Public Policy

  • February 26, 2026

    Judge Seems Poised To Keep Block On Trump Voting Order

    A Massachusetts federal judge Thursday appeared to hold fast to her two prior rulings that President Donald Trump lacks authority to change voting laws via an executive order requiring physical documentation of citizenship and voiding mailed ballots that arrive after Election Day.

  • February 26, 2026

    Judge Won't Block Trump's White House Ballroom Project

    A District of Columbia federal judge rejected a historical preservation nonprofit's bid to temporarily block President Donald J. Trump's plans to turn the White House's East Wing into a ballroom, ruling that the nonprofit's Administrative Procedure Act and constitutional claims fail.

  • February 26, 2026

    Senator Moves To Dismantle Utah National Monument Plan

    A Utah senator has started the formal process of overturning a resource management plan designed to protect an Indigenous national monument by adding a Government Accountability Office opinion on the 1.9-million-acre site to the Congressional Record that could fast-track a vote on the controversial endeavor.

  • February 26, 2026

    Judge Unlikely To Lift Feds' Sanctions For Protester Removals

    A Massachusetts federal judge who ruled two Cabinet-level officials in the Trump administration targeted pro-Palestinian protesters for removal based on their speech appeared unmoved Thursday by the government's request to lift his sanctions while it appeals.

  • February 26, 2026

    Ga. House Speaker Beats Suit Over State Senator's Ban

    A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against Georgia Speaker of the House Jon Burns by the constituents of a lawmaker who was barred from the chamber last January after calling Burns' predecessor "one of the most corrupt Georgia leaders we'll ever see in our lifetimes," finding they lack standing to sue.

  • February 26, 2026

    House Bill Would Cap FCC License Reviews At 180 Days

    A bipartisan U.S. House bill introduced Thursday would codify the Federal Communications Commission's standard 180-day limit on reviewing license applications, potentially speeding up merger reviews.

  • February 26, 2026

    IRS Broke Law 42K Times By Giving Info To ICE, Judge Says

    The federal judge who stopped the Internal Revenue Service from sharing taxpayer addresses with immigration authorities said Thursday that a recent admission by the agency showed that it broke the law more than 42,000 times last summer when it disclosed addresses by relying on a computerized matching system.

  • February 26, 2026

    VA Rescinds Veteran Disability Rating Rule After Pushback

    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on Thursday moved to rescind a controversial rule that would have required evaluators to account for the effects of medication in assigning veterans' disability ratings, after facing strong opposition from veterans and lawmakers.

  • February 26, 2026

    DirecTV Urges Top FCC Officials To Nix Nexstar-Tegna Deal

    DirecTV went to the top ranks of the Federal Communications Commission in recent days to push against the proposed merger of TV station giants Nexstar and Tegna, calling it a clear threat to local media competition.

  • February 26, 2026

    Judge Scolds 'Impenetrable' TikTok In NY AG's Addiction Suit

    A New York state judge Thursday chided TikTok's attorneys for failing to search for financial and corporate records in the state's social media child addiction lawsuit, appearing poised to force TikTok companies to hand over more business data to calculate potential damages or disgorgement.

  • February 26, 2026

    Tenn. Health System Can't Dodge $28M False Claims Act Suit

    A Tennessee-based health system must face claims it allegedly ran a sprawling patient referral scheme by overcompensating doctors in exchange for Medicare patient referrals and then billed Medicare $28 million for services it offered those illegally referred patients, a Tennessee federal judge said Thursday, denying the health system's dismissal bid. 

  • February 26, 2026

    Judge Orders Dam Spill To Protect Columbia River Salmon

    An Oregon federal judge has ordered tailored changes to hydropower dam operations in the Columbia River Basin to protect endangered salmon and steelhead, saying that as a decades-long dispute continues, the guaranteed tribal treaty resource is "disappearing from the landscape."

  • February 26, 2026

    Hegseth Appeals Block On Sen. Kelly's Rank Reduction

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has appealed a district court order blocking him from reducing the U.S. Navy rank of Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., after the lawmaker told members of the military they don't have to follow unlawful orders. 

  • February 26, 2026

    FCC Denies Cos.' Bids To Scrap Regulatory Fee Late Charges

    The Federal Communications Commission is declining to waive the 25% penalty it slaps on top of regulatory fees from 2023 and 2024 that come in late, dashing the hopes of nearly two dozen companies that had asked the agency to do just that.

