Public Policy

  • August 11, 2026

    Judge Blocks Postal Service From Changing Mail Voting Rules

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday blocked the U.S. Postal Service from implementing new rules restricting mail ballot voting ahead of the midterm elections, building on an earlier decision that only applied to certain U.S. states.

  • August 11, 2026

    Colo. Panel Mulls Insurer's Bid To Reverse $170M Verdict

    A subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. urged the Colorado Court of Appeals on Tuesday to reverse a nearly $170 million jury award for a Colorado worker who sustained a "catastrophic" brain injury on the job, arguing that the trial court failed to properly instruct the jury on physical impairment damages.

  • August 11, 2026

    RealPage Points To 2nd Circ. Ruling In NY Pricing Law Case

    RealPage told a New York district court that a recent Second Circuit ruling backs up its challenge to a state law prohibiting landlords from using software to set residential rental rates, because the appeals court found that a New York City law requiring delivery apps to share customer data with restaurants went too far.

  • August 11, 2026

    USPTO Simplifies Entry To Patent Bar For Biomedical Grads

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published guidance Tuesday that elevates biomedical science degrees to a list of degrees that earn a person eligibility to take the patent bar exam, saying the move will help with "expanding the admission criteria of the patent bar."

  • August 11, 2026

    Court Tosses Most Claims In Minn. Title IX Trans Athlete Fight

    A federal court has dismissed much of Minnesota's lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's findings that the state's trans student-athlete and bathroom policies violate the administration's Title IX interpretation, preserving a single claim challenging the administration's corresponding grant conditions.

  • August 11, 2026

    IP Notebook: 'Iceman' Logjam, Gemini Fight, Stealth Bot Bill

    A crowded trademark race over the "Iceman" nickname and a clash over Google's efforts to expand its Gemini AI brand top this edition of Law360's look at emerging copyright and trademark issues.

  • August 11, 2026

    9th Circ. Blocks Hawaii Gun Rule Following High Court Ruling

    The Ninth Circuit has stopped Hawaii from enforcing portions of a gun law that banned firearms on private property without the property owner's consent, after the U.S. Supreme Court held a gun rights group and three state residents were likely to succeed in their lawsuit challenging that component of the law.

  • August 11, 2026

    Feds Settle American Airlines Claims Over DC Midair Collision

    American Airlines and its regional affiliate PSA Airlines have settled their cross-claims seeking to have the federal government share the costs or indemnify them for any potential judgment or damages in litigation over the deadly January 2025 midair collision over Washington, D.C.

  • August 11, 2026

    9th Circ. Would Lose 5 States In Latest Reorganization Bid

    Republicans are once again trying to break up the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which has long been dominated by judges appointed by Democratic presidents.

  • August 11, 2026

    FCC Again Weighs Carrier Status For Tribal Utility

    The Federal Communications Commission is again thinking about designating a telecom owned by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe an eligible telecommunications carrier, which would open the door for the company to receive federal telecom aid.

  • August 11, 2026

    Mich. County Urges Panel To Clarify FOIA Duties

    Wayne County, Michigan, asked a state appeals court Tuesday to determine whether separate offices within the same county must each respond to duplicate public records requests, arguing multiple responses could unnecessarily expose taxpayers to attorney fees and costs.

  • August 11, 2026

    Domino's Franchisee, IRS Near Deal In Penalty Dispute

    A Domino's Pizza franchisee and the federal government have mostly agreed in principle on a deal to settle the franchisee's suit alleging the IRS owes it $1.6 million in tax refunds for penalties related to failures to report its employee health coverage plan, the company told a Hawaii federal magistrate judge.

  • August 11, 2026

    Judge Probes 7th Circ. Fallout Of Ending Gender Care Fight

    An Illinois federal judge questioned Tuesday what would become of a pending appeal before the full Seventh Circuit if he allows the American Academy of Pediatrics to voluntarily dismiss, without prejudice, its challenge to a Florida racketeering probe over the medical group's gender-affirming care guidelines, an issue one attorney predicted would be "hotly contested."

  • August 11, 2026

    'ICEBreakers' Sue Fla. College Over Violating Right To Protest

    Several students sued Miami university officials in a First Amendment action brought Tuesday in Florida federal court, alleging they were wrongly disciplined for participating in a silent protest against federal immigration enforcement tactics during a campus event earlier this year.

