Public Policy

  • April 22, 2026

    Alabama AG Secures $12.2M Roblox Kid Safety Deal

    The Alabama attorney general has announced a $12.2 million deal with popular gaming platform Roblox that would add age restrictions and more parental controls to protect children from online sexual predators.

  • April 22, 2026

    Feds Urge 9th Circ. To Lift Block On Calif. Border Patrol Sweeps

    The government urged the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday to lift an injunction barring Border Patrol from warrantless arrests and detentive stops without probable cause and reasonable suspicion, arguing that the plaintiffs lack standing, because they have "no good basis to believe they themselves will be subject to future unlawful stops."

  • April 22, 2026

    Cruise Ship Wi-Fi Plan Could Skew Ocean Data, NAS Says

    A plan to expand wireless device access on cruise ships might cause rough sailing for those who study the oceans from afar using the 6 gigahertz spectrum band, the National Academy of Sciences has warned.

  • April 22, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Calif. Can't Force Federal Agents To Display ID

    A Ninth Circuit panel temporarily blocked California from enforcing part of a law requiring law enforcement officers, including federal immigration agents, to visibly display identification, ruling it is likely unconstitutional.

  • April 22, 2026

    330+ Groups Urge DOJ To Restore Immigration Aid Staff

    More than 300 legal services providers, faith-based institutions and community groups are calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to fully restore a program that allows nonlawyers to assist low-income and indigent persons in immigration proceedings.

  • April 22, 2026

    FCC Asks If Shows With Trans People Need Higher Rating

    The Federal Communications Commission is wondering whether it should update the TV rating system to warn people when a program may include transgender or nonbinary characters or themes related to gender identity, so parents could "make informed choices for their families."

  • April 22, 2026

    NC Auditor Criticizes Oversight Of IOLTA Grants

    Legal assistance grants awarded under the North Carolina Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts program were given to qualified groups, but weren't adequately monitored afterward to ensure the tens of millions of dollars were spent as intended, a state watchdog has said.

  • April 22, 2026

    11th Circ. Says Everglades Detention Center Can Stay Open

    The Eleventh Circuit has vacated a preliminary injunction halting the operations of an Everglades-based immigration detention center for bypassing federal environmental laws, ruling two environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida challenging the detention center failed to show that it is under federal control.

  • April 22, 2026

    Va. Lawmakers Enact Updated Family Leave Program

    Virginia's Legislature greenlighted a law Wednesday that will allow workers to take paid family and medical leave through a statewide insurance program, approving Gov. Abigail Spanberger's proposed changes.

  • April 22, 2026

    2nd Circ. Amends Revival Of Mortgage-Backed Securities Suit

    The Second Circuit on Wednesday pulled back from a holding that mortgages underlying a union pension fund's mortgage-backed securities investments that tanked during the financial crisis were plan assets under federal benefits law in a proposed class action that the appellate court revived in March against Wells Fargo and Ocwen.

  • April 22, 2026

    Justices Would Back Vax Law Challenge, 2nd Circ. Told

    The U.S. Supreme Court's March 2 decision in a California gender-related school policy case requires the Second Circuit to advance a 2023 challenge to Connecticut's preschool and daycare student vaccine mandates, an attorney for a Constitution State congregation told a three-judge panel on Wednesday.

  • April 22, 2026

    Kash Patel's Suit Over Pundit's 'Nightclubs' Quip Gets Axed

    A Houston federal judge has tossed Kash Patel's defamation suit against news analyst Frank Figliuzzi, who during an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" quipped that the FBI director is more often seen in nightclubs than in his office, saying Patel's claims include an "'unreasonably literal interpretation'" of Figliuzzi's remark.

  • April 22, 2026

    NY Gov. Bans State Officials Using Inside Info For Online Bets

    New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order Wednesday blocking state officials from trading on prediction markets using insider information they obtained during the course of their official duties, citing recent reports of bets related to the U.S. military action within Venezuela and the war in Iran.

