Public Policy

  • May 28, 2026

    Justices Say First Step Act Not 'Vehicle' For Innocence Claim

    The U.S. Supreme Court held Thursday that judges lack wide discretion to pare down sentences for criminal defendants under the First Step Act based on questions about the validity of a conviction, shutting the door on a potential wave of postconviction relief petitions, experts said.

  • May 28, 2026

    High Court Says First Step Act Can't Inform Early Releases

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that changes in mandatory minimum sentences cannot be considered retroactively when weighing if a federal prisoner should be granted early release.

  • May 27, 2026

    CFTC Agrees To Abandon Biden-Era Gemini Crypto Settlement

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Winklevoss-owned crypto exchange Gemini have asked a New York federal court to vacate a $5 million settlement ending allegations that Gemini misrepresented a bitcoin futures contract, telling the court that the agency now believes its complaint shouldn't have been filed.

  • May 27, 2026

    Feds Challenge State Policies Denying DHS Undercover Plates

    The Trump administration took aim Wednesday at what it described as unconstitutional policies in four states that allegedly deny undercover vehicle license plates to U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials while still granting them to state and local agencies.

  • May 27, 2026

    Meet Biden's Attys Fighting DOJ Release Of Memoir Materials

    Former President Joe Biden has selected Hecker Fink LLP lawyers well acquainted with politically charged litigation for his extraordinary new lawsuit accusing the U.S. Department of Justice of orchestrating a congressional inquiry in order to divulge "highly personal" records to the Heritage Foundation.

  • May 27, 2026

    How Patent Eligibility Declarations Can Stave Off Rejection

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is encouraging patent applicants to submit declarations explaining why their invention isn't just an abstract idea or natural phenomenon, and attorneys are hopeful that this will lead to fewer rejected applications, although how those patents will fare in litigation remains to be seen.

  • May 27, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Alaska Can Release ConocoPhillips Well Data

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday reversed a lower court's ruling that kept ConocoPhillips' Alaskan well data confidential, saying in a published opinion that federal law and regulations did not preempt an Alaska statute requiring the data's release.

  • May 27, 2026

    Judge Won't Block Texas From Making Themed Gold Coins

    A Texas federal judge won't block the state from producing Texas-themed gold and silver commemorative coins and notes, denying the request of a precious metals company suing over what it said were designs confusingly similar to its own.

  • May 27, 2026

    National Trust Asks DC Circ. To Back Trump Ballroom Block

    The National Trust for Historic Preservation on Wednesday urged the D.C. Circuit to affirm a district court injunction that halted President Donald Trump's construction of a White House ballroom, arguing there's no justification for the project to proceed without Congress' approval.

  • May 27, 2026

    Conn. AG To Investigate Roblox Over 'Harm To Children'

    Gaming and chat platform Roblox, the subject of multiple lawsuits accusing it of harming minors with addictive design features that expose them to online abuse, is now facing an investigation by the Connecticut attorney general.

  • May 27, 2026

    DOJ Says Digital Equity Act's Minority Grants Flunk Review

    The Trump administration has told a D.C. federal judge that he can't avoid applying strict scrutiny in his review of the Digital Equity Act Competitive Grant Program, arguing that the plaintiffs challenging the administration's termination of the $1.25 billion program can't recast it as race-neutral.

  • May 27, 2026

    Colo. Group Says $66M Flood Bonds Needed TABOR Vote

    A group of Boulder residents told a Colorado Court of Appeals panel Wednesday at oral arguments that the city's stormwater and flood management fees, which will be used in part to repay $66 million in bonds, are actually a tax under Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, or TABOR.

  • May 27, 2026

    3 Generic Drug Antitrust Deals Totaling $17.9M Get Final Nod

    A Connecticut federal judge on Wednesday gave final approval to a $17.9 million generic drug price-fixing settlement between pharmaceutical companies Bausch Health US LLC, Bausch Health Americas Inc., and Lannett Co. Inc. and 48 states, territories, and governments, finding the terms reasonable despite an objection.

