Public Policy

  • July 18, 2025

    Oxford Shooting Victim's Estate Can Sue Cops, Court Finds

    A Michigan appellate panel reopened a lawsuit from the father of a student killed in the Oxford High School shooting alleging state police failed to act on tips about the threat of an attack, finding a provision designed to extend filing deadlines for estates applies to claims against the state.

  • July 18, 2025

    Ohio State, NCAA, Big Ten Beat Ex-QB's NIL Suit

    Ohio State University, the NCAA, the Big Ten Conference Inc. and a media rights licensing company have dodged an antitrust suit from former Buckeye star quarterback Terrelle Pryor alleging they monopolized profits on athletes' names, images and likenesses while denying them compensation.

  • July 18, 2025

    Hearing Set In Phoenix For Oak Flat Copper Mine Lawsuits

    An Arizona federal judge has set an August hearing date to consider injunction bids by the San Carlos Apache Tribe and environmental groups in their lawsuits seeking to block Resolution Copper Co.'s mining project on Oak Flat, an ancient tribal worship site.

  • July 18, 2025

    Judge Questions Basis For Planned Parenthood Funding Cuts

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Friday pressed the government for any plausible rationale, besides retaliation, for a provision in Congress' budget reconciliation that will prevent Planned Parenthood and its affiliates from receiving Medicaid reimbursements if any one of them offers abortion services.

  • July 18, 2025

    EU Says Vivendi Controlled Lagardère During Deal Review

    European enforcers have accused French media conglomerate Vivendi of exercising control over Lagardère's editorial operations and personnel decisions before and during a review of its acquisition.

  • July 18, 2025

    T-Mobile Wants Wash. AG's Data Breach Claims Tossed

    T-Mobile is calling its promises to protect its subscribers' privacy "puffery" in a bid to get out of a Washington state lawsuit over a 2021 cyberattack, saying its commitments to "safeguards" and to "do the right thing" with users' data couldn't have misled consumers because they were completely unspecific.

  • July 18, 2025

    Mass. Advocates Pitch Doubling Real Estate Transfer Fee

    Massachusetts would double its real estate transfer fee to raise an estimated $300 million annually for affordable housing and climate mitigation efforts under legislation pitched to a state legislative panel by housing and environmental advocates.

  • July 18, 2025

    FTC Nixes Exxon-Pioneer, Chevron-Hess Board Ban Deals

    The Biden-era Federal Trade Commission settlements clearing Exxon's purchase of Pioneer and Chevron's acquisition of Hess are no more, after the now Republican-controlled agency said there was no need to condition acquisition approvals on banning the CEOs of Pioneer and Hess from the boards of the combined companies.

  • July 18, 2025

    Miami Official Loses Appeal To Toss $63.5M Judgment

    The Eleventh Circuit has dismissed Miami City Commissioner Joe Carollo's appeal of the $63.5 million judgment against him for targeting a pair of business owners after they supported a political opponent, finding that he prematurely filed the appeal and then failed to amend it.

  • July 18, 2025

    Crypto Firms' OCC Charter Bids Draw Bank Industry Scrutiny

    Major banking industry groups are warning the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency that approving pending bank charter bids from crypto-linked firms like Ripple could "represent a fundamental departure" from long-standing policy, urging the agency to delay action until more information about their plans is made public.

  • July 18, 2025

    Texas Court Tosses Cities' Challenge To 'Death Star' Bill

    A state appeals court tossed three Texas cities' challenge to a bill nicknamed the "Death Star," writing that they hadn't properly shown they'd be injured by the bill's mandate that state law preempt local ordinances.

  • July 18, 2025

    Trump Flexes Air Law Power To Delay Compliance Deadlines

    President Donald Trump has postponed deadlines to comply with air pollution standards for companies in the coal power, chemical manufacturing, medical sterilization and iron ore industries, relying on special presidential power contained in the Clean Air Act.

  • July 18, 2025

    Tread Carefully On Truth-In-Billing Rules, FCC Told

    The Federal Communications Commission says its slamming and truth-in-billing rules are outdated and has targeted them for cuts, but consumer and civil rights groups are urging the agency to be cautious in order to "ensure these changes do not come at the expense of core consumer protections."

