Public Policy

  • July 30, 2025

    Senate Panel Advances 2 Bipartisan Bills Boosting ESOPs

    A key Senate panel advanced two bills Wednesday that would change federal benefits law related to employee stock ownership plans, or ESOPs, by providing businesses additional legal cover when they make company stock valuations and by adding ESOP representatives to a federal advisory board.

  • July 30, 2025

    Gov't Contracting Policies To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2025

    A planned overhaul of the Federal Acquisition Regulation and the implementation of a fee-shifting provision for unsuccessful U.S. Government Accountability Office bid protests headline a slate of policy initiatives for government contractors to watch for during the second half of this year.

  • July 30, 2025

    Texas Senate Again Approves Ban On Hemp-Derived THC

    Texas state senators on Wednesday once again gave approval to a legislative proposal to ban products with THC derived from hemp. 

  • July 30, 2025

    Cable Industry Seeks Bar On Rate Regulation Under BEAD

    Independent cable providers are urging the U.S. Department of Commerce to guard against policies that could be construed as rate regulation as it continues a revamp of more than $42 billion in broadband funding to states and territories.

  • July 30, 2025

    Noem Hit With Religious Discrimination Suit Over Ayahuasca

    A Florida woman alleges in a new federal discrimination lawsuit that U.S. Customs and Border Protection rescinded her job offer after she disclosed her religious practice includes consumption of ayahuasca tea, a federally controlled substance.

  • July 30, 2025

    Fla. AG Allowed To Drop Sandoz Generics Price-Fixing Claims

    After several months of wrangling over the terms of a $10 million generic drug price-fixing settlement, a Connecticut federal judge on Wednesday granted Florida's request to permanently drop its claims against Sandoz, finding that it would be an abuse of discretion to hold up the resolution any longer.

  • July 30, 2025

    Buddhist Group's Suit Against Everglades Project Advances

    A Florida Buddhist center's suit against an Army Corps of Engineers project in the Everglades will continue after a district court judge determined the center plausibly argued that the potential impacts of the project's construction didn't become clear until at least 2022.

  • July 30, 2025

    Trump Official Denies Shutting Down FEMA Disaster Program

    The administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told a Massachusetts federal judge that President Donald Trump's administration has not decided whether to end the agency's flagship natural disaster protection program, despite a lawsuit by 20 states claiming it had been shut down.

  • July 30, 2025

    Dem Senators Press 9th Circ. Pick On Gender Role Beliefs

    Eric Tung, a partner at Jones Day and nominee for the Ninth Circuit, faced questions from Democratic senators during his nomination hearing Wednesday about his views on gender roles, based on remarks he gave to the Yale Daily News in 2004, when he was in college.

  • July 30, 2025

    Housing Groups Want $30M Grant Case Kept In District Court

    A coalition of housing advocacy groups challenging the termination of $30 million in federal antidiscrimination grants asked the First Circuit on Wednesday to let the Massachusetts federal district court keep jurisdiction over the case, if only to keep it alive long enough to figure out next steps.

  • July 30, 2025

    OCC Hires Top Skadden Banking Atty As New Chief Counsel

    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said Wednesday that it is bringing on one of the leaders of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP's bank regulatory practice to serve as the agency's new top lawyer.

  • July 30, 2025

    Trump To Hit India With 25% Tariff, 'Penalty' Starting Friday

    President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he planned to impose a 25% tariff on India beginning Friday, plus an additional "penalty," citing the country's energy and defense dealings with Russia as top concerns along with trade barriers.

  • July 30, 2025

    Ore. Clarifies Info Disclosure For Enterprise Zone Tax Breaks

    Oregon specified which of a business's records are exempt from disclosure when applying for an enterprise zone property tax exemption and clarified eligibility requirements under a bill signed by the governor.

  • July 30, 2025

    Apple Says DOJ Attacking Legitimate 'Design Choices'

    Apple leaned on a familiar playbook of privacy, security and independent choice in its answer to the U.S. Department of Justice monopolization lawsuit in New Jersey federal court, arguing the government "fundamentally misunderstands" the restrictions it imposes on iMessage, smartwatch compatibility, mobile wallets, cloud gaming and more.

