Public Policy

  • February 02, 2026

    FCC's Phone Subsidy Fund Aims To Improve Nat'l Verifier

    As the Federal Communications Commission responds to reports from its internal auditors of widespread fraud in Lifeline phone services, the program's administrator has said progress is underway to strengthen a national system to verify beneficiaries.

  • February 02, 2026

    2nd Circ. Partially Revives Suit Over NY Foster Care Rules

    A group of New York City children who were taken from their parents and placed into foster care have standing to challenge the legality of state rules preventing them from being placed with relatives with criminal histories, a Second Circuit panel determined on Monday.

  • February 02, 2026

    Curaleaf Can't Ditch All Ill. Whistleblower Act Claims

    An Illinois magistrate judge on Monday mostly denied a bid from Curaleaf Inc. to throw out a former regional director's Illinois Whistleblower Act claims, saying the complaint is sufficient to allege that he was retaliated against for reporting compliance violations to the state government.

  • February 02, 2026

    State Dept. Accused Of Overreach With 75-Country Visa Pause

    A group of U.S. citizens, nonprofits and foreign workers sued the Trump administration on Monday over its pause of immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries over public charge concerns, arguing that the executive branch can't rewrite federal immigration law.

  • February 02, 2026

    FTC Says Bezos, Amazon Execs Hid Evidence Via Signal App

    The Federal Trade Commission asked a Washington federal judge to assume Amazon.com Inc. used auto-deleting Signal chats to hide the "anticompetitive nature" of rules that allegedly created an artificial pricing floor across online retail, escalating a long-simmering evidentiary fight that implicates Jeff Bezos and general counsel David Zapolsky.

  • February 02, 2026

    Oklahoma Governor Urges Repeal Of Medical Marijuana

    Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday called for voters to pass a measure repealing medical marijuana legalization in the state.

  • February 02, 2026

    DOJ Opposes Google's Bid For Partial Search Remedy Pause

    The U.S. Department of Justice and state enforcers are opposing Google's bid to pause parts of the remedies imposed after a D.C. federal court found it monopolized the search market, while the tech giant appeals the ruling to the D.C. Circuit.

  • February 02, 2026

    What Prison Killings Exposed About NY Death Reviews

    New York has moved to change how deaths in prisons and jails are investigated with a new law prompted by the killings of two men at the hands of prison guards, even as many government reports on custodial deaths raise different questions about care and oversight at correctional facilities.

  • February 02, 2026

    DOJ Defends NJ US Atty Office Funding Amid Scrutiny

    Defending the three-person leadership structure of New Jersey's federal prosecution operations since the departure of Alina Habba, an administrator told a federal court that two of the attorneys running the office are paid through the office's budget and the third is funded through the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • February 02, 2026

    Trump, Modi Say US-India Trade Deal Reached

    President Donald Trump said Monday he reached a trade deal with India following a call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi that includes lowering the tariff rate on Indian goods entering the U.S. from 50% to 18%.

  • February 02, 2026

    China Steel Pipe Circumventing Duties, Commerce Says

    Certain carbon-quality steel pipe from Oman made using hot-rolled steel produced in China is circumventing U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty orders on such pipes from China, the U.S. Department of Commerce said Monday.

  • February 02, 2026

    Fla. Financial Adviser Gets 20 Years For $94M Fraud

    A Florida federal judge Monday sentenced a financial adviser to 20 years in prison after he pled guilty to orchestrating a Ponzi-like scheme that defrauded $94 million from victims, including the elderly and Catholic priests in Venezuela. 

  • February 02, 2026

    FCC Continues Work As Usual After Gov't Funding Lapse

    The Federal Communications Commission said it has no immediate plans to alter operations as a result of the partial government shutdown that started over the weekend.

  • February 02, 2026

    Panel Backs Pa. In Widow's 'Line Of Duty' Benefits Bid

    While a doctor's opinion that a firefighter's fatal cancer was likely caused by job-related hazards counted to entitle his widow to worker's compensation benefits, it fell short of the higher causation requirements for "line of duty death" benefits, a Pennsylvania appellate court said Monday.

  • February 02, 2026

    House Lawmakers Set To Weigh FirstNet Renewal Bill

    U.S. House members Wednesday will consider legislative plans to renew the First Responder Network Authority for just over a decade beyond its scheduled sunset next year and also will examine whether to impose more federal oversight on the network.

  • February 02, 2026

    Watchdog Renews Halligan Bar Complaint After Court Rulings

    The nonprofit Campaign for Accountability on Monday once again launched a bar complaint against former interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan in Virginia, after the Virginia State Bar declined to pursue an ethics investigation against the attorney last year, calling it a matter for the courts to determine.

  • February 02, 2026

    RI Officials Fight Two Bids To Block Pot Licensing Scheme

    The Rhode Island Cannabis Control Commission is pushing back on a pair of motions seeking to block its social equity cannabis licensing program, arguing in both cases that the residency requirement does not run afoul of the U.S. Constitution's dormant commerce clause.

  • February 02, 2026

    6th Circ. Clears Judge Boasberg In DOJ Ethics Complaint

    The complaint the U.S. Department of Justice filed against Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg of the District of Columbia has been dismissed.

  • February 02, 2026

    HHS Awards $2M Contract To Maintain Refugee Case System

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Monday that it will award an up to $2 million contract to a refugee resettlement organization to maintain its "mission-critical" case management and reporting system for refugees.

  • February 02, 2026

    Calif. Lawmakers OK Tax Break For Tribal Land Conservation

    Native American tribes in California would be eligible for a property tax exemption for land conservation efforts under a bill approved by lawmakers and headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

  • February 02, 2026

    Del. Lawmakers OK Review, Revision Of Property Assessment

    Delaware would authorize New Castle County's Office of Finance to review and revise property reassessments for tax purposes if a mistake were made in the reassessment process or certain changes in value occurred under a bill approved by state lawmakers and headed to the governor.

