Public Policy

  • August 28, 2025

    10th Circ. Told Okla. 'Race Theory' Law Must Go

    The Tenth Circuit is being told it must ensure academic freedom for the students of Oklahoma, whose constitutional rights and "the very nature of the classroom as a place that nurtures inquiry and discussion" are being undermined by a state law restricting what they can be taught.

  • August 28, 2025

    Email Excluded From Harassment Suit Against Paxton Deputies

    A Texas federal judge on Thursday struck an email from a sexual harassment lawsuit brought against the founders of a law firm founded by former top attorneys in the Texas attorney general's office, but said the plaintiff could conduct discovery regarding the email.

  • August 28, 2025

    'Still A Mess': Colo. Special Session Fails To Deliver AI Clarity

    During its recently concluded special session, the Colorado Legislature extended the implementation deadline for the state's groundbreaking artificial intelligence law but failed to make any substantial changes to the legislation, leaving companies to face continued uncertainty on the scope of liability and other pressing issues.

  • August 28, 2025

    Black Owner Of Hemp Shop Accuses LA Police Of Illicit Raids

    A Black entrepreneur claims that the Los Angeles Police Department conducted multiple unlawful raids on his hemp shop that ultimately put him out of business, according to a lawsuit filed in California federal court that seeks $15 million in damages and suggests that the police's targeting was racially motivated.

  • August 28, 2025

    9th Circ. Rules BLM Can Implement Oregon Logging Plan

    Officials at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management sufficiently vetted an Oregon logging project that conservationists claim will harm threatened wildlife, a Ninth Circuit panel has ruled, concluding the project does not violate earlier plans to protect coastal forest habitats.

  • August 28, 2025

    4chan Says UK Online Censorship Law Is Powerless In US

    Controversial online platforms Kiwi Farms and 4chan have slapped the United Kingdom's Office of Communications with a lawsuit in D.C. federal court, saying the foreign agency has no power to make them comply with a British privacy law that violates their rights under the U.S. Constitution.

  • August 28, 2025

    DOJ Right On Anti-Vax Group's AP Boycott Claims, Court Told

    The anti-vaccine group founded by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday latched onto the arguments raised by the Justice Department backing its lawsuit alleging The Associated Press, the Washington Post, Reuters and the BBC colluded with social media platforms to censor rivals.

  • August 28, 2025

    Amid Firings, DOJ Opens Temp Judge Eligibility To Any Atty

    A new final rule that took effect Thursday removes prior restrictions on who can be a temporary immigration judge, opening the positions to any attorney and waiving the requirement for immigration law experience while the Trump administration continues firing permanent judges.

  • August 28, 2025

    CFTC Clears Registration Path For Offshore Crypto Cos.

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Thursday made clear that certain offshore cryptocurrency entities can use its foreign board of trade registration framework to serve U.S. customers.

  • August 28, 2025

    NJ Borough Sues American Dream Mall Over Sunday Sales

    A New Jersey borough sued a major East Rutherford mall owner, its main tenant and other parties in state court over the mall allegedly violating the state's ban on selling certain items on Sundays, urging the court to block the main tenant's retail operations and to declare the mall's premises and the sale of the banned products to be public nuisances.

  • August 28, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Says AI Co. Not 'Interested Party' In Bid Protest

    The en banc Federal Circuit affirmed on Thursday a lower court's dismissal of Percipient.ai's protest challenging its exclusion from consideration to supply computer vision technology under a $376.4 million National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency procurement, holding that the company lacks standing.

  • August 28, 2025

    Trump Admin Backs Harvard Foreign Student Ban At 1st Circ.

    The Trump administration defended its attempt to bar foreign students from enrolling at Harvard University, telling the First Circuit in a brief filed Thursday that a federal judge who blocked the move has no business second-guessing immigration decisions made by the executive branch. 

  • August 28, 2025

    Local Gov'ts Seek Win In Suit Over HHS-Canceled Grants

    Four local governments and a union asked a D.C. federal judge on Wednesday to declare that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services acted unlawfully when it canceled $11 billion in grants awarded to improve public health systems around the country.

  • August 28, 2025

    End Of De Minimis Duty Breaks May Snag Supply Chains

    As the duty exemption for low-value imports ends Friday in accordance with President Donald Trump's executive order, lawyers say they expect cost increases for importers and customers and administrative burdens that could snarl supply chains, especially for consumer goods.

  • August 28, 2025

    FTC Unpauses Administrative Case Over Insulin Prices

    The Federal Trade Commission has restarted its in-house case accusing Caremark Rx, Express Scripts and OptumRx of artificially inflating insulin prices, now that two commissioners are able to consider the claims.

  • August 28, 2025

    Unions Urge Judgment Blocking DOGE's Agency Access

    Unions and advocacy groups asked a Washington, D.C., federal judge Thursday for a win before trial in their lawsuit claiming agencies unlawfully provided Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency access to sensitive data, saying the agencies departed from their usual data access procedures without explanation.

  • August 28, 2025

    EPA Backs Truck-Makers' Bid To Block Calif. Emissions Regs

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday joined truck-makers in asking a California federal court to immediately block implementation of the state's emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks.

  • August 28, 2025

    Religion Didn't Drive Ex-CTA Worker's Vax Refusal, Jury Hears

    A former Chicago Transit Authority electrician hasn't met his burden of proving religious discrimination was behind his termination when he refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and his refusal was based on personal preference and health and safety concerns about the jab, an Illinois federal jury heard Thursday.