  • August 11, 2026

    NJ Gov. Sherrill Signs 3 Social Media Child Safety Bills

    New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed three bills into law Tuesday aimed at protecting the state's children online and addressing the potentially harmful effects of social media on children.

  • August 11, 2026

    Denver Says DOJ Misuses Police Law In Gun Ban Challenge

    The city of Denver urged a Colorado federal judge to dismiss the U.S. Department of Justice's challenge to the city's assault weapons and large-capacity magazine bans, arguing that the government is stretching a police-misconduct statute beyond its reach to attack local gun laws.

  • August 11, 2026

    DC Circ. Says FERC Properly Allowed Grid Project Cost Shift

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday backed Federal Energy Regulatory Commission orders greenlighting the exemption of a Kansas electricity cooperative's transmission projects from a regional grid operator's process to determine how project costs are divided before they're approved.

  • August 11, 2026

    Nations Concerned By Nexus For Service Fees In UN Tax Pact

    Some nations expressed concern that overlapping claims to source-taxation rights could arise under the nexus rules within the United Nations framework tax convention's draft protocol on cross-border services, according to negotiations Tuesday.

  • August 11, 2026

    1st Circ. Won't Immediately Stay TPS Work Permit Cap

    The First Circuit has declined to administratively stay the federal government's move to limit work authorization for immigrants with temporary protected status, but set a Friday deadline to complete briefing and indicated a swift ruling is coming.

  • August 11, 2026

    FTC Tells DC Circ. No Harm From Dropped NewsGuard Probe

    The Federal Trade Commission told the D.C. Circuit that NewsGuard has not shown irreparable harm from a subpoena that was later withdrawn, or from the terms of a merger settlement, in a case accusing the commission of retaliating against the news rating group.

  • August 11, 2026

    DOJ Drops 3rd Circ. Bid For Pa. Hospital Trans Patient Info

    The U.S. Department of Justice has dropped its request for the Third Circuit to review a district court's order quashing its demand for records on patients who received gender-affirming care at a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center children's hospital, effectively ending its subpoena fight in the district.

  • August 11, 2026

    Kalshi Loss Dooms Coinbase's Bid To Block Conn. Enforcers

    A Connecticut federal judge has denied Coinbase's request to keep state gaming regulators from cracking down on its sports offerings, tying the decision to a nearly identical ruling he made against Kalshi earlier in the day.

  • August 11, 2026

    Ga. Justices Call For Balancing Privacy Rights In Herpes Suit

    Georgia's top court ruled Tuesday that the privacy rights of a man accused of giving his ex-girlfriend genital herpes must be balanced against her interest in obtaining medical records to support her claims, resolving what the justices called a novel question.

  • August 11, 2026

    SEC Prepared To Introduce Crypto Regulations This Week

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission plans to hold a meeting Friday during which it could issue a proposed rule outlining a path forward for the trading of crypto-assets under the agency's oversight.

  • August 11, 2026

    NYC Keeps 2nd Home Tax On Target After Court Halts Rollout

    New York City moved to halt a judge's ruling that temporarily paused the rollout of its tax on high-value second homes, preserving the tax's implementation and current deadline for individuals to challenge the city's initial determinations about which properties may be subject to the levy.

Expert Analysis

  • Attorney Mental Health Is An Ethical Obligation In The AI Era

    Author Photo

    As attorneys cope with the increasing unpredictability that artificial intelligence and constant policy changes have created, particularly in practice areas where they carry the emotional weight of clients’ most consequential life events, otherwise soft discussions about self-care are a matter of professional competence, says attorney Jack Jrada.

