Public Policy

  • August 01, 2025

    Texas Judge Says States Can Pursue BlackRock Coal Suit

    A Texas federal judge Friday gave Texas and other states the go-ahead to pursue claims that BlackRock Inc. and other asset managers used market muscle to decrease coal production, saying the states plausibly showed that the asset managers breached antitrust laws.

  • August 01, 2025

    Dems Want Probe Of DOJ's HPE-Juniper Settlement

    A quartet of Senate Democrats called Friday for the U.S. Department of Justice's internal watchdog to look for "improper business and political considerations" in the settlement permitting Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks.

  • August 01, 2025

    Alaskan Tribe's Breach Claim Axed In Gold Mine Permit Fight

    An Alaska judge threw out a breach of trust claim against the federal government and a mining company in a challenge to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decision to issue a permit for an open gold mine near the Yukon border.

  • August 01, 2025

    Senate Bill Would Ramp Up Oversight Of FCC Broadband Map

    A bipartisan pair of lawmakers filed a bill to ensure the Federal Communications Commission keeps tabs on the accuracy of broadband maps used to pinpoint where funding is needed for high-speed internet service.

  • August 01, 2025

    US Defends Bulk Denial Of Worker Credits At 9th Circ.

    An Arizona federal court was right to deny a request by tax services firms to stop the IRS from issuing batch denials of thousands of pandemic-era worker credit claims, the U.S. told the Ninth Circuit, defending the agency's system for handling problems administering the tax credit.

  • August 01, 2025

    7th Circ. Backs Prison Warden's Firing Over Facebook Memes

    The Seventh Circuit has refused to revive a deputy prison warden's suit claiming he was terminated in retaliation for sharing memes online denigrating Muslims, Black people, liberals and the LGBTQ community and calling the Confederate flag "our flag," saying the corrections department's interest as a public employer outweighs his speech interests.

  • August 01, 2025

    Senate Dem Pitches Way To Keep TikTok Online Without Sale

    U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., is floating a proposal that would require TikTok to be transparent about how it displays content and limit foreign access to user data in order to allow the app to escape a legislative mandate to cut ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a nationwide ban.

  • August 01, 2025

    Texas Bill Seeks Permanent Limit For Property Tax Increases

    Texas would establish a permanent cap on increases in the appraised value of real property other than residence homesteads for property tax purposes if voters approve a proposed constitutional amendment authorizing the cap, as part of legislation filed in the state House of Representatives.

  • August 01, 2025

    Judge Says NJ Comptroller Can Subpoena Bistate Agency

    A New Jersey federal judge tossed the Delaware River Port Authority's suit claiming that the Garden State's comptroller unlawfully attempted to force it to comply with two investigative subpoenas, ruling that there is nothing to bar the comptroller from unilaterally issuing subpoenas to the New Jersey-Pennsylvania bistate transit agency.

  • August 01, 2025

    ECJ Strikes Down Italy's Tax On Cross-Border Dividends

    The Italian government breached the European Union's double-taxation protections for an Italian bank by taxing the bank's cross-border dividends via two separate levies, the EU's top court ruled Friday.

  • August 01, 2025

    Monthly Merger Review Snapshot

    The U.S. Department of Justice abandoned its challenge of a corporate travel management deal, while lawmakers are calling for scrutiny of the agency's recent decision to settle a different case, and the Federal Trade Commission agreed to nix the requirements placed on a pair of oil and gas deals.

  • August 01, 2025

    Feds Won't Retry Madigan Co-Defendant After Mistrial

    Prosecutors asked an Illinois federal judge on Friday to dismiss charges against ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's longtime confidant Michael McClain after a jury was unable to reach a decision on the counts against McClain when the pair were tried together.

  • August 01, 2025

    FCC Lets Univ. Use CBRS For Salt Lake City Research Tool

    The University of Utah has received special dispensation to use spectrum set aside for the Citizens Broadband Radio Service for its "valuable, innovative research," the Federal Communications Commission revealed.

