Public Policy

  • August 08, 2025

    UC President Says $1B DOJ Demand Would Cripple University

    The head of the University of California system said Friday that a $1 billion settlement proposed by the Trump administration in order to spare UCLA from threatened federal research funding cuts would "completely devastate our country's greatest public university system."

  • August 08, 2025

    Lawyers Expect Tariffs On India To Catalyze US Trade Talks

    The potential total of a 50% tariff on Indian imports could prove devastating for some U.S. companies in sectors not protected from the duties, leading some lawyers to anticipate the rate must be negotiated down or delayed before it takes effect.

  • August 08, 2025

    Calif. Justices Rip Deference To Regulator's Solar Ruling

    The Golden State's highest court unanimously struck down a lower court ruling that the justices said gave too much deference to the California Public Utilities Commission in a dispute over rooftop solar rates, saying when reviewing decisions of the state's utilities regulator, courts "remain the final arbiters of statutory meaning."

  • August 08, 2025

    NJ Legislation Highlights From The 1st Half Of 2025

    During the first half of 2025, New Jersey lawmakers addressed a long-standing judicial vacancy crisis, strengthened protections for utility customers and streamlined the asbestos remediation process for Jersey City's historic courthouse.  

  • August 08, 2025

    6th Circ. Says Federal Machine Gun Ban Is Constitutional

    The Sixth Circuit has upheld a federal ban on machine guns, finding the prohibition to be in line with the country's tradition of regulating "dangerous and unusual weapons."

  • August 08, 2025

    FTC Maintains Support For Right-To-Repair In Med Robot Case

    The Federal Trade Commission is providing important backing for a surgical repair company's Ninth Circuit bid to revive claims accusing Intuitive Surgical of blocking third parties from refurbishing components for its popular da Vinci surgery robot, in an amicus brief suggesting defending right-to-repair work remains important for the Republican-controlled agency.

  • August 08, 2025

    Trade Group Sues Colorado Over Gas Stove Labeling Law

    A home appliances trade association has told a Colorado federal judge that recently passed state legislation mandating that a health warning be placed on all gas stoves is unconstitutional.

  • August 08, 2025

    Trump EO Requires Appointee Oversight Of US Grantmaking

    President Donald Trump has issued an executive order requiring that all funding opportunity announcements and grant awards be reviewed by his political appointees and allowing for grants to be terminated that fall outside the administration's priorities. 

  • August 08, 2025

    Longer Child Detentions At Border Is 'Disturbing,' Judge Says

    A California federal judge overseeing enforcement of a decades-old settlement agreement governing the custody of immigrant children indicated Friday she will reject the government's effort to end the consent decree, and also finds recent reports of children being held for long periods at border stations "disturbing."

  • August 08, 2025

    Advocates Won't Ask Justices To Revive Net Neutrality Rules

    Public interest groups said Friday they have decided not to bring a high court challenge to the Sixth Circuit's decision to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules, even as they called the ruling "spectacularly wrong."

  • August 08, 2025

    Trump Planning Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Stock Sale This Year

    The Trump administration may move to sell stock in federally backed mortgage bundlers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, with officials discussing the details of a possible sale later this year.

  • August 08, 2025

    DC Medicaid Recipients Win Class Cert. For Notice Row

    A D.C. federal judge granted a class certification motion lodged by a group of Medicaid beneficiaries who allege the district has violated their due process rights by failing to provide individualized written notices explaining prescription coverage denials and appeal rights.

  • August 08, 2025

    Athletes Resist Pause In Conn. Trans Inclusion Case

    A Connecticut federal court should deny a defense request to stay a lawsuit challenging transgender inclusion policies in high school athletics until the U.S. Supreme Court makes two rulings on the topic, the plaintiffs said Thursday, noting that the case has been pending for five years and that the justices' decisions are not going to come any time soon.

