Public Policy

  • April 21, 2026

    NM Couple Plead Guilty To Selling Vietnam Jewelry As Navajo

    A New Mexico husband and wife have admitted in North Carolina federal court to importing counterfeit Native American jewelry from Vietnam and marketing it to U.S. buyers as genuine handmade Navajo pieces, according to federal prosecutors and court documents.

  • April 21, 2026

    Squires Hints At New 'Holistic' Decision On PTAB Discretion

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires previewed at a conference Tuesday an imminent "comprehensive decision" that will articulate current policy on discretionary factors that inform the viability of Patent Trial and Appeal Board challenges, saying he's seeking "predictability" for the PTAB.

  • April 21, 2026

    Bills Sinking 'Texas Two-Step' Ch. 11 Cases Reintroduced

    Members of Congress have reintroduced bipartisan legislation meant to deter so-called Texas two-step Chapter 11s, a controversial maneuver companies have used to address mass tort liabilities in bankruptcy.

  • April 21, 2026

    Defendant Says Rx Software Was Guide For Docs, Not Fraud

    A man accused of swindling Medicare out of nearly half a billion dollars was simply trying to make it easier for doctors to navigate labyrinthine Medicare regulations to get orthotic braces approved for their patients, his attorney told jurors in Florida federal court Tuesday.

  • April 21, 2026

    Pesticide Study Admin Says Ex-Worker's Suit Is A 'Do-Over'

    Counsel for a former administrative adviser in a national pesticide safety study organization named in an ex-worker's wrongful firing lawsuit urged a North Carolina federal court Tuesday to dismiss the matter, arguing the adviser is immune from constitutional claims that have already been litigated elsewhere.

  • April 21, 2026

    Colo. Judge Narrowly Expands ICE Subpoena Block

    A Colorado state judge narrowly expanded a June order that enjoined Colorado's governor from directing the state's Labor Department employees to respond to federal immigration enforcement subpoenas, ruling Tuesday that the order includes a March 13 subpoena by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

  • April 21, 2026

    Judge Backs Release Of Family Held After Colo. Protest Attack

    A Texas federal judge has recommended that the wife and children of an Egyptian man accused of attacking pro-Israel demonstrators be released from immigration detention, finding that their more than 10-month detention has violated the family's due process rights.

  • April 21, 2026

    Feds Say They Don't Control Immigration Center Conditions

    Immigration officials said a California federal court should toss a proposed class action from inmates alleging intolerable living conditions in a Mojave Desert processing center because the plaintiffs have sued the wrong defendants.

  • April 21, 2026

    Colo. Republicans Say Late Ruling Forces Semi-Open Primary

    The Colorado Republican Party has asked a federal judge to issue an emergency temporary restraining order allowing the party to ban unaffiliated voters from participating in its upcoming primary election after the court last month found a supermajority requirement to opt out of the primary was unconstitutional.

  • April 21, 2026

    11th Circ. Says Builders Can't Block Biden-Era Labor Mandate

    An association of builders failed to show it would succeed on its claims challenging a Biden-era executive order requiring labor agreements for all federal contracts exceeding $35 million, the Eleventh Circuit ruled, affirming a federal court's decision rejecting the group's request for an injunction.

  • April 21, 2026

    House Panel Votes To Gut Corporate Transparency Act

    A House finance committee advanced a bill Tuesday that would defang the Corporate Transparency Act by exempting all domestically owned companies from compliance, codifying a limitation already implemented by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

  • April 21, 2026

    Feds Say Pot Foes Lack Standing To Stop CMS Hemp Program

    Federal health regulators have told a D.C. federal judge that anti-pot advocates' attempt to block a program to ease access for Medicare beneficiaries to federally legal hemp products that have small amounts of THC was not bolstered by the addition of a pharmaceutical company as a co-plaintiff.

  • April 21, 2026

    Calif. Says City Skirted Duties After Tribal Remains Found At Site

    California has accused a southern city in the state of failing to conduct further environmental review after Native American remains were discovered at a luxury home development site, saying the city improperly let certain construction activities continue.

  • April 21, 2026

    Suit Says DOJ Voter Data Checks Could Trigger Purges

    Voting rights advocates sued the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday over its bid to acquire states' unredacted voter information to cross-check voter rolls against immigration databases, warning that the effort could enable purges of naturalized citizens who are eligible to vote.

  • April 21, 2026

    11th Circ. Mulls Septic Permit Ban In Fla. Manatee Dispute

    The Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday considered vacating an injunction requiring Florida environmental regulators to temporarily stop issuing new septic tank permits over concerns for the well-being of manatees, with one judge appearing concerned that the ban didn't do enough to address pollution.