  • August 01, 2025

    6th Circ. Upholds Michigan Ban On Drone-Assisted Hunting

    The Sixth Circuit upheld a Michigan law that prohibits the use of drones for hunting, finding the state has a compelling reason to manage wildlife hunts despite the free speech objections lodged by the plaintiffs.

  • August 01, 2025

    FCC Asked To Narrow Undersea Cable Rule's License DQs

    The Federal Communications Commission might have been "excessively, and perhaps unintentionally, stringent" when it was drafting the new rules for undersea cables, a trade group told the agency, particularly when it comes to character disqualifications.

  • August 01, 2025

    EPA Beats Coolant Cos.' Challenge To HFC Regs

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday rejected refrigerant companies' challenges to a law requiring the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons and said the cap-and-trade program implementing the law was based on sound methodology.

  • August 01, 2025

    NY Law Mandating Judicial Fine Declared Unconstitutional

    A New York state appeals court has declared unconstitutional a statute that mandates a judge forfeit $1,000 to a plaintiff if the judge refuses to issue a writ of habeas corpus.

  • August 01, 2025

    Mich. Judge Tosses MSU Students' $99 Class Fee Complaint

    A Michigan federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by two students claiming their Michigan State University professor should be liable for charging them a $99 course fee that she used to fund her political activism, saying the students were given a refund and the fee was not "compelled speech."

  • August 01, 2025

    Ex-Copyright Chief Appeals Denial Of Reinstatement Bid

    The former head of the U.S. Copyright Office will appeal a D.C. federal judge's denial of her request to be immediately reinstated to her former position after she was fired by President Donald Trump while her suit remains pending.

  • August 01, 2025

    Politics And Privacy Laws Collide 5 Years After Salas Shooting

    Five years after a disgruntled litigant killed a New Jersey federal judge's son at their home, experts and judges disagree over whether the judicial privacy laws enacted following the shooting are doing much to protect jurists, while political leaders' heated rhetoric makes for an even more dangerous landscape for judges.

  • August 01, 2025

    Banking TCPA Rule Changes Go Too Far, Consumer Org. Says

    Consumer advocates urged the Federal Communications Commission to reject changes floated by banking groups to rules for revoking consumer consent to receive calls and texts, saying they would cause confusion and make it harder to block unwanted contacts.

  • August 01, 2025

    US Prices Set To Rise With 18.3% Average Tariff, Report Says

    Prices of food, vehicles, computers and clothing are expected to rise significantly in the coming years as the median household's income takes a $2,200 hit under the latest assortment of U.S. tariffs, which bring the average rate to 18.3%, a Yale research center said Friday.

  • August 01, 2025

    Developer Group Wants Pittsburgh Inclusionary Zoning On Ice

    A Pittsburgh trade group has asked a Pennsylvania federal court to temporarily bar enforcement of a zoning ordinance mandating that large multifamily developments include affordable units, after the city's planning department demanded that a member comply with the ordinance.

  • August 01, 2025

    NC Legislation Highlights Of The 1st Half Of 2025

    The North Carolina General Assembly has pushed through another round of hurricane relief aid to help the western swath of the state while lawmakers remain in talks to repeal a long-standing healthcare law that critics say hampers competition. Here are five North Carolina bills from the year's first half that saw the governor's stamp of approval or remain up for debate.

  • August 01, 2025

    Hyundai, Kia Can't Get Rehearing On Cities' Car Theft MDL

    The Ninth Circuit won't hold an en banc rehearing on an appeal from Hyundai Motors America Inc. and Kia America Inc. seeking to dismiss negligence claims by cities in three of seven states in multidistrict litigation over their alleged failure to install anti-theft technology in millions of vehicles.

Expert Analysis

  • How Cos. In China Can Tailor Compliance Amid FCPA Shifts

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Department of Justice’s recently updated Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement guidelines create a fluid business environment for companies operating in China that will require a customized compliance approach to navigate both countries’ corporate and legal systems, say attorneys at Dickinson Wright.

