Public Policy

  • August 04, 2025

    Hemp Org. Applauds Removal Of Ban From Spending Bill

    A national hemp industry trade organization on Monday said it was grateful for the removal of language from a Senate appropriations bill that would have banned consumable hemp-derived products with psychoactive THC.

  • August 04, 2025

    EU Postpones Tariffs To Finalize US Trade Agreement

    The European Union will delay planned trade countermeasures for the next six months, including tariffs on over €93 billion ($107.6 billion) of U.S. goods entering the bloc, as the EU and U.S. work toward implementing the framework trade deal agreed to last week, a spokesperson for the European Commission said Monday.

  • August 04, 2025

    Google Says Term Limits Only Needed For Some Search Fixes

    Google told the D.C. federal court overseeing the government search monopolization case that there is no need to put a one-year term limit on its default search agreements with Android device manufacturers and wireless carriers because they are not exclusive.

  • August 04, 2025

    Chemical Group Says Fluoride Judge Got It Wrong

    The American Chemistry Council told the Ninth Circuit that a California federal judge who ruled that current limits on fluoride in drinking water aren't protective enough misinterpreted the Toxic Substances Control Act and urged reversal of his decision.

  • August 04, 2025

    DOJ Defends IRS-ICE Data Sharing Pact In DC Circ.

    The D.C. Circuit should reject four immigrant advocacy groups' push to prevent the IRS from disclosing confidential tax return information to immigration enforcement authorities, the government said Monday, arguing there's no concrete evidence that the information sharing will harm the groups' members.

  • August 04, 2025

    Trump Admin To Test $15K Visa Bond For Some Visitors

    The U.S. Department of State on Monday unveiled a 12-month pilot program that will require noncitizens seeking tourist or business visas from countries with high rates of visa overstays to post a bond of up to $15,000 to obtain a visa.

  • August 04, 2025

    Fla. Tribe Joins Suit Over 'Alligator Alcatraz' In Everglades

    A Florida tribe has joined green groups in hitting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and state officials with environmental claims that the immigration detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz" constructed in the Everglades violates a slew of federal statutes.

  • August 04, 2025

    Mississippi Judge Won't Explain TRO Errors In Suit Over DEI

    A Mississippi federal judge won't explain how his decision pausing enforcement of a state law barring diversity, equity and inclusion in public schools contained nonexistent allegations, wrongly identified plaintiffs and defendants and quoted terms that don't appear in the legislative text, ruling that the court isn't obligated to do so.

  • August 04, 2025

    FinCEN Urges Industry To Stay 'Vigilant' On Crypto ATM Fraud

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network on Monday cautioned about rising fraud involving crypto ATMs, saying criminals are increasingly using the kiosks to launder money and scam vulnerable consumers, especially seniors.

  • August 04, 2025

    DC Circ. Upholds FCC's Foreign Sponsorship Rule

    The D.C. Circuit upheld the Federal Communications Commission's 2024 foreign sponsorship disclosure rule for broadcasters Friday, rejecting arguments that the rule violated First Amendment speech protections and even reprimanding the premature leaking of nonpublic rulemaking details to broadcasters, calling the process a "new low" of industry capture.

  • August 04, 2025

    DOJ Fights Md. Judges' Bid To Ax Suit Over Habeas Orders

    The Department of Justice is standing by its lawsuit challenging a standing order in the District of Maryland that temporarily blocks the deportation of detained noncitizens who file habeas petitions, saying a recent dismissal bid misses the mark because "even a small delay" is "irreparable harm to sovereign interests."

  • August 04, 2025

    Moderna Seeks To Be Cleared In $5B COVID Vax Patent Case

    Moderna has urged a Delaware federal judge to clear it in a rival mRNA developer's $5 billion patent suit over the company's COVID-19 vaccines, saying it is shielded because it made them for the federal government.

  • August 04, 2025

    Conn. Justices Block Rehab Center's Bid To Halt Rival Permit

    A northwestern Connecticut drug rehabilitation facility lacks standing to challenge the state Department of Public Health's approval of a small-town rival's permit, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Monday, holding that a statute does not require regulators to consider effects on local competition when OK'ing new healthcare facilities.

  • August 04, 2025

    EU Court To Hear Digital Nomad Case Against VAT Rules

    A European Union court will hear the case of an online short-term rental company against the bloc's deemed supplier rules for value-added tax on the grounds that the provisions disadvantage the industry, according to a notice issued Monday.

  • August 04, 2025

    Lawmakers Jumpstart Work On Telecom Subsidy Reform

    A working group of U.S. senators focused on reforms to the nation's telecommunications subsidy system has started gathering the public's views on legislation.

  • August 04, 2025

    Texas Bill Seeks Lower Voter-Approval Property Tax Rate

    Texas would reduce its voter-approval property tax rate, or the rate that a local government unit may adopt without voter approval, for large taxing units under a bill introduced in the state Senate.