  • July 30, 2025

    Calif. Residents Urge Justices To Take Up Jury Trial Question

    A group of Humboldt County, California, property owners is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the group's appeal over the dismissal of its Seventh Amendment claim for a jury trial in a suit against the county alleging the county wrongly targeted the owners for illegal cannabis growth, saying the justices should reject the county's argument that the question is not ripe.

  • July 30, 2025

    Top Immigration Policies To Track In The 2nd Half Of 2025

    President Donald Trump's approach to immigration in the first half of the year promises to ramp up in the latter half of 2025, with immigration attorneys anticipating increased workplace raids and detention, and more visa processing delays. Law360 takes a look at policy issues that could feature prominently in the second half.

  • July 30, 2025

    Grassley 'Offended' By Trump's Blue Slip Criticism

    Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Wednesday he was "surprised" and "offended" by President Donald Trump's post Tuesday night urging him to get rid of so-called blue slips, which are essentially vetoes for home state senators over U.S. attorney and district court nominee picks.

  • July 29, 2025

    States Sue To Block Feds' Demand For Benefit Recipient Data

    Nearly two dozen state attorneys general are fighting the USDA's directive for states to turn over private information about millions of food assistance benefit recipients, arguing in a new lawsuit filed in California federal court that this demand violates multiple privacy laws and the U.S. Constitution.

  • July 29, 2025

    Trump Admin Says UCLA Didn't Protect Jewish Students

    The U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday that it determined that the University of California, Los Angeles, violated civil rights laws by failing to "adequately respond" to harassment and abuse that Jewish and Israeli students faced on its campus following the war in Gaza.

  • July 29, 2025

    X Corp. Asks Judge To Keep Suit Alleging Ad Boycott Intact

    X Corp. is asking a Texas federal judge to keep intact its sprawling antitrust lawsuit against advertisers, saying in multiple briefs that the World Federation of Advertisers and several major brands conspired to withhold billions of dollars in advertising in response to its allegedly lax moderation policies.

  • July 29, 2025

    CFPB Plans 'Accelerated' Push To Revamp Open Banking Rule

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Tuesday persuaded a Kentucky federal judge to stay a banking industry legal challenge to its Biden-era open banking rule, saying it now plans to rewrite the rule on an "accelerated" basis and expects to start next month.

  • July 29, 2025

    5th Circ. Allows Challenge To Nonprofit Political Pro Bono Ban

    The Fifth Circuit said Monday a free speech nonprofit has the right to sue members of the Texas Ethics Commission in an attempt to conduct pro bono work for a political organization, saying the commissioners do not have sovereign immunity in their official roles and must face the suit.

  • July 29, 2025

    9th Circ. Urged To Rehear Alaskan Willow Project Ruling

    Alaskan Native and environmental advocacy groups are asking the Ninth Circuit for a rehearing on its ruling to uphold the federal government's decision to evaluate only alternatives for the ConocoPhillips Willow project that they say will result in full development of the Arctic oil reservoir.

  • July 29, 2025

    Miss. AG Says Judge's TRO Over State DEI Ban Full Of Errors

    Mississippi's attorney general wants a federal judge to explain "indisputable factual inaccuracies" in his decision pausing enforcement of a state law prohibiting diversity, equity and inclusion in public schools, saying Monday that the judge's original order contained nonexistent allegations, wrongly identified plaintiffs and defendants, and quoted terms that don't appear in the legislative text.

  • July 29, 2025

    Ambulance Co. Can't Undo $2.3M Verdict In Wash. Crash Case

    A Washington Court of Appeals panel has affirmed an ambulance operator's $2.3 million trial court loss in a patient's family's wrongful death case over a crash, rejecting the company's argument that its crew was shielded from liability by a state law that protects first responders providing emergency medical services.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Rejecting Biz Dev Myths

    Author Photo

    Law schools don’t spend sufficient time dispelling certain myths that prevent young lawyers from exploring new business opportunities, but by dismissing these misguided beliefs, even an introverted first-year associate with a small network of contacts can find long-term success, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Fla. Condo Law Fix Clarifies Control Of Common Areas

    Author Photo

    Florida's repeal of a controversial statutory provision that permitted developers of mixed-use condominium properties to retroactively assert control over common facilities marks a critical shift in legal protections for unit owners and associations, promoting fairness, transparency and accountability, say attorneys at Pardo Jackson.

