Public Policy

  • 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.

  • August 28, 2025

    Tribal Members Seek 5th Circ. Redo In San Antonio Park Row

    Two members of a Native American church are asking the Fifth Circuit to rehear its appeal, which looks to block the restoration of a San Antonio park, saying that if left uncorrected, the opinion will leave religious believers vulnerable and sow confusion among district courts.

  • August 28, 2025

    Cannabis Biz Says Long Island Town Illicitly Blocked Opening

    A cannabis company alleged in a new state court lawsuit that the Long Island town of Southampton improperly invoked a local zoning law to prevent the opening of a marijuana store that had secured state approval for retail and deliveries.

  • August 28, 2025

    Energy Dept. Extends Pa. Plant's Lifespan, Citing Power Risks

    U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Thursday ordered PJM Interconnection and Constellation Energy to continue operating a Pennsylvania power plant that was supposed to have closed in May.

  • August 28, 2025

    Wash. Sen. Opposes Full-Term Role For State's New US Atty

    The newly installed interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Washington at this juncture has not been nominated for the full-term role, but one of the state's Democratic senators is already vowing to prevent his confirmation.

  • August 28, 2025

    Red States Fight Youths' Effort To Stop Trump Energy Orders

    Blocking implementation of President Donald Trump's energy-related emergency orders would harm the U.S. electric grid and economy in ways that would outweigh any purported climate change benefits, Republican-led states told a Montana federal judge.

  • August 28, 2025

    Trump Fires Democratic Member Of Rail Regulator

    President Donald Trump on Thursday fired a Democratic member of the Surface Transportation Board who has opposed further consolidation in the rail industry, ousting Robert Primus just as the board prepares to consider the proposed megamerger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern.

  • August 28, 2025

    Ga.'s Chief Justice Warns Of AI's Risks To Trial Evidence

    As generative artificial intelligence tools have become widely accessible, Georgia's chief justice said Thursday he's worried about how the technology can be used to manipulate and distort evidence presented in court and what the judiciary can do to prevent that. 

  • August 28, 2025

    Hartford Cops' Assault Response Reveals Bias, Court Told

    The city of Hartford's police department discriminates against women of color by failing to properly investigate their claims of sexual assault, counsel for a Connecticut state representative told a federal judge Thursday, while the municipality argued that she has not backed the allegation that the force is biased.

  • August 28, 2025

    PBGC Must Reconsider Bakery Union's $132M Bailout Bid

    The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. must formally reexamine whether union bakery drivers can collect $132 million from a federal pension rescue program, a New York federal judge said Thursday after lifting a stay on the order following the Second Circuit's decision to reject the agency's rehearing bid.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Wells Fargo Suit Shows Consumer Protection Limits In Mass.

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    The Massachusetts Appeals Court's May decision in Wells Fargo Bank v. Coulsey underscores that consumer rights are balanced against the need for closure, and even the broad protections of state consumer protection law will not open the door to relitigating the same claims, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Series

    Ohio Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    Ohio's financial services sector saw several significant developments in the second quarter of 2025, including a case that confirmed credit unions' setoff rights, another that established contract rights between banks and cardholders, and the House passage of a digital asset bill, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

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