Public Policy

  • June 23, 2025

    East Lansing To Pay $7.8M After High Court Energy Fee Ruling

    East Lansing, Michigan, has agreed to pay $7.8 million to its residents for an electric bill charge that the Michigan Supreme Court deemed to be a hidden tax.

  • June 23, 2025

    Quinn Emanuel Joins Firms Launching State AG Teams

    Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP announced Monday that it has become the latest major law firm to launch a state attorneys general practice group amid increasing activity from these offices, tapping two alumni of the public sector to lead the new team.

  • June 23, 2025

    No Break For Early Pay After Late Postmark, Ore. Court Says

    An Oregon company could not show that its property tax payments were mailed before the due date for receiving a discount for early payments, the state tax court said.

  • June 23, 2025

    Dems Laud Axing Of Budget Bill's Injunction Bond Provision

    A provision meant to up the ante for plaintiffs filing lawsuits against the federal government by increasing the use of injunction bonds has been ruled ineligible for inclusion in the budget reconciliation package.

  • June 23, 2025

    Michael Best Adds AI Pro To Transactions Group In DC

    Michael Best & Friedrich LLP has announced the firm recently welcomed to its transactional practice group an attorney who has more than two decades of experience working with regulatory, compliance and security matters associated with artificial intelligence governance, data privacy and cybersecurity matters.

  • June 23, 2025

    States Back PBS, NPR In Fight Against Trump Broadcast Cuts

    A coalition of 20 states and the District of Columbia backed a pair of motions from the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio Inc. seeking pretrial wins in their challenges to President Donald Trump's executive order that purports to revoke their funding, arguing that only Congress can pull that money.

  • June 23, 2025

    Va. City Wants Out Of Landfill Co.'s Suit Over Land Use Law

    The Virginia city of Chesapeake argued in Virginia federal court that a landfill owner's suit over an amended city land use law should be tossed because the owner hasn't actually been punished under the law and hasn't indicated that they're going to violate it.

  • June 23, 2025

    Texas Authorizes Tax Break For Border Safety Infrastructure

    Texas authorized a property tax exemption for real property used to install border security infrastructure in counties that border Mexico, pending voter approval of a proposed amendment to the state constitution, under a bill signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.

  • June 23, 2025

    Crypto Exec Seeks 5th Circ. Redo Over IRS Summonses

    A cryptocurrency executive asked the Fifth Circuit to reconsider his request to quash IRS summonses for his bank records, saying its decision that he was prematurely trying to appeal a lower court's ruling ignored his claims that the agency's documents were incomplete and lacked legal power.

  • June 23, 2025

    Justices To Review Liability For Forcing Prisoner's Haircut

    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a former Louisiana prisoner's case for damages after guards forcibly shaved his head, removing the dreadlocks he maintained as part of his Rastafarian religion.

  • June 23, 2025

    High Court Won't Revisit 'Right-To-Control' Fraud Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to take a second look at the landmark case that disposed of the "right-to-control" theory of fraud, rejecting a petition that argued the Second Circuit had wrongly remanded the action for retrial before resolving the appeal at hand.

  • June 23, 2025

    Justices Pass On La. Regulators' Tesla Sales Ban

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a Fifth Circuit decision that revived Tesla's lawsuit accusing Louisiana car dealers and regulators of illegally excluding the direct-sale automaker from the state, following a notification from the parties of their intent to reach a settlement.

  • June 20, 2025

    Science Research Funding Cuts Blocked By Mass. Judge

    A Massachusetts federal judge Friday prohibited the Trump administration from cutting certain National Science Foundation research funding associated with facilities and administrative costs, ruling that the policy runs afoul of multiple laws and the government hasn't adequately explained its reasoning.