  • July 18, 2025

    7th Circ. OKs FBI Withholding Of Ex-Atty's Informant Records

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation did not violate the Freedom of Information Act by providing only some of the documents former lawyer Joel Brodsky requested related to his work as a confidential informant on corruption and murder investigations, the Seventh Circuit found on Friday, ruling that the FBI had properly justified its rationale.

  • July 18, 2025

    Cannabis And The Courts: A Midyear Litigation Review

    In the first half of 2025, lawsuits taking aim at state hemp restrictions, putative residency criteria in cannabis licensure programs and the federal policy that keeps users and convicted sellers of pot from lawfully owning guns were all briefed in multiple appellate courts across the country.

  • July 18, 2025

    4th Circ. Backs $9M Classification Ruling Against Staffing Co.

    A split Fourth Circuit panel will not scrap a $9 million judgment against a medical staffing company that the U.S. Department of Labor won in a suit alleging the company misclassified more than 1,000 nurses.

  • July 18, 2025

    Vt. Judge Says Columbia Student Can Travel, Speak Freely

    A Vermont federal judge removed restrictions on green card holder Mohsen Mahdawi's ability to travel freely within the U.S. while his immigration case is pending, saying the government's opposition to his planned participation in political events is no reason to constrain him.

  • July 18, 2025

    Cannabis Edibles Maker Accused Of Hiding Prop. 65 Warnings

    A California resident is suing a Los Angeles cannabis-infused edibles maker, claiming its peel-back product labels deliberately hide the state-required Proposition 65 warning at the time of purchase, in the second private enforcement action filed by the plaintiff this year.

  • July 18, 2025

    Commerce Adviser Joins MoFo National Security Group In DC

    A former U.S. Department of Commerce adviser who focused on semiconductor export controls has returned to private practice at Morrison Foerster LLP, the firm announced.

  • July 18, 2025

    Meet The Attys In Pa. Radio Host's Fight For Open Primaries

    A Philadelphia-area lawyer turned national political commentator and media personality and has assembled a legal team including some of his colleagues at Kline & Specter PC and attorneys from Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP to represent him and three other plaintiffs in their bid to change Pennsylvania's closed primary system.

  • July 18, 2025

    Judge Unsure Of Alternatives To Nationwide Birthright Ruling

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Friday wrestled with how the government would implement any alternatives to a nationwide block on President Donald Trump's order limiting birthright citizenship and what type of decision would comply with recent high court precedent.

  • July 18, 2025

    Top 5 Energy Decisions Of 2025: A Midyear Report

    A game-changing U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could significantly narrow federal environmental reviews of energy projects punctuated a busy first half of 2025 for the industry in the courts. Here are several court decisions that stood out for energy attorneys in the first half of this year.

  • July 18, 2025

    Telecoms Urge FCC To Modernize Networks To Fight Robocalls

    A major telecom trade group is urging the Federal Communications Commission to allow for industry-driven solutions to the problem of robocalls, saying the agency's current proposal to mandate specific technical standards for caller ID authentication have vulnerabilities that criminals could exploit.

  • July 18, 2025

    Snake Spotting Voids OK Of Sprawling Calif. Housing Plan

    A federal judge has halted a 314-acre master-planned development in Chico, California, after finding federal officials wrongly concluded in 2020 that the endangered giant garter snake had not been observed on the site despite a sighting of the animal in the area a dozen years prior.

  • July 18, 2025

    Oregon To Issue Report On Property Tax System

    The Oregon legislative revenue officer will issue a report on the state's property tax system and options to modernize it under legislation signed into law by the governor.

Expert Analysis

  • How Cos. Can Prep For Calif. Cybersecurity Audit Regulations

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    As the California Privacy Protection Agency Board finalizes cybersecurity audit requirements, companies should take six steps to prepare for the audit itself and to build a compliant cybersecurity program that can pass the audit, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Series

    Competing In Modern Pentathlon Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Opening myself up to new experiences through competing in modern Olympic pentathlon has shrunk the appearance of my daily work annoyances and helps me improve my patience, manage crises better and remember that acquiring new skills requires working through your early mistakes, says attorney Mary Zoldak.

