Public Policy

  • August 31, 2026

    New Report Rings Alarm On Threats To Judicial Independence

    Verbal attacks on judges, disinformation about the courts and the defiance of court orders are undermining the independence of the federal judiciary and significantly affecting individual judges' ability to do their jobs, a report out Monday says.

  • August 31, 2026

    9th Circ. Faults Notice Errors In Jamaican's Deportation Case

    A Jamaican citizen's due process rights were violated when the federal government failed to properly notify him about its appeals of decisions granting him withholding of removal, the Ninth Circuit ruled, noting that he's been in immigration detention since 2021.

  • August 31, 2026

    Trump Opening 1st Round Of Tariff-Free Ground Beef Tuesday

    The first 100,000 of a total 300,000 metric tons of ground beef that can be imported into the U.S. without an added tariff can enter into the country starting Sept. 1, according to a proclamation published Monday.

  • August 31, 2026

    DOGE Data-Privacy Suit Survives Reconsideration Bid

    A D.C. federal judge declined Friday to reconsider his March decision allowing a proposed class action accusing the Trump administration of unlawfully sharing federal employees' sensitive personal information with Department of Government Efficiency staffers to proceed, ruling that an "oversight" in his prior opinion wouldn't alter the result.

  • August 31, 2026

    NLRB Atty OKs Microsoft's Gaza Protest Firings

    Microsoft did not violate federal labor law by firing two workers who organized a protest of the war in Gaza at the company's Washington headquarters because the event didn't have a clear enough tie to their work, a National Labor Relations Board attorney said in a newly released advice memo.

  • August 31, 2026

    NY, Okla. Tribes Decry Trump Renaming Lake Ontario

    Tribal nation leaders have called for President Donald Trump to rescind his executive order to rename Lake Ontario, saying he can't assert ownership over Indigenous culture or "erase it through irresponsible political action."

  • August 31, 2026

    Feds Say New USPS Mail-In Ballot Rule Isn't A 'Takeover'

    A new U.S. Postal Service rule compelling states to submit voters' names to the federal government and redesign envelopes in order to have mail-in ballots delivered in November imposes "modest" requirements and is not a "federal takeover of elections," the Trump administration told a Massachusetts federal judge in a weekend filing.

  • August 31, 2026

    Mass. Board Cites Comparable Sales, Cuts Home Valuation

    A Massachusetts home was overvalued, but not by as much as the owners argued, the state Appellate Tax Board said in a decision released Monday.

  • August 31, 2026

    Feds' Crackdown Targets Commercial Trucking Fraud

    The Trump administration said Monday it is immediately shutting down 110 commercial driver's license schools for certifying truck drivers who can't read or speak English, and pledged to aggressively prosecute accused "fraudsters" who knowingly put untrained or unskilled truck drivers on American roads.

  • August 31, 2026

    Mass. Panel OKs Home Value Despite Contamination Claim

    A Massachusetts homeowner claiming environmental contamination did not show that it diminished the property's taxable value, a state board said in a decision released Monday.

  • August 31, 2026

    SC Panel Waives Scrutiny On Kirkland-Guided Data Center

    South Carolina regulators have decided not to apply a law requiring construction approval to a 450-megawatt, natural gas-powered project proposed by a Kirkland & Ellis LLP-advised data center builder, despite calls from an environmental group for more scrutiny of the development.

  • August 31, 2026

    Fiber, Labor Shortages Spur Call To Delay Rural Connections

    Broadband providers have reiterated their call for a one-year extension of the Federal Communications Commission's deadline to complete projects under a rural funding program, citing increasing fiber scarcity and the ongoing skilled labor shortage.

  • August 31, 2026

    EU Sets Evidence Standard For Steel Duty Anti-Evasion Rule

    The European Commission on Monday established the types of evidence that those that import steel into the bloc will need to provide to satisfy new rules requiring clearer information about the country of origin for such products.

  • August 31, 2026

    Judge, Citing COVID Impacts, Cuts SC Mall Tax Value By $17M

    A South Carolina judge cut $17 million from the tax value of a shopping mall, favoring the owner's income analysis and agreeing that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the viability of malls nationwide.

