Public Policy

  • January 15, 2026

    NY Bill Criminalizes Unlicensed Cryptocurrency Businesses

    Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York State Sen. Zellnor Myrie on Thursday announced a proposed law to criminalize operating a cryptocurrency business without a license, saying crypto has become an "ideal vehicle for money laundering."

  • January 15, 2026

    House OKs Restricting ESG Investment In 401(k) Plans

    The U.S. House of Representatives greenlighted a bill Thursday that would restrict how retirement plan managers can consider environmental, social and governance issues when picking investments, codifying a 2020 U.S. Department of Labor rule requiring a sole focus on financial risk factors.

  • January 14, 2026

    Split Panel Won't Block Calif.'s New Congressional Map

    A split panel of federal judges on Wednesday refused to preliminarily block California's new, voter-approved congressional districts, ruling that the state's Republican Party and the Trump administration "failed to show that racial gerrymandering occurred."

  • January 14, 2026

    DHS Can Axe '11th Hour' Venezuelan Protections, 9th Circ. Told

    The Trump administration urged the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday to vacate its summary judgment loss so that the government can continue to unwind temporary protected status for 600,000 Venezuelans, arguing that U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had the authority to terminate the Biden administration's "eleventh hour" protections.

  • January 14, 2026

    Vox Media Sues Google, Adding To Ad Tech Antitrust Suits

    Google was hit Wednesday with yet another antitrust lawsuit over its ad tech, this time by Vox Media, which alleged in Manhattan federal court that the tech giant is unlawfully monopolizing the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets.

  • January 14, 2026

    Full 5th Circ. Will Revisit PWFA's Constitutionality

    The Fifth Circuit late Wednesday vacated a split panel opinion allowing enforcement of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act against the state of Texas, granting an en banc rehearing to consider whether the U.S. Constitution required House lawmakers' physical presence to have a quorum when the statute was approved.

  • January 14, 2026

    US Lawmakers Push Bill To Curb China's Mineral Control

    A pair of lawmakers from California on Tuesday introduced bipartisan legislation seeking to boost the production and supply of critical minerals needed for military, renewable energy and communications technologies, and to reduce reliance on China.

  • January 14, 2026

    Calif. Again Asks 9th Circ. To Unleash Kids' Privacy Law

    California's attorney general was back before the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday, urging the court to vacate a new preliminary injunction blocking a landmark law requiring tech giants to bolster privacy protections for children, and arguing the lower court wrongly found the entire statute likely implicates the First Amendment.

  • January 14, 2026

    Groups Seek Records On ICE 'Ankle Monitoring For All' Policy

    Two immigrant legal groups have sued U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in North Carolina federal court Wednesday to pry loose records about the agency's purported blanket use of ankle monitors in its Alternatives to Detention program, which they said is intended to induce self-deportation.

  • January 14, 2026

    Fla. Tribe Urges 11th Circ. To Uphold Detention Center Block

    A federally recognized Florida tribe has asked the 11th Circuit to uphold a lower court's preliminary injunction halting operations of an immigrant detention center in the Everglades, arguing that environmental safeguards are at stake rather than immigration policy.

  • January 14, 2026

    EPA's Cost Analysis U-Turn May Invite Courtroom Inquiries

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's decision to no longer put a dollar value on health benefits when crafting certain air pollution rules could be scrutinized in lawsuits, which could force the agency to justify departing from its long-standing practice.

  • January 14, 2026

    Burns & McDonnell Sued By Ex-Partner Firm Over Seattle Deal

    California-based Certus Cybersecurity launched a lawsuit in Washington state court accusing consulting firm Burns & McDonnell of falling short on business promises and exploiting the city of Seattle's diversity criteria for contractors to score a government deal worth up to $60 million.  

  • January 14, 2026

    Tort Report: Los Angeles Tops Annual 'Judicial Hellhole' List

    Los Angeles' designation by a tort reform group as a top "judicial hellhole," and the latest in a suit over a Kentucky judge shot to death in his own chambers lead Law360's Tort Report, which compiles recent personal injury and medical malpractice news that may have flown under the radar.