  • April 22, 2026

    11th Circ. Mulls Whether High Court Ruling Backs Book Ban

    The Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday pressed Florida on its argument that a landmark 1988 U.S. Supreme Court case supported its defense of a state law barring books with sexual content from school libraries, with two judges hinting that the high court's decision might not be directly on point.

  • April 22, 2026

    4th Circ. Won't Rehear Spat Over DOGE's Agency Data Access

    The Fourth Circuit has declined to reconsider a split panel's decision to vacate an injunction that blocked the Department of Government Efficiency's access to personal information held by three federal agencies.

  • April 22, 2026

    5th Circ. Bars Dead Veteran's VA Surgery Suit As Untimely

    The estate of a dead veteran who filed a medical malpractice lawsuit 18 years after an unauthorized operation at a Veterans Affairs hospital didn't bring the suit within Mississippi's seven-year deadline for medical malpractice claims, the Fifth Circuit ruled Wednesday.

  • April 22, 2026

    Justices Lean Toward Parole For Charged Green Card Holders

    The U.S. Supreme Court appeared unconvinced on Wednesday that returning green card holders with pending criminal charges must be admitted rather than paroled into the country, with one justice suggesting it could backfire on lawful permanent residents and might be impractical.

  • April 22, 2026

    Split 6th Circ. Lets Brewer Challenge Tax Code's Distilling Ban

    An Ohio brewery owner has standing to challenge the constitutionality of the federal tax code's ban on distilling whiskey at home, but the ban is necessary for the government to collect taxes on distilled spirits, a split Sixth Circuit panel ruled.

  • April 22, 2026

    CIT Backs Expanded Scope For Chinese Cabinet Duties

    Certain wooden cabinets and vanities completed in Vietnam and Malaysia with components manufactured in China were correctly found to be in-scope of duty orders on such products from China, the U.S. Court of International Trade said Wednesday, sustaining two U.S. Department of Commerce determinations.

  • April 22, 2026

    Oklahoma Sports Betting Bill Wins Thunder, Tribal Backing

    Two Republican lawmakers in Oklahoma have amended a version of a bill to legalize sports betting in the state with the backing of the Oklahoma City Thunder that will allow wagers to be placed through platforms operated in partnership with the state's tribal nations.

  • April 22, 2026

    USTR Seeking 'Outcomes' On DSTs, Stronger USMCA Rules

    U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told a U.S. House of Representatives panel Wednesday that efforts to eliminate digital service taxes implemented by jurisdictions across the world continue to be prioritized by President Donald Trump's administration, and potential tariff actions are ready in waiting.

  • April 22, 2026

    Retailers Ready To Fight FCC Over Call Center 'Onshoring'

    Large retail chains aren't happy with the Federal Communications Commission's plan to "onshore" customer service call centers, saying that even though it's geared toward communications companies, the proposal risks being foisted onto retailers as well.

  • April 22, 2026

    EEOC 'Delayed Its Own' Antisemitism Probe, Penn Says

    The University of Pennsylvania has pushed back on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's implication that it is delaying the agency's probe into antisemitism on campus by seeking a pause of a subpoena's enforcement, saying the EEOC's previous lack of urgency in the case undermines its argument.

  • April 22, 2026

    Acting DOJ Inspector General Tapped For Permanent Post

    President Donald Trump has nominated the U.S. Department of Justice's acting inspector general, who investigated the FBI's probe into Trump's links with Russia, to remain in that role on a permanent basis, according to a White House announcement.

  • April 22, 2026

    FCC Boosts Mobile Service From Space With AST Exemptions

    The Federal Communications Commission's staff approved some rule exemptions for AST & Science LLC to launch a 248-satellite constellation, which they said would encourage the growth of mobile services from space.

Expert Analysis

  • Human Authorship Is Still Central To Copyright Eligibility

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    In declining to review the D.C. Circuit's ruling in Thaler v. Perlmutter — holding that a work purely generated by artificial intelligence cannot be copyrighted — the U.S. Supreme Court has reinforced the human authorship requirement, so it is critical for creators of AI-assisted projects to document their involvement, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Recent Bank Resolution Filings Stress Readiness Over Docs

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    Against the backdrop of banking regulators' recent emphasis on institutional readiness in the event of a bank failure, a review of more than a dozen public resolution plan submissions points to an immediate future in which regulators and banks alike prioritize operational preparedness over extensive documentation, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Series

    Alpine Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Skiing has shaped habits I rely on daily as an attorney — focus, resilience and the ability to remain steady when circumstances shift rapidly — and influences the way I approach legal strategy, client counseling and teamwork, says Isaku Begert at Marshall Gerstein.

