Public Policy

  • August 11, 2025

    Hospital Groups Back Challenge Of Merger Notice Overhaul

    A pair of hospital trade associations threw their support behind a U.S. Chamber of Commerce case challenging the Federal Trade Commission's new premerger filing requirements, telling a Texas federal court the agency was wrong to invoke the hospital industry when justifying the changes.

  • August 11, 2025

    Texas AG Says Trans Care Decision Limits Investigative Power

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office told the state's high court Friday that a lower court's decision severely diminished its ability to investigate violations of the state's deceptive trade practices statute, and stalled an investigation into an LGBTQ+ advocacy group.

  • August 11, 2025

    Rural Health Providers Say FCC Subsidy Rules Unclear

    Rural healthcare providers still don't know what is and isn't covered by the Universal Service Fund and could use some clarification and guidance from the Federal Communications Commission, a group has told the agency.

  • August 11, 2025

    FCC Subsidy Foes Again Attack Fund's Quarterly Fees

    Groups that fell short in their drive at the U.S. Supreme Court to have the revenue mechanism for the Universal Service Fund declared unconstitutional are again fighting the quarterly rate at the Federal Communications Commission.

  • August 11, 2025

    CRE Fintech Firm Securities Paused For Possible Arbitration

    A proposed class action accusing real estate platform CrowdStreet of enabling a $63 million fraud was paused Monday to allow individual arbitration to decide if the investors' claims can proceed.

  • August 11, 2025

    What To Watch In Mega Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern Tie-Up

    Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern's bold plan to create the nation's first transcontinental railroad owned by a single firm would transform freight transportation in the U.S., but it must first clear a heightened standard for reviewing mega rail mergers that hasn't yet been tested since the standard was set 24 years ago.

  • August 11, 2025

    NC Legislator's Judicial Campaign Scrutinized Over Donations

    The former director of a voting rights nonprofit has filed a complaint with the North Carolina State Board of Elections challenging certain donations to a Republican state lawmaker's campaign for a seat on the state Supreme Court that he says flout state campaign finance laws.

  • August 11, 2025

    DOJ Touts Merger, Rental Algorithm Deals, Eyeing More

    The head of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division on Monday touted two recent settlements, in a merger case and in the RealPage algorithmic rent-fixing litigation, as indications that Trump administration enforcers will focus on algorithm-based price-fixing and are willing to "negotiate favorable settlements."

  • August 11, 2025

    Hawaiian Judge Vacates Letter Allowing Monument Fishing

    Commercial fishing cannot legally continue in the waters of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument under a National Marine Fisheries Services letter that tribal and environmental groups claim authorized the endeavor, a Hawaii federal court judge said, arguing evidence shows that the directive harmed the plaintiffs in the dispute.

  • August 11, 2025

    Chicago Suburb's Ex-Mayor Gets 4 Years For Extortion, Bribery

    A former mayor of McCook, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, was sentenced to four years in federal prison Monday for accepting more than $250,000 in bribes and extortion payments.

  • August 11, 2025

    Paxton Seeks Calif.'s Help With Quorum-Breaker Warrants

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked a California state court on Friday to enforce arrest warrants against six members of the Texas House of Representatives who are among more than 50 Democrats who left the state in protest of a Republican redistricting plan.

  • August 11, 2025

    9th Circ. Says LA Men Have Ammo In Gun Rights Class Action

    The Ninth Circuit found Monday that a Los Angeles gun licensing policy that allowed only judges or law enforcement agents to carry concealed weapons was unconstitutional in light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, reviving a proposed class action brought by three men who were arrested for violating the policy.

  • August 11, 2025

    AGs Target Voice Providers In 'Operation Robocall Roundup'

    A bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general from across the U.S. is sending warning letters to 37 voice service providers to demand action against illegal robocalls, alleging they flouted Federal Communications Commission rules, according to an announcement Monday.

  • August 11, 2025

    Amazon Must Reveal Research Funding Info In Antitrust Suits

    A Washington federal judge is forcing Amazon to provide a group of consumers with information regarding the company's alleged ties to antitrust researchers, saying the plaintiffs have presented records suggesting it "has communicated with or funded" various academic authors cited by its expert economist in three related cases.

  • August 11, 2025

    Judge Rules NYC Can Enforce Kava Cafe Shutdowns

    A Manhattan federal judge has ruled that New York City public health and safety officials were within their authority to issue shutdown orders to restaurants that served kava, a federally unregulated psychoactive plant derivative.

  • August 11, 2025

    Tulsa Says Settlement Moots High Court Jurisdiction Bid

    Tulsa is asking the Supreme Court to deny a petition by an Oklahoma attorney that looks to undo his conviction stemming from a speeding ticket issued on tribal lands, arguing it seeks review of a broader jurisdictional question that the municipality and the Creek Nation have already resolved.

  • August 11, 2025

    House Lawmakers Probe Antitrust In Sports Broadcasting

    The U.S. House Judiciary Committee is looking into sports broadcasting antitrust concerns, requesting briefings from the country's four largest sports leagues and saying that the 1961 law governing their telecast agreements has expanded an antitrust "blind spot" in today's sports media rights market.

  • August 11, 2025

    Gov'ts Mull Gross Basis Tax For Services In UN Convention

    A number of developing countries argued Monday that gross basis taxation is the easiest-to-administer option for overcoming inequitable transfer pricing rules within a protocol on taxing cross-border services in the United Nations framework convention on international tax cooperation.

