Public Policy

  • August 18, 2025

    Wash. High Court OKs Gun Rights Restoration In State Courts

    The Washington Supreme Court will allow trial courts across the state to hear firearms rights restoration claims from citizens who were previously convicted of a felony, reversing a state appeals court and rebuffing the state Legislature's attempt to restrict such claims.

  • August 18, 2025

    Texas Investigates Meta Over AI Mental Health Services

    The Texas attorney general said his office will investigate Meta AI Studio and Character.AI on allegations they are misleading consumers into thinking their chatbots are mental health tools, according to an announcement issued Monday, which also suggested the companies' activities may violate the state's privacy laws.

  • August 18, 2025

    $28M ND Pipeline Protest Case Paused Amid Settlement Talks

    A federal district court and the Eighth Circuit have paused a $28 million dispute between North Dakota and the United States over failure to control Dakota Access Pipeline protesters after the parties said they were negotiating to settle the case.

  • August 18, 2025

    AGs Sue DOJ For Tying Victim Aid To ICE Enforcement

    A coalition of 21 state attorneys general, led by Matthew Platkin of New Jersey, filed suit against the Trump administration on Monday, accusing it of unlawfully tying $1 billion in crime victim funding to immigration enforcement, a move they say defies congressional intent and jeopardizes critical support for survivors.

  • August 18, 2025

    Cannabis Interests Challenging Federal Pot Ban Get Extension

    The U.S. Supreme Court has said that marijuana companies challenging the federal ban on cannabis can have until October to submit their petition for a writ of certiorari.

  • August 18, 2025

    Ga. Gov. Hopeful Asks Judge To Spurn AG's Fundraising Suit

    Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones hit back Monday at Attorney General Chris Carr's suit alleging state fundraising laws have given Jones an edge in their upcoming contest for the state governorship, accusing his Republican primary rival of flip-flopping on a law that Carr himself has defended in court on numerous occasions.

  • August 18, 2025

    Lawmaker Pans 'Selective' Charges Over ICE Facility Clash

    U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver has moved to dismiss criminal charges against her from a May confrontation with federal agents at an immigrant detention center in Newark, New Jersey, arguing she is immune from prosecution under the U.S. Constitution's speech or debate clause and is being selectively targeted by the government.

  • August 18, 2025

    DC Circ. Stays District Court's Pause Of Expedited Removals

    The D.C. Circuit on Monday stayed a district court order that paused the Trump administration's ability to subject noncitizens paroled into the U.S. to expedited removal proceedings.

  • August 18, 2025

    DEA Asks Health Officials To Review Psilocybin Rescheduling

    The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has transmitted a request to loosen federal restrictions on psilocybin, the main compound in psychoactive mushrooms, to federal health officials for a scientific and medical analysis, according to emails reviewed by Law360.

  • August 18, 2025

    Vt. Says It Has The Authority To Enact Climate Superfund Law

    Vermont has urged a federal judge to dismiss lawsuits challenging its recently enacted climate change Superfund law, saying it's a valid exercise of the state's authority to raise revenue and protect its citizens against environmental harms.

  • August 18, 2025

    AmeriCorps Restores $400M In Slashed Grants, Judge Told

    AmeriCorps told a Maryland federal judge Monday that the agency restored around $400 million in funding to nonprofits canceled under the Trump administration in April, saying the government doesn't plan to ax grants before they end.

  • August 18, 2025

    Minn. Judge Orders ICE To Release Breastfeeding Mom

    A Minnesota federal judge has ordered immigration officials to release a Salvadoran mom of two U.S. citizen children who is still breastfeeding one of them, rejecting the Trump administration's argument that she is subject to mandatory detention.

  • August 18, 2025

    Treasury Seeks Input On Tech To Combat Crypto Crimes

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Monday asked the public to share feedback on how novel technologies might be used to detect and thwart illicit crypto activity, fulfilling a directive under a recently signed bill to regulate stable value tokens.

