Public Policy

  • August 07, 2026

    DHS Increases Screening Fees For Larger H-1B Employers

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Friday that businesses with more than 50 employees, at least half of whom are H-1B or L-1 visa holders, must pay a biometric screening fee anytime they file an application to extend the workers' visas.

  • August 07, 2026

    Key Senator Backs Blanche, Likely Securing AG Confirmation

    Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears to have locked down the votes needed for his bid to be attorney general after Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said Friday that he would support the nomination.

  • August 06, 2026

    Updated 'Slush Fund' Suit Challenges Trump's Audit Immunity

    The IRS workers' union Thursday joined litigation in Virginia federal court challenging what the plaintiffs call President Donald Trump's proposed $1.8 billion "slush fund," adding claims that a side-order granting Trump, his family and businesses immunity from federal audits could expose IRS workers to criminal liability.

  • August 06, 2026

    Feds Ordered To Pay Millions In Funds For Migrant Kids' Attys

    A California federal judge ruled on Thursday that the Trump administration is in violation of her preliminary injunction ordering it to continue paying dozens of nonprofits that represent tens of thousands of migrant children in immigration proceedings, saying new data requirements imposed by the government violate "the plain language" of her order.

  • August 06, 2026

    DA Says Appellate Insight Needed In Judge Recusal Battle

    DeKalb County, Georgia's district attorney asked a trial court judge for a green light to appeal his decision not to boot a judge accused of ethics violations from the DA's office's cases, saying the situation called for guidance from the Georgia Supreme Court. 

  • August 06, 2026

    Dems Slam Skadden's 'Nothing To See Here' Trump Deal Reply

    Three Democratic lawmakers on Thursday criticized Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP's response to their request that the firm disclose details of its pro bono arrangement with the Trump administration, saying the firm's "three sentence letter essentially saying 'nothing to see here'" is "not going to cut it."

  • August 06, 2026

    DHS, ICE Held In Contempt Over Asylum-Seeker Deportations

    A Maryland federal judge held U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in civil contempt for wrongfully deporting more than 50 unaccompanied minors with a blanket court order barring their removal, writing that the subsequent efforts to bring some of the minors back didn't right the initial wrong.

  • August 06, 2026

    TitleMax Rebuffed In 4th Circ. Bid To Halt Pa. Usury Case

    The Fourth Circuit has cleared Pennsylvania's banking regulator to continue its pursuit of $52.7 million in penalties from TitleMax for alleged interest-rate violations, rejecting a bid by the title lender's South Carolina arm to block the out-of-state enforcement proceeding. 

  • August 06, 2026

    Fintech Seeks OCC Trust Charter For Crypto Loan Servicing

    Zaria, a fintech startup that includes a former Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP partner as an organizer, has applied for an Office of the Comptroller of the Currency charter to establish what it says is the first national trust bank to offer "digitally native" loan servicing.

  • August 06, 2026

    Trump Again Targets Birthright Citizenship In 2 New Orders

    President Donald Trump on Thursday signed two executive orders that seek to limit automatic citizenship for babies born in the U.S., after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a previous birthright citizenship executive order as unconstitutional.

  • August 06, 2026

    USPTO Leaders Reinstate Double Patenting Ax In Sanofi Case

    A panel including U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires ruled Thursday that a Sanofi patent application must be rejected for double patenting, but questioned whether the rationale for the decision risks harming innovation and should be reconsidered by the Federal Circuit.

  • August 06, 2026

    DOJ Says Duke Law Favors Black, Hispanic Applicants

    Duke University School of Law intentionally discriminated against prospective white and Asian students in its efforts to pursue racial diversity in its incoming classes, the U.S. Department of Justice asserted Thursday.

  • August 06, 2026

    Meta Owes Another $567M To Address Harm To NM Kids

    Meta Platforms is on the hook for an additional $567 million after a New Mexico judge on Thursday determined that the Facebook and Instagram parent must take measures to protect its youngest users, following a jury's $375 million verdict that Meta hid the full scope of mental health harms its apps caused.

