Public Policy

  • July 28, 2025

    Congress Urged To Make FCC Merger OKs Deal-Specific

    A free-market think tank says diversity and journalism-related conditions tied to Federal Communications Commission approval of the pending Paramount-Skydance merger show why Congress needs to reform FCC reviews to make sure any conditions are transaction-specific.

  • July 28, 2025

    FCC Pushed To Rescind Biden-Era Cybersecurity Ruling

    Several telecom trade groups have urged the Federal Communications Commission to pull back a ruling from early this year that imposed new cybersecurity requirements on providers in the aftermath of the Salt Typhoon cyberattack by actors linked to the Chinese government.

  • July 28, 2025

    Florida's AG Announces 'Climate Cartel' Investigation

    Florida's attorney general announced Monday that he is investigating whether two greenhouse gas emission reduction groups violated state consumer protection or antitrust laws for allegedly coercing companies into disclosing proprietary information.

  • July 28, 2025

    Ex-Nurse's VA Negligence Case Doubted By Seattle Judge

    A Seattle federal judge appeared unconvinced on Monday that a U.S. Navy veteran had proven substandard psychiatric care caused a psychotic episode that led to her stabbing her mother, suggesting key allegations aren't backed by testimony as a bench trial wrapped in her case targeting a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs doctor. 

  • July 28, 2025

    Hawaii Fights Back Against US Bid To Block Climate Suit

    Hawaii on Friday asked a federal judge to throw out the Trump administration's "extraordinary and unprecedented" effort to block the state's climate change lawsuit against major energy companies.

  • July 28, 2025

    BLM Kills Biden-Era Policy Docs For Oil Drilling In Alaska

    The U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Monday rescinded three Biden-era actions that aimed to restrict development activities in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve.

  • July 28, 2025

    Utilities Can Join 4th Circ. FERC Grid Policy Fight

    The Fourth Circuit said Friday that environmental groups, municipal utilities and electricity cooperatives, among many others, can intervene in an appeal challenging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's recent overhaul of its regional transmission policy.

  • July 28, 2025

    Judge Denies Tulsa Co. Bid To Pause Tribal Jurisdiction Case

    An Oklahoma federal court judge won't pause a dispute between the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and Tulsa County's sheriff and district attorney over criminal jurisdiction, saying the suit can continue despite a pending U.S. Supreme Court petition that could moot the litigation.

  • July 28, 2025

    Fla. Says Tribe Can't Join Detention Center Row, Feds Shrug

    The Florida Division of Emergency Management's chief is objecting to the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians' effort to join green groups' legal fight against an immigration detention center constructed in the Everglades.

  • July 28, 2025

    DOJ Sued For Memo On Trump's Qatar Jet Gift

    The U.S. Department of Justice was hit with a lawsuit Monday by a press freedom organization seeking to obtain the legal memo U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi signed in May allowing President Donald Trump to accept a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar.

  • July 28, 2025

    Cannabis Shop Applicant Sues NY Regulators Over Delays

    A company that applied for a cannabis retail license in New York has sued regulators in state court, alleging unreasonable delays in processing the company's application.

  • July 28, 2025

    Express Scripts, Prime Urge Court To Toss Mich. Price-Fix Suit

    Two pharmacy benefit managers sought to shake allegations of price-fixing brought by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, arguing Friday that her antitrust suit suffers from several fatal legal flaws, including that the state does not have standing to sue on pharmacies' behalf.

  • July 28, 2025

    FTC Stands By Media Boycott Subpoena Into Media Matters

    The Republican-controlled Federal Trade Commission has refused to quash its investigation into the left-leaning Media Matters for America, standing by a subpoena it said is "one of seventeen still-outstanding" demands made as part of a broader probe looking for potential group boycotts of advertising on disfavored platforms.

  • July 28, 2025

    Mass. Planning Group Looks To Bar AFSCME Union Petition

    A publicly funded regional planning entity in Massachusetts has asked a judge to deem it is not a public employer, seeking to head off further efforts by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees to organize the group's workers.

  • July 28, 2025

    EU, US Agree To 15% Tariff Rate For Most Sectors

    The European Union and the U.S. government have reached a deal for a 15% U.S. tariff rate on EU goods from most industry sectors, including cars, semiconductor chips and pharmaceuticals, avoiding the 30% rate that was due to take effect next month.

