Public Policy

  • June 23, 2025

    Apache Nonprofit Asks Justices For Rehearing In Mining Row

    An Apache nonprofit is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider a decision to deny its petition that looked to block the transfer of nearly 2,500 acres to an Arizona copper mining company, arguing the outcome of a case now before the justices could sway their analysis.

  • June 23, 2025

    Talks Ongoing On EU Digital Tax, Italian Official Says

    The European Union is continuing to discuss the possibility of adopting a blocwide digital services tax, Italy's top international tax official said Monday.

  • June 23, 2025

    Texas Gov. Abbott Signs Bitcoin Reserve Bill Into Law

    Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed into law a bill to establish a strategic bitcoin reserve aimed at helping the Lone Star State's financial resilience, following the Trump administration's own creation of a bitcoin reserve earlier this year.

  • June 23, 2025

    Michigan Must Face Christian Refugee Aid Provider's Bias Suit

    A federal judge said a Christian refugee resettlement agency may move ahead with claims that Michigan sought to force the agency to agree to hire non-Christians to be eligible for contracts.

  • June 23, 2025

    Paxton, Airline Co. Ask To Take Biz Doc Case Out Of 5th Circ.

    The Texas attorney general's office and an airline parts manufacturer have agreed to remove a dispute over a state law allowing the office to examine business records from the Fifth Circuit back to district court.

  • June 23, 2025

    Justices Drop 'Third Country' Removal Due Process, For Now

    A divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Trump administration can send noncitizens facing deportation to countries where they have no prior ties without providing due process protections, including written notice or a chance to raise concerns about their future safety.

  • June 23, 2025

    Texas Governor Vetoes Ban On Hemp-Derived THC Products

    Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has vetoed a bill that would have banned hemp-derived THC products, rebuking one of his lieutenant governor's policy priorities and delivering a win to the Lone Star State's hemp industry.

  • June 23, 2025

    DOL Suspends Biden-Era H-2A Farmworker Protection Rule

    The U.S. Department of Labor has put a Biden-era regulation protecting union-related activities for agricultural workers on seasonal H-2A visas on ice while litigation over the rule continues and the agency considers new rulemaking.

  • June 23, 2025

    Mass. Cannabis Shop Seeks $2.3M Refund Of 'Impact Fees'

    A cannabis retailer with a location on Massachusetts' North Shore is asking for a refund of $2.3 million in so-called community impact and other fees it has paid since 2019, the latest dispensary to make such a request since the fees were rescinded by state lawmakers in 2023.

  • June 23, 2025

    Regulator Deleted Texts In $62M Gas Rate Feud, Agency Says

    Connecticut's Public Utilities Regulatory Authority cannot produce text messages requested by two gas companies suing to recover $43.2 million and $19.1 million revenue deficiencies because chairperson Marissa Gillett's personal phone was set to automatically delete communications after 30 days, the agency told a judge on Monday.

  • June 23, 2025

    Dems Demand Info On Emil Bove's Alleged Misconduct

    Ahead of Emil Bove's hearing on Wednesday for his judicial nomination, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are pressing for information on complaints alleging his misconduct while at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and Main Justice earlier this year.

  • June 23, 2025

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    The Delaware Supreme Court reversed a year-old $199 million judgment against TransCanada in a suit challenging a merger that occurred nearly a decade ago, Aspen Technology Inc. was hit with another suit over its pending $7.2 billion merger with Emerson Electric, and Nielson Holdings Ltd. secured a temporary restraining order against its spinoff. In case you missed it, here's the latest from the Delaware Chancery Court.

  • June 23, 2025

    Kennedys Expands With Litigators In Philly, Midwest

    Kennedys Law LLP expanded its litigation team with the recent addition to its offices in Philadelphia and Chicago of four attorneys specializing in liability, insurance and cybersecurity.

