Public Policy

  • August 21, 2025

    9th Circ. Lets DHS End More Temporary Protections, For Now

    A Ninth Circuit panel put on hold for now a district court ruling postponing the Trump administration's bid to end temporary protected status for 60,000 people from Nicaragua, Honduras and Nepal, but denied the government's bid to halt the lower court proceedings.

  • August 21, 2025

    Democratic Sen. Urges Trump Admin To Plan For Tariff Refunds

    Senate Small Business Committee ranking member Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., sent a letter Thursday to agency leaders in President Donald Trump's administration requesting the government prepare a tariff refund plan in case federal courts strike down Trump's emergency tariffs.

  • August 21, 2025

    DOJ Gets Backing In Fight Over Public Benefits

    A group that fights to restrict immigration into the U.S. is urging a Rhode Island federal court to let the Trump administration narrow noncitizens' access to programs like Head Start, homeless shelters and food banks, arguing Thursday that a coalition of 20 states is trying to obstruct immigration enforcement and give benefits to "illegal aliens."

  • August 21, 2025

    NHTSA Looking Into Tesla Crash Report Tardiness

    Tesla Inc. must explain why many crashes involving its advanced driver-assistance systems or self-driving vehicles are not being timely reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to a notice filed by federal regulators who are now investigating the company's compliance.

  • August 21, 2025

    High Court Allows Trump Admin To Cancel $783M In NIH Grants

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Trump administration to resume the mass termination of scientific grants, overturning rulings by lower courts that had kept the funds flowing to universities and other recipients. 

  • August 21, 2025

    Minnesota Tax Court Cuts Abbott Labs Property Value By $7M

    A property owned by Abbott Laboratories Inc. was overvalued, and its 2022 assessment should be reduced by about $7 million, the Minnesota Tax Court found.

  • August 21, 2025

    Connecticut, Feds Look To Settle 80-Acre Tribal Land Row

    The state of Connecticut and the Department of the Interior have asked a judge to pause a case over the federal government's proposed acquisition of 80 acres of tribal land so that the matter can be sent to mediation.

  • August 21, 2025

    Mass. Sheriff Pleads Not Guilty To Pot Extortion Scheme

    Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins pled not guilty Thursday in a federal courtroom to charges that he used his position to obtain pre-IPO shares in a cannabis retailer, then a refund when the investment lost money.

  • August 21, 2025

    NJ Court Halts Tower Linked To Menendez Co-Conspirator

    A New Jersey state court judge ordered a developer to halt construction on a mixed-use project formerly headed by a businessman convicted alongside former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, finding the buildings' height is "clearly exceeding" plans approved in 2018.

  • August 21, 2025

    EU, US Agree To Eliminate Industrial Tariffs

    The European Union and the U.S. have agreed on new terms to the trade agreement to eliminate EU tariffs on U.S. industrial products and implement a 15% U.S. tariff cap for most other sectors, according to a joint statement issued Thursday.

  • August 21, 2025

    Texas High Court Takes Down Hurdle On Campaign Prosecutions

    The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has ruled that prosecutors do not need referrals from the Texas Ethics Commission to bring campaign misconduct charges, reversing its own recent decision that had thrown out a grand jury indictment against a former judicial candidate.

  • August 21, 2025

    HHS Wants Out Of Unions' Suit Over Layoffs, Agency Cuts

    The Department of Health and Human Services fought back against amended claims from several unions over layoff notices and the alleged dismantling of an agency focused on worker safety, telling a D.C. federal judge that the unions are pursuing "judicial overreach" in their suit.

  • August 21, 2025

    Treasury Gets New Acting International Tax Counsel

    A deputy international tax counsel for the U.S. Department of the Treasury has been elevated to serve as acting counsel, he said in a post on LinkedIn.

  • August 21, 2025

    C-Band Payment Clearinghouse Officially Wound Down

    The C-Band Relocation Payment Clearinghouse has officially ceased operations after the Federal Communications Commission agreed back in June that the clearinghouse had done what it was intended to do.

  • August 21, 2025

    Ga. Judge Says Gov. Hopeful's Cash Advantage Looks 'Unfair'

    A Georgia federal judge gave little indication Thursday of whether she would halt the bottomless fundraising privileges of one of the frontrunners in the Peach State's Republican gubernatorial primary, but opined that the advantage appeared "unfair" to one of his top rivals, the state's current attorney general.

  • August 21, 2025

    Ill. AG 'Deputized' Firms To Go After Power Cos., Suit Says

    Two retail power suppliers have asked a federal judge to block enforcement actions taken by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, claiming his office has unconstitutionally deputized plaintiffs law firms to pursue consumer fraud enforcement cases against the industry.

  • August 21, 2025

    FCC Seeks Feedback Before Ditching Truth-In-Billing Rules

    The Federal Communications Commission is officially asking for opinions on whether the agency's slamming and truth-in-billing rules are outdated and, if so, where they should be cut, after voting earlier this month to propose eliminating some of them.

  • August 21, 2025

    Judge Finds Habba Unlawfully Serving As NJ's US Atty

    Alina Habba, President Donald Trump's former personal attorney and his pick to remain the U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, was unlawfully given an extension of her temporary post after her "interim" appointment expired, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled Thursday.

  • August 21, 2025

    EPA Denies 'Sitting On Its Hands' On Pesticide Ban Request

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday asked the Ninth Circuit to reject green groups' effort to force it to respond to their petition to ban organophosphate pesticides, saying it "has not unreasonably delayed action."

  • August 21, 2025

    Trump To Get Texas Vacancy With Judge Taking Senior Status

    U.S. District Judge David Godbey of the Northern District of Texas, who was at the center of a debate on judge shopping last year, will take senior status on Sept. 17, according to an update posted on the federal judiciary's website on Thursday.

  • August 21, 2025

    Feds Extend Mich. Coal Plant Order Amid Court Fight

    The U.S. Department of Energy has renewed an order keeping a Michigan power plant open past its retirement date for another three months, as the government faces court challenges to its exercise of emergency powers.

  • August 21, 2025

    Chinese Fiberglass Imports Face Steep Early Duties

    Chinese fiberglass door panels entering the U.S. from certain exporters face preliminary countervailing duties above 900% after those companies were unresponsive during an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, according to a notice published Thursday.

  • August 21, 2025

    FCC Dings NC FM Station For Unapproved Transfer Of Control

    The owners of a low-power Catholic FM station in North Carolina are entering into a consent decree with the Federal Communications Commission over allegations that its owners effectively gave control to another entity without authorization, agreeing to pay $2,000 and implement a comprehensive compliance plan.

  • August 21, 2025

    Oklahoma Gov. Challenges Tulsa's Tribal Jurisdiction Deal

    Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt is asking the state's high court to block a settlement between the city of Tulsa and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, arguing that without intervention the agreement will erode state sovereignty, undermine public safety and invite other municipalities to surrender their legal obligations.

  • August 21, 2025

    Employer Plans In Limbo As Courts Grapple With Trans Care

    Despite appellate courts' apparent willingness to allow states to ban gender-affirming care for minors, employers are still waiting for clarity on whether federal anti-discrimination laws require health plans to cover transgender healthcare access, experts say.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • What Baseball Can Teach Criminal Attys About Rule Of Lenity

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    Judges tend to assess ambiguous criminal laws not unlike how baseball umpires approach checked swings, so defense attorneys should consider how to best frame their arguments to maximize courts' willingness to invoke the rule of lenity, wherein a tie goes to the defendant, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

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