Public Policy

  • July 31, 2026

    Hotel Booking Cos. Ink $1.1M Deal To End Wash. AG's Suit

    Hotel booking companies Lexyl Technologies LLC and Bookonline.com LLC agreed to pay nearly $1.1 million to resolve claims from Washington's attorney general that the platforms deceptively added a "refund protection fee" to users' reservations, according to a settlement announced Friday.

  • July 31, 2026

    NC Judge Deems Alleged $55M Medicare Clawbacks Unfair

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services didn't give a hospital operator fair notice of its interpretation of the term "provider" in Medicare regulations that HHS relied on to claw back millions of dollars in reimbursements, a North Carolina federal judge ruled.

  • July 31, 2026

    DC Circ. Backs Ex-Steward CEO's Contempt Charge

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday upheld a U.S. Senate committee's criminal and civil contempt finding against former Steward Health Care System LLC Chief Executive Ralph de la Torre after he refused to appear before lawmakers despite a subpoena, calling his appellate arguments "wholly meritless."

  • July 31, 2026

    Conn., Developer Settle Suit Over Alleged Harm To Public Land

    Connecticut and its environmental protection agency have settled a state lawsuit against a developer they accused of destroying public lands by removing several acres of trees and vegetation to install a basketball court, a three-car garage and guesthouse.

  • July 31, 2026

    CFTC Fines George Santos Over Prediction Market Trades

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission ordered convicted former U.S. Rep. George Santos to pay $35,000 to settle claims he manipulated a prediction market on whether he would attend the 2026 State of the Union address.

  • July 31, 2026

    Verano Sues Over NJ's Cannabis Labor Peace Law

    Cannabis giant Verano Holdings Corp. filed a lawsuit Friday challenging a provision of New Jersey's cannabis law requiring labor peace agreements between cannabis operators and their employers, arguing that a federal judge has already declared that the requirement is invalid.

  • July 31, 2026

    Enviro Groups Say FWS Habitat Rule Favors Economics

    Environmental organizations are accusing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of surrendering its authority to balance environmental impacts with economics in a recent rule change that gives more weight to financial concerns when assessing sensitive habitats.

  • July 31, 2026

    ICE Contractor Seeks Block Of Colo. Health Inspection Law

    Immigration detention facility operator The GEO Group Inc. urged a Colorado federal judge Friday to block the enforcement of a new state law requiring health and safety inspections at its Aurora, Colorado, facility, arguing the law is unconstitutional and discriminatory in singling out the company.

  • July 31, 2026

    Mass. Seeks Exit From Undercover License Plate Policy Suit

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security hasn't shown that immigration enforcement has slowed because Massachusetts won't give its agents undercover vehicle plates, the state said in a bid to dismiss a federal government lawsuit.

  • July 31, 2026

    DC Circ. Backs FERC's Revised Grid Hookup Policy

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday endorsed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's revised policy for hooking up new power projects to the grid, saying the agency clearly acted within its authority to address growing interconnection backlogs.

  • July 31, 2026

    Broadcast Workers Blast FCC Plan To Nix TV Ownership Cap

    A broadcast workers' union urged the Federal Communications Commission to scrap a plan by agency chief Brendan Carr to lift the 39% national cap on TV station chains' audience reach, saying the proposal threatens local news operations.

  • July 31, 2026

    Some Visitors Face $20K Bond Under Finalized Visa Rule

    The U.S. Department of State on Friday released a final rule requiring some tourists and business travelers to post a bond up to $20,000 for a visa, making permanent a pilot program the government launched last year.

  • July 31, 2026

    Trump Appeals Judge's Block Of IRS Settlement To 11th Circ.

    President Donald Trump will ask the Eleventh Circuit to overturn a Florida federal judge's order blocking a settlement deal that would have given him and others broad protection from federal tax audits and investigations, according to a notice filed Friday.

