Public Policy

  • June 02, 2026

    DC Mayor OKs Appeal Process For Property Transfer Taxes

    Washington, D.C., would allow a new way to appeal the fair market value, used to calculate transfer and recordation taxes, of properties transferred for no or nominal consideration under legislation signed into law, subject to 30-day congressional review.

  • June 02, 2026

    EU Parliament Trade Committee Advances US Trade Deal

    With a July 4 deadline set by President Donald Trump looming, the European Union moved one step closer to implementing its trade deal cutting tariffs — though with added guardrails — as a Parliament committee voted Tuesday to advance the legislation.

  • June 02, 2026

    Trump Lowers Metals Tariff For Farm Equipment, HVAC

    President Donald Trump announced that he is cutting the tariffs on certain metal derivatives, such as agricultural equipment and some heating, ventilation and air conditioning products, to 15% from 25% following recommendations from the commerce secretary.

  • June 02, 2026

    Feds Scrub 'Reputation Risk' From Raft Of Banking Guidance

    Federal banking regulators said Tuesday that they are reissuing a slew of longstanding guidance documents to take out mentions of so-called reputation risk, the latest move in the Trump administration's push to eliminate bank examiners' use of the concept.

  • June 02, 2026

    Trump Rescinds 50-Year Off-Road Rules For Public Lands

    Environmental groups are decrying the Trump administration's decision to rescind orders that limited off-road vehicle use on national public lands, arguing the safeguards provided a common-sense framework for reducing conflicts among land users while protecting clean water, wildlife habitat and fragile landscapes.

  • June 02, 2026

    Colorado Extends Conservation Easement Income Tax Credit

    Colorado is extending its conservation easement tax credit for five years under legislation signed by Gov. Jared Polis.

  • June 02, 2026

    30-Year Foreign Service Leader Joins Squire Patton In DC

    Squire Patton Boggs LLP has hired the State Department's former acting assistant secretary for Near East Affairs, who was also the first U.S. special envoy for Yemen and throughout his more-than-30-year career with the agency held posts in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iraq and other countries.

  • June 01, 2026

    3rd Circ. Preview: AI Copyright Spat, NJ Gun Law Battle

    A copyright fight over the future of AI‑powered legal research heads to the Third Circuit, where a legal publisher will argue this month that a legal technology company's use of its headnotes does not constitute fair use of copyrighted material. The court will also take up a challenge to New Jersey's firearm nuisance law in a case that asks when a trade group can bring a federal suit over a state statute.

  • June 01, 2026

    5th Circ. Probes Standing In Challenge To EPA Asbestos Rule

    Fifth Circuit judges Monday questioned whether challengers to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule that addresses chrysotile asbestos, the only known form of the carcinogen still used and imported in the country, have a legal right to sue over their alleged injuries.

  • June 01, 2026

    Students Win Class Status In Elite College Aid-Fixing Suit

    Cornell University and several other elite schools are now facing a certified class action accusing them of conspiring to fix the amount of financial aid they gave out after the Illinois federal judge overseeing the case certified a 74,000-strong class Monday.

  • June 01, 2026

    Ala. Redistricting Fight Tests Justices' Voting Rights Ruling

    Alabama officials and Black voters have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to decide if an order requiring the state to hold this year's elections under a court-drawn map that gives Black voters a chance to elect two preferred congressional candidates constitutes a "roadmap for evading" or a faithful application of the high court's recent Voting Rights Act ruling.

  • June 01, 2026

    Albertsons Had Duty To Curb Opioid Diversion, Judge Rules

    As providers of controlled substances, pharmacy giants Albertsons and Safeway had legal duties to prevent the diversion of opioid drugs, a Washington state judge ruled on Monday, though whether the companies failed to fulfill those duties will be determined at trial.

  • June 01, 2026

    Trump Unveils 3 Picks For International Trade Commission

    President Donald Trump on Monday announced three more nominees to be members of the U.S. International Trade Commission, including the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary's intellectual property policy director, a deputy assistant U.S. trade representative and a lobbying group's government affairs director.

