Public Policy

  • August 29, 2025

    Philly Wants Sanctions For 'Appalling Treatment' Of Counsel

    In the wake of a $3 million judgment imposed against the city of Philadelphia in the case of a man who claimed he was shot by police and framed for rape, the city has asked a federal judge to sanction one of the plaintiff's lawyers for allegedly making false accusations that defense counsel were racist and suborned perjury.

  • August 28, 2025

    Trump Ends Bargaining Rights For Workers At More Agencies

    President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order that purports to remove collective bargaining rights from federal workers at several more agencies, including NASA, the National Weather Service and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a move that one union slammed as "retaliation."

  • August 28, 2025

    FTC Warns Google Over Alleged Partisan Gmail Spam Filters

    The Federal Trade Commission Thursday warned Google that it could face an investigation and potential enforcement action if Gmail blocks emails sent from Republican senders, citing recent reporting that Google flagged GOP fundraising emails as spam.

  • August 28, 2025

    10th Circ. Told Okla. 'Race Theory' Law Must Go

    The Tenth Circuit is being told it must ensure academic freedom for the students of Oklahoma, whose constitutional rights and "the very nature of the classroom as a place that nurtures inquiry and discussion" are being undermined by a state law restricting what they can be taught.

  • August 28, 2025

    Email Excluded From Harassment Suit Against Paxton Deputies

    A Texas federal judge on Thursday struck an email from a sexual harassment lawsuit brought against the founders of a law firm founded by former top attorneys in the Texas attorney general's office, but said the plaintiff could conduct discovery regarding the email.

  • August 28, 2025

    'Still A Mess': Colo. Special Session Fails To Deliver AI Clarity

    During its recently concluded special session, the Colorado Legislature extended the implementation deadline for the state's groundbreaking artificial intelligence law but failed to make any substantial changes to the legislation, leaving companies to face continued uncertainty on the scope of liability and other pressing issues.

  • August 28, 2025

    Black Owner Of Hemp Shop Accuses LA Police Of Illicit Raids

    A Black entrepreneur claims that the Los Angeles Police Department conducted multiple unlawful raids on his hemp shop that ultimately put him out of business, according to a lawsuit filed in California federal court that seeks $15 million in damages and suggests that the police's targeting was racially motivated.

  • August 28, 2025

    9th Circ. Rules BLM Can Implement Oregon Logging Plan

    Officials at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management sufficiently vetted an Oregon logging project that conservationists claim will harm threatened wildlife, a Ninth Circuit panel has ruled, concluding the project does not violate earlier plans to protect coastal forest habitats.

  • August 28, 2025

    4chan Says UK Online Censorship Law Is Powerless In US

    Controversial online platforms Kiwi Farms and 4chan have slapped the United Kingdom's Office of Communications with a lawsuit in D.C. federal court, saying the foreign agency has no power to make them comply with a British privacy law that violates their rights under the U.S. Constitution.

  • August 28, 2025

    DOJ Right On Anti-Vax Group's AP Boycott Claims, Court Told

    The anti-vaccine group founded by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday latched onto the arguments raised by the Justice Department backing its lawsuit alleging The Associated Press, the Washington Post, Reuters and the BBC colluded with social media platforms to censor rivals.

  • August 28, 2025

    Amid Firings, DOJ Opens Temp Judge Eligibility To Any Atty

    A new final rule that took effect Thursday removes prior restrictions on who can be a temporary immigration judge, opening the positions to any attorney and waiving the requirement for immigration law experience while the Trump administration continues firing permanent judges.

  • August 28, 2025

    CFTC Clears Registration Path For Offshore Crypto Cos.

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Thursday made clear that certain offshore cryptocurrency entities can use its foreign board of trade registration framework to serve U.S. customers.

  • August 28, 2025

    NJ Borough Sues American Dream Mall Over Sunday Sales

    A New Jersey borough sued a major East Rutherford mall owner, its main tenant and other parties in state court over the mall allegedly violating the state's ban on selling certain items on Sundays, urging the court to block the main tenant's retail operations and to declare the mall's premises and the sale of the banned products to be public nuisances.

  • August 28, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Says AI Co. Not 'Interested Party' In Bid Protest

    The en banc Federal Circuit affirmed on Thursday a lower court's dismissal of Percipient.ai's protest challenging its exclusion from consideration to supply computer vision technology under a $376.4 million National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency procurement, holding that the company lacks standing.

  • August 28, 2025

    Trump Admin Backs Harvard Foreign Student Ban At 1st Circ.

    The Trump administration defended its attempt to bar foreign students from enrolling at Harvard University, telling the First Circuit in a brief filed Thursday that a federal judge who blocked the move has no business second-guessing immigration decisions made by the executive branch. 

  • August 28, 2025

    Local Gov'ts Seek Win In Suit Over HHS-Canceled Grants

    Four local governments and a union asked a D.C. federal judge on Wednesday to declare that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services acted unlawfully when it canceled $11 billion in grants awarded to improve public health systems around the country.

  • August 28, 2025

    End Of De Minimis Duty Breaks May Snag Supply Chains

    As the duty exemption for low-value imports ends Friday in accordance with President Donald Trump's executive order, lawyers say they expect cost increases for importers and customers and administrative burdens that could snarl supply chains, especially for consumer goods.

  • August 28, 2025

    FTC Unpauses Administrative Case Over Insulin Prices

    The Federal Trade Commission has restarted its in-house case accusing Caremark Rx, Express Scripts and OptumRx of artificially inflating insulin prices, now that two commissioners are able to consider the claims.