  • July 31, 2026

    Teck Asks Justices To Ax Wash. Tribal Cultural Loss Claims

    A Canadian mining company is asking the Supreme Court to reverse a Ninth Circuit ruling that revived Washington tribes' natural resource damages claims for alleged pollution of the Columbia River, arguing the appellate court upended an environmental cleanup statute's tradeoff between broad liability and limited remedies.

  • July 31, 2026

    Hemp Beverage Cos. Take Aim At Ohio Law

    A coalition of more than a dozen hemp beverage manufacturers is seeking to block enforcement of a new Ohio law that reclassified the products as "marijuana," at least the second federal lawsuit to challenge the new state policy.

  • July 31, 2026

    Split 3rd Circ. Says Pa. Town Wrongly Limited Jewish Worship

    A Northeast Pennsylvania town's zoning code placed unacceptable burdens on the religious exercises of an Orthodox Jewish congregation using two properties for worship, instruction and communal living, a split Third Circuit panel said in an opinion ordering the properties to be reopened.

  • July 31, 2026

    Pa. Panel Again Says 'Clickwrap' Arbitration Unenforceable

    The Pennsylvania Superior Court has reiterated that "clickwrap" arbitration agreements are unenforceable, holding in the case of an amusement park patron dissatisfied over a roller coaster closure that the inconspicuous digital disclaimers weren't enough to deny a litigant's right to a jury trial.

  • July 31, 2026

    Dad's Role In Smuggling Son Blocks Bid To Cancel Removal

    The Board of Immigration Appeals on Friday denied a Guatemalan man's efforts to stop his deportation, saying his alleged use of a smuggler to bring his child to the United States showed he was not a person of "good moral character."

  • July 31, 2026

    Fla. Tells 11th Circ. Migrant Transport Law Isn't Preempted

    Florida urged the Eleventh Circuit on Friday to reverse an injunction blocking a state law that criminalizes the transportation of immigrants living in the country illegally, arguing that the law's challengers are reading the state law too broadly.

  • July 31, 2026

    FIFA Calls Off Investor Sales Plan After Worldwide Backlash

    FIFA announced on Friday that it will drop its plan to sell shares of the World Cup to private investors, after three days of condemnation from the international soccer community, its senior advisor's resignation and a planned boycott by the European football federation.

  • July 31, 2026

    NTIA Tees Up 4.4 GHz Band For Commercial Wireless Use

    A federal plan would reinvigorate the 4.4 gigahertz airwaves for possible use in 6G wireless development, the U.S. Department of Commerce said Friday.

  • July 31, 2026

    Judges Rip DHS GC's 'Worst' Posts As Intimidation Campaign

    Sitting federal judges on Friday blasted the general counsel of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for "painting a target" on judges' backs in a recent series of social media posts attacking judges who ruled against the Trump administration in immigration cases and called on him to take them down.

  • July 31, 2026

    No Standing For NY 'Aid-In-Dying' Law Challenge, Judge Rules

    A New York federal judge tossed a challenge by disability rights organizations and individuals to a state law enacted this year allowing patients with terminal illnesses to seek a doctor's assistance in ending their lives, finding the group lacked standing.

  • July 31, 2026

    Judge Rejects DOJ's Recusal Bid In Suit By Fired US Atty

    A Washington federal judge has denied a bid from the Trump administration to recuse himself from a case filed by a fired U.S. attorney in Seattle, saying there is no legitimate reason that he should step aside from the case.

  • July 31, 2026

    DHS Adds Over 40 Cos. To Forced Labor Import Ban List

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security added 43 new entities to its blacklist of companies from which goods are banned from entering the U.S. due to their presumed use of forced labor, according to a notice published Friday.

Expert Analysis

  • CFPB Fair Lending Litigation Reveals Compliance Complexity

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    A recent legal challenge to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's fair lending amendments underscores continuing uncertainty over disparate impact liability, discouragement standards and special purpose credit programs, signaling that financial services providers should avoid hasty compliance changes, say attorneys at Weiner Brodsky.

  • Ensuring Eligibility For Data Center Sales Tax Breaks

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    As states compete to lure data centers, sales tax exemptions are an important component of many incentive packages — but companies must ensure that projects not only qualify for exemptions on paper, but also can preserve and prove their eligibility through the planning, construction and operation phases, says Peter Lowy at Nelson Mullins.

