Public Policy

  • April 23, 2026

    Former Ga. State Rep. Avoids Prison For Unemployment Fraud

    A former Georgia state representative who stepped down this year amid allegations that she fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic avoided prison time Thursday as a federal judge sentenced her to time served.

  • April 23, 2026

    9th Circuit Clash Flares Over Idaho Tribal Land Swap Decision

    The Ninth Circuit's rejection of a global agribusiness' efforts to reverse the invalidation of an Idaho federal land transfer drew the ire of seven Republican-appointed judges, who said in a dissent that the majority is blocking the government's administration of the property that was once owned by an Indigenous nation.

  • April 23, 2026

    UK Collected £944M From Digital Services Tax In Past Year

    The United Kingdom collected £944 million ($1.27 billion) from its digital services tax during the 2025-2026 fiscal year, about 0.001% of the country's total tax take, HM Revenue & Customs said Thursday.

  • April 23, 2026

    ICE Courthouse Arrest Policy Faces New Stay Bid After Error

    Civil rights groups suing the U.S. government to block immigration courthouse arrests asked a New York federal judge to stay the enforcement of the arrest policy, arguing that government attorneys have retracted their original position on the legality of the arrests.

  • April 23, 2026

    DOJ Watchdog To Review Handling Of Epstein Files

    The U.S. Department of Justice watchdog announced Thursday that it will be reviewing the department's release of the Epstein files after much bipartisan pushback that it has been slow and error-ridden.

  • April 23, 2026

    Belgian Lawmakers Push Gov't For 3% Digital Services Tax

    Belgian lawmakers have introduced a bill to create a 3% digital services tax on revenue that large multinational corporations derive from the country, pushing the governing coalition to follow through on a pledge to adopt the unilateral measure if international negotiations on an alternative fail.

  • April 23, 2026

    NJ Judicial Privacy Law Beats Political Group's Challenge

    A federal judge ruled this week that the New Jersey judicial privacy measure Daniel's Law does not violate the First Amendment rights of a Democratic campaign finance and fundraising company, finding the law serves a compelling purpose in protecting judges and others from violence.

  • April 23, 2026

    Mich. Councilman Says Suit Over 'Legislative Speech' Barred

    A Hillsdale city councilman has urged a Michigan federal court to dismiss a businessman's $1.5 million suit over remarks made during a library board appointment debate, arguing the claims are barred by absolute legislative immunity and rest on speculation rather than plausible facts. 

  • April 23, 2026

    Mo. County's Tax Appeal Process Unfair, State Auditor Finds

    A Missouri county's equalization board disadvantaged taxpayers by failing to place the burden of proof on the county Assessment Department during appeals, the state auditor reported Thursday.

  • April 23, 2026

    Canada PM Carney Announces US Trade Advisory Committee

    Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently announced the formation of a new advisory committee on U.S. economic relations in advance of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement's joint review later this year.

  • April 23, 2026

    Car Wash Workers Say ICE Racially Profiled Them During Raid

    Seven workers at a Massachusetts car wash lodged a Federal Tort Claims Act action alleging they were racially profiled during an immigration raid, saying the officers lacked warrants and made "no meaningful effort" to confirm their status before arresting them.

  • April 23, 2026

    7th Circ. Won't Revive Ex-Indiana Worker's Disability Bias Suit

    The Seventh Circuit backed the Indiana Department of Transportation's defeat of a former employee's lawsuit alleging she was fired for needing to work from home because of her kidney transplant, saying she couldn't overcome the agency's explanation that she was insubordinate and performed poorly.

  • April 23, 2026

    DOJ Says Medical Pot Shift Shouldn't Affect Gun Rights Case

    Despite an order from the U.S. Department of Justice loosening federal restrictions on medical marijuana, the Trump administration signaled Thursday that it does not intend for the changes to cannabis regulation to apply retroactively.