  • Shifting DEI Expectations Put Banks In Legal Crosshairs

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    The Trump administration's rollbacks on DEI-friendly policies create something of a regulatory catch-22 for banks, wherein strict compliance would contradict established statutory and administrative mandates regarding access to credit for disadvantaged communities, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • Compliance Tips After Court Axes EEOC's Trans Rights Take

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    A Texas federal court's recent decision struck portions of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's 2024 guidance pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity under Title VII, barring their use nationwide and leaving employers unsure about how to proceed in their compliance efforts, say attorneys at Dorsey & Whitney.

  • Atkins' Crypto Remarks Show SEC Is Headed For A 'New Day'

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    A look at U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins' recent speeches provides significant clues as to where the SEC is going next and how its regulatory approach to crypto will differ from that of the previous administration, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Teaching Yourself Legal Tech

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    New graduates often enter practice unfamiliar with even basic professional software, but budding lawyers can use on-the-job opportunities to both catch up on technological skills and explore the advanced legal and artificial intelligence tools that will open doors, says Alyssa Sones at Sheppard Mullin.

  • State Farm Rate Hike Portends Intensifying Insurance Crisis

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    The California Department of Insurance's unprecedented emergency approval of a 17% rate increase for State Farm General Insurance, the first interim rate relief granted before completing full actuarial justification, represents a regulatory watershed and establishes precedent that could fundamentally reshape insurers' response to climate-driven market instability, says Daniel Veroff at Merlin Law Group.

  • Steps For Universities To Pass Tax-Exempt Test Amid Scrutiny

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    After decades of a quiet governmental acceptance of tax-exempt status, universities are facing unprecedented and public pressure to defend themselves, and must consider how to protect this valuable status, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • In 2nd Term, Trump Has New Iran Sanctions Enforcement Tool

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    As tensions between the U.S. and Iran escalate, the Trump administration may use a whistleblower program enacted in 2022 to target violations that were previously more difficult to detect, thus expanding enforcement of economic sanctions, say attorneys at MoloLamken and Zuckerman Law.

  • Texas Targets Del. Primacy With Trio Of New Corporate Laws

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    Delaware has long positioned itself as the leader in attracting business formation, but a flurry of new legislation in Texas aimed at attracting businesses to the Lone Star State is aggressively trying to change that, says Andrew Oringer at the Wagner Law Group.

  • Explicit Pic Takedown Law Casts A Wide Net

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    With a surprisingly broad range of online platforms potentially subject to the new Take It Down Act’s process for removing revenge porn or explicit deepfakes, all services that allow user interaction or content hosting should proactively evaluate their legal obligations and demonstrate compliance, say attorneys at Goodwin, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • How AI May Reshape The Future Of Adjudication

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    As discussed at a recent panel at Texas A&M, artificial intelligence will not erase the human element of adjudication in the next 10 to 20 years, but it will drive efficiencies that spur private arbiters to experiment, lead public courts to evolve and force attorneys to adapt, says Christopher Seck at Squire Patton.

  • What Money Transmitters Need To Know About New Colo. Law

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    Colorado's new Money Transmission Modernization Act updates standards for the licensing, supervision and regulation of money transmitters while codifying an agent-to-payee exemption, and represents another step toward standardizing these rules across state governments, say Sarah Auchterlonie and Joel Herberman at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • How States Are Taking The Lead On Data Center Regulation

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    While support for data center growth is a declared priority for the current administration, federal data center policy has been slow to develop — so states continue to lead in attracting and regulating data center growth, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • Justices' Charter School Tie Delays Church-State Reckoning

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent deadlock in Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board v. Drummond, blocking the creation of the nation’s first religious charter school, preserved the separation of church and state for now, but offered little reassurance about its continued viability, says Jeffrey Sultanik at Fox Rothschild.

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