Public Policy

  • April 30, 2026

    Fla. High Court Allows Email Service To Foreign Debtor

    The Florida Supreme Court declined to hear a case involving a Maltese citizen's challenge of email service in a law firm's lawsuit to collect fees, validating a recent state law that allows parties to bypass the Hague Convention to serve legal documents to foreign entities electronically.

  • April 30, 2026

    Senate Bars Itself From Prediction Markets

    U.S. senators voted unanimously on Thursday to ban themselves and their staff from trading on prediction markets.

  • April 30, 2026

    5th Circ. Focuses On Whether Texas Disabled Voters Can Sue

    A Fifth Circuit judge questioned Thursday whether voting- and disability-rights groups have standing to challenge parts of a Texas voting security law alleged to make voting harder for Texans with disabilities and whether existing state law gives such voters a path to seek accommodations.

  • April 30, 2026

    UP, Norfolk Southern Refile $85B Merger Bid With Regulators

    Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern on Thursday submitted a revised application to federal rail regulators for their proposed $85 billion mega-merger, touting the efficiencies and cost-savings of their combined coast-to-coast rail network, while also seeking to quell competition concerns.

  • April 30, 2026

    Ga. Power Says Ford, Union Carbide Must Stay In Cancer Suit

    Georgia Power urged a state appellate court Thursday to reverse a trial court's order letting Ford and Union Carbide out of a construction worker's cancer claims, arguing that under the state's 2025 tort reform law, their dismissal would unjustly leave the utility company to face the suit alone.

  • April 30, 2026

    CACI Says High Court Case Will Affect Abu Ghraib Verdict

    CACI Premier Technology Inc. has urged the Fourth Circuit to delay adjudicating its rehearing bid after a panel upheld a $42 million jury award over CACI's conspiracy to torture Iraq War detainees, pointing to a forthcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

  • April 30, 2026

    Antenna Location Near Bermuda Sinks Ala. FM Station Bid

    Selma, Alabama, will not be getting a new low-power FM station after the Federal Communications Commission said an error on the paperwork listed antenna coordinates that nearly reached all the way to Bermuda.

  • April 30, 2026

    Ark. Asks 8th Circ. To Uphold Tribal Gaming License Order

    Arkansas is asking the Eighth Circuit to reject an appeal by two Cherokee Nation entities over the voter referendum revocation of a gaming license in Pope County, arguing that their claims omit crucial details in alleging that the state conspired to violate their constitutional rights.

  • April 30, 2026

    Meta Made $8B From Treasury Guidance On Minimum Tax

    Meta Platforms Inc. booked a more than $8 billion tax benefit from U.S. Treasury Department guidance on the corporate alternative minimum tax that allowed taxpayers to reduce the tax's base, the company said.

  • April 30, 2026

    LSC Decries House Subcommittee's Proposed Budget Cut

    The nation's largest funder of civil legal aid condemned a House appropriations proposal to slash its budget for fiscal year 2027 by more than half, warning Thursday the reduction could leave nearly 3 million Americans without help for critical civil legal problems.

  • April 30, 2026

    Judge Denies Push To Stop Closed Immigration Hearings

    A D.C. federal judge denied a Minnesota human rights organization's request to block immigration judges from restricting public and press access to proceedings, ruling that it failed to show an immediate threat of future harm from unlawful hearing closures.

  • April 30, 2026

    EU-South American Provisional Trade Deal Takes Effect Friday

    The European Union's interim trade agreement with four countries in the South American regional bloc known as Mercosur will begin to apply on a provisional basis Friday, according to news releases issued by the European Commission and members of European Parliament on Thursday.

  • April 30, 2026

    5th Circ. Tosses FCA Suit Against IT Firm Over Visa Fraud

    The Fifth Circuit upheld the dismissal of a man's claims that an India-based information technology and professional services firm violated the False Claims Act via fraudulent visa applications and improper tax withholding, finding no specific payment obligations under the FCA itself.

  • April 30, 2026

    Senate Advances Mont. Judge Pick Rated Unqualified By ABA

    A judicial nominee for the District of Montana who was the only nominee of the second Trump administration so far to receive a "not qualified" rating from the American Bar Association advanced out of committee on Thursday.