  • August 04, 2025

    DuPont Inks $2.5B Deal With NJ Over PFAS Pollution

    E.I. du Pont de Nemours and New Jersey have reached a more than $2 billion landmark deal to remedy long-standing "forever chemical" contamination at the company's manufacturing sites across the Garden State, including a longtime facility in Salem County.

  • August 02, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs Limits On ICE Immigration Sweeps In LA

    The Ninth Circuit preserved most of a district court's temporary block on the Trump administration making immigration arrests in the Los Angeles area without probable cause, rejecting the government's request for a stay during its appeal.

  • August 01, 2025

    States Can't Block Trump Admin's Cuts To Science Grants

    A Manhattan federal judge on Friday rejected a request from 16 states to block the Trump administration from cutting millions of dollars in grant funds from the National Science Foundation for scientific research and programs aimed at enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion in STEM fields and environmental justice.

  • August 01, 2025

    9th Circ. Lifts Order Halting Trump From Curbing Fed Unions

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday granted the Trump administration's bid to halt an injunction blocking enforcement of President Donald Trump's executive order axing labor contracts covering agencies with "national security" aims, saying in a published opinion that the government was likely to succeed against six unions' First Amendment retaliation claim.

  • August 01, 2025

    NC Man Warns Justices Of 'Odor Alone' Pot-Search Dangers

    A North Carolina man who pled guilty to firearms charges after police found a weapon in his vehicle after smelling cannabis is urging the state's Supreme Court to find that the odor alone is not enough to establish probable cause, saying the current state of the law means anyone carrying state-legal hemp effectively gives up their Fourth Amendment right to be free of unreasonable searches.

  • August 01, 2025

    IP Owners Largely Win In Stewart's Newest Discretion Orders

    Acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart dismissed most of the 50 petitions for inter partes review addressed in her latest decisions over discretionary denials at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

  • August 01, 2025

    NJ Court Will Mull Legality Of Habba's US Atty Appointment

    If Alina Habba was illegally appointed acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey, a pair of defendants in a drug trafficking case are not entitled to dismissal of the indictment, but it "appears appropriate" that Habba would be barred from prosecuting them, a federal judge ruled Friday.

  • August 01, 2025

    Right-Wing Duo Cop To Robocall Voter Suppression Charges

    Two Virginia-based right-wing activists accepted a plea on felony charges on Friday for leading a misinformation robocall campaign that discouraged Black voters from voting by mail in the 2020 election, the Michigan attorney general's office announced.

  • August 01, 2025

    DC Circ. Upholds FERC's Limited Review Of Texas Pipeline

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday backed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's decision to limit its review of a Texas pipeline to a 1,000-foot section near the U.S.-Mexico border, saying the agency had reasonably explained why a broader review wasn't required.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Building Better Earnouts In The Current M&A Climate

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    In the face of market uncertainty, we've seen a continued reliance on earnouts in M&A deals so far this year, but to reduce the risk of related litigation, it's important to use objective standards, apply company metrics cautiously and ensure short time periods, among other best practices, say attorneys at White & Case.

  • Managing Risks As State AGs Seek To Fill Enforcement Gap

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    Given an unprecedented surge in state attorney general activity resulting from significant shifts in federal enforcement priorities, companies must consider tailored strategies for navigating the ever-evolving risk landscape, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • A Deep Dive Into 14 Nixed Gensler-Era SEC Rule Proposals

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last month formally withdrew 14 notices of proposed rulemaking, including several significant and widely criticized proposals that had been issued under former Chair Gary Gensler's leadership, signaling a clear and definitive shift away from the previous administration, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • A Look At Trump 2.0 Antitrust Enforcement So Far

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    The first six months of President Donald Trump's second administration were marked by aggressive antitrust enforcement tempered by traditional structural remedies for mergers, but other unprecedented actions, like the firing of Federal Trade Commission Democrats, will likely stoke heated discussion ahead, says Richard Dagen at Axinn.

  • Reform Partly Modernizes Small Biz Stock Gains Exclusion

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    Changes to the Internal Revenue Code in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act update the qualified small business stock gains exclusion to reflect inflation, but the regime would be more in line with current business realities if Congress had also made the exemption available to additional business structures, says Mark Parthemer at Glenmede.

  • Breaking Down Novel Va. Social Media Law For Minors

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    While a Virginia bill passed in May is notable for setting a one-hour daily limit on minors' use of social media, other provisions create compliance burdens for social media operators and app store providers, and increase privacy and security risks associated with the collection of sensitive information to prove identity, says Jenna Rode at Hunton.

  • Lessons From Crackdown On Mexican Banks With Cartel Ties

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    Recent U.S. Treasury Department orders excluding three major Mexican financial institutions from the U.S. banking system for laundering drug cartel money and processing payments for fentanyl precursor chemicals offer guidance for companies in reviewing their procedures and controls to ensure they are not the next targets, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

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