Public Policy

  • August 15, 2025

    Interior Dept.'s Clean Energy Rules Could Snag Grid Hookups

    Recent U.S. Department of the Interior moves to place additional regulatory and permitting burdens on renewable energy facilities may also cover projects those facilities need to get on the grid, the agency has told Law360.

  • August 15, 2025

    Bid To Stop Spectrum Rule Waiver Renewed At FCC

    A spectrum licensee is calling out the Federal Communications Commission's decision to assign licenses previously held by Telesaurus Holdings and Skybridge Spectrum Foundation to Progeny LLC, saying the commission's waiver of spectrum aggregation limits in the M-LMS band for Progeny reflects "arbitrary, preferential decision-making" that others haven't been granted. 

  • August 15, 2025

    Feds Look To End Seminole Land Seizure Dispute

    The federal government urged a Florida federal court to toss a suit by two members of the Seminole Tribe of Florida who say federal agencies are threatening to confiscate their land inside Big Cypress National Preserve, arguing they fail to allege any waiver of U.S. sovereign immunity.

  • August 15, 2025

    Trump's Divisive 'China Initiative' May Get A Vigorous Reboot

    The Trump administration's ongoing battles with major universities may soon include the revival of an initiative that, with mixed success, targeted professors with ties to China during the president's first term, and experts told Law360 the second incarnation may be even more aggressive.

  • August 15, 2025

    Amazon Keeps Damages Expert For FTC's Prime Case

    A Washington federal judge refused Friday to nix an Amazon.com expert from the Federal Trade Commission case accusing the retail giant of using "dark patterns" to trick users into Prime subscriptions, allowing the jury to hear arguments that the FTC's accusations under an online shopping protection law are "an unpredictable departure."

  • August 15, 2025

    Chippewa Cree Sues Montana County Over Native Vote Dilution

    An Indigenous tribe is asking a federal court to block Chouteau County, Montana, from using an at-large election system and implementing three single-member voting districts, arguing the policies are artificially suppressing Native Americans' ability to equally participate in the electoral process.

  • August 15, 2025

    Judge Clears School Of Violating GOP Club's Speech Rights

    A Michigan federal judge has ruled that a public high school in Ann Arbor did not violate the constitutional rights of conservative students by refusing to air an announcement opposing an abortion rights measure.

  • August 15, 2025

    Texas AG Opens Investigation Into Xcel Over Panhandle Fires

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he's investigating whether Xcel Energy and a contractor broke any laws in connection with devastating fires in the Texas Panhandle last year, questioning whether they put environmental or diversity goals ahead of safety.

  • August 15, 2025

    5th Circ. Backs San Antonio's Park Plan Over Tribal Protests

    The Fifth Circuit has upheld a lower court order saying a San Antonio park has legitimate public safety issues that allow the city to implement a tree removal plan and rookery management measures while also giving tribal members access to a disputed area for religious ceremonies.

  • August 15, 2025

    IRS Strips 5% Safe Harbor In Solar, Wind Tax Credit Guidance

    Large-scale clean energy projects seeking to claim solar and wind tax credits before they expire under a new accelerated sunset schedule can no longer rely on a safe harbor to incur 5% of the building costs to establish eligible construction start dates under Internal Revenue Service guidance released Friday.

  • August 15, 2025

    Mass. Nonprofit To Pay $1M To Settle FCA Allegations

    A Massachusetts nonprofit will pay $1 million to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act by securing a pandemic relief loan that it was never eligible for and was later forgiven, federal prosecutors said Friday.

  • August 15, 2025

    US Eyeing Tariffs, Port Levies Over Shipping Emissions Plan

    The U.S. government is considering tariffs, visa restrictions or port levies — and potentially a combination of those measures — in response to an intergovernmental plan to push the global shipping industry toward achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, a U.S. Department of State spokesperson told Law360.

  • August 15, 2025

    Madigan Ally Seeks Release Pending Bribery Appeal

    A lobbyist for Commonwealth Edison asked an Illinois federal judge to let him remain free on bond while he appeals a jury's finding that he and others conspired to bribe former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, saying the Seventh Circuit will consider multiple questions of law that could warrant a reversal, new trial or reduced sentence.

