Public Policy

  • June 27, 2025

    Groups Quickly Switch Tactics In Birthright Citizenship Cases

    Just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court limited federal judges' ability to issue nationwide injunctions Friday, groups challenging the constitutionality of President Donald Trump's birthright citizenship executive order fired off a volley of new lawsuits, switching their legal actions to class action complaints.

  • June 27, 2025

    Judge Lets DOGE Access Go On But Cites 'Grave' Concerns

    A D.C. federal judge Friday voiced his "grave" concerns about the White House's Department of Government Efficiency obtaining personal information, but the district court declined to stop the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from giving this access.

  • June 27, 2025

    Senate Says AI Is In, Some Spectrum Parts Out Of Budget Bill

    The updated version of a moratorium on states' regulation of artificial intelligence is allowed to be included in the budget reconciliation package but some of the spectrum-related provisions are not, according to the latest ruling from the U.S. Senate parliamentarian.

  • June 27, 2025

    NC Appeals Court Urged To Back Firing Of General Counsel

    North Carolina's body of independent administrative law judges is urging the state appeals court to reject its former general counsel's bid to revive his claims that his politics got him fired, arguing that his position is exempt from certain workplace protections.

  • June 27, 2025

    Pregnancy Loss Draws Police Scrutiny Following Dobbs

    The nation's abortion debate has played out in civil courtrooms and state capitols across the country since the overturning of Roe v. Wade three years ago. But the battle is also emerging in another arena: the criminal courts.

  • June 27, 2025

    After Dobbs, States Become Battleground For Abortion Rights

    Three years ago, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the precedent set by Roe v. Wade, it did more than end nearly five decades of federal constitutional protection for abortion; it also fractured the legal landscape of reproductive rights, shifting the authority to regulate the procedure to individual states, and leading to legal uncertainty for courts, physicians and patients.

  • June 27, 2025

    How States Are Rethinking Life Without Parole For Youth

    A wave of recent state high court rulings, including a landmark decision in Michigan in April, has curtailed the use of mandatory life without parole for defendants under 21, citing evolving standards of decency and brain science. Hundreds of incarcerated individuals in Michigan are now eligible for resentencing, but the reforms face resistance from prosecutors, victims’ rights advocates, and dissenting justices who warn of consequences for public safety and judicial overreach.

  • June 27, 2025

    Greystar, Landlords Push To Toss DOJ's RealPage Suit

    Greystar Management Services LLC and several other landlords urged a North Carolina federal court to toss a rent price-fixing suit lodged by the federal government and multiple states, arguing in part that they have failed to provide specifics for their antitrust claims.

  • June 27, 2025

    Full 5th Circ. To Hear Planned Parenthood Atty Immunity Row

    The full Fifth Circuit will rehear a panel's decision concluding that Planned Parenthood is entitled to attorney immunity in a whistleblower suit accusing the organization of improperly billing Medicaid programs.

  • June 27, 2025

    Trump Ends Canada Trade Talks Over Digital Services Tax

    The U.S. is ending trade negotiations with Canada because of the country's digital services tax, President Donald Trump said Friday, days before tech giants are due to file their first returns for the 3% charge on revenues they earn from Canadians.

  • June 27, 2025

    Colo. Appeals Court Clarifies Meaning Of Molotov Cocktail

    A Colorado state appeals court has ruled for the first time on the interpretation of state laws around explosives and incendiary devices, stating that lawmakers "intended 'explosive' to carry the same meaning as 'incendiary device.'"

  • June 27, 2025

    Parolees Say Feds Not Processing Benefits As Required

    Noncitizens challenging the Trump administration's termination of Biden-era parole programs called on a Massachusetts federal judge to make the government explain how it's not violating a court order to restore processing of their immigration benefits requests.

  • June 27, 2025

    Hawaii Groups Look To Block Monument Fishing Permits

    Three conservation groups are looking to set aside an April decision by the Trump administration that gave the go-ahead for permit holders to commercially fish in the waters of a Pacific Coast national monument, telling a Hawaii federal court that destructive fishing has already started in the 400,000-square-mile site.