  • April 23, 2026

    DOJ Final Order Loosens Rules For State-Legal Medical Pot

    The U.S. Department of Justice published a final order Thursday loosening federal restrictions on medical marijuana products that fall within the ambit of state-regulated programs or have approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

  • April 22, 2026

    CFPB Curbs Fair Lending Oversight In Latest Reg Rollback

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has moved to curtail enforcement of a decades-old federal fair lending statute, finalizing a rule that consumer advocates are condemning as an evisceration of antidiscrimination oversight.

  • April 22, 2026

    House GOP Again Pushes Data Privacy Bill To Override States

    House Republicans on Wednesday took their latest crack at establishing a cohesive nationwide data privacy framework, floating legislation that would give consumers more control over their personal information while preempting a growing patchwork of state laws, although early criticisms indicate that the issues that have long stymied these efforts persist.

  • April 22, 2026

    Anthropic Slams Hegseth's Security Risk Label At DC Circ.

    Anthropic Wednesday asked the D.C. Circuit to overturn the U.S. Department of Defense's action branding it a supply chain risk, saying the decision was retaliation for the artificial intelligence company's refusal to provide the Trump administration with technology for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons.

  • April 22, 2026

    Hagens Berman, Others Seek To Co-Lead PFAS Fire Gear Suit

    Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP and four other firms have urged a Montana federal judge to appoint them as co-lead class counsel in PFAS firefighter gear litigation by cities and municipalities against 3M, Dupont and others, arguing they were the first to file suit, which inspired multiple "copycat" actions.

  • April 22, 2026

    Antitrust Panel Chief Raises Concerns On RV Part Cos. Merger

    Two of the nation's biggest RV part suppliers are talking about merging, and it's got the head of the Senate's subcommittee on antitrust issues concerned — he's written to the companies to tell them that their union would warrant "close scrutiny."

  • April 22, 2026

    Kratom Interests Insist Utah Law Preempted

    The Global Kratom Coalition and a seller of dietary supplements are urging a federal court to block Utah's law reining in the psychoactive products derived from the kratom leaf, arguing it is preempted by federal food and drug laws.

  • April 22, 2026

    Feds Must Give Records On Trans Military Ban, Judge Says

    A Washington federal court has ordered the Trump administration to produce records underlying its decision to bar transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military, rejecting a distinction the administration carved between trans individuals and individuals with gender dysphoria.

  • April 22, 2026

    Alabama AG Secures $12.2M Roblox Kid Safety Deal

    The Alabama attorney general has announced a $12.2 million deal with popular gaming platform Roblox that would add age restrictions and more parental controls to protect children from online sexual predators.

  • April 22, 2026

    Feds Urge 9th Circ. To Lift Block On Calif. Border Patrol Sweeps

    The government urged the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday to lift an injunction barring Border Patrol from warrantless arrests and detentive stops without probable cause and reasonable suspicion, arguing that the plaintiffs lack standing, because they have "no good basis to believe they themselves will be subject to future unlawful stops."

  • April 22, 2026

    Cruise Ship Wi-Fi Plan Could Skew Ocean Data, NAS Says

    A plan to expand wireless device access on cruise ships might cause rough sailing for those who study the oceans from afar using the 6 gigahertz spectrum band, the National Academy of Sciences has warned.

  • April 22, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Calif. Can't Force Federal Agents To Display ID

    A Ninth Circuit panel temporarily blocked California from enforcing part of a law requiring law enforcement officers, including federal immigration agents, to visibly display identification, ruling it is likely unconstitutional.

Expert Analysis

  • NY RAISE Act Raises The Bar For Frontier AI Developers

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    For organizations developing or substantially modifying highly capable artificial intelligence models, the New York Responsible AI Safety and Education Act represents a meaningful escalation beyond California's S.B. 53, even though it applies to a narrower group of developers, so companies should expect additional obligations, particularly around accelerated incident reporting, say attorneys at Kilpatrick.

  • Takeaways From CFPB's Retreat On Immigrant Fair Lending

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    Practices discouraged under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Justice Department's 2023 statement on the treatment of immigration status under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act may now be permissible following its recent withdrawal, making it crucial for lenders to follow unfolding fair lending developments in this area, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • What DOJ's New Trade Fraud Push Means For Cos.

