Public Policy

  • February 13, 2026

    Blair's Think Tank Urges UK Gov't To End Energy Windfall Tax

    The U.K.'s Labour government must phase out the windfall tax on the energy industry and lift the ban on new oil and gas drilling licenses in the North Sea to increase revenue long term, the Tony Blair Institute said Friday.

  • February 13, 2026

    DHS Terminating Temporary Protected Status For Yemen

    U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Friday said she has decided to terminate temporary protected status for Yemen.

  • February 13, 2026

    DOJ Suit Alleges Harvard Withholding Admissions Data

    The Trump administration hit Harvard University with a suit Friday claiming that the college has illegally withheld data necessary to determine whether it is following the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling outlawing affirmative action in admissions.

  • February 12, 2026

    Judiciary Issues 'Rule Of Law' Ethics Guidance For Judges

    Federal judiciary advisers Thursday sought to clarify ethical boundaries for judges wading into politically charged legal waters, saying jurists can rebut "illegitimate criticism" and urge stronger security amid fears of violence while also eschewing "demeaning" or "acerbic" rhetoric.

  • February 12, 2026

    Trump Admin. Blocked From Cutting $600M In Health Funding

    An Illinois federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from terminating more than $600 million in public health funding to four Democratic-led states, saying the states will likely succeed in showing they are unconstitutionally being targeted due to political or policy objectives.

  • February 12, 2026

    FTC Merger Filing Overhaul Thrown Out

    The Federal Trade Commission hasn't shown the costs on merging companies outweigh the claimed benefits of dramatically increasing the amount of information that must be provided upfront when giving notice of a transaction, a Texas federal judge said Thursday, throwing out the commission's overhaul of premerger reporting requirements.

  • February 12, 2026

    5 Key Flashpoints From Fed's 'Skinny' Account Proposal

    The Federal Reserve's push to create "skinny" master accounts that would open up access to U.S. payment rails has become the latest front in long-running turf wars between banks and fintech companies. Here are five of the project's hottest flashpoints attracting controversy.

  • February 12, 2026

    EPA Targets High Court Do-Over With GHG Rule Repeal

    The Trump administration's removal of the link between greenhouse gases and public health takes aim at the U.S. Supreme Court's 2007 landmark determination that GHGs are air pollutants, and will spark a prolonged battle with consequent uncertainty for industries.

  • February 12, 2026

    Affairs, Spending Come Out In Goldstein Cross-Examination

    SCOTUSblog founder Thomas Goldstein was confronted Thursday with allegations of extramarital affairs, lavish spending and lies on asset disclosures, all in front of the jury in his ongoing tax fraud trial.

  • February 12, 2026

    5th Circ. Upholds Texas Ban On Compensated Vote Harvesting

    The Fifth Circuit on Thursday reinstated enforcement of Texas' felony ban on compensated vote harvesting, saying that hypothetical scenarios are not enough to claim that a law is unconstitutional.

  • February 12, 2026

    US Sets 15% Tariff On Taiwanese Imports In Trade Deal

    Taiwan has agreed to lift nearly all of its tariffs on U.S. imports and pledged to purchase nearly $85 billion in American goods in exchange for a 15% tariff on Taiwanese goods, according to a reciprocal trade deal signed Thursday.

  • February 12, 2026

    DC Judge Skeptical Funding Lapse Settles ICE Visit Policy Row

    A D.C. federal judge considered Thursday whether the U.S. Department of Homeland Security permissibly used a funding gap to freshen up a policy requiring a week's notice for congressional oversight visits, or if a longstanding spending rider prohibits the move.

  • February 12, 2026

    7th Circ. Takes Up BIPA Amendment's Retroactivity

    The Seventh Circuit heard arguments Thursday over whether a liability-limiting amendment to Illinois' biometric privacy law has retroactive application to lawsuits filed before it took effect, with one judge on the panel saying it seemed like "billions of dollars of consequences turn on how we label the change."