  • August 06, 2026

    1st Circ. Asked To Stop Student Removals For Palestine Speech

    A coalition of academic groups challenging the Trump administration's ability to target noncitizens for removal for pro-Palestinian speech told the First Circuit an injunction is needed to block the federal government from continuing to enforce the policy.

  • August 06, 2026

    GAO Pans DOGE's Savings Claims, Ethics Practices

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office said on Thursday that the Department of Government Efficiency's claim to have saved $110 billion from terminated contracts, grants and leases is based on incorrect and opaque cost estimates.

  • August 06, 2026

    Ore. Judge Says DOD Wind Project Blockage Was Unlawful

    An Oregon federal judge on Thursday halted the U.S. Department of Defense's freeze of wind projects, finding renewable energy groups and environmental nonprofits are likely to succeed in showing the agency violated deadlines for reviewing the projects' impact on military readiness.

  • August 06, 2026

    Wash. Justices Offer Bar Waiver After July Exam Tech Failure

    The Washington State Supreme Court said Thursday it's offering to waive the bar exam requirement for first-time applicants who were unable to take the test last week due to an abrupt cancellation driven by technical issues at the Yakima Convention Center where it was scheduled to be administered.   

  • August 06, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives Corona Clay Pollution Suit Over Creek Status

    A Ninth Circuit panel reversed a lower court's order denying a clay recycling manufacturer's request for a new trial after being found to have violated the Clean Water Act, saying significant changes to the law require another look at the case.

  • August 06, 2026

    GOP Sens. Vote To Hold Fauci In Contempt, AGs Open Probe

    A U.S. Senate committee voted along party lines Thursday to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he declined to answer questions about the government's handling of the pandemic, while the Florida, West Virginia and Louisiana attorneys general are investigating potential "self-dealing" by Fauci during the crisis.

  • August 06, 2026

    Mich. Cannabis Agency Accused Of Aiding Buyout Plot

    A Michigan business owner has claimed in a suit filed in federal court on Thursday that the state Cannabis Regulatory Agency and several of its members coordinated with JARS Holdings to push him out of the cannabis business while smearing his professional reputation.

  • August 06, 2026

    Tax Prep Biz Owner Gets 30 Months For $5M Refund Scheme

    A Las Vegas tax preparation business owner was sentenced to 30 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the U.S. government by filing false tax returns and diverting portions of the resulting refunds to herself and an employee, the U.S. Justice Department said.

  • August 06, 2026

    GOP Senators Float Repeal Of Calif. Vehicle Emissions Rules

    Four Republican senators on Thursday proposed revoking U.S. Environmental Protection Agency waivers granted to California for vehicle emissions regulations that have been in place for over a decade, following through on the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle the Golden State's authority to set stricter tailpipe emissions standards.

  • August 06, 2026

    NJ Panel Limits Disclosure Of Pending Police IA Files

    A New Jersey appeals court has ruled that defense attorneys in the state are not entitled to specific evidence about internal affairs investigations against police officers who are planning to testify in criminal trials.

  • August 06, 2026

    Judge Sets Feb. Trial In States' Generics Price-Fixing Suit

    A Connecticut federal judge has set a February trial date on claims from dozens of state attorneys general that generic-drug makers conspired to artificially inflate the prices of generic topical drugs.

  • August 06, 2026

    FCC Floats Plan To Clear 200 MHz For Direct-To-Device Use

    The Federal Communications Commission proposed Thursday to open up more than 200 megahertz of the airwaves used by unlicensed devices for direct-to-device service from low Earth orbit satellites.

Expert Analysis

  • 3 New Pay Transparency State Laws Raise Compliance Risks

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    Wage transparency measures taking effect in Delaware, Maine and New Jersey add a layer of complexity to the hiring landscape and highlight the need for employers to develop thorough compliance strategies while navigating the laws' ambiguities, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • New State AI Laws Create Dual Misrepresentation Risk

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    As artificial intelligence transparency laws are enacted across the country and the volume and specificity of compliance records increase, companies will be required to speak more often, more precisely and to more audiences about the same systems, compounding the risk of litigation, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Series

    Cow Horse Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Moving an unwilling 800-pound cow while riding a horse at high speed is exhilarating, a little unhinged and, at least for me, a surprisingly effective training ground for litigation — both demand focus, preparation over rigid planning and the willingness to act despite fear, says Ashley Zitrin at Glenn Agre.