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's announcement this week that it is elevating trade fraud to an economic and national security imperative sends an unmistakable message to multinational corporations, importers, compliance professionals and supply chain managers that the days of laissez-faire enforcement are over, says Markus Funk at White & Case.

  • How New Texas Law Streamlines Eviction Proceedings

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    A recent legislative change to the Texas Property Code overhauls the state's eviction process and makes it more difficult for nonpaying tenants to challenge evictions, likely yielding a faster and cheaper procedure that will encourage timely rent payment and lease compliance, says Maddison Craig at Munsch Hardt.

  • Bank Action Items For FDIC Digital Display Rule Compliance

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    Recently finalized Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. rules enhance the flexibility of signage requirements for bank websites, digital banking applications and ATMs, but new compliance hurdles will require cross-functional resources to avoid risk ahead of next year's compliance deadline, say attorneys at Winthrop & Weinstine.

  • Opinion

    A TVPRA Safe Harbor Would Boost Antitrafficking Efforts

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    Adding a well-thought-out safe harbor measure to the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, which is currently up for amendment and reauthorization, would motivate proactive cooperation from hotels and other businesses to combat sex trafficking, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • AI-Generated Doc Ruling Guides Attys On Privilege Risks

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    A New York federal court's ruling, in U.S. v. Heppner, that documents created by a defendant using an artificial intelligence tool were not privileged, can serve as a guide to attorneys for retaining attorney-client or work-product privilege over client documents created with AI, say attorneys at Sher Tremonte.

  • How To Turn EU AI Act Disclosures Into Patent Assets

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    As the Aug. 2 deadline approaches to comply with provisions of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act governing high-risk AI systems, intellectual property and AI leaders should consider steps to leverage documentation requirements to surface patentable subject matter, reinforce inventive-step narratives and align regulatory timelines with patent filing strategy, say Lestin Kenton, Roozbeh Gorgin and Ananth Josyula at Sterne Kessler.

  • The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Leadership Strategy After Day 1

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    For law firm leaders, ensuring a newly combined law firm lives up to its promise, both in its first days of operation and well after, includes tough decisions, clear and specific communication, and cheerleading, says Peter Michaud at Ballard Spahr.

  • The Challenges Of Detecting Event Contract Manipulation

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    While concerns about possible manipulation and insider trading in event contracts have increasingly been raised by market observers, distinguishing a speculative position from a hedge and effective surveillance make regulation difficult, particularly as the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission argues for exclusive jurisdiction to do so, say economic consultants at the Brattle Group.

  • How US Liability Law Is Becoming The Primary Regulator Of AI

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    Comprehensive federal AI regulation remains fragmented and uncertain — but U.S. courts, applying long-standing doctrines of liability and responsibility, are actively shaping how AI systems are designed, deployed and governed, and companies are aligning their AI practices because courts may hold them accountable if they do not, says Alexander Lima at Wesco International.

  • How New HSR Thresholds, Fees Could Affect Enforcement

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    While the Federal Trade Commission's new thresholds and filing fees for the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act are not expected to materially affect the number of required HSR filings, or the percentage or focus of second requests, increased filing fees may give agencies dedicated resources to bring enforcement actions, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Methods For Challenging State Civil Investigative Demands

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    Ongoing challenges to enforcement actions underscore the uphill battle businesses face in arguing that a state investigation is prohibited by federal law, but when properly deployed, these arguments present a viable strategy to resist civil investigative demands issued by state attorneys general, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Monetizing EV Charging Stations For Long-Term Success

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    An electric vehicle charging station's longevity hinges on monetizing operations through diverse revenue streams, contractual documentation of charge point operators' and site hosts' rights and responsibilities, and ensuring reliability and security of facilities, says Levi McAllister at Morgan Lewis.

  • Calif.'s Civility Push Shows Why Professionalism Is Vital

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    The California Bar’s campaign against discourteous behavior by attorneys, including a newly required annual civility oath, reflects a growing concern among states that professionalism in law needs shoring up — and recognizes that maintaining composure even when stressed is key to both succeeding professionally and maintaining faith in the legal system, says Lucy Wang at Hinshaw.

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