  • April 30, 2026

    CFPB Slashes Small-Biz Lender Reporting In Newly Final Rule

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Thursday finalized a major rollback of its Biden-era rule on small-business loan data collection, sharply narrowing the scope of financial institutions and activity subject to the statutorily mandated reporting regime.

  • April 30, 2026

    Judge Seeks Help On Jurisdiction In Trump's Tax Leak Suit

    A Miami federal court appointed six attorneys from three firms to help it determine whether it has jurisdiction in President Donald Trump's suit accusing the IRS of failing to prevent a former contractor from leaking his tax returns to news outlets.

  • April 30, 2026

    Feds Appeal Order Freezing CDC Childhood Vaccine Changes

    The Trump administration said late Wednesday that it's appealing a court order that stopped its pared-down childhood vaccine schedule from going into effect.

  • April 29, 2026

    DOGE Unmasking Order Won't Be Reconsidered, Judge Says

    A New York federal judge Wednesday refused to reconsider ordering Department of Government Efficiency agents to identify themselves in a lawsuit claiming DOGE unlawfully gained access to millions of federal employees' personal information, ruling that the government hasn't offered any new reason for her to rethink her opinion.

  • April 29, 2026

    Tech Group Aims To Halt Minn. Social Media Warning Mandate

    A Minnesota law that requires social media platforms to prominently display mental health warning labels to all users has become the target of the latest First Amendment challenge being pressed by tech trade group NetChoice, which argued in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that the state is using public health concerns to create an unlawful "backdoor" to regulate protected speech. 

  • April 29, 2026

    Judiciary Advisers Back Looser Limits On Defense Subpoenas

    A campaign by white collar defense lawyers against long-standing limits on subpoena powers cleared a key hurdle Wednesday when federal judiciary advisers endorsed earlier and easier access to potentially favorable evidence despite staunch resistance from crime victims' advocates.

  • April 29, 2026

    Youth Hockey Owners Deny Report Of Mich. Antitrust Probe

    A Florida-based organization that buys and operates youth hockey rinks nationwide denied knowledge of a reported Michigan state probe into whether that and similar groups are using anticompetitive behavior in purchasing the facilities.

  • April 29, 2026

    Bipartisan Bill Would Give Parents Control Over Kids' AI Use

    A group of Democratic and Republican senators introduced legislation that would allow parents to keep a better eye on their children's use of chatbots by requiring artificial intelligence companies to establish safeguards the lawmakers say will help protect kids' mental health and social development.

  • April 29, 2026

    Judge Slams $68M DOJ Deal As He Ends Colony Ridge Suit

    A Texas federal judge formally closed a Biden-era lawsuit alleging reverse redlining in a Houston-area development after the U.S. Department of Justice reached a $68 million deal that he says is untethered to the complaint and risks harm to the people claimed to be affected.

  • April 29, 2026

    FCC Looks To Update How It Collects Broadband Map Data

    The Federal Communications Commission has its eye on the National Broadband Map, with plans to vote next month on launching a proceeding to explore how to cut red tape from the data collection process while also increasing the accuracy of the data being collected.

  • April 29, 2026

    5th Circ. Skeptical Of Immigrants' Bond Eligibility Claim

    A Fifth Circuit panel pressed counsel for multiple detained immigrants to explain why people who crossed the border unlawfully should get access to a bond hearing, saying Wednesday that the law clearly states that an allegedly unauthorized immigrant "shall be detained pending removal proceedings."

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    DOJ Delay Of ADA Web Rule Undermines Equal Access

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent decision to delay compliance dates for regulations ensuring accessible government services online benefits no one, as it is long overdue for disabled Americans and doesn't lessen covered entities' legal obligations or litigation risk, say Mark Riccobono at the National Federation of the Blind and Eve Hill at Brown Goldstein.

  • Series

    Officiating Football Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though they may seem to have little in common, officiating football has sharpened many of the same skills that define effective lawyering in management-side labor and employment: preparation, judgment, composure, credibility and ability to make difficult decisions in real time, says Josh Nadreau at Fisher Phillips.

