Public Policy

  • January 17, 2026

    Up Next At High Court: Fed Firing & Gun 'Vampire Rules'

    The Supreme Court will begin a short argument week Tuesday, during which the justices will consider President Donald Trump's authority to fire a Democratic Federal Reserve governor over allegations of mortgage fraud, as well as the ability for states to presumptively bar gun owners from carrying firearms onto private property open to the public unless the property owner explicitly allows it. 

  • January 16, 2026

    ICE Agents Barred From 'Retaliating' Against Minn. Protesters

    A Minnesota federal judge late Friday blocked federal immigration agents from retaliating against or detaining without probable cause people who are "engaging in peaceful and unobstructive protest activity" against the Trump administration's operation targeting immigrants in the Twin Cities area.

  • January 16, 2026

    OCC's Gould Takes Aim At Resolution Planning 'Industry'

    A top federal regulator called Friday for a sweeping rethink of rules intended to ensure big, complex banks can be safely wound down in a crisis, including potentially ending requirements to file so-called living wills with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

  • January 16, 2026

    Calif. Defeats Trump Admin Suit Demanding Private Voter Data

    A federal judge has thrown out the U.S. Department of Justice's suit claiming that California is required to fork over statewide voter registration lists with voters' driver's license and Social Security numbers, calling the Trump administration's request "antithetical to the promise of fair and free elections."

  • January 16, 2026

    What To Expect From USPTO's Essential Patent Group

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's new working group aimed at promoting "robust and predictable" standard-essential patent remedies will face challenges in its goal of clarifying patent valuations, but could encourage more lawsuits and participation in standards, attorneys say.

  • January 16, 2026

    Google Appeals DOJ Search Win, Seeks Data-Sharing Stay

    Google on Friday filed its long-awaited notice of appeal of a D.C. federal judge's decision that the tech giant is an online search monopolist, while asking to pause some remedies won by the U.S. Department of Justice that require the company to share search data with competitors.

  • January 16, 2026

    9th Circ. Upholds Ax Of RNC Suit Over Google Email Filtering

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday refused to revive the Republican National Committee's lawsuit accusing Google of illegally sending RNC fundraising emails to Gmail users' spam folders, finding that the committee had failed to establish the type of user relationship necessary to sustain its claims. 

  • January 16, 2026

    Feds Move To Seize Military Trainers Bound For China

    The federal government is asking a D.C. federal judge for permission to formally take control of two shipping containers intercepted by U.S. authorities, who alleged the containers housed military training simulators built by a South African company to aid the Chinese military.

  • January 16, 2026

    Immigrant Visa Pause Could Test Limits Of Executive Power

    The Trump administration's indefinite pause on immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries may test the outer bounds of executive control over visa issuance and prompt court battles in a rarely litigated area of immigration law.

  • January 16, 2026

    Stock Buyback Ban Could Shrink Defense Industrial Base

    The Trump administration's move to bar defense contractors from buying back their stock or paying shareholder dividends if they are underperforming on their contracts could make companies reconsider working with the U.S. government and counteract the administration's stated goals.

  • January 16, 2026

    Afghan Nationals Tell Judge Feds Can't Suspend Visa Process

    Afghanistan citizens seeking special immigrant visas after aiding U.S. forces overseas told a D.C. federal judge on Thursday that the Trump administration can't indefinitely suspend processing when it faces a court order to promptly process applications that have been unduly delayed already.

  • January 16, 2026

    Rail Regulator Tells UP, Norfolk Southern To Redo Merger Bid

    A rail regulator said Friday that Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern still haven't shared crucial details or projected revenue and traffic numbers related to their proposed mega-merger, so their application must be rejected for now as "incomplete."

  • January 16, 2026

    PBMs Seek Exit From Philly's Suit Over Opioid Crisis

    CVS Health Corp. and other pharmacy benefit managers asked a Pennsylvania federal judge to let them out of the city of Philadelphia's lawsuit claiming they contributed to the opioid epidemic in the city, arguing that the city waited too long to file its suit and lacked standing to sue the companies.

  • January 16, 2026

    Calif. AG Orders xAI To Stop Enabling Sexualized Deepfakes

    California's attorney general on Friday sent xAI a cease and desist letter demanding the artificial intelligence company immediately stop the creation and distribution of nonconsensual, sexualized deepfakes, days after U.S. senators announced they had demanded that leading tech companies disclose how they are preventing such images on their platforms.

  • January 16, 2026

    Judge Says Okla. DAs Must Face Tribal Jurisdiction Lawsuits

    Two Oklahoma district attorneys can't escape lawsuits that look to block them from prosecuting tribal citizens for crimes committed in Indian Country, a federal district court judge determined, saying arguments that the Indigenous nations have not suffered an injury are meritless.