  • August 11, 2025

    Liberty Mutual Nabs FCPA Declination, Will Disgorge $4.7M

    Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. will avoid prosecution under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and disgorge nearly $4.7 million over bribes paid by employees of its Indian subsidiary, the U.S. Department of Justice said Monday, in the first FCPA declination since President Donald Trump paused prosecutions under the law.

  • August 11, 2025

    Trump Delays China Tariff Hikes Again, Until November

    President Donald Trump delayed higher tariff rates on Chinese imports Monday another 90 days, hours before the duties were set to jump Tuesday, according to media accounts.

  • August 11, 2025

    Ex-Ill. Speaker's 'False Hope' Won't Delay Prison Sentence

    Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan must begin serving his seven-year bribery and wire fraud prison sentence as ordered in October, a federal judge has ruled, finding that Madigan "clings to false hope" in arguing his forthcoming appeal to the Seventh Circuit will present an issue substantial enough to overturn his entire conviction.

  • August 11, 2025

    DHS Cuts Biden Age-Out Protections For Noncitizen Children

    The Trump administration reversed a Biden-era policy aimed at protecting some children of temporary visa holders from losing their status and facing deportation when they turn 21.

  • August 11, 2025

    EPA Cancels Union Contracts Under Trump Order

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has canceled its collective bargaining agreements in line with President Donald Trump's directive to dozens of agencies to stop recognizing their workers' unions, which he said was to protect national security.

  • August 11, 2025

    Nestlé Faces Suit Over Alleged Child Labor In Supply Chain

    A human rights group is claiming Nestlé has known of child labor being used throughout its West African cocoa supply chain and yet still marketed its "zero tolerance to child labor" policy in a new suit moved to D.C. federal court Friday.

  • August 11, 2025

    NTIA Urged To Let States Decide On 'Anchor' Funding

    The U.S. Department of Commerce should defer to states as they decide what qualifies as an "anchor" institution for purposes of federal broadband deployment grants, two advocacy groups said Monday.

Expert Analysis

  • Bill Leaves Renewable Cos. In Dark On Farmland Reporting

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    A U.S. Senate bill to update disclosure requirements for foreign control of U.S. farmland does not provide much-needed guidance on how to report renewable energy development on agricultural property, leaving significant compliance risks for project developers, say attorneys at Hodgson Russ.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

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    My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    FCPA Shift Is A Good Start, But There's More DOJ Should Do

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s new Foreign Corrupt Practices Act guidelines bring a needed course correction amid overexpansive enforcement, but there’s more the DOJ can do to provide additional clarity and predictability for global companies, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Opinion

    IRS Should Work With Industry On Microcaptive Regs

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    The IRS should engage with microcaptive insurance owners to develop better regulations on these arrangements or risk the emergence of common law guidance as taxpayers with legitimate programs seek relief in the federal courts, says Dustin Carlson at SRA 831(b) Admin.

  • How Providers Can Brace For Drug Pricing Policy Changes

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    Though it's uncertain which provisions of the Trump administration's executive order aimed at addressing prescription drug costs will eventually be implemented, stakeholders can reduce potential negative outcomes by understanding pathways that could be used to effectuate the order's directives, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Comparing New Neural Data Privacy Laws In 4 States

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    Although no federal law yet addresses neural privacy comprehensively, the combined effect of recent state laws in Colorado, California, Montana and Connecticut is already shaping the regulatory future, but a multistate compliance strategy has quickly become a gating item for those experimenting with neuro-enabled workplace tools, says Kristen Mathews at Cooley.

  • 2025's First Half Brings Regulatory Detours For Fintechs

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    The first half of the year has resulted in a bifurcated regulatory environment for fintechs, featuring narrowed enforcement in some areas, heightened scrutiny in others and a policy window that, with proper compliance, offers meaningful opportunities for innovation, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Debunking 4 Misconceptions Around Texas' IV Therapy Law

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    Despite industry confusion, an IV therapy law enacted in Texas last week may actually be the most business-friendly regulatory development the medical spa industry has seen in recent years, says Keith Lefkowitz at Hendershot Cowart.

  • A Pattern Emerges In Justices' Evaluation Of Veteran Statute

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    The recent Soto v. U.S. decision that the statute of limitations for certain military-related claims does not apply to combat-related special compensation exemplifies the U.S. Supreme Court's view, emerging in two other recent opinions, that it is a reviewing court's obligation to determine the best interpretation of the language used by Congress, says attorney Kenneth Carpenter.

  • Opinion

    Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

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    The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.

  • Psychedelic Treatment Regs May Be At A Tipping Point

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    Recent scientific and public attention suggest that development of psychedelics as treatment for some conditions may be at a tipping point, which could bring on more rapid change and opportunities for stakeholders who may in the future benefit from greater access to safe and effective psychedelic medicines, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • In NRC Ruling, Justices Affirm Hearing Process Still Matters

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas safeguards the fairness, clarity and predictability of the regulatory system by affirming that to challenge an agency's decision in court, litigants must first meaningfully participate in the hearing process that Congress and the agency have established, says Jonathan Rund at the Nuclear Energy Institute.

  • Comparing Stablecoin Bills From UK, EU, US And Hong Kong

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    For multinational stablecoin issuers, navigating the differences and similarities among regimes in the U.K., EU, Hong Kong and U.S., which are currently unfolding in several key ways, is critical to achieving scalable, compliant operations, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Baseball Can Teach Criminal Attys About Rule Of Lenity

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    Judges tend to assess ambiguous criminal laws not unlike how baseball umpires approach checked swings, so defense attorneys should consider how to best frame their arguments to maximize courts' willingness to invoke the rule of lenity, wherein a tie goes to the defendant, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • Series

    Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.

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