  • August 31, 2026

    Commerce Probing Indian Polymer For Possible Duties

    The U.S. Department of Commerce said Monday that it is investigating whether Indian imports of a type of polymer used to handle dangerous chemicals are being sold in the U.S. at unfair prices.

  • August 31, 2026

    Thai Spray Foam Imports Face US Circumvention Probe

    The U.S. Department of Commerce said Monday it will determine whether spray foam systems assembled in Thailand with Chinese components are circumventing U.S. duties placed on a foam-making chemical, a month after a similar investigation was opened into Canadian systems.

  • August 31, 2026

    Paul Hastings Hires Longtime FTC Mergers Atty In DC

    An attorney from the Federal Trade Commission, who worked with the agency for nearly 20 years and was most recently deputy assistant director in the Mergers I Division, has joined Paul Hastings LLP, the firm announced Monday.

  • August 28, 2026

    Meta's $17B Child Safety Deal Puts Heat On Congress To Act

    Meta's landmark $17.1 billion settlement of states' claims that it purposely addicted kids to social media mandates many of the safeguards increasingly being required by a growing patchwork of largely contested state child safety laws, boosting not only the profile of these measures but also the push for Congress to enact a more comprehensive fix.

  • August 28, 2026

    Judge Temporarily Nixes 'Arbitrary' Pauses On Diversity Visas

    A California federal judge Friday certified classes of diversity immigrant visa applicants affected by three Trump administration policies that froze immigrant visas and temporarily vacated the policies, agreeing with a Washington, D.C., federal judge who days ago found the policies arbitrary and capricious.

  • August 28, 2026

    25K Workers 'Out Of Luck': Feds Defend Layoffs At 9th Circ.

    The federal government Friday urged the Ninth Circuit to reverse a finding that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management wrongfully fired 25,000 probationary workers shortly after President Donald Trump took office, arguing that the OPM was operating well within its statutory authority, the district court lacked jurisdiction, and the workers are "simply out of luck."

  • August 28, 2026

    MLB's Tampa Bay Rays Get Key Approvals For New Stadium

    Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays took a major step toward consummating the ballclub's yearslong efforts to build a new home ballpark, as the Hillsborough County Commission on Friday approved a development and funding agreement for a proposed $2.3 billion stadium project one day after the Tampa City Council gave its consent.

  • August 28, 2026

    Fintechs Back 24/7 Futures Trading As Energy Producers Balk

    Commodity and energy producers cautioned the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission against enabling round-the-clock trading and perpetual contracts on the energy industry, while many trading platforms told the agency that they believe they can mitigate the risks that come with extended trading hours.

  • August 28, 2026

    Industries, States Take Soot Rule Fight To Supreme Court

    A coalition of industry groups and 25 states led by Kentucky and West Virginia have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a D.C. Circuit decision that upheld a challenged rule imposing tighter nationwide limits on soot pollution.

  • August 28, 2026

    2nd Circ. Revives FCA Overpayment Suit Against Pharmacy

    A Second Circuit panel on Friday undid a whistleblower's loss on False Claims Act allegations that AmerisourceBergen Corp.'s pharmacy business owes the government money for overpayments from federal healthcare programs for drug purchases and other services.

  • August 28, 2026

    Trump Admin Asks High Court To Uphold Trans Troop Ban

    The Trump administration urged the U.S. Supreme Court Friday to allow its ban on transgender members of the military to take full effect, arguing the policy is constitutional under the high court's developing transgender case law.

Expert Analysis

  • What Cos. Must Know About EPA Water Monitoring Proposal

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's newly proposed rule that would require public water systems to monitor for 30 unregulated drinking water contaminants does not impose new obligations on companies, but the data collected could affect future policy, investigations and litigation, says Ayodeji Ayolola at Gordon Rees.

  • Series

    Being A Sommelier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a sommelier has quietly shaped how I practice law by changing the way I think, communicate and connect with people, and offers a constant reminder that expertise is about making your knowledge useful and accessible to others, says Kara Du at Sheppard.

