Public Policy

  • March 20, 2026

    Court Indicates Dormant Commerce Applies To Adult-Use Pot

    A Rhode Island federal judge said Friday she was compelled to find that the U.S. Constitution's dormant commerce clause applied to federally unlawful recreational marijuana in a case challenging the state's plan for awarding retail cannabis licenses.

  • March 20, 2026

    US, Japan Agree To Develop Critical Mineral Trade Plan

    The U.S. and Japan have committed to working together to develop trade policies related to protecting supply chains of critical minerals and their downstream industries, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced.

  • March 20, 2026

    Schools Back Delay Of Hasty Trump Admissions Data Demand

    A Trump administration demand for years of college admissions data on race and sex, with just a few months' notice, has "created a perfect storm" for schools scrambling to comply, a coalition of academic organizations has told a Massachusetts federal judge in support of a bid to delay implementation of the new survey.

  • March 20, 2026

    NJ, Town Sue DHS To Stop Planned ICE Facility At Warehouse

    New Jersey and the Township of Roxbury sued U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Friday, alleging the federal government unlawfully moved to convert a vacant warehouse into a massive immigration detention center while ignoring environmental law, local infrastructure limits and mandatory consultation requirements.

  • March 19, 2026

    Trump Admin. Hit With Class Action For Ending Yemen TPS

    Yemeni nationals who received temporary deportation protections in the U.S. due to an ongoing armed conflict in Yemen lodged a putative class action on Thursday in New York federal court to block the Trump administration's termination of their humanitarian relief.

  • March 19, 2026

    Ford, NJ Town Ink $3.4M Deal To Conclude Landfill Cleanup

    Ford Motor Co. and a New Jersey town have inked a $3.4 million deal with state and federal environmental regulators to conclude the remediation of a former iron mine that was later used as a landfill, according to filings Thursday in New Jersey federal court.

  • March 19, 2026

    Consumers' Research Objects To Latest FCC Fees

    The conservative group that sued the Federal Communications Commission to have the Universal Service Fund declared unlawful wants the agency to set the percentage that phone companies have to contribute next quarter at zero, arguing that the program is not legal.

  • March 19, 2026

    Amazon Unlawfully Taxes Exempt Baby Items In Fla., Suit Says

    Two Florida shoppers filed a proposed class action Thursday in Washington federal court accusing Amazon.com Inc. of overcharging customers by collecting sales tax on items that are supposed to be tax-free under Florida law, such as cribs, strollers, diapers and other products for toddlers and babies.

  • March 19, 2026

    HHS Can't Block Trans Care Under Kennedy Edict, Court Says

    A coalition of 21 states and the District of Columbia prevailed on Thursday in their challenge to a Trump administration move to cut access to gender-affirming care for minors when an Oregon federal judge agreed to void a policy statement from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

  • March 19, 2026

    Wash. Outlaws Face Coverings On ICE Agents, Other Officers

    Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a pair of bills on Thursday, one banning U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and other law enforcement officers from hiding their faces with masks, and another prohibiting impersonators from misusing badges and insignia.

  • March 19, 2026

    Courts Must Hold Anti-SLAPP Dismissal Hearings, Panel Rules

    A district court must hold a hearing when considering a special motion to dismiss under Colorado's anti-SLAPP law, the Colorado Court of Appeals held Thursday for the first time in sending a defamation lawsuit between parents back to the lower court.

  • March 19, 2026

    Ex-Judges Say Anthropic Case Doesn't Merit Court Deference

    Nearly 150 former judges are backing Anthropic's fight against its designation as a "supply chain risk" by the U.S. Department of Defense, telling the D.C. Circuit in an amicus brief that the judiciary shouldn't simply defer to the executive just because it invokes national security.

  • March 19, 2026

    FTC Head Touts Consumer Protection's 'Relative Simplicity'

    Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson on Thursday promised to keep increasing the agency's focus on consumer protection, asserting in Washington, D.C., remarks that while antitrust enforcement remains a priority, consumer protection cases can come with faster and more meaningful relief for Americans.