  • June 27, 2025

    Groups Sue To Protect Everglades From 'Alligator Alcatraz'

    Environmental groups sued Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Florida officials Friday in Miami federal court in a bid to halt the construction of a migrant detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz" in the Everglades, alleging it wasn't properly vetted for how it will impact the protected wetlands.

  • June 27, 2025

    Texas Justices Give Uri MDL Plaintiffs Chance To Replead

    The Texas Supreme Court on Friday said that thousands of plaintiffs in a multidistrict litigation stemming from winter storm Uri in 2021 could replead their gross negligence claims against transmission and distribution utility providers, giving them a chance to revive their long-running dispute over the crippling winter storm.

  • June 27, 2025

    Financial Regulators Say Banks Can Use Third-Party TIN Info

    Financial regulators on Friday said banks can collect tax identification number information from third parties, rather than just from their customers, pointing to changes in banking since the requirement was enacted under the USA PATRIOT Act.

  • June 27, 2025

    Utilities Can Depose Regulator Who Erased Texts, Judge Says

    A Connecticut judge has ruled the head of the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority who deleted text messages included in a discovery request can be deposed by the energy companies that brought the request in their suits seeking to recover millions in revenue deficiencies.

  • June 27, 2025

    Feds Seek 3rd Circ. Stay Of Columbia Grad's Release Order

    The federal government has asked the Third Circuit to stay a New Jersey judge's order that released Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil on bond, arguing that the district court lacked jurisdiction over the immigration issue and Khalil's habeas filing.

  • June 27, 2025

    Grassley Plots Next Moves After Nationwide Injunction Ruling

    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision Friday significantly limiting federal judges' ability to issue injunctions affecting parties outside a case, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley is gearing up to further rein in judges with the Republicans' budget bill and standalone legislation.

  • June 27, 2025

    DOL Says No More Liquidated Damages In Wage-Hour Probes

    The U.S. Department of Labor said Friday it would no longer seek liquidated damages in wage and hour investigations, marking a shift away from its approach under the Biden administration. 

  • June 27, 2025

    Afghan Can't Halt Removal In Biden-Era Asylum Rule Suit

    A D.C. federal judge has denied a bid by an Afghan asylum-seeker to stay his imminent removal while he challenges a Biden-era rule allowing asylum officers to quickly deny requests if a mandatory bar to asylum exists.

  • June 27, 2025

    FDIC, OCC Join Fed In Pitching Plan To Ease Leverage Rule

    A Federal Reserve-backed proposal to relax a key leverage rule for the nation's biggest banks moved forward to the public comment stage Friday after securing approvals from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

  • June 27, 2025

    Feds Say Minn. 'Jumped The Gun' In Trans Athlete Policy Suit

    The Trump administration is looking to snuff out a Minnesota lawsuit over its threats to pull federal funds in connection with the state's transgender athlete policies, telling a federal judge that the challenge is premature because no final action has been decided.

  • June 27, 2025

    DC Judge Says Teen Health Projects Can 'Shutter' Temporarily

    Five Planned Parenthood affiliates will not be irreparably harmed by changes to federal guidance for teen health programs instructing grantees to demonstrate alignment with executive orders from the Trump administration rejecting transgender identity and diversity programs, a D.C. federal judge has ruled.

  • June 27, 2025

    Wireless Co. Says Feds Breached 'Rip And Replace' Promise

    Illinois-based SI Wireless LLC told a Court of Federal Claims judge the U.S. government breached a promise to reimburse it for removing Chinese-made equipment deemed a national security risk from its telecommunications network and has failed to follow through with nearly $157 million in payments.

Expert Analysis

  • Calif. Climate Superfund Bill Faces Legal, Technical Hurdles

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    California could soon join other states in sending the fossil fuel industry a massive bill for the costs of coping with climate change — but its pending climate Superfund legislation, if enacted, is certain to face legal pushback and daunting implementation challenges, says Donald Sobelman at Farella Braun.

