Public Policy

  • July 14, 2025

    4th Circ. Halts End To Afghan Protected Status Amid Appeal

    The Fourth Circuit has agreed to temporarily block the Trump administration from ending temporary protected status for Afghans while immigrant rights advocates appeal a lower court's order denying summary judgment in their favor, according to an order issued Monday.

  • July 14, 2025

    FCC Greenlights Bell Canada's $3.65B Ziply Fiber Deal

    The Federal Communications Commission on Monday granted its approval to Canadian communications company BCE Inc.'s planned acquisition of U.S. internet provider Ziply Fiber for about CA$5 billion ($3.65 billion).

  • July 14, 2025

    Regulators Outline Crypto 'Safekeeping' Guidelines For Banks

    Federal regulators said Monday that banks are free to offer cryptocurrency "safekeeping" services but should be mindful of the risks involved, stressing the need for strong cybersecurity and clear customer agreements, among other considerations.

  • July 14, 2025

    States Blast Trump Admin Over $6.8B Education Fund Freeze

    A coalition of states sued the Trump administration Monday over its decision to freeze $6.8 billion in congressionally appropriated educational program funding, leaving schools scrambling ahead of the new school year, the same day the U.S. Supreme Court allowed mass U.S. Department of Education layoffs to move forward.

  • July 14, 2025

    Top Data Privacy & AI Developments Of 2025: Midyear Report

    The rise and rapid fall of a federal proposal to ban states from regulating artificial intelligence for a decade and an uptick in activity from data privacy enforcers in states across the country dominated headlines in the first half of 2025, and attorneys are expecting these areas to continue to grab attention in the coming months. 

  • July 14, 2025

    Groups Renew Push For Everglades Detention Center Ruling

    Environmental advocacy groups have renewed their push for an order against an immigrant detention facility in the Everglades, telling a Florida federal court that the center is holding detainees in inhumane conditions and damaging surrounding protected land.

  • July 14, 2025

    Vape Groups Urge 4th Circ. To Stall NC E-Cigarette Law

    Vape interests are urging the Fourth Circuit to temporarily stop North Carolina officials from enforcing a law that could prevent the sale of many types of e-cigarettes in the state, claiming the statute was pushed by "Big Tobacco" company Reynolds American Inc. and targets products that help people quit smoking.

  • July 14, 2025

    NY Judge Snuffs Counties' Bid To Derail Congestion Pricing

    A New York federal judge on Monday tossed claims from two local counties alleging Manhattan's discriminatory congestion pricing tolls trampled on motorists' right to travel, saying inconvenient tolls for certain commuters don't amount to a constitutional violation.

  • July 14, 2025

    CFPB Deal To Put Medical Debt Back On Reports OK'd

    A Texas federal court has reversed a Biden-era rule that kept an estimated $49 billion in medical debt from credit reports after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and lender trade groups struck a deal to axe the rule.

  • July 14, 2025

    Judge Halts DHS' Diversion Of Migrant Shelter Funds

    An Illinois federal judge temporarily barred the Trump administration from clawing back funds to shelter and assist new migrants after Chicago, Denver and an Arizona county said the government had plans to transfer their funds to Florida for the so-called Alligator Alcatraz detention facility.

  • July 14, 2025

    Texas AG Says Several Officials Indicted For Ballot Collection

    The Texas Office of the Attorney General released a statement Monday announcing indictments and arrests for nine people for an allegedly ongoing ballot collection scheme in Frio County, adding to a growing list of state officials facing charges for participation in the alleged scheme.

  • July 14, 2025

    DOJ Drops Vax Card Case Against Plastic Surgeon Mid-Trial

    The Justice Department dismissed charges against a Utah plastic surgeon accused of leading a conspiracy to forge COVID-19 vaccination cards for over 1,500 people, ending the case less than a week after trial began in Salt Lake City federal court.

  • July 14, 2025

    Nev. Says Crypto.com Twisted Fed Law For Sports Betting Biz

    The Nevada Gaming Control Board urged a federal court to stay out of its way as it takes action to block Crypto.com from offering sports events contracts, arguing that its moves aren't preempted by federal regulation of the commodity futures market.

  • July 14, 2025

    TD Bank Defends $3 Monthly Paper Statement Fee

    TD Bank has urged a New York federal judge to end a proposed class action alleging it illegally charges customers a $3 fee if they receive checking account paper statements every month, arguing Monday it has the authority under the National Bank Act to levy non-interest charges and fees.

  • July 14, 2025

    Noem Seeks Win In Suit Over SD Ban On Intoxicating Hemp

    South Dakota's former governor, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and current attorney general urged a federal judge on Monday to deliver a quick win to officials in a dispute over a law banning the processing of hemp derivatives into intoxicating products

  • July 14, 2025

    Judge Probes Bid To Block Wash. Clergy Abuse Reporter Law

    A Washington federal judge appeared receptive Monday to Catholic officials' argument that a new state law requiring priests to report suspected child abuse amounts to a free exercise violation, while also expressing uncertainty about how far the court can go in blocking the statute's enactment.

  • July 14, 2025

    Group Urges 11th Circ. To Ditch 'Radioactive' Mosaic Road

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should not have approved The Mosaic Co.'s request to use radioactive phosphogypsum in road construction at a Florida fertilizer facility, the Center for Biological Diversity told the Eleventh Circuit.

  • July 14, 2025

    Split 2nd Circ. Denies Rehearing In Fox Threats Case

    A split Second Circuit on Monday declined to grant an en banc rehearing to a man convicted of sending threatening messages to two Fox News hosts and two members of Congress, saying the 11-member jury that found him guilty did not violate his constitutional rights.

