Public Policy

  • July 31, 2026

    Oil Cos. Say Estate Can't Expand Heat Wave Death Theory

    Exxon, Chevron and other oil conglomerates have accused a Washington woman suing over a 2021 heat wave death of seeking to retroactively push the boundaries of the legal theory she's posited to the court, while she fired back on Friday that the petroleum companies continue to mischaracterize her claims.

  • July 31, 2026

    Fed Pitches New Rules On Loans To Bank 'Insiders'

    The Federal Reserve Board on Friday proposed updates to its rule limiting the loans a bank can offer its executives, board members and major shareholders who could influence the bank's lending decisions, saying the updates to outdated monetary thresholds aim to help community bank leaders.

  • July 31, 2026

    Migrant Kids Headed For 'Cliff' As Legal Services Contract Ends

    A government contract that provides lawyers to unaccompanied children in federal custody expired Friday, leaving legal aid organizations helping children navigate the immigration system alone wondering whether anyone can fill the void.

  • July 31, 2026

    Colo. Judge Urged To Rule On No-Bond Policy For Noncitizens

    A Salvadoran national who has filed a class action challenging the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy is urging a Colorado federal judge to rule on the stayed case now that the Tenth Circuit has, in a different case, rejected the government's authority to detain all noncitizens without bond.

  • July 31, 2026

    Appeals Courts Upheld Similar E-Cig Regs, Pa. Tells Court

    There's no good reason to block Pennsylvania from enforcing a statewide ban on most vape products, the commonwealth has told a Pennsylvania federal court, saying many appeals courts across the country have come to the same conclusion that such laws are constitutional.

  • July 31, 2026

    Case Challenging Ban On 'Conversion Therapy' Reopened

    A Washington federal judge has partly revived a family therapist's constitutional challenge of the state's prohibition on a practice commonly known as conversion therapy in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's March decision finding that a similar Colorado ban amounted to viewpoint discrimination against a Christian counselor.

  • July 31, 2026

    3rd Circ. Backs Trust In Pa. Game Commission Title Dispute

    The Pennsylvania Game Commission constitutes a Pennsylvania citizen, the Third Circuit ruled Friday in a land title dispute between the commission and a trust, rejecting the commission's "Hail Mary" change in position that it's instead an "arm" of Pennsylvania, which would erase the court's diversity jurisdiction.

  • July 31, 2026

    FTC, Southern Glazer Need More Time To Finalize Settlement

    The Federal Trade Commission has told a California federal judge that it needs a little more time to work out the finer points of its settlement with Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, which would end the agency's first Robinson-Patman Act case in decades.

  • July 31, 2026

    Hotel Booking Cos. Ink $1.1M Deal To End Wash. AG's Suit

    Hotel booking companies Lexyl Technologies LLC and Bookonline.com LLC agreed to pay nearly $1.1 million to resolve claims from Washington's attorney general that the platforms deceptively added a "refund protection fee" to users' reservations, according to a settlement announced Friday.

  • July 31, 2026

    NC Judge Deems Alleged $55M Medicare Clawbacks Unfair

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services didn't give a hospital operator fair notice of its interpretation of the term "provider" in Medicare regulations that HHS relied on to claw back millions of dollars in reimbursements, a North Carolina federal judge ruled.

  • July 31, 2026

    DC Circ. Backs Ex-Steward CEO's Contempt Charge

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday upheld a U.S. Senate committee's criminal and civil contempt finding against former Steward Health Care System LLC Chief Executive Ralph de la Torre after he refused to appear before lawmakers despite a subpoena, calling his appellate arguments "wholly meritless."

  • July 31, 2026

    Conn., Developer Settle Suit Over Alleged Harm To Public Land

    Connecticut and its environmental protection agency have settled a state lawsuit against a developer they accused of destroying public lands by removing several acres of trees and vegetation to install a basketball court, a three-car garage and guesthouse.

  • July 31, 2026

    CFTC Fines George Santos Over Prediction Market Trades

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission ordered convicted former U.S. Rep. George Santos to pay $35,000 to settle claims he manipulated a prediction market on whether he would attend the 2026 State of the Union address.

