Public Policy

  • August 18, 2025

    DEA Asks Health Officials To Review Psilocybin Rescheduling

    The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has transmitted a request to loosen federal restrictions on psilocybin, the main compound in psychoactive mushrooms, to federal health officials for a scientific and medical analysis, according to emails reviewed by Law360.

  • August 18, 2025

    Vt. Says It Has The Authority To Enact Climate Superfund Law

    Vermont has urged a federal judge to dismiss lawsuits challenging its recently enacted climate change Superfund law, saying it's a valid exercise of the state's authority to raise revenue and protect its citizens against environmental harms.

  • August 18, 2025

    AmeriCorps Restores $400M In Slashed Grants, Judge Told

    AmeriCorps told a Maryland federal judge Monday that the agency restored around $400 million in funding to nonprofits canceled under the Trump administration in April, saying the government doesn't plan to ax grants before they end.

  • August 18, 2025

    Minn. Judge Orders ICE To Release Breastfeeding Mom

    A Minnesota federal judge has ordered immigration officials to release a Salvadoran mom of two U.S. citizen children who is still breastfeeding one of them, rejecting the Trump administration's argument that she is subject to mandatory detention.

  • August 18, 2025

    Treasury Seeks Input On Tech To Combat Crypto Crimes

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Monday asked the public to share feedback on how novel technologies might be used to detect and thwart illicit crypto activity, fulfilling a directive under a recently signed bill to regulate stable value tokens.

  • August 18, 2025

    Ohio State Court Finds Google Is Not A Common Carrier

    An Ohio state court has ruled that Google's search engine does not qualify as a common carrier that would be subject to heightened oversight, finding that Google does not transport products for others or claim that its search results are "indifferent."

  • August 18, 2025

    RI, Wash. Say 2nd Circ. Dormant Commerce Pot Ruling Is Inapt

    Officials from Rhode Island and Washington state have said in separate letters to federal circuit courts that the Second Circuit's determination last week that the Constitution's dormant commerce clause applied to marijuana should not affect their pending appeals in related cases.

  • August 18, 2025

    DOJ Loses Bid To End Custody Protections For Migrant Kids

    A California federal judge denied the Trump administration's push to end a decades-old settlement governing the custody of detained immigrant children, urging the government to fulfill its promises if it wants to see the agreement ended.

  • August 18, 2025

    Del. OKs Property Tax Installment Payments, Refund Change

    Delaware made property tax changes, including allowing installment payments and changing refund rules, under bills signed by the governor.

  • August 18, 2025

    Electronics-Makers Urge FCC To Extend Hearing Aid Standards

    The wireless industry and its device manufacturers are once again defending their request that the Federal Communications Commission delay the expiration of interim hearing aid compatibility standards for wireless handsets, saying a lack of device testing capacity could create a major bottleneck and disrupt the "vibrant market for new wireless handsets."

  • August 18, 2025

    3rd Circ. Backs Pittsburgh In Row Over Zoning Board Conflict

    The Third Circuit has backed the dismissal of a mixed-use project developer's million-dollar lawsuit against the Pittsburgh Zoning Board of Adjustment over variance delays caused by a conflict of interest dispute, saying its due process rights weren't violated.

  • August 15, 2025

    DOJ Backs Small Biz In Gender Dysphoria Coverage Dispute

    The U.S. Department of Justice told a New Hampshire federal court Friday that employers are not required under federal anti-discrimination laws to provide medical coverage for gender dysphoria, and that federal religious freedom law protects a turbomachinery company from covering a transgender employee's treatment for the disorder.

  • August 15, 2025

    18 AGs, Governors Sue To Block DOE Funding Cap

    A coalition of 19 states and Washington, D.C., on Friday hauled the U.S. Department of Energy into Oregon federal court, challenging a policy they say places a new cap on reimbursements for administrative and staffing costs, and thus slashes funds needed for state-run energy programs.

  • August 15, 2025

    'Alarm Should Ring': Judge Blocks FTC's Media Matters Probe

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge Friday preliminarily blocked the Federal Trade Commission from moving forward with its investigation into the left-leaning Media Matters for America, saying the investigation is likely a retaliatory response to an article reporting that ads on Twitter appeared next to antisemitic posts following Elon Musk's acquisition.

  • August 15, 2025

    Stewart Issues Dozens More Discretionary Denial Decisions

    Acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart denied numerous petitions challenging patents on discretionary grounds this week, while referring a smaller number of cases to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

  • August 15, 2025

    Judiciary Starts Rule Debate Spanning AI, Subpoenas, More

    The federal judiciary's comment clock officially started ticking Friday for rulemaking efforts spanning a smorgasbord of subjects, from high-tech testimony utilizing artificial intelligence to the low-tech tasks of hand-delivering subpoenas and paying witness fees.

  • August 15, 2025

    DOJ Ramps Up Assault On Calif. Truck Emissions Standards

    The Trump administration increased its assault on California's stringent emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks, saying Friday that it has intervened in lawsuits to strike down the Golden State's attempts to still enforce its standards in defiance of federal law.

  • August 15, 2025

    Baby Co. Says CPSC's 'False' Safety Concerns Tanked Sales

    Baby sleep sack maker Dreamland Baby Co. has filed a $90 million suit against the federal government, claiming that former Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. ruined its reputation and damaged its sales by falsely suggesting that weighted infant sleep products aren't safe.

  • August 15, 2025

    Fla. Book Ban Law Struck Down For Vagueness

    A Florida federal judge has found a state law restricting books in school libraries to be unconstitutionally overbroad and vague, handing a win to the publishing houses, parents of schoolchildren and bestselling authors who had teamed up to fight it.