  • January 16, 2026

    College Gambling Busts Show That Getting Caught Is Easy

    The evidence against the college basketball players indicted Thursday on federal sports gambling charges, and the alleged fixers involved in enticing and paying the players, appears strong enough for the NCAA to focus on preventing future scandals rather than on denying the problem existed, sports law experts say.

  • January 16, 2026

    Planned Parenthood Can Challenge Heartbeat Act, Court Says

    A Texas appeals court on Friday found that Planned Parenthood has standing to challenge the state law that empowers ordinary citizens to prosecute abortion providers, saying Planned Parenthood has done enough to launch a pre-enforcement challenge to the law.

  • January 16, 2026

    White House Backs State Govs In Push For PJM Changes

    The Trump administration on Friday joined an effort by 13 state governors to force the nation's largest regional grid operator, PJM Interconnection, to fix the issue of escalating power prices amid data center-fueled increases in electricity demand.

  • January 16, 2026

    In First Year, Trump Lost Most Cases But Often Won Appeals

    In the first year of President Donald Trump's second term, his administration lost in court nearly twice as often as it won, but its success rate increased when it appealed, according to a Law360 review of more than 400 lawsuits.

  • January 16, 2026

    Cannabis Cos. Say Mich. Township Blocked Retail Permits

    Two Michigan cannabis companies allege in a new federal lawsuit Friday that a Michigan township prevented them from opening their doors after the locality's voters approved a ballot measure to ban pot stores.

  • January 16, 2026

    Judicial Candidate Nixed From Ballot Over Text To Rival

    A Texas judge ruled a candidate for a state judicial seat in Houston ineligible for the March primary election, finding the candidate violated the state's Election Code by trying to coerce her opponent into withdrawing from the race.

  • January 16, 2026

    Treasury's Rule Pace Unchanged After Loper Bright, Atty Says

    The U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 landmark decision limiting federal agencies' deference in interpreting ambiguous statutes has not significantly altered the pace and volume of the U.S. Department of the Treasury's rulemaking workload, a Treasury attorney said Friday.

  • January 16, 2026

    Squires Ends Chinese Chip Co. IPRs In Informative Order

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has stopped Yangtze Memory Technologies Co.'s challenges to two Micron Technology Inc.-owned patents, saying the Chinese chipmaker did not address concerns over its precise identity.

  • January 16, 2026

    Pension Withdrawal Liability Math Gets High Court Spotlight

    The U.S. Supreme Court will zero in Tuesday on the methodology for assessing the liability of companies that pull out of multiemployer pension plans, hearing arguments in a case attorneys say could have costly implications for employers.

  • January 16, 2026

    Wash. House Bill Seeks Changes To Cannabis Excise Tax

    Washington would make changes to its cannabis excise tax, which is charged in addition to sales and use tax on adult-use cannabis purchases, under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.

Expert Analysis

  • Del. Dispatch: Key 2025 Corporate Cases And Trends To Know

    Author Photo

    The Delaware corporate legal landscape saw notable changes in 2025, spurred by amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law, ubiquitous artificial intelligence fervor, boardroom discussion around DExit, record shareholder activism activity and an arguably more expansive view of potential Caremark liability, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Series

    Nature Photography Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Nature photography reminds me to focus on what is in front of me and to slow down to achieve success, and, in embracing the value of viewing situations through different lenses, offers skills transferable to the practice of law, says Brian Willett at Saul Ewing.

  • 2025 Brought A New Paradigm For Federal Banking Regulation

    Author Photo

    A series of thematic shifts defined banking regulation in 2025, including a fundamental reform of prudential supervision, a strategic easing of capital constraints, steps to streamline merger reviews, and a new framework for fair access and entrants seeking to offer banking services, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • What 2025 Transpo And Logistics Legal Trends Mean For 2026

    Author Photo

    2025 was challenging for the transportation and logistics sector, with emergent trends including dramatic federal policy shifts, developments in tort risk, and a host of mergers and acquisitions — but a review of these themes offers a useful playbook for where the industry is headed in 2026, says Jonathan Todd at Benesch.

  • How Cos. Can Roll With NY's New Algorithmic Pricing Rules

    Author Photo

    Despite uncertainty from New York’s new ban on artificial intelligence and computer algorithms for setting rents, and efforts to further restrict individualizing prices based on consumers' personal data, property managers, software providers and merchants can take several steps to stay compliant, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • 2025 State AI Laws Expand Liability, Raise Insurance Risks

    Author Photo

    As 2025 nears its end, claims professionals should be aware of trends in state legislation addressing artificial intelligence use, as insurance claims based on some of these liability-expanding statutes are a certainty, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practical Problem Solving

    Author Photo

    Issue-spotting skills are well honed in law school, but practicing attorneys must also identify clients’ problems and true goals, and then be able to provide solutions, says Mary Kate Hogan at Quarles & Brady.

  • Crypto In 2025: From Federal Deregulation To State Action

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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.

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.