Public Policy

  • July 09, 2026

    DC Circ. Says It Won't Block FCC OK Of Nexstar-Tegna Deal

    The D.C. Circuit said Thursday it is not going to block the Federal Communications Commission's approval of Nexstar's $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna while everyone from satellite companies to cable groups to state enforcers sue to stop the merger they say will harm competition.

  • July 09, 2026

    2nd Circ. Won't Halt Payout Of Trump's $5M To E. Jean Carroll

    The Second Circuit refused to halt an order requiring Donald Trump to pay a $5 million jury verdict finding he sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll, while the New York district judge who issued the order explained it was time for Trump "to 'do equity'" and pay up.

  • July 09, 2026

    State Of 2026 Energy Dealmaking: Midyear Report

    The war in Iran is the most influential development that has shaped energy dealmaking so far in 2026, and that figures to still be the case in the second half of the year. Other factors include data center demands and tax credits. Here, attorneys outline to Law360 the trends that are defining energy transactions this year.

  • July 09, 2026

    FCC, IHeart Reach Deal Over 'Showola' Investigation

    The Federal Communications Commission and iHeartMedia have reached a deal resolving the commission's investigation into whether the radio station giant gave musicians additional airplay on its stations in exchange for them performing at its live concerts or festivals, the FCC announced Thursday.

  • July 09, 2026

    Judge Skeptical On Restraining Order In Affirming Care Case

    A D.C. federal judge appeared skeptical Thursday that a Federal Trade Commission case against a gender-affirming care organization must be halted while the group wages a separate case against the commission's investigation into the organization.

  • July 09, 2026

    Exxon, Chevron Can't Exit Climate Suit Over Wash. Heat Death

    A Washington state judge said Wednesday that Exxon, Chevron and other oil giants must face a lawsuit over a death in a 2021 heat wave, distinguishing the case from other climate torts brought by cities and rejecting the companies' contention that the family of Juliana Leon is seeking to regulate global greenhouse gas emissions.

  • July 09, 2026

    7th Circ. Upholds Ill. Ban On AR-15s, High-Capacity Magazines

    The Seventh Circuit on Thursday upheld an Illinois state law banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, reversing a lower court that deemed it unconstitutional and holding that restrictions on highly lethal, military-style weapons are "consistent with the principles that underpin our nation's tradition of firearm regulation."

  • July 09, 2026

    Judge Urged To Deny Transfer Of SpaceX Land-Swap Suit

    Environmental groups urged a D.C. federal judge to reject an attempt by SpaceX and the federal government to transfer the groups' lawsuit challenging a land-exchange deal to Texas, saying the deal was reviewed and approved by officials and lawmakers in D.C.

  • July 09, 2026

    FCC Doesn't Need New Tools To Curb Robocalls, Org. Says

    The Federal Communications Commission should cut down on robocalls not by making it harder for service providers to obtain new numbers, but by leveraging its control of the phone number assigning system to force them to use the anti-spoofing tools the agency already provides.

  • July 09, 2026

    FCC Puts Voice Provider On Robocall Compliance Plan

    A company that provides cloud-based call center software and voice services is in hot water with the Federal Communications Commission over its robocall database paperwork, but it has worked out a deal with the agency that will allow it to avoid a fine.

  • July 09, 2026

    Minn. Says Social Media Giants Are Emulating Big Tobacco

    Minnesota officials are looking to shut down a social media trade group's bid to block a state law requiring mental health warnings at the login page, telling a federal court that such a notice is constitutionally permitted commercial speech regulation, not that different from tobacco warnings.

  • July 09, 2026

    Biggest NCAA Issues To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2026

    The NCAA's recent change in traditional eligibility limits, amid ongoing state and federal lawsuits from athletes seeking compensation, continues to dominate the college sports landscape as the second half of 2026 begins.

  • July 09, 2026

    6 Questions For NGSO Satellite Advocate David Redl

    Non-geostationary orbit satellites are at the forefront of the new space race, and David Redl, the executive director of the new SpaceConnect Association, wants to make sure decision-makers on the national and global scenes craft policies that match the industry's frenetic pace.

