Public Policy

  • May 22, 2025

    Alaska Airlines Grilled In Wash. COVID Workers' Comp Case

    Members of Washington's highest court cast doubt Thursday about Alaska Airlines' stance in a flight attendant's COVID-19 workers' compensation case, with several justices seemingly frustrated by the employer's attempt to draw a line between covered occupational disease and sickness that develops during job-related travel.

  • May 22, 2025

    FCC Clamps Down On 'Bad Labs' Seen As Security Threats

    Labs that test communications equipment flowing to the U.S. market will get a security makeover after a vote Thursday by the Federal Communications Commission.

  • May 22, 2025

    Senators Unveil DNA Privacy Bill Amid 23andMe's Ch. 11 Sale

    A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Thursday introduced a bill designed to safeguard customers' genetic information in bankruptcy cases, saying 23andMe's plan to sell users' DNA data to a pharmaceutical company during its Chapter 11 raises new concerns surrounding consumer privacy.

  • May 22, 2025

    Fla. Can't End Tech Groups' Challenge To Social Media Law

    A Florida federal judge on Thursday denied the state's motion to dismiss a complaint brought by technology groups challenging a Florida law restricting social media companies from blocking political candidates, ruling that the plaintiffs have standing to sue on behalf of their members.

  • May 22, 2025

    Justices Urged To Undo Denial Of Fast Track For Gastro Drug

    Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the Food and Drug Administration's decision denying fast-track approval for its gastroparesis drug tradipitant, saying it meets the statutory standard for fast-track review as a new treatment with the "potential to address unmet medical needs."

  • May 22, 2025

    Calif. Judge Likely To Extend Block On Gov't Reorg, Job Cuts

    A California federal judge indicated Thursday she'll likely convert her temporary restraining order into a preliminary injunction against President Donald Trump's executive order to reduce the federal workforce, saying the law "seems clear" that presidents cannot issue large-scale agency reductions without congressional approval and "to hold otherwise" would contradict nine previous presidents and 21 congresses.

  • May 22, 2025

    Rehab Greenhouse Violated Zoning Rules, Conn. Justices Say

    A drug rehab center's attempt to operate a 2,100-square-foot plastic greenhouse as a therapy facility on a northwestern Connecticut farm was an impermissible expansion of a previous nonconforming land use, the state's highest court ruled Thursday, overturning the center's earlier appellate court victory in a zoning dispute.

  • May 22, 2025

    Medical Pot Patient's Bias Suit Against Penske Can Proceed

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has refused to dismiss a discrimination case brought by a medical marijuana patient alleging a unit of Penske Corp. unlawfully rescinded his job offer.

  • May 22, 2025

    Suit Slams 'Abrupt And Unlawful' DOJ Grant Terminations

    Five nonprofit and community organizations whose grants were terminated by the U.S. Department of Justice have launched a class action lawsuit in D.C. federal court challenging the department's "abrupt and unlawful" cancellation of $820 million in grant funding.

  • May 22, 2025

    Florida AG Wants Block On Immigration Law Paused

    The state of Florida told the Eleventh Circuit Wednesday that a block on a state law criminalizing the entry of unauthorized immigrants should be paused, arguing that the law's challengers are trying to "push precedent past its breaking point" and have no standing to enforce federal immigration law.

  • May 22, 2025

    As Trump Wields FCA, Whistleblowers May See 'Dollar Signs'

    The Trump administration's plan to use the False Claims Act to target diversity programs and alleged civil rights fraud steers a well-worn statute into uncharted territory, and could spur significant whistleblower activity amid high-profile battles with Harvard University, BigLaw firms and other institutions, experts told Law360.

  • May 22, 2025

    US, Swiss Medtech Groups Push For Tariff-Free Trade

    Eliminating tariffs for imported medical technologies between the U.S. and Switzerland and new regulatory fast-track processes would safeguard the two countries from potentially catastrophic supply chain disruptions, according to a recent statement issued by top medical technology company trade associations in the U.S. and Switzerland.