  • June 01, 2026

    DOJ Says Immigrants Need 5 Years Here For Lifeline Eligibility

    Immigrants aren't eligible for the Federal Communications Commission's Lifeline program, which subsidizes the cost of phone and internet service for low-income households, unless they've been in the country for five years, the U.S. Department of Justice has declared.

  • June 01, 2026

    DC Circ. Says Military Trans Ban Flouts Constitutional Rights

    A divided D.C. Circuit panel Monday said the Trump administration illegally banned transgender individuals from military service, then narrowed a preliminary injunction to prevent the government's exclusion of transgender people presently serving in the military but not those desiring to enlist.

  • June 01, 2026

    Jan. 6 Participants Sue Feds For 'Vindictive' Prosecutions

    Nine Jan. 6 participants sued the federal government, former Attorney General Merrick Garland, and several prosecutors and FBI agents Friday, claiming they were subject to malicious prosecutions and unconstitutional retaliation for their roles in the attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021.

  • June 01, 2026

    GAO Flags Risks After Corporate Transparency Act Rollback

    The Treasury Department's retreat from the Corporate Transparency Act and its requirements for shell companies to disclose their beneficial owners may perpetuate illicit finance risks, according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, which recommended the Treasury take steps to address such risks.

  • June 01, 2026

    EPA Beats States' $7B Solar Grant Cancellation Suit In Wash.

    A Washington federal judge sided with the Environmental Protection Agency on Monday in a multistate challenge of the U.S. government's cancellation of a Biden-era solar energy grant program, concluding she cannot resolve the dispute because it involves contractual questions that the Tucker Act delegates to the Court of Federal Claims.  

  • June 01, 2026

    Md. Judge Pauses Shipowner's Baltimore Bridge Civil Trial

    A Maryland federal judge has pressed pause on a civil trial that was expected to start Monday to address sweeping liability and damages claims against the owner and the manager of the cargo carrier that slammed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge and triggered its collapse.

  • June 01, 2026

    Mich. Biz Can't Appeal AG Intervention In Fire Coverage Suit

    A Detroit property owner can't seek Sixth Circuit review of the Michigan attorney general's intervention in the property owner's constitutional challenge to the state's Fire Insurance Withholding Program, as a federal judge said Monday the intervention won't "materially alter" the suit.

  • June 01, 2026

    Foreign Drivers Ask Fla. Judge To Hit Brakes On CDL Denials

    Foreign national truck and bus drivers in Florida asked a federal judge to quickly block a state agency's decision to stop issuing commercial driver's licenses to certain noncitizens based on a challenged federal rule the drivers said is likely unlawful.

  • June 01, 2026

    Wash. Mandates Menopause Protections For Cabinet Workers

    Washington state Cabinet agencies will soon be required to accommodate employees experiencing menopause and perimenopause after Gov. Bob Ferguson on Monday instructed the state Women's Commission to help develop guidance, policies and resources applicable to menopause-related conditions.

  • June 01, 2026

    Federal Agencies Say Cactus FOIA Search Was Reasonable

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of the Interior told a Colorado federal court that sending more than 7,000 pages of records in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from a conservation nonprofit regarding the proposed delisting of hookless cacti from the endangered species list was reasonable. 

  • June 01, 2026

    Judge Denies Pause In ICE Warrantless Entry Suit

    A D.C. federal judge has declined the Trump administration's request to pause a lawsuit over ICE's warrantless home entry policy, saying the White House's claim that it suspended the policy is insufficient.

  • June 01, 2026

    DOJ Says Ohio Health System Can't Duck Antitrust Case

    The U.S. Department of Justice defended its antitrust case accusing OhioHealth Corp. of blocking competition through its contracts with insurers, telling an Ohio federal court the health system is depriving consumers of lower-cost health plans.

Expert Analysis

  • How To Gear Up For Trump's Pharma Tariffs

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    President Donald Trump's proclamation establishing tariffs on certain pharmaceutical products holds a few areas of ambiguity that companies should review and prepare for before the tariffs come into effect later this year, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Mapping Bank Exec Clawback Risk Ahead Of Revived Bill

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    The reintroduction of the Failed Bank Executives Clawback Act would allow recovery of executive compensation after bank failures, making it important for executives and counsel to take steps such as mapping compensation, reviewing employment agreements, documenting decisions, and confirming D&O insurance, says Drew Jones at Diamond McCarthy.