  • August 15, 2025

    AT&T Seeks Approval To Halt Copper Service After Thefts

    AT&T is asking the Federal Communications Commission for emergency authorization to suspend its copper-based phone legacy service for 22 customers outside Dallas, claiming that service outages were caused by a series of copper thefts from its facilities in June.

  • August 15, 2025

    'Creative' $2.5B DuPont Deal In NJ Is PFAS Road Map For AGs

    After six years of litigation between New Jersey and E.I. du Pont de Nemours, including a series of bench trials, the chemical manufacturer agreed to a deal that committed more than $2 billion to cleaning up the Garden State from "forever chemical" contamination at four of its facilities, in the largest environmental settlement ever achieved by a single state.

  • August 15, 2025

    NLRB Top Cop Says States Can't Act As Agency Stand-In

    The National Labor Relations Board's acting general counsel opined Friday that federal law blocks pending state proposals to take on the agency's labor relations oversight even when the board can't perform certain functions because it lacks a quorum.

  • August 15, 2025

    3rd Circ. Won't Rehear Pa. County's Dominion Contract Suit

    The Third Circuit has declined to revisit a ruling that a Pennsylvania county's commissioners lacked standing to sue Dominion Voting Systems over alleged security flaws during the 2020 election.

  • August 15, 2025

    Interim US Atty In NM Named To Acting Role, Sens. Protest

    The interim U.S. attorney for the District of New Mexico has been designated acting U.S. attorney — the latest in the Trump administration's efforts to bypass the Senate confirmation process and install the president's picks.

  • August 15, 2025

    FCC Warns Of Possible $2.4M Pirate Radio Fines In Ill., Conn.

    Someone is operating an illegal radio station on a residential street in Springfield, Illinois, and the Federal Communications Commission says it can and will fine the person responsible more than $2.4 million if they don't cut it out — and it's not the only one.

  • August 15, 2025

    Town Says TV Reporter Bypassing Own Blame For Broken Leg

    A television news reporter can't shirk the blame for his broken leg after he allegedly failed to exercise reasonable care while walking in a parking lot and got run over by a town worker, the town told North Carolina's highest court in seeking to undo a jury verdict favoring the reporter.

  • August 15, 2025

    Md.'s Digital Ad Tax Violates 1st Amendment, 4th Circ. Says

    A provision in Maryland's digital advertising tax that prevents tech companies from directly passing the tax on to customers is unconstitutional, the Fourth Circuit said Friday, ruling that it unfairly suppresses companies' ability to explain the tax to consumers.

  • August 15, 2025

    Judge Questions How New Jersey US Atty Ascended To Role

    A federal judge tasked with deciding if acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba was legitimately serving as New Jersey's top federal prosecutor was curious about how she ascended to the role in the first place, suggesting at one point during a hearing Friday that the government proposed a game of "musical chairs" designed to "shoehorn" her into the position.

  • August 15, 2025

    Truck Co. Asks Justices To Review Denial Of $268M Tax Break

    A Tennessee truck company seeking $268 million in excise tax exemptions for its refurbished tractors has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Sixth Circuit decision finding the company's tractors might not qualify because they may have previously been sold to tax-exempt buyers.

  • August 15, 2025

    Vape Cos. Urge 4th Circ. To Halt NC E-Cigarette Law

    A coalition of vaping interests is urging the Fourth Circuit to find that a North Carolina law prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is blocked by federal policy.

  • August 15, 2025

    Exec Snared In Now-Dismissed Eric Adams Case Avoids Jail

    A wealthy construction executive who admitted illegally funneling over $12,000 into the 2021 campaign of New York City Mayor Eric Adams avoided prison on Friday at a sentencing that followed the government's decision not to proceed against the mayor himself.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Bill Leaves Renewable Cos. In Dark On Farmland Reporting

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    A U.S. Senate bill to update disclosure requirements for foreign control of U.S. farmland does not provide much-needed guidance on how to report renewable energy development on agricultural property, leaving significant compliance risks for project developers, say attorneys at Hodgson Russ.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

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    My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.

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