  • April 21, 2026

    2nd Circ. Chilly To Additional Discovery In Cigna Pension Suit

    The Second Circuit on Tuesday seemed reluctant to restart proceedings in a long-running suit against Cigna from retirees who challenged changes to their pensions, appearing unwilling to upend a decision to turn down post-judgment discovery in the class action.

  • April 21, 2026

    Ruger Says Colo. Law Applies In Conn. Mass Shooting Suits

    Sturm Ruger & Co. Inc. is asking a Connecticut state court to find that Colorado, not Connecticut, law applies to a pair of suits from families of the victims of a 2021 Boulder mass shooting, saying Connecticut has little to no connection with the company's alleged wrongdoing.

  • April 21, 2026

    Feds Drop 1st Circ. Homelessness Funding Appeal

    Three weeks after the First Circuit declined to pause two orders blocking the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from cutting homelessness funding, HUD has dropped its appeal.

  • April 21, 2026

    W.Va. Strikes $11.5M Deal With Roblox Over Kid Safety

    The West Virginia attorney general on Tuesday said his office had reached an $11 million settlement with gaming platform Roblox that will "fundamentally overhaul" the embattled company's child safety protections with mandatory age verification and limits on adult interactions with minors.

  • April 21, 2026

    Asylum-Seeker Class Wants Feds Held In Contempt

    Attorneys for a class of young asylum-seekers told a Maryland federal judge the U.S. government should be held in contempt for brazenly violating a settlement agreement and deporting class members to countries they fled without first deciding their asylum applications.

  • April 21, 2026

    Students Want MoloLamken As New Lead For Aid-Fixing Case

    Students in an antitrust case against Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania and other elite schools have asked an Illinois federal judge to appoint trial lawyer Steven F. Molo and his firm MoloLamken LLP as lead counsel, touting his courtroom experience and the firm's track record in high-stakes complex litigation.

  • April 21, 2026

    Some Firms Break Lobbying Revenue Records Again

    After raking in record-breaking federal lobbying revenue last year, several firms reported this week that they had their strongest quarter ever in the first three months of 2026, with practice leaders predicting another busy period ahead as midterms approach.

  • April 21, 2026

    DA Willis Gets Chance To Appeal Election Case Fee Ruling

    The Georgia Court of Appeals agreed Tuesday to hear an appeal from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to overturn a ruling that blocked her from intervening in an attempt by President Donald Trump and others to recoup nearly $16 million in legal fees in a dismissed election interference case.

  • April 21, 2026

    Oregon Environmentalists Join ICE Detention Center Fight

    An Oregon federal judge on Tuesday allowed two environmental groups to intervene as plaintiffs in a consolidated suit filed by the state and one of its cities, which are challenging a proposed federal immigrant detention center planned to be built near an airport.

  • April 21, 2026

    Fired Watchdog Nominated To Be Del.'s 1st Inspector General

    Delaware's governor has nominated a former U.S. Department of Defense inspector general who President Donald Trump fired after returning to office to serve as the First State's inspector general.

Expert Analysis

  • NY Tax Talk: Calculating Tiered Partnership Income

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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.

  • What A Court Doc Audit Reveals About Erroneous Filings

    Author Photo

    My audit of 1,522 court documents from last month found that over 95% contained at least one verifiable error, with fewer than 1% showing clear indicators of artificial intelligence use — highlighting above all else that lawyers may want to focus most on strengthening their review processes, says Elliott Ash at ETH Zurich.

  • Regulators' Basel Pitch May Bring Banks Capital Relief

    Author Photo

    The prudential banking agencies' new proposals to implement the so-called Basel III endgame rules — which would modify the approach to risk-based capital, among other notable changes — represent a fundamental directional shift in bank capital requirements aimed at increasing lending capacity, says Chen Xu at Debevoise.

  • How SEC And CFTC Are Attempting To End Their 'Turf War'

    Author Photo

    Through coordinated examinations and a shared aim to end duplicative regulation, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recent memorandum of understanding could represent a significant shift in the regulatory landscape for market participants subject to the jurisdiction of both agencies, say attorneys at Jenner.

  • FTC Focus: Growing Emphasis On Competition In AI

    Author Photo

    The Federal Trade Commission's leadership has continued to highlight that competitive risks in artificial intelligence markets may arise at multiple levels simultaneously, considering not only who controls the resources necessary to build AI systems, but also how those systems function and yield outputs, say attorneys at Proskauer.

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.