  • AG Watch: Texas Charts A Course On Investigative Authority

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    The Texas Supreme Court's recent decision in Texas v. PFLAG affirmed, and arguably expanded, the Texas attorney general's civil investigative demand authority, providing a road map that other courts evaluating state attorney general CIDs may find instructive, amid a lack of precedent, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • 8 Reasons To Consider Maryland As A 'DExit' Option

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    While Nevada and Texas have garnered the most attention as alternative states of incorporation for companies considering leaving Delaware, Maryland offers considerable benefits too, including a predictable statutory framework, robust anti-takeover protections, sophisticated business courts with decades of experience, and more, say attorneys at Miles & Stockbridge.

  • PFAS OUT Cannot Replace Broad Drinking Water Protections

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's PFAS OUT initiative may help water systems deal with two specific per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances before federal compliance deadlines arrive, but it is no substitute for broader protections the EPA is withdrawing — and in PFAS litigation, that distinction could be important, says David Meldofsky at Lawsuit Informer.

  • Mapping Philly US Atty's White Collar Enforcement Push

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    Attorneys at Blank Rome discuss the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania David Metcalf’s commitments and priorities, survey early results from his first year, and suggest practical action items for companies operating under the office's jurisdiction.

  • Opinion

    Exxon's Retail Voting Program Is A Trap For Retail Investors

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved Exxon Mobil's first-of-its-kind proxy voting program last September, but ahead of the company's annual shareholder meeting next month, it's clear that retail shareholders have delegated their voice to the entity their vote exists to check, says Christina Sautter at Southern Methodist University.

  • Opinion

    Proposed Pro Codes Act Raises Constitutional Concerns

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    If passed, the Pro Codes Act being considered in the U.S. House of Representatives would fundamentally alter how technical standards are treated under U.S. law, and potentially conflict with the Fifth Amendment's takings clause, says Paul Taylor at George Mason University.

  • What DOL Proposal Signals For 401(k)s, Alternative Assets

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    The U.S. Department of Labor recently published a highly anticipated proposed rule that could establish more defined pathways for 401(k) plan fiduciaries to consider investment options with greater alternative asset exposure, and help fund sponsors and investment managers develop such options, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Building A Persecution Case After Justices' Asylum Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Urias-Orellana v. Bondi raises the bar for overturning agency findings in federal court, changing how practitioners handling asylum and removal defense cases need to think about building a factual record and formulating arguments on appeal, say attorneys at Lai & Turner and Farzaneh Law.

  • Opinion

    New Legislation May Be Necessary To Fix Flawed Cox Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's opinion in Cox v. Sony erroneously limited the doctrine of contributory copyright infringement and effectively eliminated such liability for internet service providers, and the most viable option to remedy the damage is to codify the pre-Cox common law of contributory copyright infringement, says Michael Cicero at Mavacy.

  • SEC's Enforcement Slowdown May Raise Oversight Questions

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    After six months of enforcement activity, it's clear that fiscal year 2026 will see an unprecedented decline in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement activity relative to past years, but whether the SEC will be viewed as sufficiently policing the securities markets at the end of the fiscal year is more uncertain, say attorneys at Covington.

  • How Food, Beverage Claims May Preview Cosmetic Litigation

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    Class action litigation targeting cosmetics and personal care products is accelerating, with a playbook that comes from the food and beverage industry — and the defenses that succeeded, and failed, in past class actions offer a critical road map for beauty and personal care brands, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • Steps To Consider As DOJ Launches Fraud Division

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    The establishment this month of the National Fraud Enforcement Division within the U.S. Department of Justice is a significant reorganization that suggests an increase in enforcement activity involving federally funded programs but leaves a number of important questions unanswered, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Court's HRSA Policy Reversal Leaves 340B Rules Murky

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    A D.C. federal court's recent decision in Premier v. U.S. Department of Health limits the Health Resources and Services Administration's ability to enforce long-standing Section 340B interpretations through subregulatory guidance, leaving open core statutory questions about purchasing models, inventory classification and program oversight, says Martha Cramer at Hooper Lundy.

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