  • Unpacking The Take It Down Act's Compliance Ambiguities

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    The Federal Trade Commission’s recent guidance concerning the Take It Down Act suggests that covered platforms should build removal systems immediately and prioritize compliance, but until courts or regulators provide additional clarity, companies will be navigating a statutory framework that is urgent and uncertain, says Laura-Kate Bernstein at ZwillGen.

  • Protecting AI-Driven Innovation In Life Sciences IP

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    Recent developments, including the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's evolving inventorship standards, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the "person of ordinary skill in the art" standard demand that life sciences companies elevate AI patent strategy to a top priority, says Sandra Haberny at Quinn Emanuel.

  • NY's UCC Updates Spell Change In Digital Asset Lending

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    Given the state’s role as a preferred jurisdiction for financing transactions, New York’s recent enactment of Uniform Commercial Code amendments, which establish control as a central concept for determining who has rights to a digital asset, will encourage nationwide growth toward a more technology-neutral approach to secured transactions, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • How Trump's Nuclear EO Has Transformed The NRC

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    In the year since President Donald Trump issued Executive Order No. 14300, directing sweeping reforms of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the agency has revised key oversight programs and proposed major rulemakings and new licensing frameworks — but the NRC must continue to center transparency and trust as key values, says Brooke Clark at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    Agentic AI And Securities Law: Steps Congress Should Take

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    Agentic artificial intelligence technology doesn't fit comfortably into the existing securities regulatory landscape, so Congress should avoid repeating the mistakes that led to the legal uncertainty crypto companies and investors have faced over the past decade-plus by providing a legislative framework before AI fully matures, says Joseph A. Hall at Davis Polk.

  • Weighing Trade-Offs Of SEC's Semiannual Reporting Proposal

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    Though public companies could benefit from a recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposal that would allow them to file earnings reports just twice a year, widespread adoption could also increase market volatility, complicate capital raising and fragment disclosure standards to the detriment of issuers and investors, say attorneys at Seward & Kissel.

  • High Court's Hikma Decision Reshapes 'Skinny Label' Suits

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Hikma v. Amarin marks a significant victory for generic drug manufacturers, but rather than putting an end to so-called skinny label inducement claims, it narrows and refocuses them, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.

  • Virginia's Cannabis Retail Veto Leaves Industry In Legal Limbo

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    Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger's recent veto of legislation that would have established a regulated retail cannabis framework halts momentum built by the General Assembly, but it also sends important signals about what a future regulatory framework must address to survive, says Charles Slemp at Cozen.

  • Opinion

    At High Court, Oil Cos.' Suncor Preemption Claims Fall Short

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    In Suncor Energy v. Boulder County, pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, oil and gas companies argue that municipalities' climate deception claims are equivalent to emissions standards for their industry — but the suit is ultimately incapable of imposing such standards, say Thomas McGarity at the University of Texas School of Law and James Goodwin at the Center for Progressive Reform.

  • What Colorado AI Law's Major Rewrite Means For Employers

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    Colorado's landmark law regulating employers' use of artificial intelligence tools was recently replaced with a narrower regime that eliminates many burdensome obligations, but still imposes a host of requirements focused on transparency and accountability, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Operational AI Washing: The Next Frontier Of Fiduciary Risk

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    While there are still no final Delaware decisions applying Caremark specifically to artificial intelligence governance failures, previous case law provides a blueprint, so the question for boards is whether their governance architectures will satisfy Caremark when the first cases are decided, say attorneys at Akerman.

  • A Look At The Court's Next Steps In Live Nation Antitrust Case

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    Following a recent jury verdict that Live Nation and Ticketmaster operated as a monopoly to fix ticket prices, a New York federal court stands to weigh Live Nation's bid for a new trial, approve the U.S. Department of Justice's March settlement with the defendants, and impose remedies that include full structural separation, say attorneys at Crowell.

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