  • June 20, 2025

    Unsettling Expectations: Stewart Broadens Denials Again

    The acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director has again held that patent owners eventually have the right to assume their patents won't be challenged in inter partes reviews, which many attorneys say is upsetting their understanding of how to navigate the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

  • June 20, 2025

    High Court Urged To Rein In FDA Oversight Of Stem Cells

    The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons asked the U.S. Supreme Court Friday to review a Ninth Circuit decision the organization argued would wrongly give the government control over a patient's own stem cells.

  • June 20, 2025

    Many Foreign Firms Could Face Stricter Access To US Markets

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's reevaluation of the definition of a foreign private issuer could have far-reaching consequences, potentially tightening access to U.S. markets for companies based in China and beyond, lawyers say.

  • June 20, 2025

    Trump Inks Rollback Of Biden-Era OCC Bank Merger Rule

    President Donald Trump on Friday signed legislation nullifying the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's Biden-era bank merger rule, clinching a Republican campaign to overturn what industry groups criticized as an overly restrictive and unclear framework for reviewing proposed transactions.

  • June 20, 2025

    San Antonio Pushes To Repair Park Amid Tribal Dispute

    The city of San Antonio has asked the Fifth Circuit to lift a stay on a tribal appeal after the Texas Supreme Court answered a question about a state law addressing religious practices, arguing that the high court's opinion rules out two Native Americans' claims.

  • June 20, 2025

    Democrats Probe Credit Union Board's Authority After Firings

    Top Democrats on Friday questioned the National Credit Union Administration's chairman about his authority to run the agency solo since President Donald Trump fired the agency's other two board members, raising concerns about the legality of recent agency actions.

  • June 20, 2025

    8th Circ. Sends SEC's $12M Dealer Suit Back To District Court

    The Eighth Circuit on Friday granted a request from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to remand a $12 million unregistered dealer judgment the agency won against financial firm Carebourn Capital LP back to the district court, despite Carebourn's bid to keep the matter in the federal appeals court.

  • June 20, 2025

    Senate's CFPB, PCAOB Cuts Hit Parliamentarian Roadblock

    The U.S. Senate parliamentarian has thrown cold water on the Senate Banking Committee's bids to defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and eliminate the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board as part of the "One Big Beautiful" budget megabill, but the panel's top Republican is vowing to keep seeking further spending cuts.

  • June 20, 2025

    Feds, Dems Debate Impact Of Resignation On FTC Firing Case

    The Trump administration told a D.C. federal court the recent resignation of a fired Federal Trade Commission member strips the court of jurisdiction over his claims seeking to be reinstated, while the two Democrats argued the resignation has no impact.

  • June 20, 2025

    9th Circ. Says NY Claims Against Hyundai Raise 'Novel' Issue

    A split panel of the Ninth Circuit Friday refused to toss negligence claims from cities in Ohio and Wisconsin in consolidated litigation alleging Hyundai and Kia, of which Hyundai is a major shareholder, sold vehicles with design flaws that enabled car thefts nationwide, but said negligence claims under New York law "raise a novel issue" of state law.

  • June 20, 2025

    EPA Told To Explain Its Crop-Based Fuel Standards

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday returned a mixed opinion on challenges from green groups to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2023-2025 renewable fuel standards, upholding the agency's volume-setting process but ruling that its climate change analysis was arbitrary and capricious under the Clean Air Act.

  • June 20, 2025

    Kansas Sheriff Loses Bid To Dismiss Tribal Jurisdiction Suit

    A Kansas federal judge has denied a county sheriff's bid to dismiss the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation's suit over tribal jurisdiction, saying the tribe has standing to sue and has plausibly shown that it will suffer irreparable harm unless the court issues injunctive relief.

Expert Analysis

  • Review Risk Is Increasing For Foreign Real Estate Developers

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    Federal and state government efforts have been expanding oversight of foreign investment in U.S. real estate, necessitating careful assessment of risk and of the benefits of notifying the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Energy Order Brings Risks For Lenders And Borrowers Alike

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    A recent executive order directing the attorney general to submit a report next month with recommendations for halting enforcement of state laws the administration says are hampering energy resources presents risks for lenders and borrowers using state-generated carbon credits, but proactive steps now can help insulate against adverse consequences, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • What Employers Should Know About New Wash. WARN Act

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    Washington state's Securing Timely Notification and Benefits for Laid-Off Employees Act will soon require 60 days' notice for certain mass layoffs and business closures, so employers should understand how their obligations differ from those under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act before implementing layoffs or closings, say attorneys at Littler.

