Public Policy

  • June 26, 2025

    Justices Say SC Medicaid Patient Can't Sue To Pick Provider

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that a patient can't challenge South Carolina's decision to kick Planned Parenthood from the state Medicaid program because it includes abortions among its services.

  • June 25, 2025

    Fed Rolls Out Plan To Relax Leverage Rule For Biggest Banks

    The Federal Reserve on Wednesday kicked off an effort to ease a key leverage requirement for the biggest U.S. banks, advancing a highly anticipated proposal that officials said could free up bank balance-sheet capacity to bolster the U.S. Treasury market. 

  • June 25, 2025

    Trump's DOL Blocked From Slashing Job Corps Program

    A New York federal judge Wednesday issued a nationwide preliminary injunction prohibiting the U.S. Department of Labor from "suspending" most of the Job Corps program, ruling that Congress created the program and funded it, and the "DOL is not free to do as it pleases."

  • June 25, 2025

    Judge Blocks Colo. Gov. From Forcing Cooperation With ICE

    A Colorado state judge on Wednesday blocked Gov. Jared Polis from forcing certain state labor department employees to comply with a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement subpoena, but he stopped short of prohibiting Polis from cooperating with the federal agency.

  • June 25, 2025

    TCPA Litigants Brace For 'Seismic Shift' After Deference Blow

    The U.S. Supreme Court's backing of broad judicial review for the crush of regulatory orders interpreting the Telephone Consumer Protection Act is poised to turn the litigation landscape on its head, as key statutory determinations that have long been viewed as settled matters are suddenly ripe for scrutiny. 

  • June 25, 2025

    Senate Panel Again OKs Bill To Boost Teens' Online Privacy

    A longstanding legislative proposal that would ban online targeted advertising to minors and expand digital privacy protections to cover teens between the ages of 13 and 16 began its latest trip through Congress on Wednesday, when the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee easily advanced the measure to the full chamber. 

  • June 25, 2025

    Coinme Fined $300K In Landmark Calif. Enforcement Action

    Crypto kiosk operator Coinme Inc. has agreed to pay a $300,000 fine to resolve findings that it violated California's kiosk transaction limits and failed to include certain disclosures on receipts, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation announced Wednesday.

  • June 25, 2025

    Tulsa Inks Jurisdiction Pact With Tribe As Okla. Gov. Objects

    The mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Wednesday settled a jurisdictional dispute with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation over law enforcement, saying the city will bring an end to the tribe's lawsuit by deferring to its criminal jurisdiction, despite Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt's objections that he's been cut out of the deal.

  • June 25, 2025

    Colo. Justices Unsure If Law Covers AI-Made Child Images

    The Colorado Supreme Court expressed uncertainty Wednesday over whether a state statute in place through 2024 made illegal the production of sexually explicit AI-generated images of minors, or if this month's revision to the law proves the 2024 statute did not cover those images.

  • June 25, 2025

    Montana Tribes Look To Back Union In Election Law Dispute

    Several Native American tribes are looking to intervene in a challenge to a Montana law that they allege harms the state's rural Indigenous communities by eliminating eight hours of voter registration on Election Day, arguing that it violates equal protection laws and due process ensured by the state's constitution.

  • June 25, 2025

    Lawmakers Can't Curb NC Gov.'s Power To Appoint Judges

    Republican lawmakers in North Carolina can't restrict the governor's ability to fill judicial vacancies in the state appellate courts, a state court has ruled, partially striking down a law the Legislature passed last year attempting to curb his appointment powers.

  • June 25, 2025

    Judge Tosses Suit Over Wash. Race-Based Home Program

    A Washington federal judge has thrown out a nonprofit's suit alleging that a state homeownership program is unconstitutional because it allegedly only helps first-time homebuyers who belong to specific minority groups.

  • June 25, 2025

    10th Circ. Urged To Revive Post-Jarkesy FDIC Challenge

    A Kansas bank has urged the Tenth Circuit to revive its suit claiming the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. violated the bank's right to a jury trial through an enforcement proceeding before an agency-appointed judge, arguing federal courts must be able to hear such constitutional claims.