  • 3 Federal Policy Trends Shaping Data Center Power

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    With the White House, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Congress each pushing energy policies that will influence how data centers are sited, powered and interconnected for years to come, industry stakeholders should understand compliance obligations, consider possible downstream effects, and evaluate off-grid and self-supply energy options, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • NY Tax Talk: Calculating Tiered Partnership Income

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    Attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland discuss how the potential impact recent New York City Tax Appeals Tribunal decision in Matter of Cantor Fitzgerald holding that the entity approach should be used by tiered partnerships to compute unincorporated business tax liability, why the issue of the proper approach remains unsettled and the broader implications for federal conformity and administrative agency deference.

  • FDA Guidance May Move Goalposts For Form 483 Responses

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    New draft guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides formal insight on how drug manufacturers are expected to respond to Form 483s, raising some concerns about the agency's timelines and expectations, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Understanding The SEC's Consequential Crypto Guidance

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent interpretive release — its most comprehensive statement ever on the application of the federal securities laws to crypto-assets — reimagines the Howey test to resolve long-standing questions over what is a security, but leaves many issues unresolved, say attorneys at Cahill.

  • Ohio Case Reflects States' Aggressive Criminal Antitrust Turn

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    The Ohio Attorney General's Office’s recent bid-rigging indictment of an online auctioneer is the latest signal that states, through attorneys general pursuing more kickback cases and legislators expanding the reach of antitrust laws, are shedding their historical reluctance to wield their criminal antitrust enforcement powers, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Justices' Geofence Ruling May Test 4th Amendment's Future

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    When the U.S. Supreme Court decides in Chatrie v. U.S. whether law enforcement may use geofence warrants to compel Google to disclose location history data, the ruling is likely to become an important statement about the future of Fourth Amendment law in data-driven investigations, says Duncan Levin at Levin & Associates.

  • Series

    NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    In the first quarter of 2026, New York's banking developments were headlined by initiatives to expand oversight of financial institutions and strengthen consumer protection laws, including a new framework for buy now, pay later lenders, a sweeping debt collection rule and a revised corporate self-disclosure program for financial crimes, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Seeking A Policy Fix As Merger Reporting Fight Continues

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    A recently announced request by the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice for public comment on the Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger reporting requirements, as litigation challenging the commission's updated requirements continues, suggests the government's willingness to address how best to support modern merger enforcement without unduly burdening filing parties, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • What New Fla. Citizens Bill Means For Surplus Lines Insurers

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    A Florida bill recently passed by the Legislature as part of a continued effort to depopulate Citizens Property Insurance, the state's insurer of last resort, creates an additional pathway for commercial policies to be written by surplus lines insurers, but also presents concerns of unnecessary regulation, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • What Voluntary Calif. Carbon Reports Show About Compliance

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    While the enforcement of California's S.B. 261 is currently paused due to a Ninth Circuit injunction, more than 130 companies have nonetheless chosen to voluntarily publish climate-related financial risk disclosures, providing a useful snapshot of how the market is interpreting the law's requirements in practice, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • PTAB Memo Recenters Discretion On US Manufacturing

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    Read alongside recent Federal Circuit decisions, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires' memo on patent denial considerations emphasizes domestic manufacturing in a way that the International Trade Commission does not require, says Brandon Theiss at Volpe Koenig.

  • Why MDLs Slow Down — And How To Speed Them Up

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    Multidistrict litigation has become central to mass tort practice, but as MDLs grow in size and complexity, so do delays and costs — so tools like the new federal rule governing MDLs, targeted use of special masters and strategically deployed Lone Pine orders are more essential than ever, say attorneys at Ice Miller.

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