  • August 28, 2025

    Court Blocks Bid To Keep Everglades Detention Center Open

    A Florida federal judge denied a bid to halt a preliminary injunction requiring the government to cease operations at an Everglades immigration detention center, ruling no new evidence was shown that its detainees are dangerous or why a facility must be placed in that particular location. 

  • August 28, 2025

    USPTO Offers Streamlined Patent, TM Assignment Search Tool

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is upgrading its search system for patent and trademark assignment records with a web-based platform beginning next month, the agency said.

  • August 28, 2025

    Arkansas Court Dismisses Cherokee Casino License Claims

    An Arkansas judge Thursday dismissed a challenge by Cherokee Nation entities over a gaming license in the state, saying the voter amendment that revoked it did not impair any of their contractual obligations and precedent forecloses on any damage claims.

  • August 28, 2025

    AstraZeneca Challenges Colo. Law Over Drug Pricing Rules

    Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca told a Colorado federal judge Wednesday that a recently passed state law aiming to extend a federal drug discount program to certain pharmacies is preempted by the same law that created the program.

  • August 28, 2025

    Tribal Members Seek 5th Circ. Redo In San Antonio Park Row

    Two members of a Native American church are asking the Fifth Circuit to rehear its appeal, which looks to block the restoration of a San Antonio park, saying that if left uncorrected, the opinion will leave religious believers vulnerable and sow confusion among district courts.

  • August 28, 2025

    Cannabis Biz Says Long Island Town Illicitly Blocked Opening

    A cannabis company alleged in a new state court lawsuit that the Long Island town of Southampton improperly invoked a local zoning law to prevent the opening of a marijuana store that had secured state approval for retail and deliveries.

  • August 28, 2025

    Energy Dept. Extends Pa. Plant's Lifespan, Citing Power Risks

    U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Thursday ordered PJM Interconnection and Constellation Energy to continue operating a Pennsylvania power plant that was supposed to have closed in May.

Expert Analysis

  • Assessing Impact Of USPTO's New Patent Policies

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    Recent data shows how the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's new patent policies are affecting America Invents Act trial institution rates, including spurring an uptick in discretionary denials, say attorneys at Armond Wilson.

  • What US Medicine Onshoring Means For Indian Life Sciences

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    Despite the Trump administration's latest moves to onshore essential medicine manufacturing, India will likely remain an indispensable component of the U.S. drug supply chain, but Indian manufacturers should prepare for stricter compliance checks, says Jashaswi Ghosh at Holon Law Partners.

  • APA Relief May Blunt Justices' Universal Injunction Ruling

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    The Administrative Procedure Act’s avenue for universal preliminary relief seems to hold the most promise for neutralizing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. CASA to limit federal district courts' nationally applicable orders, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • Wells Fargo Suit Shows Consumer Protection Limits In Mass.

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    The Massachusetts Appeals Court's May decision in Wells Fargo Bank v. Coulsey underscores that consumer rights are balanced against the need for closure, and even the broad protections of state consumer protection law will not open the door to relitigating the same claims, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Series

    Ohio Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    Ohio's financial services sector saw several significant developments in the second quarter of 2025, including a case that confirmed credit unions' setoff rights, another that established contract rights between banks and cardholders, and the House passage of a digital asset bill, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

  • Building Better Earnouts In The Current M&A Climate

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    In the face of market uncertainty, we've seen a continued reliance on earnouts in M&A deals so far this year, but to reduce the risk of related litigation, it's important to use objective standards, apply company metrics cautiously and ensure short time periods, among other best practices, say attorneys at White & Case.

  • Managing Risks As State AGs Seek To Fill Enforcement Gap

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    Given an unprecedented surge in state attorney general activity resulting from significant shifts in federal enforcement priorities, companies must consider tailored strategies for navigating the ever-evolving risk landscape, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • A Deep Dive Into 14 Nixed Gensler-Era SEC Rule Proposals

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last month formally withdrew 14 notices of proposed rulemaking, including several significant and widely criticized proposals that had been issued under former Chair Gary Gensler's leadership, signaling a clear and definitive shift away from the previous administration, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • A Look At Trump 2.0 Antitrust Enforcement So Far

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    The first six months of President Donald Trump's second administration were marked by aggressive antitrust enforcement tempered by traditional structural remedies for mergers, but other unprecedented actions, like the firing of Federal Trade Commission Democrats, will likely stoke heated discussion ahead, says Richard Dagen at Axinn.

  • Reform Partly Modernizes Small Biz Stock Gains Exclusion

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    Changes to the Internal Revenue Code in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act update the qualified small business stock gains exclusion to reflect inflation, but the regime would be more in line with current business realities if Congress had also made the exemption available to additional business structures, says Mark Parthemer at Glenmede.

  • Breaking Down Novel Va. Social Media Law For Minors

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    While a Virginia bill passed in May is notable for setting a one-hour daily limit on minors' use of social media, other provisions create compliance burdens for social media operators and app store providers, and increase privacy and security risks associated with the collection of sensitive information to prove identity, says Jenna Rode at Hunton.

  • Lessons From Crackdown On Mexican Banks With Cartel Ties

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    Recent U.S. Treasury Department orders excluding three major Mexican financial institutions from the U.S. banking system for laundering drug cartel money and processing payments for fentanyl precursor chemicals offer guidance for companies in reviewing their procedures and controls to ensure they are not the next targets, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Tips For Cos. From California Climate Reporting FAQ

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    New guidance from the California Air Resources Board on how businesses must implement the state's sweeping climate reporting requirements should help companies assess their exposure, understand their disclosure obligations and begin documenting good-faith compliance efforts, says Thierry Montoya at Frost Brown.

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