  • June 25, 2025

    State Gets Second Chance Despite Delays, Pa. Court Rules

    A trial court erred in dismissing a criminal case against a man who was accused of illegally possessing firearms due to excessive delays, the Pennsylvania Superior Court said, finding that lapsed time was not entirely attributable to the commonwealth and should therefore not prevent prosecution.

  • June 25, 2025

    Media Matters' FTC Suit Can't Keep Same Judge As Texas Case

    The D.C. federal judge who blocked investigations into Media Matters by the attorneys general of Texas and Missouri won't be taking on the group's latest lawsuit challenging an allegedly similar probe by the Republican-controlled Federal Trade Commission after the judge concluded Wednesday that the FTC case is too different.

  • June 25, 2025

    Globalstar Concerned By Potential 'Big LEO' Band Changes

    Satellite company Globalstar is once again bashing SpaceX's proposal to rewrite the Federal Communications Commission's rules for the "Big LEO" band, telling agency officials in a recent meeting that there's no need to rethink things and let new entrants into its licensed spectrum.

  • June 25, 2025

    Wash. City Hits Ch. 9 After Arbitration Loss With Developer

    Cle Elum, a city in central Washington at the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, filed for Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy on Tuesday facing garnishment from a real estate developer to whom it owes $26 million.

  • June 25, 2025

    DOJ Says OC Won't Provide Noncitizen Voter Cancellation Info

    The Orange County Registrar of Voters is illegally withholding unredacted information of noncitizens whose registrations were voided, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in California federal court by the U.S. Department of Justice, which recently received a complaint from the relative of a noncitizen who purportedly received a mail-in ballot.

  • June 25, 2025

    SEC Grants Brokers More Time On Customer-Protection Rule

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission agreed Wednesday to extend until late June 2026 the time broker-dealers have to comply with recent amendments to a regulation protecting customers, saying that firms need more time to upgrade their operations.

  • June 25, 2025

    DOL Urges Judge Not To Block H-2A Prevailing Wage Rules

    The U.S. Department of Labor defended its 2022 H-2A prevailing wage regulations against claims from a farmworker union in Washington federal court, arguing the agency's rules are lawful and must be upheld.

  • June 25, 2025

    Ark., Idaho Push For Jury Trial In Google Ad Tech Case

    Arkansas and Idaho are hoping a Texas federal judge will reconsider the decision declaring they don't have a right to a jury trial and, as a result, can't seek civil penalties from Google on their antitrust claims accusing the tech behemoth of manipulating the advertising market.

  • June 25, 2025

    Feds Say Vet Failed To Back VA Malpractice Claim At Trial

    The U.S. government is urging a Washington federal court to give it a win following a bench trial on a suit brought by a Navy veteran and former Department of Veterans Affairs nurse alleging that malpractice by her VA psychiatrist led to an episode in which she stabbed her mother with a knife.

  • June 25, 2025

    Team Telecom Gives Its OK To $4.4B T-Mobile, UScellular Deal

    T-Mobile's plan to take over most of UScellular's wireless operations in a $4.4 billion deal cleared a regulatory hurdle with approval from the federal group that vets telecom mergers for security concerns.

  • June 25, 2025

    EU Probing Mars' $36B Deal For Pringles-Maker Kellanova

    European competition enforcers said Wednesday they are investigating snack food and candy giant Mars Inc.'s planned $35.9 billion purchase of Cheez-It and Pringles maker Kellanova over concerns the combined company would have too much negotiating power with retailers.

  • June 25, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs EPA's Firing Of 'Disruptive' Whistleblower

    The Federal Circuit upheld a decision finding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would've fired a federal employee even if she wasn't whistleblowing on its failure to submit affirmative employment plans, ruling Wednesday that while there was significant motive to retaliate, there's also evidence the employee was "disrespectful, disruptive and discourteous" toward colleagues.