  • February 02, 2026

    3rd Circ. Affirms Fee Awards For Immigration Habeas Actions

    A Third Circuit panel ruled federal law authorizes attorney fee awards for immigrants who successfully challenge their detention through habeas actions, affirming awards made to two noncitizens who were detained for over a year and denied bond hearings.

  • February 02, 2026

    Trade Court Remands Gum Duties Review Over Coal Definition

    The U.S. Court of International Trade remanded a U.S. Department of Commerce determination on the cost of energy used by Chinese exporters in a challenge to anti-dumping duties on a gum used as a food thickener, directing Commerce to consider an alternative definition for the type of coal used.

  • February 02, 2026

    Town's Northeastern Univ. Land Grab Divides Mass. Top Court

    Justices on Massachusetts' highest court appeared split Monday over whether a town's use of eminent domain to prevent Northeastern University from expanding a research center was a proper use of that power.

  • February 02, 2026

    RI Bill Would Establish Yearly Tax Amnesty Period

    Rhode Island would dedicate one week every fiscal year during which delinquent taxpayers could make outstanding tax payments without incurring interest or penalties as part of a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.

Expert Analysis

  • Crypto In 2025: From Federal Deregulation To State Action

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    The cryptocurrency enforcement landscape evolved in 2025, marked by federal deregulatory trends and active state attorney general enforcement, creating both opportunity and risk for businesses navigating the digital asset market, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • How CFTC Enforcement Shifted In 2025 And What's Next

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    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission pivoted sharply under acting Chairman Caroline Pham in 2025, resulting in a pared-back enforcement docket, sweeping policy changes intended to provide greater transparency, and a renewed focus on fraud prevention and maintaining market integrity for the CFTC's core markets, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Learning From 2025 FCA Trends Targeting PE In Healthcare

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    False Claims Act enforcement trends and legislative developments from this year signal intensifying state and federal scrutiny of private equity's growing footprint in healthcare, and the urgency of compliance, says Lisa Re at Arnold & Porter.

  • Reviewing 2025's State And Federal AI Regulations

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    In light of increasing state and federal action to oversee the use of artificial intelligence, companies that develop or deploy the technology should keep abreast of current and forthcoming AI laws and consider their applicability to their business activities, says Jessica Brigman at Spencer Fane.

  • Software Patents May Face New Eligibility Scrutiny

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    November guidance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, along with recent litigation trends from the Federal Circuit, may encourage new challenges in the USPTO and district courts to artificial intelligence and software patents that rely on generic computing functions without concrete details, say attorneys at Venable.

  • What Trump Order Limiting State AI Regs Means For Insurers

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    Last week's executive order seeking to preclude states from regulating artificial intelligence will likely have minimal impact on insurers, but the order and related congressional activities may portend a federal expectation of consistent state oversight of insurers' AI use, says Kathleen Birrane at DLA Piper.

  • Opinion

    A Uniform Federal Rule Would Curb Gen AI Missteps In Court

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    To address the patchwork of courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence, curbing abuses and relieving the burden on judges, the federal judiciary should consider amending its civil procedure rules to require litigants to certify they’ve reviewed legal filings for accuracy, say attorneys at Shook Hardy.

  • Investment Advisers Should Stay Apprised Of New AI Risks

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently issued annual examination priorities reiterate a host of regulatory implications for investment advisers using artificial intelligence tools, highlighting that meaningful ongoing due diligence can help mitigate both operational and regulatory surprises amid AI's rapid evolution, says Christopher Mills at Sidley.

  • New Rule Shows NRC Willing To Move Fast To Reform Regs

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    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s decision to forgo public comment and immediately rescind certain rules governing adjudicatory procedures, federal tort claims and disclosure of licensee information signals the agency's intent to accelerate the regulatory streamlining efforts ordered by the president this spring, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • AG Watch: Texas Junk Fee Deal Shows Enforcement Priorities

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    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's recent $9.5 million settlement with online travel agency website Booking Holdings for so-called junk fee practices follows a larger trend of state attorneys general who have taken similar action and demonstrates the significant penalties that can follow such allegations, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • 10th Circ. Dissent May Light Path For Master Account Access

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    While the Tenth Circuit's majority in Custodia Bank v. Federal Reserve Board recently affirmed Federal Reserve banks' control over master account access, the dissent raised constitutional questions that could support banks seeking master accounts in future litigation, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • Calif. AG's No-Poach Case Reflects Tougher Antitrust Stance

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    This month, California’s attorney general resolved the latest enforcement action barring the use of no-poach agreements, underscoring an aggressive antitrust enforcement trend with significant increases in criminal and civil penalties, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • A Look At The Wave Of 2025 Email Marketing Suits In Wash.

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    Since the Washington Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Old Navy in April, more than 30 lawsuits have alleged that a broad range of retailers across industries sent emails that violate the Washington Commercial Electronic Mail Act, but retailers are unlikely to find clear answers yet, says Gonzalo Mon at Kelley Drye.

  • 3 Defense Strategies For Sporadically Prosecuted Conduct

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    Not to be confused with selective prosecutions, sporadic prosecutions — charging someone for conduct many others do without consequences — can be challenging to defend, but focusing on materiality, prosecutorial motivations and public opinion can be a winning strategy, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • 2025 Noncompete Developments That Led To Inflection Point

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    Employers must reshape their approaches to noncompete agreements following key 2025 developments, including Delaware's rejection of blue-penciling and the proliferation of state wage thresholds, say attorneys at Gunderson Dettmer.

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