Public Policy

  • July 10, 2025

    Pa. High Court Takes Up Appeal Over Criminal Gun Rights

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal of a man who is accused of attempted murder and weapons charges and consider whether the weapons charges are at odds with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen.

  • July 10, 2025

    Fed Floats Revision Of Large Bank Rating Framework

    The Federal Reserve on Thursday floated a proposed revision to its supervisory rating framework that would allow large bank holding companies to retain a certain stamp of regulatory approval even if they receive a low rating in one area of assessment.

  • July 10, 2025

    SEC's Peirce Says Tokenized Security Issuers Must Heed Law

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Hester Peirce is cautioning market participants that issuers of digital versions of securities, often described as tokenized securities, must comply with federal laws even as they pursue innovation.

  • July 10, 2025

    NJ Developer Charged With Fraud, Bribing Local Official

    A New Jersey real estate investor and developer has been indicted on a raft of charges for allegedly running a Ponzi-like investment fraud scheme, conspiring to launder drug proceeds, laundering money represented to be drug proceeds as part of a sting operation and bribing a New Jersey politician.

  • July 10, 2025

    Island Community Gets NJ High Court Ruling To Switch Towns

    A barrier island community has met all legal requirements to formally separate from a Garden State township and join a neighboring borough, the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously ruled Thursday, ending a decade-long legal battle over local governance, geography and fairness in public services.

  • July 10, 2025

    ​​​​​​​DOJ Says Calif. Animal Welfare 'Red Tape' Inflates Egg Prices

    The U.S. Department of Justice sued California and state officials over several animal welfare laws passed in the Golden State that the federal government claims has contributed to the "historic rise in egg prices by imposing unnecessary red tape on the production of eggs."

  • July 10, 2025

    Tegna To Pay $222K To Resolve FCC Probe Into Obscene Video

    Broadcast giant Tegna has agreed to pay more than $222,000 to put an end to an inquiry that began almost four years ago when an unknown party played a 13-second pornographic video clip during an evening weather report on a Spokane, Washington, news station.

  • July 10, 2025

    8th Circ. Won't Pause ND Tribes' Voting Rights Decision

    The Eighth Circuit on Thursday denied a bid by two North Dakota tribes to stay its decision to vacate a challenge to two of the state's voting laws while the ruling is appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • July 10, 2025

    DHS Official Walks Back Testimony On Deportation Leads

    A U.S. Department of Homeland Security official testified in Massachusetts federal court on Thursday that he was only "speculating" when he said during a deposition last month that the offices of border czar Tom Homan and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem were behind a decision to use pro-Israel websites to source leads on potential deportation targets.

  • July 10, 2025

    Student Loan Lender Settles AI Bias, Fair Lending Claims

    Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell on Thursday said her office has reached a $2.5 million deal with a Delaware-based student loan company to settle allegations that it utilized artificial intelligence models that could disproportionately harm Black and Hispanic applicants.

  • July 10, 2025

    Pa. Sens. Unveil Bipartisan Plan To Legalize Marijuana

    Pennsylvania lawmakers on Thursday unveiled a new bipartisan legislative proposal to legalize and regulate the sale of recreational marijuana in the Keystone State, after a previous proposal to legalize the sale of pot through state-run stores failed in the state Senate.

  • July 10, 2025

    House Dem Says FCC Must Follow Law On DEI Probes

    A House Democrat who helps oversee the Federal Communications Commission says agency chief Brendan Carr must avoid any hint of targeting companies' diversity initiatives for political reasons rather than legal rationale against discrimination.

  • July 10, 2025

    Mass. Man Agrees To $10K Fine For Pirate Radio Stations

    The Federal Communications Commission slapped a $10,000 fine on a Massachusetts man in a consent decree for operating pirate radio stations from three locations, though it was a reduction from the nearly $598,000 fine the FCC initially proposed.

  • July 10, 2025

    4th Circ. Pauses Air Quality Suit As EPA Rethinks W.Va. Plan

    The Fourth Circuit on Thursday granted a request to pause West Virginia's ozone regulation lawsuit so the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can reconsider the state's air quality compliance plan.

  • July 10, 2025

    Okla. Gov.'s Brother Seeks High Court Review Of Tribal Ticket

    Keith Stitt, brother of Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a decision that denied his appeal of a speeding ticket issued on tribal lands, arguing that the state never intended to accept a landmark ruling on the restoration of proper criminal jurisdiction in Indian Country.

  • July 10, 2025

    Groups Ask 9th Circ. To Sink EPA Pesticide Seed Exemption

    Green groups on Wednesday asked the Ninth Circuit to revive their lawsuit alleging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is violating federal law by failing to regulate pesticide-coated crop seeds.

  • July 10, 2025

    $4.4B T-Mobile, UScellular Deal Gets DOJ OK, With A Warning

    The U.S. Department of Justice gave its all-clear Thursday to T-Mobile's plan to take over most of UScellular's wireless operations, finding that T-Mobile's commitments to bolster the flagging company outweigh, at least for now, worries over the disappearance of UScellular's underdog offerings.

  • July 10, 2025

    IRS Leaker Fairly Sentenced To 5 Years, Gov't Tells DC Circ.

    The judge who sentenced an IRS contractor for leaking thousands of wealthy people's tax returns to the media, including those of President Donald Trump, kept an open mind when she decided to deliver the maximum five-year prison term, the government told the D.C. Circuit, arguing the sentence was fair.

  • July 10, 2025

    FCC Says Yes To T-Mobile's $5B Metronet Buy After Nixing DEI

    T-Mobile has received the Federal Communications Commission's blessing to go ahead with its $4.9 billion joint venture to acquire fiber company Metronet, one day after telling the agency it would end its diversity, equity and inclusion programs in furtherance of the FCC chair's goals.