  • March 19, 2026

    DOJ Antitrust Head Tells Staff: Don't Worry About Criticism

    The acting head of the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division said Thursday that he pays no heed to criticism of the agency and tells staff to do the same, while asserting in Washington, D.C., remarks that there's no better time to come work for the DOJ.

  • March 19, 2026

    SEC Sued Over Proxy Exclusion Policy Change

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission violated the Administrative Procedure Act by implementing "a new, de facto rubber-stamp process" for companies to exclude shareholder proposals from their annual proxy ballots, according to a Thursday suit filed by major shareholder groups.

  • March 19, 2026

    States Join Push To Revive EPA Climate Danger Finding

    A coalition of state and local governments on Thursday became the latest group to ask that the D.C. Circuit overrule the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rescission last month of its long-held position on the danger greenhouse gases pose to public health.

  • March 19, 2026

    MLB Deals With Polymarket, CFTC For Sports Market 'Integrity'

    Major League Baseball said Thursday that it has struck an exclusive licensing deal with Polymarket to bolster the brand and promote the "integrity" of the baseball-focused prediction markets on the platform, and separately reached a first-of-its-kind information-sharing agreement with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

  • March 19, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Rejects Last Challenge To Squires' Discretion

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday shot down Volkswagen's mandamus petition claiming that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director shouldn't have "unfettered discretion" to deny Patent Trial and Appeal Board challenges, closing the last of 14 related appeals.

  • March 19, 2026

    NYC, State Take On Latest Challenge To Rent Regulations

    New York and New York City separately urged a federal court this week to dismiss landlords' latest attempt to challenge 2019 changes to the state's rent stabilization laws, alleging the landlords' takings claims aren't ripe because they haven't made use of a hardship exemption yet.

  • March 19, 2026

    Colo. Appeals Court Clarifies, Limits Insurer Defense Rule

    An insurer is not required to provide a defense for an insured on claims "arguably" covered by the policy in the context of title insurance, the Colorado Court of Appeals held Thursday for the first time in ruling for an insurer in an insurance coverage dispute.

  • March 19, 2026

    USPTO Requires US-Registered Attys For Foreign Patent Apps

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday finalized a rule requiring that foreign patent applicants and owners be represented by attorneys registered with the agency, saying other intellectual property offices have such a policy and arguing that the measure will help combat fraud.

  • March 19, 2026

    Senate Panel To Vote On Satellite Security Bills Next Week

    U.S. senators next week will consider sending to the floor two bills designed to beef up satellite security, one of which had already gained bipartisan backing in the U.S. House of Representatives during the last Congress.

  • March 19, 2026

    9th Circ. Upholds Gun Ban For Domestic Violence Offenders

    Three men who were found to have used violence against their female partners in separate incidents were correctly convicted under a federal law prohibiting domestic abusers from possessing guns, the Ninth Circuit said, agreeing with other circuits that such restrictions were legal.

  • March 19, 2026

    NHTSA Heightens Tesla Full Self-Driving Probe

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Thursday said that it was focusing its investigation into Tesla's advanced driver-assistance system on its ability to spot degrading road conditions after receiving more reports of crashes potentially linked to the technology.

  • March 19, 2026

    Judge Says ICE Must Face Suit Over Detainee Records

    A D.C. federal judge denied U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's push to escape a suit alleging it's unlawfully using a regulation to shield records about detained immigrants held in Michigan jails, rejecting its arguments that the Freedom of Information Act could provide relief.

Expert Analysis

  • What Texas Anti-Boycott Ruling Means For ESG Landscape

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    A Texas federal court's recent ruling in American Sustainable Business Council v. Hegar that Texas' anti-ESG law is unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds will likely embolden legal challenges to similar laws in other states that have adopted fossil fuel boycott statutes, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • How To Wield The Clarity Act As A Litigation Defense Tool

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    The Clarity Act is being discussed as a future compliance statute, but for litigators it can be used as a present-day defense tool to strengthen fair‑notice framing, argue for forward‑looking remedies rather than punitive ones and reprice settlement leverage as statutory clarity approaches, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: The Human Element

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    Law school teaches you to quickly apply intellect and logic when handling a legal issue, but every fact pattern also involves a person, making the ability to balance expertise with empathy critical to the growth of relationships with clients, colleagues and adversaries, says Rachel Adcox at Adcox Strategies.