  • February 26, 2026

    India Looks To Nix $156M Deutsche Telekom Award Suit

    India is urging a D.C. federal court not to enforce a nearly $156 million arbitral award issued to Deutsche Telekom AG over a nixed satellite lease and telecommunications deal, arguing that it never agreed to arbitrate this type of dispute and that the deal was nixed over "essential security" issues.

  • February 26, 2026

    Feds Seek To Pause Fight Over Stopping Empire Wind Project

    The Trump administration has asked a D.C. federal judge to pause litigation challenging its stoppage of the Empire Wind offshore wind project, a move opposed by the project's developers, who previously persuaded the judge to lift the stoppage.

  • February 26, 2026

    NYC Officials Urge 2nd Circ. Not To Block Pot Enforcement

    New York City officials are asking the Second Circuit to deny a bid from two business owners to block enforcement of the city's cannabis laws against their club while they appeal a lower court decision, saying they don't have standing to seek the injunction.

  • February 26, 2026

    $200M Antitrust Deal Can Shield Drugmakers In States' Claims

    Sun Pharmaceutical and Taro Pharmaceuticals can use their $200 million settlement with the "end payors" for generic drugs in an alleged price-fixing scheme as a defense in a similar lawsuit brought by 47 states and territories, the Connecticut federal judge overseeing the case ruled Wednesday.

  • February 26, 2026

    NJ Judge Slams DHS For 'Reckless' Detention Practices

    A New Jersey federal judge ordered a Salvadoran's immediate release Thursday from immigration custody, saying the Trump administration's procedures for arrest and detention of noncitizens — while once potentially attributable to negligence — have entered the realm of "manifest recklessness."

  • February 26, 2026

    Hochul Taps Policy Director To Lead NY Cannabis Regulator

    New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday announced that the director of policy at the state's cannabis regulatory agency would take over the office's top leadership role.

  • February 26, 2026

    Senate Judiciary Advances Illinois US Atty

    The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the nomination of Gregory Gilmore to be U.S. attorney for the Central District of Illinois in a quick vote that passed without comment.

  • February 26, 2026

    Vanguard Will Pay $29.5M To Settle Red States' ESG Suit

    The Vanguard Group Inc. will pay $29.5 million to settle claims brought by several conservative states accusing it and other large asset managers of driving up coal prices by pressuring publicly traded energy companies to lower their output to meet carbon emission reduction goals.

  • February 26, 2026

    Feds Seek To Toss DOJ Official's Suit Over Epstein-Talk Firing

    The U.S. Department of Justice has asked a D.C. federal court to ax a wrongful termination lawsuit brought by a former DOJ official who was fired after he was surreptitiously filmed talking about Jeffrey Epstein on what he thought was a date, saying district courts don't have jurisdiction and the matter belongs in front of the Merit Systems Protection Board.

  • February 26, 2026

    Feds Ask For Early Win In Forest Service Timber Targets Suit

    The government is seeking summary judgment in a lawsuit alleging the U.S. Forest Service failed to consider emissions from its logging program's anticipated timber sales, telling a D.C. federal judge that the plaintiffs' claims are moot after the 2025 budget reconciliation bill set new goals directly.

  • February 26, 2026

    Hawaii Officials Fight Claim That Hemp Law Violates Farm Bill

    Hawaii's attorney general and health department director are urging a federal court to throw out a challenge to new hemp regulations, arguing that they have immunity under the 11th Amendment and that the regulations don't conflict with the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Congress Should Lead On AI Policy, Not The States

    Author Photo

    There needs to be some limits on how far federal agencies go in regulating artificial intelligence systems, but Congress must not abdicate its responsibility and cede control over this interstate market to state and local officials, say Kevin Frazier at the University of Texas School of Law and Adam Thierer at the R Street Institute.

  • Breaking Down Expense Allocation In Mixed-Use Properties

    Author Photo

    Rapid increases in condominium fees and special assessments, driven by multiple factors such as rising insurance costs and expanded safety requirements, are contributing to increased litigation, so equitable expense allocation in mixed-use properties requires adherence to the governing documents, says Mike Walden at FTI Consulting.