  • July 28, 2025

    DOL Seeks Small Biz Input On Pooled Retirement Plans

    The U.S. Department of Labor asked small businesses for feedback Monday on whether there should be more conflict-of-interest guardrails on pooled employer retirement plans, and what barriers prevent employers from trusting the newly structured benefit vehicles.

  • July 28, 2025

    DOL's Job Corps Closure Was Unlawful, DC Judge Rules

    A D.C. federal court granted a group of students' request for a preliminary injunction against the U.S. Department of Labor for its decision to close 99 Job Corps centers, saying the department's move was unlawful and "unprecedented."

  • July 28, 2025

    Fired FTC Dem Urges DC Circ. Not To Pause Reinstatement

    A Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission who was fired by the president is urging the D.C. Circuit not to pause a lower court order calling for her reinstatement while the administration appeals, saying the administration has little chance of success.

  • July 28, 2025

    State Justices' Financial Disclosures 'Didn't Get Worse' In '24

    Several states are making information about their Supreme Court justices' finances and potential financial conflicts somewhat more accessible, according to a new report.

  • July 28, 2025

    Trump Wants Ex-Death Row Inmates In 'Supermax' ADX

    Advocates argue that President Donald Trump's effort to send the inmates whom President Joe Biden saved from federal death row to the country's most restrictive federal "supermax" prison is testing the limits of the justice system.

  • July 28, 2025

    Judge Again Cites Bias In NIH Fund Freeze As Gov't Appeals

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Monday reiterated his conclusion that the Trump administration's freeze of $783 million worth of National Institutes of Health grants was based on "palpable" gender and racial discrimination, as he acknowledged a pending request by the government to the U.S. Supreme Court to stay his order that the money be released.

  • July 28, 2025

    Judge To Weigh If FTX Prosecutors Broke Plea Promise

    A Manhattan federal judge said Monday he will investigate an allegation by crypto lobbyist Michelle Bond that she was charged with campaign finance crimes despite a promise that a guilty plea by her husband, former FTX executive Ryan Salame, would leave her in the clear.

  • July 28, 2025

    Merger Settlements Return As Enforcers Keep Busy

    The first half of 2025 saw a string of settlements by the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice allowing mergers to move forward, a marked shift from the prior administration.

  • July 28, 2025

    Texas Resolution Seeks Vote On Lower Property Value Limits

    Texas would ask voters if the state should amend its constitution to authorize lower limits on the maximum appraised value of residence homesteads and of real property other than homesteads for tax purposes under a joint resolution filed in the state House of Representatives during a special session.

  • July 28, 2025

    Fair Housing Groups Win Thaw Of HUD Grant Program Freeze

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge on Monday ordered the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to unlock a grant program meant to help nonprofits enforce housing laws after two groups in a purported class complained that the Trump administration abruptly froze the funding.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Series

    Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.

  • Focusing On Fluoride: From FDA To Class Action

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    A class action filed two days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans to remove ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children from the market may be the tip of the iceberg in terms of the connection between government pronouncements on safety and their immediate use as evidence in lawsuits, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.

  • How Energy Cos. Can Prepare For Potential Tax Credit Cuts

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    The Senate Finance Committee's version of the One Big Beautiful Bill act would create a steep phaseout of renewable energy tax credits, which should prompt companies to take several actions, including conduct a project review to discern which could begin construction before the end of the year, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • The CFTC Is Shaking Up Sports Betting's Legal Future

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    The sports betting industry faces a potential sea change amid recent state and federal actions across the regulatory landscape that have expanded access to sporting event contracts against the backdrop of waning Commodity Futures Trading Commission opposition, says Nick Covek at Foley & Lardner.

  • DOJ Atty Firing Highlights Tension Between 2 Ethical Duties

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent firing of a prosecutor-turned-whistleblower involved in the Abrego Garcia v. Noem case illustrates the tricky balancing act between zealous client advocacy and a lawyer’s duty of candor to the court, which many clients fail to appreciate, says David Atkins at Yale Law School.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Rejecting Biz Dev Myths

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    Law schools don’t spend sufficient time dispelling certain myths that prevent young lawyers from exploring new business opportunities, but by dismissing these misguided beliefs, even an introverted first-year associate with a small network of contacts can find long-term success, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

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