  • How Cos. Can Navigate Risks Of New Cartel Terrorist Labels

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    The Trump administration’s recent designation of eight drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations gives rise to new criminal and civil liabilities for companies that are unwittingly exposed to cartel activity, but businesses can mitigate such risks in a few key ways, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • Cosmetic Co. Considerations As More States Target PFAS

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    In the first quarter of the year, seven states introduced or passed legislation focused on banning the sale of cosmetics that contain PFAS, making it necessary for businesses to adjust their product testing and supply chain practices, product formulations, marketing strategies, and more, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • What We Lost After SEC Eliminated Regional Director Role

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    Former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Regional Director Marc Fagel discusses the recent wholesale elimination of the regional director position, the responsibilities of the job itself and why discarding this role highlights how the appearance of creating a more efficient agency may limit the SEC's effectiveness.

  • Mass. Suit Points To New Scrutiny For Home Equity Contracts

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    The Massachusetts attorney general’s recent charge that a lender sold unregulated reverse mortgages shows more regulators are scrutinizing mortgage alternatives like home equity contracts, but a similar case in the Ninth Circuit suggests more courts need to help develop a consensus on these products' legality, say attorneys at Weiner Brodsky.

  • Unpacking Copyright Office's AI Report Amid Admin Shakeups

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    Though recent firings have thrown the U.S. Copyright Office into turmoil, the latest entry in its report on artificial intelligence can serve as a road map for litigants, persuasive authority for courts and input on the legislative process, say attorneys at Epstein Becker.

  • Del. Bill Reflects Nat'l Tug-Of-War Between Cannabis, Alcohol

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    As Delaware's bill targeting hemp-derived THC beverages and ingestible products moves through the general assembly, it reads like a local regulatory fix — but in reality, it's a microcosm of a national power struggle playing out state-by-state across the cannabis frontier, says attorney Peter Murphy.

  • Perspectives

    Reading Tea Leaves In High Court's Criminal Law Decisions

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    The criminal justice decisions the U.S. Supreme Court will announce in the coming weeks will reveal whether last term’s fractured decision-making has continued, an important data point as the justices’ alignment seems to correlate with who benefits from a case’s outcome, says Sharon Fairley at the University of Chicago Law School.

  • $38M Law Firm Settlement Highlights 'Unworthy Client' Perils

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    A recent settlement of claims against law firm Eckert Seamans for allegedly abetting a Ponzi scheme underscores the continuing threat of clients who seek to exploit their lawyers in perpetrating fraud, and the critical importance of preemptive measures to avoid these clients, say attorneys at Lockton Companies.

  • Hints Of Where Enforcement May Grow Under New CFPB

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    Though the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has significantly scaled back enforcement under the new administration, states remain able to pursue Consumer Financial Protection Act violators and the CFPB seems set to enhance its focus on predatory loans to military members and fraudulent debt collection and credit reporting practices, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Only Certainty About FAR Reform Order Is Its Uncertainty

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    The president’s recent order overhauling the Federal Acquisition Regulation, which both contractors and agencies rely on to ensure predictability and consistency in federal procurement, lacks key details about its implementation, which will likely eliminate many safeguards that ensure contractors are treated fairly and that procurements are awarded in a reasonable manner, say attorneys at Miles & Stockbridge.

  • Maintaining Legal Compliance For GenAI In Life Sciences

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    As companies continue to implement generative artificial intelligence to enhance all phases of drug discovery, they must remain mindful of legal, regulatory and practical considerations as best practices in this space emerge and evolve, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Assessing Jurisdictional Issues In 2nd Circ. Bank Audi Case

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    The Second Circuit's reasoning last month in Raad v. Bank Audi that the exercise of personal jurisdiction must be based on conduct taking place within the jurisdiction reminds foreign financial institutions to continually monitor how plaintiffs are advocating for an expansive view of personal jurisdiction in the U.S., say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Series

    Teaching Business Law Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Teaching business law to college students has rekindled my sense of purpose as a lawyer — I am more mindful of the importance of the rule of law and the benefits of our common law system, which helps me maintain a clearer perspective on work, says David Feldman at Feldman Legal Advisors.

  • Enviro Justice Efforts After Trump's Disparate Impact Order

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    The Trump administration's recent executive order directing the U.S. Department of Justice to unwind disparate impact regulations may end some Biden-era environmental justice initiatives — but it will not end all efforts, whether by state or federal regulators or private litigants, to address issues in environmentally overburdened communities, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

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