  • August 15, 2025

    Eric André's Airport Stop Suit Partially Revived By 11th Circ.

    The Eleventh Circuit has partially revived comedian Eric André's lawsuit alleging he was subjected to a "degrading" search and seizure by police at an Atlanta airport, restoring his Fourth Amendment claims Friday while backing the dismissal of his allegations that he was racially profiled.

  • August 15, 2025

    White Supremacist's Sentence Upheld Despite Discovery Error

    The Fourth Circuit ruled Friday that a leader of a white supremacist street gang can't escape his 25-year prison sentence, rejecting the argument that his plea agreement was invalid since prosecutors' discovery was missing pages.

  • August 15, 2025

    NetChoice Sues Colo. Over Social Media Warnings For Minors

    A trade association representing social media giants Meta, YouTube, Reddit and others claims a Colorado law set to go into effect next year that will require social media platforms to display warning messages for minors is compelled speech in violation of the First Amendment.

  • August 15, 2025

    DC Judge Gets City And Feds To Strike Deal On Police Takeover

    A federal judge hesitated Friday to restrain the Trump administration from taking over the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department, successfully urging the city and government attorneys to iron out an agreement instead to divert the court's immediate intervention.

  • August 15, 2025

    Federal Reserve To End Crypto-Focused Supervisory Program

    The Federal Reserve Board on Friday announced the end of a Biden-era supervisory program that specifically oversaw banks' crypto and fintech activities, a move that comes after Wall Street trade groups argued that the program unfairly subjected banks to a higher level of scrutiny for their use of novel tech.

  • August 15, 2025

    5th Circ. Says PWFA Was Constitutionally Enacted

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was wrongly blocked from enforcing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act against the state of Texas, the Fifth Circuit ruled Friday, saying the U.S. Constitution didn't require House lawmakers' physical presence to have a quorum when the statute was approved.

Expert Analysis

  • High Court ACA Ruling May Harm Preventative Care

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Kennedy v. Braidwood last week, ruling that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary has authority over an Affordable Care Act preventive care task force, risks harming the credibility of the task force and could open the door to politicians dictating clinical recommendations, says Michael Kolber at Manatt.

  • Policy Shifts Bring New Anti-Money Laundering Challenges

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    In the second half of 2025, the U.S. anti-money laundering regulatory landscape is poised for decisive shifts in enforcement priorities, compliance expectations and legislative developments — so investment advisers and other financial institutions should take steps to prepare for potential new obligations and areas of risk, say attorneys at Linklaters.

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

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    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

  • Kousisis Concurrence Maps FCA Defense To Anti-DEI Suits

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    Justice Clarence Thomas' recent concurrence in Kousisis v. U.S. lays out how federal funding recipients could use the high standard for materiality in government fraud cases to fight the U.S. Justice Department’s threatened False Claims Act suits against payees deviating from the administration’s anti-DEI policies, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

  • Despite Dark Clouds, Outlook For US Solar Has Bright Spots

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    While tariff, tax policy and bankruptcy news seemingly portends unending challenges for the U.S. solar energy industry, signs of continued growth in solar generating capacity and domestic solar manufacturing suggest that there is a path forward, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • Assessing New Changes To Texas Officer Exculpation Law

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    Consistent with Texas' recent modernization of its corporate law, the recently passed S.B. 2411 allows officer exculpation, streamlines certificate of formation amendments, authorizes representatives to act on shareholders' behalf in mergers and makes other changes aimed toward companies seeking a more codified, statutory model of corporate governance, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • How Ending OFCCP Will Affect Affirmative Action Obligations

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    As President Donald Trump's administration plans to eliminate the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which enforces federal contractor antidiscrimination compliance and affirmative action program obligations, contractors should consider the best compliance approaches available to them, especially given the False Claims Act implications, say attorneys at Ogletree.

  • Rising Enforcement Stakes For Pharma Telehealth Platforms

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    Two pieces of legislation recently introduced in Congress could transform the structure and promotion of telehealth arrangements as legislators increasingly scrutinize direct-to-consumer advertising platforms, potentially paving the way for a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration policy with bipartisan support, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

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    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

  • One Year On, Davidson Holds Lessons On 'Health Halo' Claims

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    A year after the Ninth Circuit's Davidson v. Sprout Foods decision — which raised the bar for so-called health halo claims — food and beverage companies can draw insights from its finding, subsequently expanded on by other courts, that plaintiffs must be specific when alleging fraud in healthfulness marketing, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Justices' NRC Ruling Raises New Regulatory Questions

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    In Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court avoided ruling on the NRC's authority to license private, temporary nuclear waste storage facilities — and this failure to reach the merits question creates new regulatory uncertainty where none had existed for decades, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • 3 Judicial Approaches To Applying Loper Bright, 1 Year Later

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    In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Chevron deference in its Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision, a few patterns have emerged in lower courts’ application of the precedent to determine whether agency actions are lawful, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • Navigating Antitrust Risks When Responding To Tariffs

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    Companies should assess competitive perils, implement compliance safeguards and document independent decision-making as they consider their responses to recent tariff pressures, say attorneys at White & Case.

  • Breaking Down Part 3 Of The Copyright Office's AI Report

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    On May 9, the U.S. Copyright Office published a prepublication version of the third and final part of its three-part report on artificial intelligence, offering key insights on the unauthorized use of copyrighted material by AI systems, says Courtney Sarnow at CM Law.

  • 8 Insurer Takeaways From Sweeping Georgia Tort Reform

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    Insurers should take note of several critical components of Georgia's tort litigation overhaul — including limitations on damages anchoring, procedural rules governing dismissals, and liability standards in negligent security cases — and adapt claims-handling strategies to reduce litigation risk, says Lucy Aquino at Cozen O'Connor.

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