  • January 14, 2026

    Fla. Mapmaker Takes Stand In Gerrymandering Trial

    The Florida House of Representatives' chief map drawer took the stand Wednesday to defend his work, pushing back on allegations that the electoral maps were racially gerrymandered and telling the court that he followed natural geographic boundaries as much as possible when drawing the maps.

  • January 14, 2026

    Office Depot Spars Over Class Cert. In Wash. Pay Scale Suit

    Office Depot LLC and a plaintiff accusing the company of violating a Washington state pay-transparency law clashed over class certification in separate motions in Seattle federal court, with the office supply giant attacking the proposed class as "unidentifiable and uncertifiable."

  • January 14, 2026

    Swedbank Says DOJ Has Closed AML Probe Without Action

    Swedbank, one of the biggest banks serving Europe's Baltic region, said Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Justice has released it from a long-running anti-money-laundering-related investigation, removing another U.S. legal cloud hanging over the lender.

  • January 14, 2026

    Freight Broker Tells Justices Negligence Claims Preempted

    Broker and logistics giant C.H. Robinson told the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday that federal law unequivocally shields freight brokers from state-based negligence and personal injury claims, saying the plaintiffs bar is pushing for patchwork liability standards that would upend interstate commerce and the supply chain.

  • January 14, 2026

    Jury Seated In Goldstein Trial, Arguments To Start Thursday

    A federal jury was seated in Thomas Goldstein's felony tax and mortgage fraud case Wednesday, but the government will wait until Thursday to begin making its case.

  • January 14, 2026

    Graham Blocks Bill To Repeal DOJ Lawsuit Provision

    Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., tried and failed Wednesday to expedite the passage of a bill that would repeal a provision of the government funding package enacted in November that allows senators investigated by former special counsel Jack Smith to sue for damages.

  • January 14, 2026

    Judge Seems Reluctant To Block Ga. Campaign Finance Rules

    A federal judge indicated Wednesday she was unlikely to grant an injunction freezing enforcement of a campaign finance scheme Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says gives his rival an advantage as they campaign for governor.

  • January 14, 2026

    SEC To Lean On Congress As Defense In High Court Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court is once again stepping into the debate over when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission can demand that alleged fraudsters give up ill-gotten gains, but this time the agency plans to argue a 2021 government spending bill should save it from further limits to its disgorgement powers.

  • January 14, 2026

    Senate Banking Committee Postpones Crypto Bill Markup

    The Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday night postponed a highly anticipated mark-up of a bill to regulate the cryptocurrency industry, hours after Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong voiced his opposition to the latest draft, saying his firm would "rather have no bill than a bad bill."

  • January 14, 2026

    Calif. AG Probes 'Avalanche' Of Grok-Created Sexual Deepfakes

    California is looking into the "avalanche" of nonconsensual sexually explicit materials, including "deepfake" images used to harass women online, that are reportedly being produced by Grok, the chatbot developed by Elon Musk's company xAI Inc., the state's attorney general announced Wednesday.

  • January 14, 2026

    State Dept. Pauses Immigrant Visas For 75 Countries

    The U.S. Department of State said Wednesday that it is indefinitely pausing immigrant visas for people from 75 countries who the agency said are likely to rely on government support and stress the public purse.

  • January 14, 2026

    Texas Justices Seem Open To Judicial Review Of Hemp Rule

    The Texas Supreme Court seemed skeptical of the Texas Department of State Health Services' argument that the judiciary lacks authority to review a decision to make delta-8 THC a controlled substance, asking Wednesday why the court should not have authority to enforce an existing law.

Expert Analysis

  • Tracking The Evolution Of AI Insurance Regulation In 2025

    Author Photo

    As artificial intelligence continues to transform the insurance industry, including underwriting, pricing, claims processing and customer engagement, state regulators, led by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, are increasing oversight to ensure that innovation does not outpace consumer protections, say attorneys at Fenwick.

  • Series

    Knitting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Stretching my skills as a knitter makes me a better antitrust attorney by challenging me to recalibrate after wrong turns, not rush outcomes, and trust that I can teach myself the skills to tackle new and difficult projects — even when I don’t have a pattern to work from, says Kara Kuritz at V&E.