  • As Justices Mull Suncor, Cos. Face New Climate Suit Realities

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    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to hear Suncor Energy v. Boulder County — its first case analyzing the litigation impact of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rescission of its 2009 greenhouse gas endangerment finding — companies must consider new preemption questions surrounding climate lawsuits after the rescission, say attorneys at Hollingsworth.

  • 7 Steps For Gov't Contractors In Post-IEEPA Tariff Landscape

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    In response to U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to strike down tariffs issued by the Trump administration under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, there are several actions federal contractors should take to preserve their place in any refund waterfall, and to manage audit, overpayment and False Claims Act risk, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • How DExit, Mandatory Arbitration Could Alter IPO Outlook

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    As companies continue to leave Delaware and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission begins allowing companies to implement mandatory arbitration provisions, these developments could have a major impact on the initial public offering, securities class action, and directors and officers insurance landscapes, says Walker Newell at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

  • How High Court Recast State Sovereign Immunity In Galette

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous ruling in Galette v. New Jersey Transit, asserting that the state-chartered transit agency has independent corporate personhood and sole obligation to pay judgments against it, turned on substance rather than form — and its analysis should be carefully reviewed in courthouses and statehouses, say attorneys at McCarter & English.

  • Get Smart: Navigating The Genius Act's Regulatory Gaps

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    While some recent Genius Act rulemaking has covered consumer protection issues within the stablecoin market, the context is generally narrow and the final outcome remains uncertain for financial institutions or companies in the evolving landscape, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • Opinion

    Ga. HOA Reform Bills Risk Undermining Local Governance

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    Lawmakers considering several bills in Georgia that would centralize regulation of homeowners associations should acknowledge that effective reform needs to protect homeowners’ rights while preserving the financial and governance structures that allow communities to function, says Julie Howard at NowackHoward.

  • Why Prediction Market Regulation Is At Major Inflection Point

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    As prediction markets experience tremendous growth and rapid mainstream adoption, regulators have begun to exercise enforcement authority to ensure market integrity and protect participants, though forthcoming guidance will shed light on how aggressively the agencies will police the fast-changing landscape, say attorneys at Latham.

  • How Cos. Should Prepare For NY RAISE Act Compliance

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    With the New York Responsible AI Safety and Education Act taking effect March 19, state regulators will expect subject artificial intelligence governance policies to understand whether appropriate safeguards and protocols are in place to prevent or mitigate discriminatory or adverse outcomes by frontier models, says Michael Paulino at Gordon Rees.

  • Compliance Takeaways Amid Increased Auto Finance Scrutiny

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    Recent supervisory focus on consumer protection in auto finance by agencies such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. provides meaningful signals regarding areas of heightened regulatory scrutiny for lenders, including data accuracy, AI risk management and vendor oversight, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • The Benefits Of Choosing A Niche Practice In The AI Age

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    As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly accessible, lawyers with a niche practice may stand out as clients seek specialized judgment that automation cannot replicate, but it is important to choose a niche that is durable, engaging and a good personal fit, says Daniel Borneman at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • How PBMs Can Adapt To Plan Sponsors' Disclosure Demands

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    As federal reforms, growing state regulation and litigation threats push plan sponsors to expect visibility into revenue streams, pharmacy benefit managers should leverage transparency strategically, including by simplifying how they get paid, offering clients audit-ready data and co-designing contracts that are easy for fiduciaries to explain and defend, says Kristie Blase at Frazer + Blase.

  • Section 122 Tariffs Show Shift In Strategy, Not Trade Policy

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    By imposing temporary tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act as a stopgap measure while it pivots to less transitory statutory authorities, the Trump administration sent a clear message that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Learning Resources v. Trump, invalidating duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, will not precipitate a change in policy direction, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

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