  • Md. Ruling Reflects Classic Administrative Law Principle

    Author Photo

    A Maryland federal court's recent decision in Columbus v. Kennedy significantly limits how far the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services can go in reshaping the Affordable Care Act through regulation, highlighting a principle that will likely be applied in similar Administrative Procedure Act challenges, says Michael King at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • DOJ China Container Indictments Signal Global Cartel Risk

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent announcement that it had indicted Chinese manufacturers for conspiring to drive up the price of shipping containers sold in the U.S. illustrates the Antitrust Division's interest in pursuing overseas cartel conduct, especially in China, signaling that multinational companies with employees abroad should strengthen antitrust compliance to avoid running afoul of U.S. national security policy, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • More Cos. Will Copy SpaceX's Shareholder Proposal Opt-Out

    Author Photo

    For more than 80 years, the shareholder proposal looked like a federal right guaranteed to all public company investors, but after SpaceX opted out before its recent initial public offering, other companies are likely to follow, says Mohsen Manesh at the University of Oregon School of Law.

  • How DOJ Is Approaching Monitorship After Signaling Limits

    Author Photo

    As the U.S. Department of Justice keeps more monitors in place than expected, a look at the matters in which prosecutors are maintaining oversight reveals the sort of companies enforcers might trust to self-remediate, and also those that may receive independent supervision, say attorneys at Kendall Brill.

  • Opinion

    DHS' World Cup Influencer Warning Overreads Visa Law

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s reported position that foreign influencers covering the 2026 World Cup need work visas if their content is monetized runs contrary to both legislative intent and long-standing precedent that structure the visa inquiry around labor market substitution, says Jun Li at Reid & Wise.

  • 3 Steps For Banks As Section 1071 Rule Finally Becomes Final

    Author Photo

    Some community banks and other lenders will get some breathing room in the final Section 1071 rule exempting them from small business lending reporting duties, but other reporting institutions should update applications, systems and staff training ahead of the 2028 compliance date, says Memrie Fortenberry at Jones Walker.

  • Why DOE Isn't Phasing Out Appliance Efficiency Regs

    Author Photo

    While the U.S. Department of Energy recently acted on President Donald Trump's 2025 executive order requiring it to consider sunsetting many energy regulations, the DOE has not proposed phasing out efficiency standards for appliances and industrial equipment — but it could pursue other approaches to ease such requirements, say attorneys at HWG.

  • Series

    Power To The Paralegals: Burnout As A Structural Problem

    Author Photo

    Law firm leadership can best retain their paralegals not by encouraging self-care, but by seeking top-down structural solutions for the quiet proliferation of responsibilities and the vicarious exposure to client trauma that particularly drive burnout in this vital role, says Erika Sneeringer at Brockstedt Mandalas.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: June Lessons

    Author Photo

    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses five recent rulings from cases involving allegations of internet data misuse, consumer fraud claims, immigration, insurance and First Amendment violation claims.

  • Justices' FCC Fine Ruling May Weaken Agency Leverage

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Federal Communications Commission v. AT&T upheld the commission's forfeiture framework as consistent with Jarkesy, but it is also likely to reduce the effectiveness of the commission’s forfeiture proceedings as a collection and deterrence tool, say attorneys at Venable.

  • Takeaways From 1st Del. Ruling Applying Moelis Amendments

    Author Photo

    Delaware corporations should carefully review contractual arrangements and governance documents following the Court of Chancery's recent enforcement of a non-Delaware forum selection clause in a CEO's employment agreement under 2024 amendments to the state's General Corporation Law, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Ill. Law Firm MSO Bill Clashes With Court Power, Ethics Rules

    Author Photo

    An Illinois bill prohibiting law firms from certain business arrangements with management service organizations, sent to the governor for signature last week, encroaches upon the courts' constitutional powers and goes beyond the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct in regulating investment in law-related services, says Matthew O’Hara at Smith Gambrell.

  • Google Antitrust Case Puts Spotlight On De Facto Exclusivity

    Author Photo

    Mozilla's recent amicus filing in U.S. v. Google arguing that its agreement to make Google the default search engine did not amount to de facto exclusivity highlights the growing debate over traditional indicators of exclusivity, with implications for any business that uses rebates, preferred contracts or volume incentives, says Chris Gowen at WilmU Farnan School of Law.

  • Justices' Montgomery Ruling Doesn't Expand Shipper Liability

    Author Photo

    Whether negligent hiring liability claims against shippers will increase after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last month in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II is anyone's guess, but the ruling itself will have no impact on shippers' actual liability in personal injury claims relating to trucking accidents, says Ronald Leibman at McCarter & English.

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.