  • June 23, 2025

    Takings Not Enough To Lower Lot Value, Mass. Board Says

    A half-acre parking lot in Massachusetts was not overvalued by a local assessor despite temporary and permanent takings by the state highway department during road construction, the state Appellate Tax Board said in a decision released Monday.

  • June 23, 2025

    Mass. Home Was Overvalued, Tax Board Rules

    A Massachusetts home should have its value lowered based on the home's purchase price and comparable sales in the area, the state Appellate Tax Board said in a ruling released Monday.

  • June 23, 2025

    East Lansing To Pay $7.8M After High Court Energy Fee Ruling

    East Lansing, Michigan, has agreed to pay $7.8 million to its residents for an electric bill charge that the Michigan Supreme Court deemed to be a hidden tax.

  • June 23, 2025

    Quinn Emanuel Joins Firms Launching State AG Teams

    Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP announced Monday that it has become the latest major law firm to launch a state attorneys general practice group amid increasing activity from these offices, tapping two alumni of the public sector to lead the new team.

  • June 23, 2025

    No Break For Early Pay After Late Postmark, Ore. Court Says

    An Oregon company could not show that its property tax payments were mailed before the due date for receiving a discount for early payments, the state tax court said.

  • June 23, 2025

    Dems Laud Axing Of Budget Bill's Injunction Bond Provision

    A provision meant to up the ante for plaintiffs filing lawsuits against the federal government by increasing the use of injunction bonds has been ruled ineligible for inclusion in the budget reconciliation package.

  • June 23, 2025

    Michael Best Adds AI Pro To Transactions Group In DC

    Michael Best & Friedrich LLP has announced the firm recently welcomed to its transactional practice group an attorney who has more than two decades of experience working with regulatory, compliance and security matters associated with artificial intelligence governance, data privacy and cybersecurity matters.

  • June 23, 2025

    States Back PBS, NPR In Fight Against Trump Broadcast Cuts

    A coalition of 20 states and the District of Columbia backed a pair of motions from the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio Inc. seeking pretrial wins in their challenges to President Donald Trump's executive order that purports to revoke their funding, arguing that only Congress can pull that money.

  • June 23, 2025

    Va. City Wants Out Of Landfill Co.'s Suit Over Land Use Law

    The Virginia city of Chesapeake argued in Virginia federal court that a landfill owner's suit over an amended city land use law should be tossed because the owner hasn't actually been punished under the law and hasn't indicated that they're going to violate it.

  • June 23, 2025

    Texas Authorizes Tax Break For Border Safety Infrastructure

    Texas authorized a property tax exemption for real property used to install border security infrastructure in counties that border Mexico, pending voter approval of a proposed amendment to the state constitution, under a bill signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.

  • June 23, 2025

    Crypto Exec Seeks 5th Circ. Redo Over IRS Summonses

    A cryptocurrency executive asked the Fifth Circuit to reconsider his request to quash IRS summonses for his bank records, saying its decision that he was prematurely trying to appeal a lower court's ruling ignored his claims that the agency's documents were incomplete and lacked legal power.

  • June 23, 2025

    Justices To Review Liability For Forcing Prisoner's Haircut

    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a former Louisiana prisoner's case for damages after guards forcibly shaved his head, removing the dreadlocks he maintained as part of his Rastafarian religion.

Expert Analysis

  • What Disparate Impact Order Means For Insurers' AI Use

    Author Photo

    A recent executive order seeking to bar disparate impact theory conveys a meaningful policy shift, but does not alter the legal status of federal antidiscrimination law or enforceability of state laws, such as those holding insurers accountable for using artificial intelligence in a nondiscriminatory matter, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • Choosing A Road To Autonomous Vehicle Compliance

    Author Photo

    As autonomous vehicle manufacturers navigate the complex U.S. regulatory landscape, they may opt for different approaches to following federal, state and local rules and laws, as they balance the tradeoffs between innovation, compliance and speed of deployment, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Navigating The Expanding Frontier Of Premerger Notice Laws