  • July 14, 2025

    House Committee Proposes Commerce, Science Cuts

    A House Appropriations Committee bill released Monday would provide $76.8 billion in funding to agencies including the U.S. Department of Commerce and its subsidiary agencies, representing a 2.8% decrease from the previous fiscal year's budget.

  • July 14, 2025

    Media Matters Wants FTC Probe Paused Pending Suit

    Media Matters for America asked a D.C. federal court Monday for a preliminary injunction to block what it calls a retaliatory investigation by the Federal Trade Commission, saying the agency has been weaponized against the organization for simply exercising its First Amendment rights.

  • July 14, 2025

    USPTO Acting Director Spurns 'Traditional Knowledge' Treaty

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's acting director has come out against an international treaty that could require patent applicants to report if an invention uses the traditional knowledge of indigenous people, suggesting in remarks that such a rule would undermine the global patent system's effectiveness.

  • July 14, 2025

    OCC Drops 'Disparate Impact' From Fair Lending Oversight

    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said Monday that it will stop checking to see whether banks' lending practices are causing potentially unintended discrimination, scrubbing so-called disparate-impact liability from its examination policies.

  • July 14, 2025

    GAO Report Looks At FAA Use Of Fee Waivers In Settlements

    The Federal Aviation Administration has required pilots and other certificate holders to waive their rights to seek attorney fees and other costs under the Equal Access to Justice Act in order to settle enforcement actions initiated against them, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report released Monday.

  • July 14, 2025

    House Passes Bills Aimed At Telecom Sector Security, Growth

    The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday passed half a dozen bills designed improve U.S. network security and spur the growth of communications industries.

  • July 14, 2025

    DC Circ. Temporarily Stays Block Of Trump's Asylum Curbs

    The D.C. Circuit agreed to pause a district court injunction blocking federal officials from implementing President Donald Trump's Jan. 20 proclamation declaring an invasion at the southern border while it weighs the government's request for an emergency stay during the appeal.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

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    My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    FCPA Shift Is A Good Start, But There's More DOJ Should Do

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s new Foreign Corrupt Practices Act guidelines bring a needed course correction amid overexpansive enforcement, but there’s more the DOJ can do to provide additional clarity and predictability for global companies, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Opinion

    IRS Should Work With Industry On Microcaptive Regs

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    The IRS should engage with microcaptive insurance owners to develop better regulations on these arrangements or risk the emergence of common law guidance as taxpayers with legitimate programs seek relief in the federal courts, says Dustin Carlson at SRA 831(b) Admin.

  • How Providers Can Brace For Drug Pricing Policy Changes

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    Though it's uncertain which provisions of the Trump administration's executive order aimed at addressing prescription drug costs will eventually be implemented, stakeholders can reduce potential negative outcomes by understanding pathways that could be used to effectuate the order's directives, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Comparing New Neural Data Privacy Laws In 4 States

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    Although no federal law yet addresses neural privacy comprehensively, the combined effect of recent state laws in Colorado, California, Montana and Connecticut is already shaping the regulatory future, but a multistate compliance strategy has quickly become a gating item for those experimenting with neuro-enabled workplace tools, says Kristen Mathews at Cooley.

  • 2025's First Half Brings Regulatory Detours For Fintechs

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    The first half of the year has resulted in a bifurcated regulatory environment for fintechs, featuring narrowed enforcement in some areas, heightened scrutiny in others and a policy window that, with proper compliance, offers meaningful opportunities for innovation, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Debunking 4 Misconceptions Around Texas' IV Therapy Law

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    Despite industry confusion, an IV therapy law enacted in Texas last week may actually be the most business-friendly regulatory development the medical spa industry has seen in recent years, says Keith Lefkowitz at Hendershot Cowart.

  • A Pattern Emerges In Justices' Evaluation Of Veteran Statute

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    The recent Soto v. U.S. decision that the statute of limitations for certain military-related claims does not apply to combat-related special compensation exemplifies the U.S. Supreme Court's view, emerging in two other recent opinions, that it is a reviewing court's obligation to determine the best interpretation of the language used by Congress, says attorney Kenneth Carpenter.

  • Opinion

    Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

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    The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.

  • Psychedelic Treatment Regs May Be At A Tipping Point

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    Recent scientific and public attention suggest that development of psychedelics as treatment for some conditions may be at a tipping point, which could bring on more rapid change and opportunities for stakeholders who may in the future benefit from greater access to safe and effective psychedelic medicines, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • In NRC Ruling, Justices Affirm Hearing Process Still Matters

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas safeguards the fairness, clarity and predictability of the regulatory system by affirming that to challenge an agency's decision in court, litigants must first meaningfully participate in the hearing process that Congress and the agency have established, says Jonathan Rund at the Nuclear Energy Institute.

  • Comparing Stablecoin Bills From UK, EU, US And Hong Kong

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    For multinational stablecoin issuers, navigating the differences and similarities among regimes in the U.K., EU, Hong Kong and U.S., which are currently unfolding in several key ways, is critical to achieving scalable, compliant operations, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Baseball Can Teach Criminal Attys About Rule Of Lenity

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    Judges tend to assess ambiguous criminal laws not unlike how baseball umpires approach checked swings, so defense attorneys should consider how to best frame their arguments to maximize courts' willingness to invoke the rule of lenity, wherein a tie goes to the defendant, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • Series

    Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.

  • Focusing On Fluoride: From FDA To Class Action

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    A class action filed two days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans to remove ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children from the market may be the tip of the iceberg in terms of the connection between government pronouncements on safety and their immediate use as evidence in lawsuits, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.

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