  • August 18, 2025

    Ohio State Court Finds Google Is Not A Common Carrier

    An Ohio state court has ruled that Google's search engine does not qualify as a common carrier that would be subject to heightened oversight, finding that Google does not transport products for others or claim that its search results are "indifferent."

  • August 18, 2025

    RI, Wash. Say 2nd Circ. Dormant Commerce Pot Ruling Is Inapt

    Officials from Rhode Island and Washington state have said in separate letters to federal circuit courts that the Second Circuit's determination last week that the Constitution's dormant commerce clause applied to marijuana should not affect their pending appeals in related cases.

  • August 18, 2025

    DOJ Loses Bid To End Custody Protections For Migrant Kids

    A California federal judge denied the Trump administration's push to end a decades-old settlement governing the custody of detained immigrant children, urging the government to fulfill its promises if it wants to see the agreement ended.

  • August 18, 2025

    Del. OKs Property Tax Installment Payments, Refund Change

    Delaware made property tax changes, including allowing installment payments and changing refund rules, under bills signed by the governor.

  • August 18, 2025

    Electronics-Makers Urge FCC To Extend Hearing Aid Standards

    The wireless industry and its device manufacturers are once again defending their request that the Federal Communications Commission delay the expiration of interim hearing aid compatibility standards for wireless handsets, saying a lack of device testing capacity could create a major bottleneck and disrupt the "vibrant market for new wireless handsets."

  • August 18, 2025

    3rd Circ. Backs Pittsburgh In Row Over Zoning Board Conflict

    The Third Circuit has backed the dismissal of a mixed-use project developer's million-dollar lawsuit against the Pittsburgh Zoning Board of Adjustment over variance delays caused by a conflict of interest dispute, saying its due process rights weren't violated.

  • August 15, 2025

    DOJ Backs Small Biz In Gender Dysphoria Coverage Dispute

    The U.S. Department of Justice told a New Hampshire federal court Friday that employers are not required under federal anti-discrimination laws to provide medical coverage for gender dysphoria, and that federal religious freedom law protects a turbomachinery company from covering a transgender employee's treatment for the disorder.

  • August 15, 2025

    18 AGs, Governors Sue To Block DOE Funding Cap

    A coalition of 19 states and Washington, D.C., on Friday hauled the U.S. Department of Energy into Oregon federal court, challenging a policy they say places a new cap on reimbursements for administrative and staffing costs, and thus slashes funds needed for state-run energy programs.

  • August 15, 2025

    'Alarm Should Ring': Judge Blocks FTC's Media Matters Probe

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge Friday preliminarily blocked the Federal Trade Commission from moving forward with its investigation into the left-leaning Media Matters for America, saying the investigation is likely a retaliatory response to an article reporting that ads on Twitter appeared next to antisemitic posts following Elon Musk's acquisition.

  • August 15, 2025

    Stewart Issues Dozens More Discretionary Denial Decisions

    Acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart denied numerous petitions challenging patents on discretionary grounds this week, while referring a smaller number of cases to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

  • August 15, 2025

    Judiciary Starts Rule Debate Spanning AI, Subpoenas, More

    The federal judiciary's comment clock officially started ticking Friday for rulemaking efforts spanning a smorgasbord of subjects, from high-tech testimony utilizing artificial intelligence to the low-tech tasks of hand-delivering subpoenas and paying witness fees.

  • August 15, 2025

    DOJ Ramps Up Assault On Calif. Truck Emissions Standards

    The Trump administration increased its assault on California's stringent emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks, saying Friday that it has intervened in lawsuits to strike down the Golden State's attempts to still enforce its standards in defiance of federal law.

Expert Analysis

  • Breaking Down Part 3 Of The Copyright Office's AI Report

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    On May 9, the U.S. Copyright Office published a prepublication version of the third and final part of its three-part report on artificial intelligence, offering key insights on the unauthorized use of copyrighted material by AI systems, says Courtney Sarnow at CM Law.