    Author Photo

    Washington's newly enacted law requiring premerger notification to state enforcers builds upon a growing trend of state scrutiny into transactions in the healthcare sector and beyond, and may inspire other states to enact similar legislation, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Evolving Federal Rules Pose Further Obstacles To NY LLC Act

    Author Photo

    Following the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's recent changes to beneficial ownership information reporting under the federal Corporate Transparency Act — dramatically reducing the number of companies required to make disclosures — the utility of New York's LLC Transparency Act becomes less apparent, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • The Risks Of Trump's Plan To Fast-Track Deregulation

    Author Photo

    A recent memorandum issued by President Donald Trump directing the repeal of so-called unlawful regulations, and instructing that agencies invoke the good cause exception under the Administrative Procedure Act, signals a potentially far-reaching deregulatory strategy under the guise of legal compliance, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • Deregulation Memo Presents Risks, Opportunities For Cos.

    Author Photo

    A recent Trump administration memo providing direction to agencies tasked with rescinding regulations under an earlier executive order — without undergoing the typical notice-and-review process — will likely create much uncertainty for businesses, though they may be able to engage with agencies to shape the regulatory agenda, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

  • Action Steps To Prepare For Ramped-Up Export Enforcement

    Author Photo

    In light of recent Bureau of Industry and Security actions and comments, companies, particularly those with any connection to China, should consider four concrete steps to shore up their compliance programs given the administration's increasingly aggressive approach to export enforcement, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Mastering Discovery

    Author Photo

    The discovery process and the rules that govern it are often absent from law school curricula, but developing a solid grasp of the particulars can give any new attorney a leg up in their practice, says Jordan Davies at Knowles Gallant.

  • DOJ Signals Major Shift In White Collar Enforcement Priorities

    Author Photo

    In a speech on Monday, an official outlined key revisions to the U.S. Department of Justice’s voluntary self-disclosure, corporate monitorship and whistleblower program policies, marking a meaningful change in the white collar enforcement landscape, and offering companies clearer incentives and guardrails, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • Understanding Compliance Concerns With NY Severance Bill

    Author Photo

    New York's No Severance Ultimatums Act, if enacted, could overhaul how employers manage employee separations, but employers should be mindful that the bill's language introduces ambiguities and raises compliance concerns, say attorneys at Norris McLaughlin.

  • What New Study Means For Recycling Compliance In Calif.

    Author Photo

    Companies must review the California recycling agency's new study to understand its criteria for assessing claims of product and packaging recyclability under a law that takes effect next year, and then decide whether the risks of making such claims in the state outweigh the benefits, say attorneys at Keller & Heckman.

  • Mergers Face Steeper Slopes In State Antitrust Reviews

    Author Photo

    The New York Supreme Court's recent summary judgment in New York v. Intermountain Management, blocking the acquisition and shuttering of a ski mountain in the Syracuse area, underscores the growing trend among state antitrust enforcers to scrutinize and challenge anticompetitive conduct under state laws, say attorneys at Robins Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    The IRS Shouldn't Go To War Over Harvard's Tax Exemption

    Author Photo

    If the Internal Revenue Service revokes Harvard's tax-exempt status for violating established public policy — a position unsupported by currently available information — the precedent set by surviving the inevitable court challenge could undercut the autonomy and distinctiveness of the charitable sector, says Johnny Rex Buckles at Houston Law Center.

  • Balancing Deep-Sea Mining Executive Order, Int'l Agreements

    Author Photo

    President Donald Trump's recent executive order directing exploration and exploitation of deep-sea mineral resources appears to conflict with the evolving international framework regulating such activities, so companies and investors should proceed with care and keep possible future legal challenges in mind, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • CFTC Memos Clarify When 'Sorry' Still Gets You Subpoenaed

    Author Photo

    A pair of Commodity Futures Trading Commission advisories released in February and April open a new path to self-reporting but emphasize that serious breaches still warrant a trip to the penalty box, prompting firms to weigh whether — and how — to disclose potential violations in the future, say attorneys at Pryor Cashman.

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.