  • July 09, 2026

    Feds Say Justices' Ruling Can Affect ICE Profiling Suit

    A California federal judge overseeing claims that federal immigration agents indiscriminately target Latinos in Southern California asked the parties during a Thursday hearing to brief her on the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Mullin v. Doe ruling, which the government said could doom plaintiffs' equal protection claim.

  • July 09, 2026

    Mass. Justices Affirm Posttrial Forensic Exam Of Cellphones

    Massachusetts' highest court said Thursday that a man convicted of murder may seek posttrial access to cellphones to look for potential evidence in support of a new trial, explaining that a 2012 statute expanding access to forensic testing for biological material also applies to digital and electronic evidence.

  • July 09, 2026

    EPA Floats Compliance Changes To Truck Emission Regs

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday proposed reducing the mileage for which trucks that will be built in 2027 have to adhere to emissions standards established in 2023.

  • July 09, 2026

    DOJ Joins Another Suit Aimed At Calif. Emissions Rules

    The U.S. Department of Justice has intervened in another lawsuit targeting California's emission rules for heavy-duty trucks, arguing the Clean Air Act bars states from attempting to enforce or adopt their own emissions standards for new vehicles.

  • July 09, 2026

    Orbital Data Centers Pose Environmental Risks, FCC Warned

    Groups aimed at combatting pollution have urged the Federal Communications Commission to assess the environmental effects of low-orbit, satellite-based data centers before issuing any licenses for such projects, saying existing proposals "describe their plans in grandiose, civilization-changing terms."

  • July 09, 2026

    Transportation Cases To Watch: Midyear Report 2026

    Clashes over the Trump administration's bid to void California's vehicle emissions standards, federal restrictions on commercial drivers' licenses for foreign truckers and Boeing 737 Max securities litigation involving class certification standards are among the court battles that transportation attorneys are monitoring in the latter half of 2026.

  • July 09, 2026

    Conn. Justices Back Dem Leader's Ballot Fraud Conviction

    The Connecticut Supreme Court on Thursday affirmed the forgery and false statements convictions of Stamford Democratic party leader John Mallozzi, rejecting his claim that a judge should have allowed him to present an undisclosed, last-minute handwriting expert at his absentee ballot fraud trial.

  • July 09, 2026

    3rd Circ. Unsure DHS Can Deny Virtual Access For Detainees

    The Third Circuit seemed skeptical of the federal government's argument Thursday that it had no obligation to offer immigrant detainees virtual access to state criminal courts, questioning whether the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was denying detainees' rights to a speedy trial or access to evidence.

  • July 09, 2026

    Photographers Group Rebuts Judiciary On Court Cameras

    The National Press Photographers Association pushed back on the federal judiciary's claims that allowing cameras in courtrooms would be problematic.

  • July 09, 2026

    SEC's Atkins Says Proxy Season Disproved 'Dire Predictions'

    This year's corporate proxy season saw none of the "dire predictions" some had forecasted following the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's step back from responding to companies' bids to exclude shareholder proposals from their ballots, the agency's Chairman Paul Atkins said Thursday, while adding that he is rethinking the proposal system as a whole.

  • July 09, 2026

    Pa. Pot Convict Says Gun Carry Ban Violates 2nd Amendment

    A Pennsylvania man with a decades-old conviction for cannabis alleges in a new federal lawsuit that Pennsylvania policy barring him from getting a license to carry a gun is unconstitutional, especially in light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling asserting the gun rights of marijuana users.

  • July 09, 2026

    CFTC Puts CME's 24/7 Crude Oil Contract Trading On Ice

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Thursday slammed the brakes on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange's plan to offer round-the-clock trading on crude oil futures, calling the exchange's attempt to self-certify the contracts "wholly inappropriate" after the agency publicly sought feedback on the risks of 24/7 trading in the energy industry.

Expert Analysis

  • FDA Moves Leave Peptides In A Legal Gray Zone

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    While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has taken a concrete step forward on reclassifying certain peptides, the practical consequence of their interim status cannot be overstated — these substances are no longer designated as posing a significant safety risk, but they have not been affirmatively authorized for compounding, say attorneys at Sheppard.