  • July 31, 2026

    Verano Sues Over NJ's Cannabis Labor Peace Law

    Cannabis giant Verano Holdings Corp. filed a lawsuit Friday challenging a provision of New Jersey's cannabis law requiring labor peace agreements between cannabis operators and their employers, arguing that a federal judge has already declared that the requirement is invalid.

  • July 31, 2026

    Enviro Groups Say FWS Habitat Rule Favors Economics

    Environmental organizations are accusing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of surrendering its authority to balance environmental impacts with economics in a recent rule change that gives more weight to financial concerns when assessing sensitive habitats.

  • July 31, 2026

    ICE Contractor Seeks Block Of Colo. Health Inspection Law

    Immigration detention facility operator The GEO Group Inc. urged a Colorado federal judge Friday to block the enforcement of a new state law requiring health and safety inspections at its Aurora, Colorado, facility, arguing the law is unconstitutional and discriminatory in singling out the company.

  • July 31, 2026

    Mass. Seeks Exit From Undercover License Plate Policy Suit

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security hasn't shown that immigration enforcement has slowed because Massachusetts won't give its agents undercover vehicle plates, the state said in a bid to dismiss a federal government lawsuit.

  • July 31, 2026

    DC Circ. Backs FERC's Revised Grid Hookup Policy

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday endorsed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's revised policy for hooking up new power projects to the grid, saying the agency clearly acted within its authority to address growing interconnection backlogs.

  • July 31, 2026

    Broadcast Workers Blast FCC Plan To Nix TV Ownership Cap

    A broadcast workers' union urged the Federal Communications Commission to scrap a plan by agency chief Brendan Carr to lift the 39% national cap on TV station chains' audience reach, saying the proposal threatens local news operations.

  • July 31, 2026

    Some Visitors Face $20K Bond Under Finalized Visa Rule

    The U.S. Department of State on Friday released a final rule requiring some tourists and business travelers to post a bond up to $20,000 for a visa, making permanent a pilot program the government launched last year.

  • July 31, 2026

    Trump Appeals Judge's Block Of IRS Settlement To 11th Circ.

    President Donald Trump will ask the Eleventh Circuit to overturn a Florida federal judge's order blocking a settlement deal that would have given him and others broad protection from federal tax audits and investigations, according to a notice filed Friday.

  • July 31, 2026

    Teck Asks Justices To Ax Wash. Tribal Cultural Loss Claims

    A Canadian mining company is asking the Supreme Court to reverse a Ninth Circuit ruling that revived Washington tribes' natural resource damages claims for alleged pollution of the Columbia River, arguing the appellate court upended an environmental cleanup statute's tradeoff between broad liability and limited remedies.

  • July 31, 2026

    Hemp Beverage Cos. Take Aim At Ohio Law

    A coalition of more than a dozen hemp beverage manufacturers is seeking to block enforcement of a new Ohio law that reclassified the products as "marijuana," at least the second federal lawsuit to challenge the new state policy.

  • July 31, 2026

    Split 3rd Circ. Says Pa. Town Wrongly Limited Jewish Worship

    A Northeast Pennsylvania town's zoning code placed unacceptable burdens on the religious exercises of an Orthodox Jewish congregation using two properties for worship, instruction and communal living, a split Third Circuit panel said in an opinion ordering the properties to be reopened.

  • July 31, 2026

    Pa. Panel Again Says 'Clickwrap' Arbitration Unenforceable

    The Pennsylvania Superior Court has reiterated that "clickwrap" arbitration agreements are unenforceable, holding in the case of an amusement park patron dissatisfied over a roller coaster closure that the inconspicuous digital disclaimers weren't enough to deny a litigant's right to a jury trial.

Expert Analysis

  • New State AI Laws Create Dual Misrepresentation Risk

    Author Photo

    As artificial intelligence transparency laws are enacted across the country and the volume and specificity of compliance records increase, companies will be required to speak more often, more precisely and to more audiences about the same systems, compounding the risk of litigation, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Series

    Cow Horse Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Moving an unwilling 800-pound cow while riding a horse at high speed is exhilarating, a little unhinged and, at least for me, a surprisingly effective training ground for litigation — both demand focus, preparation over rigid planning and the willingness to act despite fear, says Ashley Zitrin at Glenn Agre.