  • 7 Ways Employers Can Avoid Labor Friction Over AI

    Author Photo

    As artificial intelligence use in the workplace emerges as a key labor relations topic in the U.S. and Europe, employers looking to reduce reputational risk and prevent costly disputes should consider proactive strategies to engage with unions, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Open Banking Is On Ice As CFPB Seeks To Toss Its Own Rule

    Author Photo

    Even as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's efforts to toss its open banking rule play out in Kentucky federal court, it remains statutorily required to effectuate consumer access to data, raising questions about how it would replace the previously finalized standard, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • SEC, FINRA Obligations In Changing AI Regulatory Landscape

    Author Photo

    Despite the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent withdrawal of its proposed artificial intelligence conflict rules, financial regulators remain focused on firms developing the correct AI compliance framework, as well as continuously testing and supervising them to ensure they're fit for purpose, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.

  • Trump Air Emissions Carveouts Cloud The Regulatory Picture

    Author Photo

    President Donald Trump's new proclamations temporarily exempting key U.S. industries from air toxics standards, issued under a narrow, rarely-used provision of the Clean Air Act, will likely lead to legal challenges and tighter standards in some states, contributing to further regulatory uncertainty, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • Opinion

    DOJ's HPE-Juniper Settlement Will Help US Compete

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Department of Justice settlement with Hewlett Packard Enterprise clears the purchase of Juniper Networks in a deal that positions the U.S. as a leader in secure, scalable networking and critical digital infrastructure by requiring the divestiture of a WiFi network business geared toward small firms, says John Shu at Taipei Medical University.

  • How Property Insurers Serve As Climate Change Harbingers

    Author Photo

    Thomas Dawson at McDermott discusses the role that U.S. property insurers may play in identifying and assessing climate risk, as well as in financing climate change adaptation projects, in light of global warming and shifting geopolitical realities.

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • Assessing Impact Of USPTO's New Patent Policies

    Author Photo

    Recent data shows how the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's new patent policies are affecting America Invents Act trial institution rates, including spurring an uptick in discretionary denials, say attorneys at Armond Wilson.

  • What US Medicine Onshoring Means For Indian Life Sciences

    Author Photo

    Despite the Trump administration's latest moves to onshore essential medicine manufacturing, India will likely remain an indispensable component of the U.S. drug supply chain, but Indian manufacturers should prepare for stricter compliance checks, says Jashaswi Ghosh at Holon Law Partners.

  • APA Relief May Blunt Justices' Universal Injunction Ruling

    Author Photo

    The Administrative Procedure Act’s avenue for universal preliminary relief seems to hold the most promise for neutralizing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. CASA to limit federal district courts' nationally applicable orders, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • Wells Fargo Suit Shows Consumer Protection Limits In Mass.

    Author Photo

    The Massachusetts Appeals Court's May decision in Wells Fargo Bank v. Coulsey underscores that consumer rights are balanced against the need for closure, and even the broad protections of state consumer protection law will not open the door to relitigating the same claims, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Series

    Ohio Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

    Author Photo

    Ohio's financial services sector saw several significant developments in the second quarter of 2025, including a case that confirmed credit unions' setoff rights, another that established contract rights between banks and cardholders, and the House passage of a digital asset bill, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

  • Building Better Earnouts In The Current M&A Climate

    Author Photo

    In the face of market uncertainty, we've seen a continued reliance on earnouts in M&A deals so far this year, but to reduce the risk of related litigation, it's important to use objective standards, apply company metrics cautiously and ensure short time periods, among other best practices, say attorneys at White & Case.

  • Managing Risks As State AGs Seek To Fill Enforcement Gap

    Author Photo

    Given an unprecedented surge in state attorney general activity resulting from significant shifts in federal enforcement priorities, companies must consider tailored strategies for navigating the ever-evolving risk landscape, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Public Policy archive.