  • May 22, 2025

    Ill. AG, Trump Tower Strike $4.8M Deal To End Wastewater Row

    Illinois' attorney general announced Thursday that the state has struck a deal with the owners of Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago to resolve litigation over the hotel's continual underreporting of the amount of wastewater it discharges into the Chicago River, in violation of environmental laws.

  • May 22, 2025

    Federal Gov't Backs States' BlackRock Coal Investments Suit

    The federal government on Thursday threw its support behind a case from Texas and several other states that accuses investment groups including BlackRock Inc. of using their energy holdings to drive up coal prices under the guise of environmental concerns.

  • May 22, 2025

    Int'l Student Visa Record Terminations Blocked Nationwide

    A California federal judge barred the Trump administration on Thursday from detaining foreign students who had their electronic F-1 student visa records terminated, and from imposing any additional adverse legal consequences on affected international students across the country.

  • May 22, 2025

    FCC Eyes More Satellite Use Across 4 Spectrum Bands

    The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday took the next step in plans to open multiple spectrum bands to more extensive satellite use by proposing changes that officials say could free up a total of 20,000 megahertz for space-based communications.

  • May 22, 2025

    Neb. Gov. Rejects Letting Districts Tax Outside Property

    A Nebraska bill to let some local taxing districts impose taxes on property outside their boundaries, and to create statewide standards for inspections by public housing authorities, was vetoed by the state's governor.

  • May 22, 2025

    Congress Kills Calif. EV Program Waiver, Other Climate Rules

    Congress on Thursday sent President Donald Trump four resolutions undoing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency actions, including the Biden-era approval of California's effort to ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles in the state, drawing a promise of litigation from the state.

  • May 22, 2025

    DHS Says Harvard Int'l Students Must Transfer Or Leave US

    Harvard University international students must transfer away from the university or lose their legal status, the Trump administration said, after it stripped the university of its ability to enroll foreign students in the latest salvo in the showdown between the government and the Ivy League institution.

  • May 22, 2025

    Justices Allow Trump To Fire NLRB, MSPB Members, For Now

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled two fired members of the National Labor Relations Board and the Merit Systems Protection Board cannot return to work while they challenge President Donald Trump's authority to fire them without cause, handing the president a win in his crusade against a 90-year-old precedent limiting his power to fire employees at independent agencies.

  • May 22, 2025

    Coalition Backs Calif. Tribe's Fight Over $700M Casino Project

    A coalition of tribes weighed in on a dispute over the federal government's decision to rescind gambling eligibility for the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians' $700 million casino project, questioning the federal government's perceived acquiescence to pushback from other tribes.

  • May 22, 2025

    Judge Asks If DEI Is Now 'Homogeneity, Inequity And Exclusion'

    A Massachusetts federal judge considering a challenge to the Trump administration's cuts to hundreds of National Institutes of Health grants pressed the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday for its definition of diversity, equity and inclusion, at one point asking hypothetically whether the government's policy is now "homogeneity, inequity and exclusion."

  • May 22, 2025

    Pa. House Rep Asks 3rd Circ. For Immunity In Robocall Suit

    Counsel for a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives told the Third Circuit on Thursday that a federal judge was wrong to conclude the lawmaker was not immune from a Telephone Consumer Protection Act lawsuit over recorded phone messages he sent to constituents.

  • May 22, 2025

    Columbia Student Says 2nd Circ. Backs Removal Challenge

    A Columbia University student who says she is being unlawfully targeted by the Trump administration for deportation after attending a pro-Palestine demonstration told a New York federal judge that recent Second Circuit decisions bolster her challenge to her imminent detention.

  • May 22, 2025

    Marshals Pick Advances As Dems Seek Move From DOJ

    President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Marshals Service was voted out of committee on Thursday, the same day Democrats introduced legislation to move the agency from the executive to judicial branch to prevent the potential weaponization of the marshals.

Expert Analysis

  • How Attys Can Use A Therapy Model To Help Triggered Clients

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    Attorneys can lean on key principles from a psychotherapeutic paradigm known as the "Internal Family Systems" model to help manage triggered clients and get settlement negotiations back on track, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.