  • House Truck Weight Bill Could Raise Stakes In Crash Suits

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    A bill pending in the U.S. House of Representatives could allow participating states to run six-axle trucks at 91,000 pounds instead of 80,000, likely resulting in more catastrophic injury claims with higher damages and further taxing an already strained insurance coverage system, says attorney Angel Reyes.

  • Trump Debarment Threat Calls For Targeted Defense Plan

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    President Donald Trump's recent Truth Social directive ordering federal suspension and debarment officials to investigate the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine over climate science work could have existential consequences, highlighting the importance of winning the framing battle by building a clear timeline and record, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Fed Report Underscores Focus On Nonbank, CRE Risks

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    The Federal Reserve Board's latest supervision and regulation report highlights that broad systemic stability will not insulate individual institutions from rigorous supervisory challenges regarding concentrated commercial real estate portfolios and nonbank partnerships, says Daniel Meade at Hogan Lovells.

  • 3 Upcoming Deadlines That EB-5 Investors Should Consider

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    Potential EB-5 regional center investors should weigh three approaching deadlines, the most immediate of which is Sept. 30, that may affect their filing strategy, required capital commitment and ability to participate even if Congress fails to reauthorize the program, says Michael Ashoori at Ashoori Law.

  • CIPA Tech Tracking Suits Highlight Uncertain Legal Ground

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    Alexandra Samofalova at Spencer Fane discusses the state of California Invasion of Privacy Act website tracking litigation, why credible defendants choose to settle and how the businesses best positioned to face this uncertain legal landscape are the ones treating data practices as a legal compliance matter to address today.

  • AI, Prediction Markets Lead Securities Developments In 2026

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    Securities class actions tied to artificial intelligence and the battle over prediction market regulation both raise novel questions that courts are only beginning to address and that will continue to resonate throughout the second half of the year, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Why A Class Was Certified In Financial Aid Info-Sharing Case

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    The recent Illinois federal court decision in Corzo v. Brown University offers key guidance for defendants confronting class certification in antitrust matters, highlighting how typicality can be satisfied despite class members attending different universities, receiving different aid awards and being affected across different time periods, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Key Compliance Insights From Calif.'s Volvo Diesel Deal

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    While the future of California's vehicle emissions standards under the Clean Air Act is uncertain, the state's recent settlement with Volvo over diesel emissions hinges on the truthfulness of manufacturer representations to state regulators, and offers important lessons for companies on compliance and recordkeeping, says Thierry Montoya at FBT Gibbons.

  • Community Bank Order Signals Fintech Partnership Scrutiny

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    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's recent consent order against Community Federal Savings Bank for deficiencies in its Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering compliance programs offers clear and urgent lessons for community banks pursuing revenue growth through fintech partnerships and payments services, say attorneys at Bradley.

  • House-Passed KIDS Act Spurs Child Data Practices Audit

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    Graham Dean, Brian Roper-Nelson and Will Quick at Brooks Pierce discuss the noteworthy sections of the U.S. House of Representatives' recently passed Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act, the potential revisions as the law moves through the U.S. Senate and the significant business changes that the House law would require.

  • Calif. Recycle Label Order Imperils Product Responsibility Law

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    A California federal court's injunction blocking enforcement of the state's truth-in-recycling law gives companies racing to remove chasing arrows and other recyclability labels from their packaging a reprieve — and the court's action may also hobble implementation of the state's extended producer responsibility law, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • FTC Focus: Enforcing Vertically Integrated Operating Systems

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    As digital platforms increasingly pair operating systems with commerce, advertising, content and data, antitrust scrutiny will turn on whether those integrations create private bottlenecks that foreclose rivals through access, ranking, interoperability or defaults, pushing courts and enforcement agencies to adapt traditional utility and merger frameworks more aggressively, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Challenging Detention After 5th Circ. Ends Bond Clocks

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    After the vacatur of the Fifth Circuit’s holding that the U.S. Constitution requires bond hearings for detained noncriminal noncitizens, practitioners should go back to filing habeas petitions, pending the court's en banc rehearing, says Kemal Hepsen at Mandamus Lawyers.

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