  • May 27, 2026

    CFTC Sends Prediction Markets Proposal To White House

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission confirmed to Law360 on Wednesday that it has sent its planned rules for event contracts to the White House for review, marking another step toward issuing prediction market regulations amid jurisdictional battles with state gaming regulators.

  • May 27, 2026

    West Point Prof. Wins Speech Injunction Over Approval Rule

    A New York federal court has blocked West Point from requiring civilian faculty to get permission before using their school affiliation in external engagements involving their area of expertise, finding a civilian professor will likely prevail in his First Amendment challenge.

  • May 27, 2026

    DOL Gets To Argue In 11th Circ. ESOP En Banc Appeal

    The Eleventh Circuit Wednesday granted the U.S. Department of Labor permission to argue as amicus in support of a seafood company in a worker-side appeal seeking to revive allegations of mismanagement of an employee stock ownership plan, which the full appellate court has agreed to consider in September.

  • May 27, 2026

    Colo. Panel Questions Trial Court's Reading Of Wage Laws

    The Colorado Court of Appeals appeared poised Wednesday to revive the retaliation claims of a former human services caseworker against the county department she had worked for, pushing back on a lower court's interpretation of statutes meant to close gender pay gaps.

  • May 27, 2026

    Shuttered USDA Program Grantees Join Suit To Restore $125M

    Several organizations have joined the legal fight to restore $127 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture grants aimed at fighting climate change through diverse farm ownership, arguing that the agency's termination of the funding was arbitrary and capricious.

  • May 27, 2026

    US Looks To Drop Cross-Claim In ND Riverbed Rights Fight

    A North Dakota federal judge has ordered the U.S. Department of the Interior and a tribal nation to file a joint report about a DOI solicitor's opinion in a dispute over who owns mineral rights beneath a portion of the Missouri River.

  • May 27, 2026

    Ex-Judges Urge Court To Scrutinize Trump-IRS Deal

    A group of 35 former federal judges pushed for a Florida federal court to reopen President Donald Trump's now-settled $10 billion tax leak case against his own Internal Revenue Service, alleging that Trump and the DOJ deceived the court.

  • May 27, 2026

    House Armed Services Chair Unveils Draft Defense Bill

    Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, released his draft of the nearly $1.15 trillion National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027 on Tuesday, focusing on revitalizing the U.S. defense industrial base and supporting small businesses. 

  • May 27, 2026

    NJ, Pa. Move For New Data Center Development Standards

    State officials in New Jersey and Pennsylvania on Wednesday rolled out proposed restrictions on data centers, with each state looking to require developers to account for power usage, adhere to new transparency requirements and agree to provide community benefits to construct projects.

  • May 27, 2026

    PropertyTek CEO Says AI Can Curb Fraud, Boost Leasing

    Vanessa Anderson, CEO at PropertyTek, whose software platforms serve more than 1 million residential units, spoke with Law360 Real Estate Authority about rental fraud, AI and other trends at the intersection of real estate and technology.

  • May 27, 2026

    Del. Judge Upholds Voting By Corporations In Local Elections

    The Delaware Superior Court has ruled that corporations, trusts, limited liability companies and other artificial entities may legally vote in municipal elections in the town of Fenwick Island, rejecting a constitutional challenge brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware over what it called unlawful "vote dilution."

  • May 27, 2026

    IRS Asked To Quickly Release Fuel Credit Emissions Model

    Energy companies and farm representatives urged the IRS on Wednesday to expedite the release of an updated greenhouse gas emissions model reflecting the 2025 budget law's changes, saying the guidance is needed to determine eligibility for and calculate the clean fuel production tax credit.

Expert Analysis

  • 3 Federal Policy Trends Shaping Data Center Power

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    With the White House, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Congress each pushing energy policies that will influence how data centers are sited, powered and interconnected for years to come, industry stakeholders should understand compliance obligations, consider possible downstream effects, and evaluate off-grid and self-supply energy options, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • NY Tax Talk: Calculating Tiered Partnership Income

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    Attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland discuss how the potential impact recent New York City Tax Appeals Tribunal decision in Matter of Cantor Fitzgerald holding that the entity approach should be used by tiered partnerships to compute unincorporated business tax liability, why the issue of the proper approach remains unsettled and the broader implications for federal conformity and administrative agency deference.