  • Trade In Limbo: The Legal Storm Reshaping Trump's Tariffs

    Author Photo

    In the final days of May, decisions in two significant court actions upended the tariff and trade landscape, so until the U.S. Supreme Court rules, businesses and supply chains should expect tariffs to remain in place, and for the Trump administration to continue pursuing and enforcing all available trade policies, say attorneys at Ice Miller.

  • Shareholder Takeaways From NY Internal Affairs Doctrine Suit

    Author Photo

    A May New York Court of Appeals decision in Ezrasons v. Rudd involving Barclays — affirming the state's "firmly entrenched" internal affairs doctrine — is a win for all corporate stakeholders seeking stability in resolving disputes between shareholders and directors and officers, say attorneys at Sadis & Goldberg.

  • The Legal Fallout Of The Open Model AI Ecosystem

    Author Photo

    The spread of open-weight and open-source artificial intelligence models is introducing potential harms across the supply chain, but new frameworks will allow for the growth and development of AI technologies without sacrificing the safety of end users, says Harshita Ganesh at CMBG3 Law.

  • Move Beyond Surface-Level Edits To Master Legal Writing

    Author Photo

    Recent instances in which attorneys filed briefs containing artificial intelligence hallucinations offer a stark reminder that effective revision isn’t just about superficial details like grammar — it requires attorneys to critically engage with their writing and analyze their rhetorical choices, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • 3 Rulings May Reveal Next Frontier Of Gov't Contract Cases

    Author Photo

    Several U.S. Supreme Court decisions over the past year — involving wire fraud, gratuities and obstruction — offer wide-ranging and arguably conflicting takeaways for government contractors that are especially relevant given the Trump administration’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, say attorneys at Rogers Joseph.

  • How Ore. Law Puts New Confines On Corp. Health Ownership

    Author Photo

    A newly enacted law in Oregon strengthens the state’s restrictions on corporate ownership of healthcare practices, with new limitations on overlapping control, permissible services, restrictive covenants and more making it necessary for practices to review decades-old physician practice arrangements, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Early Trends In Proxy Exclusion After SEC Relaxes Guidance

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent guidance broadening shareholder proposal exclusion under Rule 14a-8 has been undoubtedly useful to issuers this proxy season, but it does not guarantee exclusion, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • How New Texas Law Revamps Electric Grid To Meet Demand

    Author Photo

    A new Texas law enacted in response to the burdens that data centers, crypto mining and other large-scale users are placing on the state's electric grid means that stakeholders must review updated requirements around grid interconnection, disclosure of development plans and operational flexibility during tight conditions, say attorneys at Jackson Walker.

  • Best Practices For State Banks Eyeing Federal Conversions

    Author Photo

    Amid a notable uptick — fueled by ongoing regulatory upheaval — in state-chartered banks exploring conversion to national bank charters, banks contemplating the decision should weigh the benefits, like uniform supervision, and potential impediments, like costly exam fees, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • DOJ May Rethink Banning Firearms For Marijuana Users

    Author Photo

    In light of various federal circuit court decisions and an executive order from President Donald Trump, U.S. Department of Justice enforcement policy now may be on the verge of changing decidedly in favor of marijuana users' gun rights, and could foreshadow additional marijuana-friendly reforms, says Jacob Raver at Dentons.

  • EDNY Ruling May Limit Some FARA Conspiracy Charges

    Author Photo

    Though the Eastern District of New York’s recent U.S. v. Sun decision upheld Foreign Agents Registration Act charges against a former aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, its recognition of an affirmative legislative policy to exempt some officials may help defendants charged with related conspiracies, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • 9th Circ. Has Muddied Waters Of Article III Pleading Standard

    Author Photo

    District courts in the Ninth Circuit continue to apply a defunct and especially forgiving pleading standard to questions of Article III standing, and the circuit court itself has only perpetuated this confusion — making it an attractive forum for disputes that have no rightful place in federal court, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Future Of Enviro Crimes Under Trump's Federal Regs Order

    Author Photo

    President Donald Trump's recent executive order about fighting overcriminalization in federal regulations creates new advocacy opportunities for defense counsel to argue that particular environmental crime investigations and matters ought to be limited or declined based on the policy priorities reflected in the order, say attorneys at Sidley.

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.