  • February 12, 2026

    Challenge To 3D-Printed Gun Law Fails, 3rd Circ. Rules

    The First Amendment does not protect the distribution of "purely functional code" that would allow for the 3D printing of guns, the Third Circuit ruled Thursday, ending a challenge to a New Jersey law from a Texas-based firearm company and a gun rights group.

  • February 12, 2026

    IRS Guidance Offers Relief In Energy Credits' Sourcing Limits

    The IRS issued interim guidance Thursday providing two safe harbor options for clean energy facilities or manufacturers of energy components to determine the extent to which they received material assistance from an entity tied to a foreign government that the U.S. deems adversarial.

  • February 12, 2026

    Row Over Forensic Expert Testimony Hits NC High Court

    Prosecutors are urging North Carolina's highest court to uphold a drug conviction thrown out on appeal, saying an appellate court deemed a key forensic expert's trial testimony unconstitutional using a flawed interpretation of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 decision in Smith v. Arizona.

  • February 12, 2026

    SEC's Atkins Rejects Top Dem's Crypto Corruption Claims

    U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins on Thursday pushed back on claims his agency dropped against cryptocurrency firms as a political favor to President Donald Trump, telling Senate Democrats a "changed attitude" by the commission led to the dismissals.

  • February 12, 2026

    12 Questions For FCC Chair Brendan Carr

    It's been a "banger" of a year at the Federal Communications Commission, says agency chief Brendan Carr, who took over at the outset of President Donald Trump's second term with the goal of cutting regulations and quickly turning over more spectrum to the private sector.

  • February 12, 2026

    Wash. Justices To Hear Gym's Suit Over COVID-Era Inspection

    Washington's highest court will review an appellate ruling that state labor department inspectors violated an Anytime Fitness owner's reasonable expectation of privacy when they tailgated a gym member who used a key card to enter the facility during the COVID-19 pandemic, when businesses were supposed to be shuttered.

  • February 12, 2026

    DC Judge Won't Bow To DOJ, Public Criticism On TPS Ruling

    A D.C. federal judge who said she has been receiving threats and personal insults after she temporarily blocked the Trump administration from terminating Temporary Protected Status for Haitians refused to pause her ruling, saying judges will not be intimidated by public threats.

  • February 12, 2026

    Bipartisan Bill Targets Scam Ads On Social Media Platforms

    Federal lawmakers are pushing to require social media companies to crack down on fraudulent advertising on their platforms under new bipartisan legislation that is drawing praise from banking and consumer groups.

  • February 12, 2026

    Trump Admin EV Funding Cuts Suits Merged In Wash. Court

    A Washington federal judge has consolidated two lawsuits seeking to stop the Trump administration from preventing nearly $2.5 billion in congressionally appropriated funds from going to electric vehicle charging infrastructure programs.

  • February 12, 2026

    HPE Has 'No Grounds' To Hide DOJ Deal Bidders, AGs Say

    Democratic attorneys general challenging the controversial Justice Department settlement permitting Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks have urged a California federal judge to let them see who's bidding for assets up for divestiture, arguing the would-be buyers are an integral part of the agreement's viability.

  • February 12, 2026

    Tesla Says Case Transfer Boosts Mandamus Bid In PTAB Fight

    A Texas federal judge's decision to send patent infringement litigation against Tesla Inc. to California strengthens the automaker's mandamus petition claiming the Patent Trial and Appeal Board wrongly turned away its challenges, Tesla told the Federal Circuit.

  • February 12, 2026

    DC Circ. Judge Rips Into Insurer In CMS Rating Case

    A Louisiana insurer found a tough critic in one D.C. Circuit judge Thursday as it argued that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services used an unfair method to assess its "star ratings" for insurance plans, with the jurist saying the company seemed like it "just wanted whatever interpretation will give you a higher score."

Expert Analysis

  • SEC Rulemaking Radar: A Reset, A Shift And A Preview Of '26

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    With major proposals withdrawn and new priorities emerging, forthcoming U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposals in 2026 will look to reshape how digital assets are regulated, recalibrate market structure and simplify how small companies go public, says Christopher Grobbel at Goodwin.