  • Cos. Should Act Now After US Ruling Reopens EU Data Fight

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Trump v. Slaughter may have inadvertently undermined the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, and given the importance of data transfers for U.S. businesses, companies should start preparing for a scenario in which the framework is no longer enforceable, says Fernanda Pires Merouço at Davis Wright.

  • Inside Differing State Approaches To Prediction Market Taxes

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    As states adopt divergent approaches to prediction market platforms through both legislation and litigation, and the landscape is anything but settled, the emerging patchwork of state taxes on prediction markets presents novel questions about characterization, preemption and compliance, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • FDIC Proposals Mark Pullback In Bank Resolution Rules

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    A recent pair of Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. proposals would fundamentally reshape testing of banks' resolution-related capabilities from a mandatory exercise to a voluntary one supported by significant financial incentives, amounting to an overall reduction in reporting requirements, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Series

    Being A Singer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Before law school, I spent seven years trying to make it as a professional singer in Los Angeles, and nearly everything I learned about preparation, humility, confidence and more has followed me into my legal practice, says Jessica Caterina at Moses & Singer.

  • EEOC Enforcement Plan Signals DEI, Religious Bias Scrutiny

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    In light of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently publishing its national enforcement plan covering through fiscal year 2029, employers should expect increased scrutiny of practices that conflict with the administration's positions on diversity, equity and inclusion, national origin discrimination, and religious accommodations, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Immigration Order Raises Customer ID Stakes For Banks

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    Following a recently issued immigration-related executive order, financial institutions should expect and prepare for increased scrutiny of customer due diligence and identification, suspicious activity monitoring, and consumer lending, as well as accompanying supervisory shifts and rising fair lending risks, says Douglas Weissinger at Butler Snow.

  • Trade Secret Practice Tips From The 1st Half Of 2026

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    Intellectual property attorneys should consider what several significant developments in 2026 thus far mean for how they protect, litigate and value trade secrets, focusing on new state noncompete bans, cases scrutinizing how plaintiffs identify trade secrets and federal rulings on damages doctrines, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • High Court Rulings Could Alter Agency Strategy For Cos.

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decisions in Trump v. Slaughter and Trump v. Cook mark major turning points in the law of independent agencies and in how regulated companies should think about federal enforcement, rulemaking and agency-facing strategy, say attorneys at Holtzman Vogel.

  • How CME Suit May Reshape CFTC's Crypto Derivatives Rules

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    CME Group's recent lawsuit over the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's approval of a Kalshi application to offer a bitcoin perpetual contract as a futures product could have cascading consequences for crypto derivatives regulation, highlighting why policy ambitions do not override statutory text or substitute for reasoned decision-making, says attorney Tamara de Silva.

  • Opinion

    Justices' Parole Ruling Degrades Green Card Holders' Rights

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Blanche v. Lau, holding that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers can parole a returning lawful permanent resident without clear and convincing evidence of a crime, weakens the statutory and practical protections Congress intended, say attorneys at Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners.

  • NEPA Reforms Can Fix Permitting Without Weakening Review

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    Recent National Environmental Policy Act reforms, in tandem with a Senate bill proposing faster permitting reviews and greater agency coordination, mark a long overdue move toward more efficient energy and infrastructure permitting that does not sacrifice environmental assessment, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • 2 Microsoft Matters Could Help Shape AI Antitrust Outlook

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    A pending federal court case and investigation focusing on Microsoft's allegedly anticompetitive conduct in the deployment of artificial intelligence tools are testing whether antitrust law can distinguish ordinary competition to supply the AI ecosystem from conduct that distorts how that competition unfolds, says Kylie Kim at Massey & Gail.

  • Preparing For Next Congress With Eye On Investigation Risk

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    Rod Rosenstein, Brian Whisler and Bruce Linskens at Baker McKenzie offer advice for organizations seeking to build a proactive response plan to potential congressional oversight as the election looms.

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