  • Opinion

    Minn. Can Still Bring State Charges In Absence Of Fed Action

    Author Photo

    After two fatal shootings by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota's role isn't waiting to see if the federal government brings criminal charges, but independently weighing state homicide charges and allowing the judiciary to decide whether the subject conduct falls within the narrow protections of supremacy clause immunity, says Sheila Tendy at Tendy Law.

  • 4 Lessons From FTC's Successful Bid To Block Edwards Deal

    Author Photo

    The Federal Trade Commission's recent victory in blocking Edwards Lifesciences' acquisition of JenaValve offers key insights for deals in life sciences and beyond, including considerations around nonprice dimensions and clear skies provisions, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • Limiting Worker Surveillance Risks Amid AI Regulatory Shifts

    Author Photo

    With workplace surveillance tools becoming increasingly common and a recent executive order aiming to preempt state-level artificial intelligence enforcement, companies may feel encouraged to expand AI monitoring, but the legal exposure associated with these tools remains, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Can OCC State Banking Law Preemption Survive The Courts?

    Author Photo

    While two December proposals from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency seek to foreclose pending consumer litigation against national banks related to residential mortgage lending, it's unclear whether this aggressive approach will withstand judicial scrutiny under the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 rulings in Cantero and Loper Bright, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • How Selig May Approach CFTC Agricultural Enforcement

    Author Photo

    As the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission begins a new chapter under recently confirmed Chairman Michael Selig's leadership, a look back at the agency's actions in agricultural markets over the past six years sheds light on what may lie ahead for enforcement in the area, say attorneys at Latham.

  • Assessing Factors Behind Biosimilar Uptake And Competition

    Author Photo

    As biosimilar uptake remains uneven and questions linger over whether the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act can deliver robust competition between biologics and biosimilars, a case study of Humira and its biosimilars illustrates how many factors, including payor reimbursement and formulary strategy, collectively shape competitive dynamics, say analysts at Analysis Group.

  • State Of Insurance: Q4 Notes From Illinois

    Author Photo

    In 2025's last quarter, Illinois’ appellate courts weighed in on overlapping homeowners coverages for water-related damages, contractual suit limitation provisions in uninsured motorist policies, and protections for genetic health information in life insurance underwriting, while the Department of Insurance sought nationwide homeowners' insurance data from State Farm, says Matthew Fortin at BatesCarey.

  • How 3 CFTC Letters Overhauled Digital Asset Guidance

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission recently issued three letters providing guidance for the use of digital assets in derivatives markets, clarifying the applicability of CFTC regulations across numerous areas of digital asset activities and leading to the development of standards to allow market participants to post digital assets as collateral, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • NYC Bar Opinion Warns Attys On Use Of AI Recording Tools

    Author Photo

    Attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools to record, transcribe and summarize conversations with clients should heed the New York City Bar Association’s recent opinion addressing the legal and ethical risks posed by such tools, and follow several best practices to avoid violating the Rules of Professional Conduct, say attorneys at Smith Gambrell.

  • Ruling Helps Clarify FERC's Post-Jarkesy Enforcement Power

    Author Photo

    A North Carolina federal court's recent ruling in American Efficient v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission may be a step in providing clarity on FERC's enforcement authority under the Federal Power Act in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 decision in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Dispatches From Utah's Newest Court

    Author Photo

    While a robust body of law hasn't yet developed since the Utah Business and Chancery Court's founding in October 2024, the number of cases filed there has recently picked up, and its existence illustrates Utah's desire to be top of mind for businesses across the country, says Evan Strassberg at Michael Best.

  • Aerospace And Defense Law: Trends To Follow In 2026

    Author Photo

    Some of the key 2026 developments to watch in aerospace and defense contracting law stem from provisions of this year's National Defense Authorization Act, a push to reform procurement, executive orders that announced Trump administration priorities, the upcoming Artemis space mission and continuing efforts to deploy artificial intelligence, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Aviation Watch: Busy Skies, Tough Market For Airlines In 2026

    Author Photo

    After a turbulent year in the U.S. commercial aviation sector, demand for air travel and premium service shows no signs of slackening in 2026, with airlines facing the need to compete in a saturated market, while seeking opportunities for consolidation and pursuing other avenues to profitability, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.

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.