  • A Tale Of Two Admins: Parsing 1st Half Of SEC's FY 2025

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    The first half of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's fiscal year 2025, which ended March 31, was unusually eventful, marked by a flurry of enforcement actions in the last three months of former Chair Gary Gensler's tenure and a prompt pivot after Inauguration Day, say attorneys at Jones Day.

  • A Closer Look At Amendments To Virginia Noncompete Ban

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    Recently passed amendments in Virignia will prohibit noncompetes for all employees who are eligible for overtime pay under federal law, and though the changes could simplify employers’ analyses as to restrictive covenant enforceability, it may require them to reassess and potentially adjust their use of noncompetes with some workers, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • What Bank Regulator Consolidation Would Mean For Industry

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    Speculation over the Trump administration’s potential plans to consolidate financial service regulators is intensifying uncertainty, but no matter the outcome for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the industry should expect continued policy changes, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Getting Ahead Of The SEC's Continued Focus On Cyber, AI

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is showing it will continue to scrutinize actions involving cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, but there are proactive measures that companies and financial institutions can take to avoid regulatory scrutiny going forward, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Navigating Florida's Bad Faith Reforms After Appellate Ruling

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    A Florida appellate court's recent decision is among the first to interpret two significant amendments to the state's insurance bad faith law, and its holding that one of the statutes could not apply retroactively may affect insurers' interpretation of the other statute, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • 3 Steps For In-House Counsel To Assess Litigation Claims

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    Before a potential economic downturn, in-house attorneys should investigate whether their company is sitting on hidden litigation claims that could unlock large recoveries to help the business withstand tough times, says Will Burgess at Hilgers Graben.

  • IRS And ICE Info Sharing Could Drive Payroll Tax Enforcement

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    Tax crimes are historically difficult to prosecute, but the Internal Revenue Services’ recent agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to share taxpayer records of non-U.S. citizens could be used to enhance payroll tax-related enforcement against their employers, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Breaking Down Ill. Bellwether Case For Bank Preemption

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    The banking industry's pending lawsuit against the state of Illinois stands to permanently enjoin state regulation of bank card processing, as well as clarify the outstanding and consequential issue of whether conflict preemption continues to cover third parties in certain circumstances, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.

  • Despite SEC Climate Pause, Cos. Must Still Heed State Regs

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    While businesses may have been given a reprieve from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's rules aimed at standardizing climate-related disclosures, they must still track evolving requirements in states including California, Illinois, New Jersey and New York that will soon require reporting of direct and indirect carbon emissions, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • A Primer On The Trading And Clearing Of Perpetual Contracts

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    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission recently released a request for comment on the trading and clearing of perpetual-style derivatives, most common in the cryptocurrency market, necessitating a deep look at how these contracts operate and their associated risks, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Series

    Teaching College Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving as an adjunct college professor has taught me the importance of building rapport, communicating effectively, and persuading individuals to critically analyze the difference between what they think and what they know — principles that have helped to improve my practice of law, says Sheria Clarke at Nelson Mullins.

  • 5 Areas Contractors Should Watch After 1st 100 Days

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    Federal agencies and contractors face challenges from staff reductions, contract terminations, pending regulatory reform and other actions from the second Trump administration's first 100 days, but other areas stand to become more efficient and cost-effective, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Planning For Open Banking Despite CFPB Uncertainty

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    Though pending litigation or new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau leadership may reshape the Biden-era regulation governing access to consumer financial data, companies can use this uncertain period to take practical steps toward an open banking strategy that will work regardless of the rule’s ultimate form, says Adam Maarec at McGlinchey Stafford.

  • Crunching The Numbers Of Trump SEC's 1st 100 Days

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    During the first 100 days of the second Trump administration, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission brought significantly fewer stand-alone enforcement actions than at the beginning of the Biden and the first Trump administrations, with every one of the federal court complaints including allegations of fraudulent conduct, say attorneys at Dentons.

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