  • What's At Stake As Trump Admin Targets Carbon Markets

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    Trading in greenhouse gas emissions and reductions has long been touted as a way to leverage market forces to tackle climate change cost-effectively, and that theory may be put to the test amid momentous progress and fresh challenges, particularly as the Trump administration takes aim at climate initiatives, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • What To Know About New Wash. Community Association Law

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    A series of recent legislative updates that greatly expand application of the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act pose significant challenges to the volunteer board members who administer and operate condos and homeowners associations, but there are ways to lessen the newly imposed administrative burden, says Tim Feth at VF Law.

  • Series

    Power To The Paralegals: An Untapped Source For Biz Roles

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    Law firms looking to recruit legal business talent should consider turning to paralegals, who practice several key skills every day that prepare them to thrive in marketing and client development roles, says Vanessa Torres at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Fledgling Crypto ATM Regs May Be Due For A Growth Spurt

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    As cryptocurrency ATM use and availability become more prevalent within the U.S. financial services ecosystem, states — only a few of which currently have a crypto ATM framework — may need to consider expanding legislation and regulation to accelerate consumer fraud protection practices, says Jason Noto at Polsinelli.

  • The Legal Risks Of US Restrictions On Investments In China

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    The second Trump administration has continued to embrace a more restrictive economic policy toward China, including an ongoing review of further restrictions on the flow of U.S. capital to China, so early planning and enhanced diligence can reduce exposure to the challenges resulting from further restrictions, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • How Trucking Cos. Can Keep Rolling Under Tariff Burdens

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    Recent Trump administration tariffs present major challenges for the transportation and logistics sector — and, in particular, trucking — but providers who focus on operational efficiency, cost control, customer relationships, creative contract structures and unique offerings will stand out from the competition, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • UK May Play Major Role In Corporate Misconduct Regulation

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    In light of the U.S.' pause in Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement, the U.K. Serious Fraud Office has released new guidance showing it may seize the opportunity to play a heightened role in regulating corporate misconduct by U.S. companies with a global presence, particularly over the next few years, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Tariff Strategies For The US Renewable Energy Sector

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    The Trump administration's tariff actions over the last few months are challenging for the renewable energy industry — but there are strategies for contending with the uncertainty, including diversifying supply chains, seeking certification about equipment origins, and adding tariff-related language to supply contracts and offtake agreements, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Series

    Playing Poker Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Poker is a master class in psychology, risk management and strategic thinking, and I’m a better attorney because it has taught me to read my opponents, adapt when I’m dealt the unexpected and stay patient until I'm ready to reveal my hand, says Casey Kingsley at McCreadyLaw.

  • Opinion

    Why It's Time To Retire The Efficient Market Hypothesis

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    As agentic artificial intelligence systems increasingly affect financial markets, the efficient market hypothesis no longer offers a viable foundation for legal and regulatory engagement, and a new theoretical foundation is needed, say Zachary Brenner, a student at California Western School of Law, and attorney Gary Brenner.

  • Avoiding The Risk Of Continued AI-Washing Enforcement

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    A recent action brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Justice, alleging a software developer defrauded investors by lying about his app’s artificial intelligence capabilities, suggests this administration will continue to target AI washing, so companies should adopt practices to mitigate enforcement risk, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • 4 Ways Slater Is Priming DOJ For Continued Antitrust Success

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    Just as Jonathan Kanter did during his recent tenure leading the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater is following the effective blueprint set by Thurman Arnold when he modernized the division more than 80 years ago, says Perry Apelbaum at Kressin Powers.

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