  • How 11th Circ.'s Qui Tam Review Could Affect FCA Litigation

    Author Photo

    On Dec. 12, the Eleventh Circuit will hear arguments in U.S. ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates, setting the stage for a decision that could drastically reduce enforcement under the False Claims Act, and presenting an opportunity to seek U.S. Supreme Court review of the act's whistleblower provisions, say attorneys at Epstein Becker.

  • Prepping For 2026 Shifts In Calif. Workplace Safety Rules

    Author Photo

    California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health is preparing for significant shifts and increased enforcement in 2026, so key safety programs — including injury and illness prevention plans, workplace violence plans, and heat illness prevention procedures — must remain a focus for employers, says Rachel Conn at Conn Maciel.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Welcome To Miami

    Author Photo

    After nearly 20 years in operation, the Miami Complex Business Litigation Division is a pioneer upon which other jurisdictions in the state have been modeled, adopting many innovations to keep its cases running more efficiently and staffing experienced judges who are accustomed to hearing business disputes, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • How AI Exec Order May Tee Up Legal Fights With States

    Author Photo

    The Trump administration's draft executive order would allow it to challenge and withhold federal dollars from states with artificial intelligence laws, but until Congress passes comprehensive AI legislation, states may have to defend their regulatory frameworks in extended litigation, says Charles Mills, a clerk at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia.

  • Recent Proposals May Spell Supervision Overhaul For Banks

    Author Photo

    A slew of rules recently proposed by the federal banking agencies with approaching comment deadlines would rewrite supervision standards to be further tailored to banks' size and activities, while prioritizing financial risks over process, documentation and other nonfinancial risks, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Where DEI Stands After The Federal Crackdown In 2025

    Author Photo

    The federal government's actions this year have marked a fundamental shift in the enforcement of antidiscrimination laws, indicating that diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that perpetuate allegedly unlawful discrimination will face vigorous scrutiny in 2026, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Rule Update May Mean Simpler PFAS Reports, Faster Timeline

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recently proposed revisions to the Toxic Substances Control Act's per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances reporting rule would substantially narrow reporting obligations, but if the rule is finalized, companies will need to prepare for a significantly accelerated timeline for data submissions, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • What US Can Learn From Brazil's Securities Arbitration Model

    Author Photo

    To allay investor concerns about its recent approval of mandatory arbitration clauses in public company registration statements, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission should look to Brazil's securities arbitration model, which shows that clear rules and strong institutions can complement the goals of securities regulation, say arbiters at the B3 Arbitration Chamber.

  • Navigating The New Patchwork Of Foreign-Influence Laws

    Author Photo

    On top of existing federal regulations, an expanding wave of state legislation — placing new limits on foreign-funded political spending and new registration requirements for foreign agents — creates a confusing compliance backdrop for corporations that demands careful preplanning, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • AI Evidence Rule Tweaks Encourage Judicial Guardrails

    Author Photo

    Recent additions to a committee note on proposed Rule of Evidence 707 — governing evidence generated by artificial intelligence — seek to mitigate potential dangers that may arise once machine outputs are introduced at trial, encouraging judges to perform critical gatekeeping functions, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • Where Things Stand At The CFPB As Funding Dries Up

    Author Photo

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is on pace to run out of funding in the new year, threatening current and future rulemaking efforts, but a rapid series of recent actions still carries significant implications for regulated entities and warrants careful monitoring in the remaining weeks of the year, say attorneys at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • Terrorist Label For Maduro Poses New Risks For US Firms

    Author Photo

    The State Department's recent designation of President Nicolás Maduro, and other Venezuelan government and military officials, as members of a foreign terrorist organization drastically increases the level of caution companies must exercise when doing business in the region to mitigate potential civil, criminal and regulatory risk, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Series

    The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Getting The Message Across

    Author Photo

    Communications and brand strategy during a law firm merger represent a crucial thread that runs through every stage of a combination and should include clear messaging, leverage modern marketing tools and embrace the chance to evolve, says Ashley Horne at Womble Bond.

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.