  • 8 Insurer Takeaways From Sweeping Georgia Tort Reform

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    Insurers should take note of several critical components of Georgia's tort litigation overhaul — including limitations on damages anchoring, procedural rules governing dismissals, and liability standards in negligent security cases — and adapt claims-handling strategies to reduce litigation risk, says Lucy Aquino at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Bill Leaves Renewable Cos. In Dark On Farmland Reporting

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    A U.S. Senate bill to update disclosure requirements for foreign control of U.S. farmland does not provide much-needed guidance on how to report renewable energy development on agricultural property, leaving significant compliance risks for project developers, say attorneys at Hodgson Russ.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

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    My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    FCPA Shift Is A Good Start, But There's More DOJ Should Do

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s new Foreign Corrupt Practices Act guidelines bring a needed course correction amid overexpansive enforcement, but there’s more the DOJ can do to provide additional clarity and predictability for global companies, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Opinion

    IRS Should Work With Industry On Microcaptive Regs

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    The IRS should engage with microcaptive insurance owners to develop better regulations on these arrangements or risk the emergence of common law guidance as taxpayers with legitimate programs seek relief in the federal courts, says Dustin Carlson at SRA 831(b) Admin.

  • How Providers Can Brace For Drug Pricing Policy Changes

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    Though it's uncertain which provisions of the Trump administration's executive order aimed at addressing prescription drug costs will eventually be implemented, stakeholders can reduce potential negative outcomes by understanding pathways that could be used to effectuate the order's directives, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Comparing New Neural Data Privacy Laws In 4 States

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    Although no federal law yet addresses neural privacy comprehensively, the combined effect of recent state laws in Colorado, California, Montana and Connecticut is already shaping the regulatory future, but a multistate compliance strategy has quickly become a gating item for those experimenting with neuro-enabled workplace tools, says Kristen Mathews at Cooley.

  • 2025's First Half Brings Regulatory Detours For Fintechs

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    The first half of the year has resulted in a bifurcated regulatory environment for fintechs, featuring narrowed enforcement in some areas, heightened scrutiny in others and a policy window that, with proper compliance, offers meaningful opportunities for innovation, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Debunking 4 Misconceptions Around Texas' IV Therapy Law

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    Despite industry confusion, an IV therapy law enacted in Texas last week may actually be the most business-friendly regulatory development the medical spa industry has seen in recent years, says Keith Lefkowitz at Hendershot Cowart.

  • A Pattern Emerges In Justices' Evaluation Of Veteran Statute

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    The recent Soto v. U.S. decision that the statute of limitations for certain military-related claims does not apply to combat-related special compensation exemplifies the U.S. Supreme Court's view, emerging in two other recent opinions, that it is a reviewing court's obligation to determine the best interpretation of the language used by Congress, says attorney Kenneth Carpenter.

  • Opinion

    Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

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    The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.

  • Psychedelic Treatment Regs May Be At A Tipping Point

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    Recent scientific and public attention suggest that development of psychedelics as treatment for some conditions may be at a tipping point, which could bring on more rapid change and opportunities for stakeholders who may in the future benefit from greater access to safe and effective psychedelic medicines, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • In NRC Ruling, Justices Affirm Hearing Process Still Matters

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas safeguards the fairness, clarity and predictability of the regulatory system by affirming that to challenge an agency's decision in court, litigants must first meaningfully participate in the hearing process that Congress and the agency have established, says Jonathan Rund at the Nuclear Energy Institute.

  • Comparing Stablecoin Bills From UK, EU, US And Hong Kong

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    For multinational stablecoin issuers, navigating the differences and similarities among regimes in the U.K., EU, Hong Kong and U.S., which are currently unfolding in several key ways, is critical to achieving scalable, compliant operations, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

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