Public Policy

  • January 27, 2026

    8th Circ. Won't Reinstate ICE Injunction In Minneapolis

    An Eighth Circuit panel has refused to reinstate a lower court's injunction barring federal immigration agents from retaliating against peaceful protesters in Minneapolis, ruling that it is unlikely to survive an appeal from the Trump administration.

  • January 27, 2026

    Minn. Judge Summons ICE Head For Contempt Hearing

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's acting director Todd Lyons must personally appear in Minnesota federal district court to face a contempt hearing, a judge ruled, after ICE failed to release a detained Ecuadorian citizen.

  • January 27, 2026

    Reporting Duty Doesn't Nix Whistleblower Status, Court Finds

    Massachusetts' top appellate court ruled Tuesday that a former employee of a Boston community college was entitled to whistleblower protections for reporting that the college had not told the U.S. Department of Education about an alleged sexual assault, even though he shared in the reporting responsibility.

  • January 26, 2026

    First Native American Justice In Wash. Won't Seek Reelection

    Washington Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis, the first Native American to win statewide office in the Evergreen state, announced Monday that she wouldn't seek reelection to the high court this year and would instead step down at the end of 2026 to focus on writing books and teaching.

  • January 26, 2026

    Senate Antitrust Chair Flags Concerns In Netflix-Warner Deal

    Netflix's proposed $82.7 billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery's studios and HBO streaming businesses risks being a "killer non-acquisition," Sen. Mike Lee has reportedly told the media giants' chief executives, expressing concern that a likely lengthy merger review could leave Warner Bros. in a weakened state.

  • January 26, 2026

    11th Circ. Won't Expedite Bid To Halt CFPB Energy Loan Rule

    The Eleventh Circuit declined Monday to fast-track an appeal aimed at halting a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule on clean-energy home improvement loans, rebuffing the rule's trade group challenger as the agency separately defended the Biden-era measure.

  • January 26, 2026

    Minn. Refugees Sue Trump Admin Over 'Warrantless' Arrests

    Refugees living in Minnesota have filed a proposed class action urging a federal court to block the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from targeting them and other lawfully admitted refugees in the state with warrantless arrests and unauthorized detentions.

  • January 26, 2026

    Denver Faces Lawsuit Over Flavored Tobacco Ban

    A trade group representing 125 small business owners and manufacturers in Colorado's vaping industry has told a Colorado state court that an ordinance passed by the city banning the sale of flavored tobacco products is unconstitutional.

  • January 26, 2026

    Southern Glazer's Wants To Compare FTC Case To Kroger

    Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits LLC urged a California federal judge Friday to give it key material from the Federal Trade Commission's successful challenge to the Kroger-Albertsons merger, sparring with the FTC on arguments that the agency is contradicting itself in a price discrimination lawsuit.

  • January 26, 2026

    Minn. Judge Probes Limits Of ICE Enforcement Actions

    A Minnesota federal judge on Monday considered whether to preliminarily block the Trump administration from sending thousands of immigration enforcement officers to the state, questioning if the surge is a coercive federal act in violation of state sovereignty.

  • January 26, 2026

    Long Island Town Says Cannabis Law Doesn't Preempt Zoning

    A Long Island town has told a New York intermediate appellate court that the state's cannabis law cannot preempt localities from enforcing their zoning policies when it comes to allowing where marijuana stores can be located.

  • January 26, 2026

    2 GOP Lawmakers Urge Justices To End Birthright Citizenship

    A pair of Republican lawmakers is backing President Donald Trump's push for the U.S. Supreme Court to end birthright citizenship, filing an amicus brief Friday claiming that the Fourteenth Amendment doesn't automatically grant citizenship to all children born on U.S. soil.

  • January 26, 2026

    DOJ Can't Sue Mich. To Stop 'Hypothetical' Climate Claims

    A Michigan federal judge ruled on Saturday that the U.S. Department of Justice cannot preemptively block the state from filing climate-related claims against the fossil fuel industry, adding there's no precedent for such a move being allowed in the long history of state litigation against national industry groups.