  • Unpacking The Take It Down Act's Compliance Ambiguities

    Author Photo

    The Federal Trade Commission’s recent guidance concerning the Take It Down Act suggests that covered platforms should build removal systems immediately and prioritize compliance, but until courts or regulators provide additional clarity, companies will be navigating a statutory framework that is urgent and uncertain, says Laura-Kate Bernstein at ZwillGen.

  • Protecting AI-Driven Innovation In Life Sciences IP

    Author Photo

    Recent developments, including the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's evolving inventorship standards, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the "person of ordinary skill in the art" standard demand that life sciences companies elevate AI patent strategy to a top priority, says Sandra Haberny at Quinn Emanuel.

  • NY's UCC Updates Spell Change In Digital Asset Lending

    Author Photo

    Given the state’s role as a preferred jurisdiction for financing transactions, New York’s recent enactment of Uniform Commercial Code amendments, which establish control as a central concept for determining who has rights to a digital asset, will encourage nationwide growth toward a more technology-neutral approach to secured transactions, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • How Trump's Nuclear EO Has Transformed The NRC

    Author Photo

    In the year since President Donald Trump issued Executive Order No. 14300, directing sweeping reforms of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the agency has revised key oversight programs and proposed major rulemakings and new licensing frameworks — but the NRC must continue to center transparency and trust as key values, says Brooke Clark at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    Agentic AI And Securities Law: Steps Congress Should Take

    Author Photo

    Agentic artificial intelligence technology doesn't fit comfortably into the existing securities regulatory landscape, so Congress should avoid repeating the mistakes that led to the legal uncertainty crypto companies and investors have faced over the past decade-plus by providing a legislative framework before AI fully matures, says Joseph A. Hall at Davis Polk.

  • Weighing Trade-Offs Of SEC's Semiannual Reporting Proposal

    Author Photo

    Though public companies could benefit from a recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposal that would allow them to file earnings reports just twice a year, widespread adoption could also increase market volatility, complicate capital raising and fragment disclosure standards to the detriment of issuers and investors, say attorneys at Seward & Kissel.

  • High Court's Hikma Decision Reshapes 'Skinny Label' Suits

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Hikma v. Amarin marks a significant victory for generic drug manufacturers, but rather than putting an end to so-called skinny label inducement claims, it narrows and refocuses them, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.

  • Virginia's Cannabis Retail Veto Leaves Industry In Legal Limbo

    Author Photo

    Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger's recent veto of legislation that would have established a regulated retail cannabis framework halts momentum built by the General Assembly, but it also sends important signals about what a future regulatory framework must address to survive, says Charles Slemp at Cozen.

  • Opinion

    At High Court, Oil Cos.' Suncor Preemption Claims Fall Short

    Author Photo

    In Suncor Energy v. Boulder County, pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, oil and gas companies argue that municipalities' climate deception claims are equivalent to emissions standards for their industry — but the suit is ultimately incapable of imposing such standards, say Thomas McGarity at the University of Texas School of Law and James Goodwin at the Center for Progressive Reform.

  • What Colorado AI Law's Major Rewrite Means For Employers

    Author Photo

    Colorado's landmark law regulating employers' use of artificial intelligence tools was recently replaced with a narrower regime that eliminates many burdensome obligations, but still imposes a host of requirements focused on transparency and accountability, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Operational AI Washing: The Next Frontier Of Fiduciary Risk

    Author Photo

    While there are still no final Delaware decisions applying Caremark specifically to artificial intelligence governance failures, previous case law provides a blueprint, so the question for boards is whether their governance architectures will satisfy Caremark when the first cases are decided, say attorneys at Akerman.

  • A Look At The Court's Next Steps In Live Nation Antitrust Case

    Author Photo

    Following a recent jury verdict that Live Nation and Ticketmaster operated as a monopoly to fix ticket prices, a New York federal court stands to weigh Live Nation's bid for a new trial, approve the U.S. Department of Justice's March settlement with the defendants, and impose remedies that include full structural separation, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • How Crypto Firms Can Prep As Clarity Act Inches Toward Law

    Author Photo

    Though the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act’s road to enactment remains uncertain, the statutory framework for regulating digital commodities recently advanced by the Senate Banking Committee is now sufficiently developed that market participants can begin preparing in several areas where the complicated legislation would affect them, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Public Policy archive.