  • Fresenius Ruling May Shift Anti-Kickback Enforcement

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Fresenius v. Bonta suggests that businesses have a First Amendment right to donate to certain charities, even if those donations are motivated by economic self-interest, potentially calling into question years of Anti-Kickback Statute proceedings against pharmaceutical manufacturers for making similar donations, says Jonah Knobler at Patterson Belknap.

  • Written Consent Ruling May Signal Change For Telemarketing

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    The Fifth Circuit's ruling in Bradford v. Sovereign Pest Control is a takedown of the Federal Communications Commission's prior express written consent regulation, and because Loper Bright empowers courts to disregard agency interpretations, Telephone Consumer Protection Act litigants now have an opportunity to challenge previously settled FCC regulations, orders and interpretations, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • Prediction Market Platform Probes Merit Strategic Responses

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    As the battle over the regulation of prediction markets is being waged between states and the federal government, investigations into insider trading allegations are increasingly originating from inside the exchanges themselves, creating obvious risks for market participants — as well as opportunities, say attorneys at Kobre & Kim.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Draft Pleadings

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    Most law school graduates step into their first jobs without ever having drafted a complaint, answer, motion or other type of pleading, but that gap can be closed by understanding the strategy embedded in every filing, writing with clarity and purpose, and seeking feedback at every step, says Eric Yakaitis at Haug Barron.

  • Tokenized Securities Have Capital Parity, But Details Matter

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    Recent guidance from the federal banking agencies clarifies that the use of distributed ledger technologies to issue and transact in securities will not affect the capital treatment of those instruments, but banks looking to apply parity treatment to tokenized securities should be prepared to document their qualification processes, say attorneys at Davis Polk.

  • What Employers Should Know About Wash. Noncompete Ban

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    Washington state recently passed one of the most expansive prohibitions on noncompetes in the country, marking a significant shift in the state's approach to restrictive covenants and requiring employers to carefully assess how this change will affect their current and future agreements, say attorneys at Cozen.

  • Mitigating Multistate Risks As California Expands Tax Reach

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    Though California's new sourcing rules and extension of the pass-through entity election have created uncertainty, practitioners should file protective returns to respect the law's ambiguity and take certain other steps to protect clients from the costs of losing a future audit, says attorney Delina Yasmeh.

  • Crypto Trading App Statement Advances SEC's New Direction

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    While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's staff statement from last week carving out an exemption from broker-dealer registration for crypto-trading apps isn't a formal or permanent rule, it's the clearest signal yet of a quickly emerging coherent regulatory framework for digital assets, says Stephen Aschettino at Fox Rothschild.

  • How Cos. Can Prep For Conn. Data Privacy Amendments

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    Effective July 1, 2026, amendments to the Connecticut Data Privacy Act narrow the safe harbor for data used by banks, insurance companies and other financial services businesses, highlighting how state regulators plan to focus on how companies handle sensitive data and honor the data rights of the state's residents, say attorneys at Day Pitney.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On ESI Control

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    Several recent federal court decisions have perpetuated a split over what constitutes “control” of electronically stored information — with judges divided on whether the standard should turn on a party's legal right or practical ability to obtain the information, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Record Penalty Sets Stage For FinCEN Whistleblower Awards

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    The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s record $80 million penalty against Canaccord, together with the agency's recently proposed rule on whistleblower awards, signals an increasingly aggressive enforcement posture and illustrates the significant financial stakes associated with reporting violations, says Marlene Koury at Constantine Cannon.

  • How Guidance Narrows Federal Telework Accommodations

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    A recent FAQ from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management offers agencies several ways to narrow telework as an accommodation for federal employees, including through in-office alternatives, revisiting prior approvals and substituting leave for situational telework, says Lori Kisch at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • What GAO Report Reveals About CFPB Cutbacks

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    The U.S. Government Accountability Office's first report on the downsizing of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau details an agency facing less funding and aggressive efforts to shrink its workforce and docket — suggesting that the bureau will face sharper choices about where to deploy staff and litigation resources, say attorneys at Troutman.

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