  • August 08, 2025

    GOP Sens. Call For Overhaul Of Bank Supervisory Warnings

    Republican senators are pressing federal regulators for an overhaul of how they flag and track supervisory concerns at banks, warning that the current system of confidential notices lacks legal grounding and is "increasingly opaque, ineffective and inconsistent."

  • August 08, 2025

    Latest T-Mobile Deal Suggests DOJ-FCC Spectrum Tension

    The Federal Communications Commission declared victory last month in affirmatively clearing T-Mobile's $4.4 billion acquisition of UScellular wireless operations, but the Justice Department appeared far more reluctant in a statement hinting at the wider dynamics of how the Trump administration looks at telecommunications transactions.

  • August 08, 2025

    NY Court Tosses Challenge To Crackdown On Illicit Pot Shops

    A New York state judge has dismissed a constitutional challenge to a crackdown on unregulated marijuana sellers, finding that city and state officials acted within their authority when they targeted the self-described cannabis club that brought the petition.

  • August 08, 2025

    EV Makers Challenge New Fuel Economy Rule In DC Circ.

    An electric vehicle industry group is challenging the Trump administration's rollback of Biden-era fuel economy standards, claiming that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's freeze on compliance notifications is threatening the business models of American electric automakers.

  • August 08, 2025

    Administration Says States Can't Second-Guess ACA Changes

    The Trump administration urged a Massachusetts federal court to reject a request by a group of states seeking to stay implementation of new rules that will reduce Affordable Care Act healthcare marketplace subsidies and enforce certain enrollment restrictions.

  • August 08, 2025

    Texas Bill Seeks To Allow Injunctions Against Tax Collectors

    Texas property owners could seek injunctions to prevent local taxing authorities from collecting property taxes if a taxing entity adopts a voter-approved tax increase and takes action that strays from the tax hike's stated purpose, under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.

  • August 08, 2025

    Feds Rip Cuellar's Bid To Ax Entire Bribery Indictment

    Federal prosecutors on Friday urged a Texas federal court to reject U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar's bid to toss his entire indictment for bribery, saying its decision to strike some counts does not deprive the lawmaker of his Fifth Amendment right to have a grand jury determine what charges he should face.

  • August 08, 2025

    Iowa PBM Law Challengers Seek Wider Block At 8th Circ.

    Employers and benefit plans challenging an Iowa law aiming to limit pharmacy benefit managers' power to set drug prices will seek Eighth Circuit review of a district court judge's decision from July that temporarily blocked parts of the new policy as preempted by federal benefits law.

  • August 08, 2025

    Swiss Metals Group Fears US Tariffs' Impact On Gold

    The U.S.-imposed 39% tariffs on Switzerland may "negatively impact" gold trading, a Swiss metals association warned Friday.

  • August 08, 2025

    DC Circ. Ends Alien Enemies Contempt Probe Against Admin.

    A split D.C. Circuit put an end Friday to potential criminal contempt proceedings against the Trump administration over the possibility that it violated a court order barring the removal of a group of migrants under the Alien Enemies Act.

  • August 08, 2025

    DA Willis Blasts Election Case Probe Testimony Fight As Moot

    Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis told the Georgia Supreme Court that a 2024 subpoena seeking her to testify about her personal relationship with the lead prosecutor in the prosecution of President Donald Trump and others in an election interference case is moot due to a change in the state's law.

  • August 08, 2025

    Why DOJ's US Attorney Moves Are Reaching Critical Point

    The Trump administration's strategy of extending U.S. attorney appointments using a pair of laws that allow for interim and acting prosecutors has sparked a constitutional tug-of-war between the executive, legislative and judicial branches that could end up in the U.S. Supreme Court or spur congressional action.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    PFAS Reg Reversal Defies Water Statute, Increasing Risks

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent moves delaying the deadlines to comply with PFAS drinking water limits, and rolling back other chemical regulations, violate the Safe Drinking Water Act, and increase the likelihood that these toxins could become permanent fixtures of the water supply, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.