  • August 28, 2025

    Unions Urge Judgment Blocking DOGE's Agency Access

    Unions and advocacy groups asked a Washington, D.C., federal judge Thursday for a win before trial in their lawsuit claiming agencies unlawfully provided Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency access to sensitive data, saying the agencies departed from their usual data access procedures without explanation.

  • August 28, 2025

    EPA Backs Truck-Makers' Bid To Block Calif. Emissions Regs

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday joined truck-makers in asking a California federal court to immediately block implementation of the state's emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks.

  • August 28, 2025

    Religion Didn't Drive Ex-CTA Worker's Vax Refusal, Jury Hears

    A former Chicago Transit Authority electrician hasn't met his burden of proving religious discrimination was behind his termination when he refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and his refusal was based on personal preference and health and safety concerns about the jab, an Illinois federal jury heard Thursday.

  • August 28, 2025

    Court Blocks Bid To Keep Everglades Detention Center Open

    A Florida federal judge denied a bid to halt a preliminary injunction requiring the government to cease operations at an Everglades immigration detention center, ruling no new evidence was shown that its detainees are dangerous or why a facility must be placed in that particular location. 

  • August 28, 2025

    USPTO Offers Streamlined Patent, TM Assignment Search Tool

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is upgrading its search system for patent and trademark assignment records with a web-based platform beginning next month, the agency said.

  • August 28, 2025

    Arkansas Court Dismisses Cherokee Casino License Claims

    An Arkansas judge Thursday dismissed a challenge by Cherokee Nation entities over a gaming license in the state, saying the voter amendment that revoked it did not impair any of their contractual obligations and precedent forecloses on any damage claims.

  • August 28, 2025

    AstraZeneca Challenges Colo. Law Over Drug Pricing Rules

    Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca told a Colorado federal judge Wednesday that a recently passed state law aiming to extend a federal drug discount program to certain pharmacies is preempted by the same law that created the program.

Expert Analysis

  • Clean Energy Tax Changes Cut Timelines, Add Red Tape

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    With its dramatic changes to energy tax credits, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will reshape project financing and investment planning — and wind and solar developers, especially those in the early stages of projects, face stricter timelines and heightened compliance challenges, says Dan Ruth at Balch & Bingham.

  • 5 Consumer Protection Compliance Issues In NY State Budget

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    Companies that engage with New York consumers should promptly familiarize themselves with new state budget provisions that require finance and retail companies to make certain business practices more transparent and easier for customers to execute, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • Balancing The Promises And Perils Of Tokenizing Securities

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    Tokenizing listed securities offers the promise of greater efficiency, accessibility and innovation, but a recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission statement makes clear that the federal securities laws continue to apply to tokenized securities, so financial institutions and technology developers must work together to create clear rules, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • How To Increase 3rd-Party Preissuance Patent Submissions

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    Attorneys Marian Underweiser and Marc Ehrlich, who helped draft the America Invents Act, discuss changes that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office could potentially implement to facilitate its hopes for increased participation in front-end patent challenges.

  • How Cos. In China Can Tailor Compliance Amid FCPA Shifts

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s recently updated Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement guidelines create a fluid business environment for companies operating in China that will require a customized compliance approach to navigate both countries’ corporate and legal systems, say attorneys at Dickinson Wright.

  • 7 Ways Employers Can Avoid Labor Friction Over AI

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    As artificial intelligence use in the workplace emerges as a key labor relations topic in the U.S. and Europe, employers looking to reduce reputational risk and prevent costly disputes should consider proactive strategies to engage with unions, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Open Banking Is On Ice As CFPB Seeks To Toss Its Own Rule

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    Even as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's efforts to toss its open banking rule play out in Kentucky federal court, it remains statutorily required to effectuate consumer access to data, raising questions about how it would replace the previously finalized standard, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • SEC, FINRA Obligations In Changing AI Regulatory Landscape

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    Despite the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent withdrawal of its proposed artificial intelligence conflict rules, financial regulators remain focused on firms developing the correct AI compliance framework, as well as continuously testing and supervising them to ensure they're fit for purpose, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.

  • Trump Air Emissions Carveouts Cloud The Regulatory Picture

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    President Donald Trump's new proclamations temporarily exempting key U.S. industries from air toxics standards, issued under a narrow, rarely-used provision of the Clean Air Act, will likely lead to legal challenges and tighter standards in some states, contributing to further regulatory uncertainty, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • Opinion

    DOJ's HPE-Juniper Settlement Will Help US Compete

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    The U.S. Department of Justice settlement with Hewlett Packard Enterprise clears the purchase of Juniper Networks in a deal that positions the U.S. as a leader in secure, scalable networking and critical digital infrastructure by requiring the divestiture of a WiFi network business geared toward small firms, says John Shu at Taipei Medical University.

  • How Property Insurers Serve As Climate Change Harbingers

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    Thomas Dawson at McDermott discusses the role that U.S. property insurers may play in identifying and assessing climate risk, as well as in financing climate change adaptation projects, in light of global warming and shifting geopolitical realities.

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • Assessing Impact Of USPTO's New Patent Policies

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    Recent data shows how the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's new patent policies are affecting America Invents Act trial institution rates, including spurring an uptick in discretionary denials, say attorneys at Armond Wilson.

  • What US Medicine Onshoring Means For Indian Life Sciences

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    Despite the Trump administration's latest moves to onshore essential medicine manufacturing, India will likely remain an indispensable component of the U.S. drug supply chain, but Indian manufacturers should prepare for stricter compliance checks, says Jashaswi Ghosh at Holon Law Partners.

  • APA Relief May Blunt Justices' Universal Injunction Ruling

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    The Administrative Procedure Act’s avenue for universal preliminary relief seems to hold the most promise for neutralizing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. CASA to limit federal district courts' nationally applicable orders, say attorneys at Crowell.

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