Expert Analysis

  • What Disparate Impact Order Means For Insurers' AI Use

    Author Photo

    A recent executive order seeking to bar disparate impact theory conveys a meaningful policy shift, but does not alter the legal status of federal antidiscrimination law or enforceability of state laws, such as those holding insurers accountable for using artificial intelligence in a nondiscriminatory matter, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • Choosing A Road To Autonomous Vehicle Compliance

    Author Photo

    As autonomous vehicle manufacturers navigate the complex U.S. regulatory landscape, they may opt for different approaches to following federal, state and local rules and laws, as they balance the tradeoffs between innovation, compliance and speed of deployment, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Navigating The Expanding Frontier Of Premerger Notice Laws

    Author Photo

    Washington's newly enacted law requiring premerger notification to state enforcers builds upon a growing trend of state scrutiny into transactions in the healthcare sector and beyond, and may inspire other states to enact similar legislation, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Evolving Federal Rules Pose Further Obstacles To NY LLC Act

    Author Photo

    Following the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's recent changes to beneficial ownership information reporting under the federal Corporate Transparency Act — dramatically reducing the number of companies required to make disclosures — the utility of New York's LLC Transparency Act becomes less apparent, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • The Risks Of Trump's Plan To Fast-Track Deregulation

    Author Photo

    A recent memorandum issued by President Donald Trump directing the repeal of so-called unlawful regulations, and instructing that agencies invoke the good cause exception under the Administrative Procedure Act, signals a potentially far-reaching deregulatory strategy under the guise of legal compliance, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • Deregulation Memo Presents Risks, Opportunities For Cos.

    Author Photo

    A recent Trump administration memo providing direction to agencies tasked with rescinding regulations under an earlier executive order — without undergoing the typical notice-and-review process — will likely create much uncertainty for businesses, though they may be able to engage with agencies to shape the regulatory agenda, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

  • Action Steps To Prepare For Ramped-Up Export Enforcement

    Author Photo

    In light of recent Bureau of Industry and Security actions and comments, companies, particularly those with any connection to China, should consider four concrete steps to shore up their compliance programs given the administration's increasingly aggressive approach to export enforcement, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Mastering Discovery

    Author Photo

    The discovery process and the rules that govern it are often absent from law school curricula, but developing a solid grasp of the particulars can give any new attorney a leg up in their practice, says Jordan Davies at Knowles Gallant.

  • DOJ Signals Major Shift In White Collar Enforcement Priorities

    Author Photo

    In a speech on Monday, an official outlined key revisions to the U.S. Department of Justice’s voluntary self-disclosure, corporate monitorship and whistleblower program policies, marking a meaningful change in the white collar enforcement landscape, and offering companies clearer incentives and guardrails, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • Understanding Compliance Concerns With NY Severance Bill

    Author Photo

    New York's No Severance Ultimatums Act, if enacted, could overhaul how employers manage employee separations, but employers should be mindful that the bill's language introduces ambiguities and raises compliance concerns, say attorneys at Norris McLaughlin.

  • What New Study Means For Recycling Compliance In Calif.

    Author Photo

    Companies must review the California recycling agency's new study to understand its criteria for assessing claims of product and packaging recyclability under a law that takes effect next year, and then decide whether the risks of making such claims in the state outweigh the benefits, say attorneys at Keller & Heckman.

  • Mergers Face Steeper Slopes In State Antitrust Reviews

    Author Photo

    The New York Supreme Court's recent summary judgment in New York v. Intermountain Management, blocking the acquisition and shuttering of a ski mountain in the Syracuse area, underscores the growing trend among state antitrust enforcers to scrutinize and challenge anticompetitive conduct under state laws, say attorneys at Robins Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    The IRS Shouldn't Go To War Over Harvard's Tax Exemption

    Author Photo

    If the Internal Revenue Service revokes Harvard's tax-exempt status for violating established public policy — a position unsupported by currently available information — the precedent set by surviving the inevitable court challenge could undercut the autonomy and distinctiveness of the charitable sector, says Johnny Rex Buckles at Houston Law Center.

  • Balancing Deep-Sea Mining Executive Order, Int'l Agreements

    Author Photo

    President Donald Trump's recent executive order directing exploration and exploitation of deep-sea mineral resources appears to conflict with the evolving international framework regulating such activities, so companies and investors should proceed with care and keep possible future legal challenges in mind, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • CFTC Memos Clarify When 'Sorry' Still Gets You Subpoenaed

    Author Photo

    A pair of Commodity Futures Trading Commission advisories released in February and April open a new path to self-reporting but emphasize that serious breaches still warrant a trip to the penalty box, prompting firms to weigh whether — and how — to disclose potential violations in the future, say attorneys at Pryor Cashman.

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.