  • New Federal Worker Religious Protections Test All Employers

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    A recent Trump administration memorandum expanding federal employees' religious protections raises tough questions for all employers and signals a larger trend toward significantly expanding religious rights in the workplace, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • FTC Focus: Surprising Ways Meador And Khan Sound Alike

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    Since becoming a commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission, Mark Meador's public comments, speeches and writings reveal a surprising degree of continuity with former Chair Lina Khan's approach, in an indication that differing philosophies might have comparable practical effects, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Supreme Court's Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review

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    Though the U.S. Supreme Court’s criminal law decisions in its recently concluded term proved underwhelming by many measures, their opinions revealed trends in how the justices approach criminal cases and offered reminders for practitioners, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Compliance Is A New Competitive Edge For Mortgage Lenders

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    So far, 2025 has introduced state and federal regulatory turbulence that is pressuring mortgage lenders to reevaluate the balance between competitive and compliant employee and customer recruiting practices, necessitating a compliance recalibration that prioritizes five key strategies, say attorneys at Mitchell Sandler.

  • Noncompete Forecast Shows Tough Weather For Employers

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    Several new state noncompete laws signal rough conditions for employers, particularly in the healthcare sector, so employers must account for employees' geographic circumstances as they cannot rely solely on choice-of-law clauses, say lawyers at McDermott.

  • Opinion

    Privacy Bill Must Be Amended To Protect Small Businesses

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    While a bill recently passed by the California Senate would exempt a company's use of legally compliant website advertising and tracking technologies from the California Invasion of Privacy Act, it must be amended to adequately protect small businesses, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Opinion

    Budget Act's Deduction Limit Penalizes Losing Gamblers

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    A provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that reduces the deduction for gambling losses is unfair to professional and recreational players, risks driving online activity to offshore sites, and will set back efforts to legalize and regulate the industry, says Walter Bourdaghs at Kang Haggerty.

  • Even As States Step Up, They Can't Fully Fill CFPB's Shoes

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    The Trump administration's efforts to scale down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have prompted calls for state regulators to pick up the slack, but there are also important limitations on states' ability to fill the gap left by a mostly dormant CFPB, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Opinion

    The Legal Education Status Quo Is No Longer Tenable

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    As underscored by the fallout from California’s February bar exam, legal education and licensure are tethered to outdated systems, and the industry must implement several key reforms to remain relevant and responsive to 21st century legal needs, says Matthew Nehmer at The Colleges of Law.

  • The Int'l Compliance View: Everything Everywhere All At Once

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    Changes to the enforcement landscape in the U.S. and abroad shift the risks and incentives for global compliance programs, creating a race against the clock for companies to deploy investigative resources across worldwide operations, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • Opinion

    Calif. Must Amend Trade Secret Civil Procedure

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    A California procedural law that effectively shields trade secret defendants from having to return company materials until the plaintiff can craft detailed requests must be amended to recognize that property recovery and trade secret analysis are distinct issues, says Matthew Miller at Hanson Bridgett.

  • Previewing State Efforts To Regulate Mental Health Chatbots

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    New York, Nevada and Utah have all recently enacted laws regulating the use of artificial intelligence to deliver mental health services, offering early insights into how other states may regulate this area, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • 6 Questions We Should Ask About The Trump Trade Deals

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    Whenever the text becomes available, certain questions will help determine whether the Trump administration’s trade deals with U.S. trading partners have been crafted to form durable economic relationships, or ephemeral ties likely to break upon interpretive disagreement or a change in political will, says Ted Posner at Baker Botts.

  • 'Pig Butchering' Seizure Is A Milestone In Crypto Crime Fight

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    The U.S.' recent seizure of $225 million in crypto funds in a massive "pig butchering" scheme highlights the transformative impact of blockchain analysis in law enforcement, and the increasing necessity of collaboration between law enforcement agencies, cryptocurrency exchanges and stablecoin issuers, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.

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