  • July 10, 2025

    Ga. Sheriff Fired Deputy For Supporting Rival, Suit Says

    Fulton County, Georgia, its sheriff's office and its sheriff have been sued in federal court by a former sheriff's office employee who alleged he was fired because he supported the sheriff's political opponent in the 2024 election.

  • July 10, 2025

    Ga. Atty Avoids Sanctions In Suit Over Fatal Police Shooting

    A Georgia federal judge has rejected Savannah officials' bid to sanction attorneys suing for civil rights violations in the 2022 shooting death of a Black man by a police officer who's facing murder charges, finding Wednesday that an attorney's comments to the media weren't made in bad faith — but warned counsel to "tread carefully."

  • July 10, 2025

    Broadcast Groups Want Status Quo On AM Band Licenses

    AM broadcasters urged the Federal Communications Commission to allow them to continue dual operations in both the expanded and standard AM bands, telling the commission in a new filing that it should go ahead and shut down two AM-related dockets if it means that the status quo is maintained.

  • July 10, 2025

    Senate Tees Up 6th Circ. Nom Vote As 1st Of 2nd Trump Term

    The first judicial confirmation of the second Trump administration was readied on Thursday, with the U.S. Senate voting 51-43 to end debate on the nomination of Whitney Hermandorfer to the Sixth Circuit.

  • July 10, 2025

    DOL Urges 9th Circ. To OK Toss Of HP 401(k) Forfeiture Suit

    The U.S. Department of Labor urged the Ninth Circuit to reject HP Inc. workers' bid to revive a proposed class action alleging forfeited employee 401(k) plan contributions were mismanaged, arguing a lower court properly tossed the case for failure to state a claim for violating federal benefits law.

  • July 10, 2025

    Senate Confirms Gould As OCC Head

    The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Jones Day partner Jonathan Gould as Comptroller of the Currency in a 50-45 vote along party lines, marking his return to the agency where he spent more than two years as chief counsel.

Expert Analysis

  • A Look At Trump Admin's Shifting Strategies To Curtail CFPB

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    The Trump administration has so far carried out its goal of minimizing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's authority and footprint via an individualized approach comprising rule rollbacks, litigation moves and administrative tools, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Evading DOJ Crosshairs As Data Security Open Season Starts

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    As the U.S. Department of Justice begins enforcing its new data security program — aimed at preventing foreign adversaries from accessing government-related and personal sensitive data — U.S. companies will need to understand the program’s contours and potential pitfalls to avoid potential civil liability or criminal scrutiny, say attorneys at Cohen & Gresser.

  • How Trump's Trade Policies Are Shaping Foreign Investment

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    Five months into the Trump administration, investors are beginning to see the concrete effects of the president’s America First Investment Policy as it presents new opportunities for clearing transactions more quickly, while sustaining risk aversion related to Chinese trade and potentially creating different political risks, say attorneys at Covington.

  • How Trump Admin Treasury Policies Are Reaching Banks

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    The Treasury Department has emerged as an important facilitator of the Trump administration's financial policies affecting banks, which are now facing deregulation domestically and the use of international economic authorities in cross-border trade and investment, say attorneys at Davis Polk.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • FTC Focus: Enforcers Study AI Innovation And Entrenchment

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    The Federal Trade Commission and other regulators setting their sights on the burgeoning artificial intelligence ecosystem are considering how the government should approach innovation in tech markets that tend, almost inevitably, toward concentration, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • High Court ACA Ruling May Harm Preventative Care

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Kennedy v. Braidwood last week, ruling that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary has authority over an Affordable Care Act preventive care task force, risks harming the credibility of the task force and could open the door to politicians dictating clinical recommendations, says Michael Kolber at Manatt.

  • Policy Shifts Bring New Anti-Money Laundering Challenges

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    In the second half of 2025, the U.S. anti-money laundering regulatory landscape is poised for decisive shifts in enforcement priorities, compliance expectations and legislative developments — so investment advisers and other financial institutions should take steps to prepare for potential new obligations and areas of risk, say attorneys at Linklaters.

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

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    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

  • Kousisis Concurrence Maps FCA Defense To Anti-DEI Suits

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    Justice Clarence Thomas' recent concurrence in Kousisis v. U.S. lays out how federal funding recipients could use the high standard for materiality in government fraud cases to fight the U.S. Justice Department’s threatened False Claims Act suits against payees deviating from the administration’s anti-DEI policies, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

  • Despite Dark Clouds, Outlook For US Solar Has Bright Spots

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    While tariff, tax policy and bankruptcy news seemingly portends unending challenges for the U.S. solar energy industry, signs of continued growth in solar generating capacity and domestic solar manufacturing suggest that there is a path forward, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • Assessing New Changes To Texas Officer Exculpation Law

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    Consistent with Texas' recent modernization of its corporate law, the recently passed S.B. 2411 allows officer exculpation, streamlines certificate of formation amendments, authorizes representatives to act on shareholders' behalf in mergers and makes other changes aimed toward companies seeking a more codified, statutory model of corporate governance, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • How Ending OFCCP Will Affect Affirmative Action Obligations

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    As President Donald Trump's administration plans to eliminate the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which enforces federal contractor antidiscrimination compliance and affirmative action program obligations, contractors should consider the best compliance approaches available to them, especially given the False Claims Act implications, say attorneys at Ogletree.

  • Rising Enforcement Stakes For Pharma Telehealth Platforms

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    Two pieces of legislation recently introduced in Congress could transform the structure and promotion of telehealth arrangements as legislators increasingly scrutinize direct-to-consumer advertising platforms, potentially paving the way for a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration policy with bipartisan support, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

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    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

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