  • Series

    Bass Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Landing a trophy striped bass and closing a big deal both require cultivating the patience to finesse — not force — your way to desired outcomes, changing course when your old approach isn’t working and learning from the ones that got away, says Jon Ruiss at Alston & Bird.

  • What Consent Decree Trends Mean For Deal Clearances

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    With merger remedies back on the table under the current administration, an analysis of recent Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice consent decrees reveals that prior approval and prior notice provisions are no longer a foregone conclusion, and companies may be able to negotiate narrowly tailored obligations, say attorneys at Weil.

  • Series

    NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The year's second quarter brought several notable banking law developments to New York, including a proposal to align state stablecoin rules with the federal Genius Act, fresh fair lending and cybersecurity guidance from state regulators, and a significant Second Circuit holding on preemption, say attorneys at Ashurst Perkins Coie.

  • How Reincorporating In Texas May Alter Earnout Disputes

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    While the DExit debate has focused on shareholder suits, far less attention has been paid to what reincorporating in Texas means for M&A disputes, making it particularly important to understand the nuances between Delaware and Texas earnout jurisprudence, say attorneys at Selendy Gay.

  • What To Know If DOL Raises Overtime Salary Floor

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    With the U.S. Department of Labor recently rescinding a 2024 rule that increased the minimum salary for the Fair Labor Standards Act's overtime exemptions, employers should assess how a future increase would affect their workforce, paying particular attention to job duties requirements and state laws, says James Coleman at Constangy.

  • Structuring Space Nuclear Deals For Regulatory Risk

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    With the White House's recent focus on space nuclear power, a highly important question for companies that want to build orbital reactors, lunar surface systems or critical components is whether the transaction documents can handle foreign investment constraints, export controls and treaty-linked liability, says Kristie Blase at Frazer + Blase.

  • Proof, Not Just Timing, Will Decide Clean Energy Credits

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    For wind and solar projects that sprinted to begin construction before the accelerated placed-in-service deadline of July 4, project owners must now assemble and maintain documentation to qualify the project and defend against a potential clean energy credit audit, says Peter Lowy at Nelson Mullins.

  • Coordinating Life Sciences IP Strategies In The US And EU

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    As postgrant practice for life sciences patents is restructured in the U.S. and European Union simultaneously, patent owners will need to implement transatlantic coordination that treats international proceedings as components of a single intellectual property risk architecture, says Paul Calvo at Sterne Kessler.

  • Texas Business Court Rulings Show Deal Terms Paramount

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    As the courts within the Texas Business Court system have begun reaching the substantive merits of the cases before them, they are persuasively demonstrating they will not only enforce the terms of transactions as written, but will also embrace a holistic approach to complex transaction documentation interpretation, says Christopher Pace at Winston Taylor.

  • Series

    Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The year's second quarter brought several noteworthy financial services developments to California, including activity around a commercial finance oversight bill, the former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau head's appointment to lead a new consumer agency, and a ruling reinforcing viable bank-fintech partnerships, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • Trademark Law As A Tool To Bolster NIL Rights Against AI

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    The meteoric rise of artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes is prompting high-profile celebrities to protect their name, image and likeness rights using federal trademark law — a powerful yet limited supplement to traditional NIL claims, says Susan Natland at BakerHostetler.

  • What Ex-CFPB Head's Calif. Role May Foretell For Oversight

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    California Gov. Gavin Newsom's selection of former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra to lead a new consumer agency signals tougher state financial services oversight, especially for fintechs, as well as heightened enforcement activity and larger penalties, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Why SEC Climate Rule Rescission Wouldn't End Disclosure

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    If the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent proposal to rescind its 2024 climate-related disclosure rules is adopted, companies would no longer need to prepare for the rules' specific governance, emissions, attestation, financial statement and tagging requirements, but several important constraints would remain, say attorneys at Venable.

  • New Colo. Retainage Bonds Shift Construction Power Balance

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    A new Colorado law that can force property owners and developers to accept bonds from contractors in lieu of traditional cash retainage means owners’ practical leverage now derives from administering a risk-transfer mechanism, not from controlling cash, but key questions remain about who may assert a claim and how enforcing a bond actually works, say attorneys at Akerman.

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