  • Changes In Crypto, Cybersecurity Defined NY Banking In 2025

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    The major takeaways from 2025 in New York banking policy involve updated guidance, regulations and requirements primarily affecting innovation and digital banking, in areas such as cybersecurity, virtual currencies, and buy now, pay later programs, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • Opinion

    Justices Should Clarify Loper Bright Doctrine Via Patent Case

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    The U.S. Supreme Court should use the Lynk Labs v. Samsung patent case to provide urgently needed guidance on how last year’s Loper Bright decision should be applied to real-world questions of agency authority in the post-Chevron world, says Timothy Hsieh at Oklahoma City University School of Law.

  • How OECD Tax Update Tackles Mobile Workforce Complexity

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    The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s recently updated model tax convention — a recalibration of international tax principles in response to an increasingly mobile workforce — should prompt companies to reevaluate cross-border operations, transfer pricing policies and tax controversy strategies, say attorneys at Eversheds.

  • Reviewing 2025's Most Pertinent Wiretap Developments

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    2025 was a remarkable year in the world of web tracking wiretapping litigation, not only for the increased caseload but also because of numerous developing theories of liability, with disputes expected to continue unabated in 2026, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • 2025 Legal Milestones That Will Shape Psychedelics Sector

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    As 2025 draws to a close, psychedelic drug development stands at an inflection point, experiencing unprecedented momentum through recent sweeping regulatory changes and landmark clinical milestones, amid rapidly evolving regulatory expectations, say Odette Hauke at Odette Alina LLC and Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell.

  • M&A Midmarket Shows Resilience Amid 2025 Challenges

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    Midmarket mergers and acquisitions showed a slight decline in volume but climbed in value for much of 2025, particularly in the private equity space, indicating that the middle market M&A environment is cautious but steady heading into 2026, say attorneys at Stoel Rives.

  • Del. Dispatch: Key 2025 Corporate Cases And Trends To Know

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    The Delaware corporate legal landscape saw notable changes in 2025, spurred by amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law, ubiquitous artificial intelligence fervor, boardroom discussion around DExit, record shareholder activism activity and an arguably more expansive view of potential Caremark liability, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Series

    Nature Photography Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Nature photography reminds me to focus on what is in front of me and to slow down to achieve success, and, in embracing the value of viewing situations through different lenses, offers skills transferable to the practice of law, says Brian Willett at Saul Ewing.

  • 2025 Brought A New Paradigm For Federal Banking Regulation

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    A series of thematic shifts defined banking regulation in 2025, including a fundamental reform of prudential supervision, a strategic easing of capital constraints, steps to streamline merger reviews, and a new framework for fair access and entrants seeking to offer banking services, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • What 2025 Transpo And Logistics Legal Trends Mean For 2026

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    2025 was challenging for the transportation and logistics sector, with emergent trends including dramatic federal policy shifts, developments in tort risk, and a host of mergers and acquisitions — but a review of these themes offers a useful playbook for where the industry is headed in 2026, says Jonathan Todd at Benesch.

  • How Cos. Can Roll With NY's New Algorithmic Pricing Rules

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    Despite uncertainty from New York’s new ban on artificial intelligence and computer algorithms for setting rents, and efforts to further restrict individualizing prices based on consumers' personal data, property managers, software providers and merchants can take several steps to stay compliant, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • 2025 State AI Laws Expand Liability, Raise Insurance Risks

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    As 2025 nears its end, claims professionals should be aware of trends in state legislation addressing artificial intelligence use, as insurance claims based on some of these liability-expanding statutes are a certainty, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practical Problem Solving

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    Issue-spotting skills are well honed in law school, but practicing attorneys must also identify clients’ problems and true goals, and then be able to provide solutions, says Mary Kate Hogan at Quarles & Brady.

  • Crypto In 2025: From Federal Deregulation To State Action

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    The cryptocurrency enforcement landscape evolved in 2025, marked by federal deregulatory trends and active state attorney general enforcement, creating both opportunity and risk for businesses navigating the digital asset market, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

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