  • January 26, 2026

    Truck Makers Say Calif. Delaying 'Clean Trucks Pact' Fight

    Heavy-duty truck manufacturers on Monday accused California officials of trying to delay litigation over a 2023 agreement that would saddle manufacturers with stringent state emissions standards and stiff penalties for noncompliance in the coming years.

  • January 26, 2026

    IP Notebook: Nutcracker Suit, Copyright Termination, Playboy

    This edition of Law360's overview of emerging copyright and trademark trends delves into a Fifth Circuit decision that tests the territorial boundaries of copyright law, and a dispute over "stream-ripping" on YouTube that has artificial intelligence companies weighing in.

  • January 26, 2026

    Citadel Securities Lobbies SEC For $119M CAT Fee Refund

    Citadel Securities is pressing for the return of $119 million it argues was unlawfully collected to fund a key market surveillance database known as the consolidated audit trail, telling the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission the collection of the fees violated an Eleventh Circuit decision.

  • January 26, 2026

    Colo. High Court Says Xcel's Immunity Bid Went Too Far

    A Colorado regulatory agency lacked the authority to approve a tariff limiting Xcel Energy's liability from a man's personal injury claim, the Colorado Supreme Court held Monday in a ruling that also rejected an appellate court's finding that the tariff does not extend to non-Xcel customers.

  • January 26, 2026

    8th Circ. Rejects DOJ Bid For Minn. Church Protest Warrants

    An Eighth Circuit panel denied the Trump administration's push to secure arrest warrants for five people it accused of unlawfully disrupting a church service to protest immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis after a federal judge refused to issue them.

  • January 26, 2026

    Tribe, Enviro Groups Look To Vacate Alaska Gold Mine Permit

    Conservation groups and an Alaskan tribe are seeking to void a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit to expand gold mining operations at the headwaters of the Johnson River, arguing that the agency violated a slew of environmental laws regarding potential effects to Cook Inlet beluga whales.

  • January 26, 2026

    Justices' FCC Review Could Reshape IRS Penalty Disputes

    The U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming review of a pair of cases questioning the validity of the Federal Communications Commission's penalty authority could have ripple effects that further delineate the Internal Revenue Service's authority to impose penalties.

  • January 26, 2026

    Google Targets Publishers' Ad Tech Claims

    Google asked a New York federal judge to cut out a wide swath of antitrust claims from multidistrict litigation targeting its advertising placement technology dominance, assailing in separate briefs allegations from a class of website publishers and from the Daily Mail and Gannett.

  • January 26, 2026

    Fed. Gov't Refiles Suit Demanding Ga. Voting List

    A federal judge in Macon, Georgia, cited lack of jurisdiction Friday as he tossed a lawsuit by the Trump administration demanding the state hand over an unredacted voter registration list, prompting the federal government to refile the suit in Atlanta.

  • January 26, 2026

    3rd Circ. Finds NJ Officials Shielded From COVID Deaths Suit

    A proposed class action on behalf of the families of roughly 10,000 nursing home residents who died early in the COVID-19 pandemic cannot proceed against New Jersey officials over their response, the Third Circuit has ruled, finding the officials are protected through qualified immunity.

  • January 26, 2026

    Sens. Offer Crypto Bill Amendments As Storm Delays Markup

    The Senate Agriculture Committee said Monday that it will postpone its markup of a bill to regulate crypto markets to Thursday in light of the weekend's winter storm, while Democrats submitted proposals to insert ethics language and ensure appointments to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

  • January 26, 2026

    Fla. Panel Sides With State Over Signatures For Pot Initiative

    A Florida state appeals court sided with officials over invalidating more than 70,000 signatures collected for a potential ballot initiative that would legalize recreational cannabis in the Sunshine State, saying emailed directives handed down to county election supervisors regarding petition verification weren't unlawful. 

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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