  • FDA Guidance May Move Goalposts For Form 483 Responses

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    New draft guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides formal insight on how drug manufacturers are expected to respond to Form 483s, raising some concerns about the agency's timelines and expectations, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Understanding The SEC's Consequential Crypto Guidance

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent interpretive release — its most comprehensive statement ever on the application of the federal securities laws to crypto-assets — reimagines the Howey test to resolve long-standing questions over what is a security, but leaves many issues unresolved, say attorneys at Cahill.

  • Ohio Case Reflects States' Aggressive Criminal Antitrust Turn

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    The Ohio Attorney General's Office’s recent bid-rigging indictment of an online auctioneer is the latest signal that states, through attorneys general pursuing more kickback cases and legislators expanding the reach of antitrust laws, are shedding their historical reluctance to wield their criminal antitrust enforcement powers, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Justices' Geofence Ruling May Test 4th Amendment's Future

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    When the U.S. Supreme Court decides in Chatrie v. U.S. whether law enforcement may use geofence warrants to compel Google to disclose location history data, the ruling is likely to become an important statement about the future of Fourth Amendment law in data-driven investigations, says Duncan Levin at Levin & Associates.

  • Series

    NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    In the first quarter of 2026, New York's banking developments were headlined by initiatives to expand oversight of financial institutions and strengthen consumer protection laws, including a new framework for buy now, pay later lenders, a sweeping debt collection rule and a revised corporate self-disclosure program for financial crimes, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Seeking A Policy Fix As Merger Reporting Fight Continues

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    A recently announced request by the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice for public comment on the Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger reporting requirements, as litigation challenging the commission's updated requirements continues, suggests the government's willingness to address how best to support modern merger enforcement without unduly burdening filing parties, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • What New Fla. Citizens Bill Means For Surplus Lines Insurers

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    A Florida bill recently passed by the Legislature as part of a continued effort to depopulate Citizens Property Insurance, the state's insurer of last resort, creates an additional pathway for commercial policies to be written by surplus lines insurers, but also presents concerns of unnecessary regulation, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • What Voluntary Calif. Carbon Reports Show About Compliance

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    While the enforcement of California's S.B. 261 is currently paused due to a Ninth Circuit injunction, more than 130 companies have nonetheless chosen to voluntarily publish climate-related financial risk disclosures, providing a useful snapshot of how the market is interpreting the law's requirements in practice, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • PTAB Memo Recenters Discretion On US Manufacturing

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    Read alongside recent Federal Circuit decisions, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires' memo on patent denial considerations emphasizes domestic manufacturing in a way that the International Trade Commission does not require, says Brandon Theiss at Volpe Koenig.

  • Why MDLs Slow Down — And How To Speed Them Up

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    Multidistrict litigation has become central to mass tort practice, but as MDLs grow in size and complexity, so do delays and costs — so tools like the new federal rule governing MDLs, targeted use of special masters and strategically deployed Lone Pine orders are more essential than ever, say attorneys at Ice Miller.

  • What A Court Doc Audit Reveals About Erroneous Filings

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    My audit of 1,522 court documents from last month found that over 95% contained at least one verifiable error, with fewer than 1% showing clear indicators of artificial intelligence use — highlighting above all else that lawyers may want to focus most on strengthening their review processes, says Elliott Ash at ETH Zurich.

  • Regulators' Basel Pitch May Bring Banks Capital Relief

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    The prudential banking agencies' new proposals to implement the so-called Basel III endgame rules — which would modify the approach to risk-based capital, among other notable changes — represent a fundamental directional shift in bank capital requirements aimed at increasing lending capacity, says Chen Xu at Debevoise.

  • How SEC And CFTC Are Attempting To End Their 'Turf War'

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    Through coordinated examinations and a shared aim to end duplicative regulation, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recent memorandum of understanding could represent a significant shift in the regulatory landscape for market participants subject to the jurisdiction of both agencies, say attorneys at Jenner.

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