to fully digital payments, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • 4 Takeaways From La. Coastal Wetland Damage Verdict

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    A recent $745 million verdict in a case filed by a Louisiana parish against Chevron for violating a Louisiana environmental law illustrates that climate-related liabilities pose increasing risk and litigation risk may not follow a red state versus blue state divide, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Staying The Course On Consumer Financial Law Compliance

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    Although there may be some regulatory uncertainty, with many rule changes on hold, and enforcement actions and investigations terminated, 11 fundamental laws and rules governing consumer financial services are unlikely to change, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • 10 Soft Skills Every GC Should Master

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    As businesses face shifting regulatory and technological uncertainty, general counsel will need to strengthen certain soft skills to succeed, from admitting when they make a mistake to maintaining a healthy dose of dispassion, says Douglas Brown at Manatt.

  • How Proxy Advisory Firms Are Approaching AI And DEI

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    Institutional Shareholder Services' and Glass Lewis' annual updates to their proxy voting guidelines reflect some of the biggest issues of the day, including artificial intelligence and DEI, and companies should parse these changes carefully, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.

  • 6 Criteria Can Help Assess Executive Branch Actions

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    With new executive policy changes announced seemingly every day, several questions can help courts, policymakers and businesses determine whether such actions are proper, effective and in keeping with our democratic norms, say Marc Levin and Khalil Cumberbatch at the Council on Criminal Justice.

  • Opinion

    Administrative Disaster At Bankruptcy Courts May Be In Sight

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    If, as a result of voluntary resignations or terminations, the professional staff of the U.S. Trustee's Office is depleted, it will undoubtedly cause a slowdown in the administrative process for the significant majority of bankruptcy cases, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.

  • Reviving A Dormant Criminal Statute In Antitrust Prosecution

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    The U.S. Department of Justice is poised to revive a dormant misdemeanor statute to resolve bid-rigging charges against a foreign national, providing important context to a recent effort to entice foreign defendants to take responsibility for pending charges or face the risk of extradition, say attorneys at Axinn.

  • End May Be In Sight For Small Biz Set-Aside Programs

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    A Jan. 21 executive order largely disarming the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, along with recent court rulings, suggests that the administration may soon attempt to eliminate set-asides intended to level the award playing field for small business contractors that qualify under socioeconomic programs, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Traversing The Shifting Sands Of ESG Reporting Compliance

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    Multinational corporations have increasingly found themselves between a rock and a hard place attempting to comply with EU and California ESG requirements while not running afoul of expanding U.S. anti-ESG regimes, but focusing on what is material to shareholder value and establishing strong governance can help, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • An Unrestrained, Bright-Eyed View Of Legal AI's Future

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    Todd Itami at Covington offers a bright-eyed, laughing-all-the-way, skydive look at what the legal industry could look like after an artificial intelligence revolution, which he believes may happen much sooner and more dramatically than we expect.

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