Public Policy

  • October 07, 2026

    1st Circ. Seems Torn On DOJ Bid For Trans Care Records

    The First Circuit on Wednesday appeared divided over whether the Trump administration may access a wide array of documents related to gender-affirming care at Boston Children's Hospital, with judges asking pointed questions of lawyers on both sides.

  • October 07, 2026

    4th Circ. Says FCC Defied Congress Through Political Ad Rule

    A split Fourth Circuit panel Wednesday granted a request from Democratic candidates to force the Federal Communications Commission to issue a ruling on whether broadcasters may only charge the lowest possible rate for ads purchased by political committees attached to candidates.

  • October 07, 2026

    1st Circ. Presses NEA On 'Gender Ideology' Grant Criteria

    A First Circuit panel had sharp questions for the federal government Wednesday about its decision to disfavor National Endowment for the Arts grant applicants who "promote gender ideology," with one judge saying the arts program is supposed to be insulated from politics.

  • October 07, 2026

    DHS Eyes Up To $100K Foreign Student Work Program Fee

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security proposed a rule Wednesday that would impose a $70,000 fee for foreign students to work in their fields, and another $30,000 tacked on for students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

  • October 07, 2026

    DOT Unveils Plan To Modernize Space Launch Licensing

    U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy has announced that the Federal Aviation Administration is proposing five new rules to streamline and modernize the commercial space launch and reentry regulations.

  • October 07, 2026

    States Say DHS Is Tying Grants To Immigration Agenda, Again

    A coalition of 20 states and the District of Columbia told a Rhode Island federal court Wednesday that the Trump administration is still unlawfully tying certain grant funding to their assistance with immigration enforcement efforts, in violation of the court's permanent injunction rulings.

  • October 07, 2026

    8th Circ. Upholds $35,000 Costs Award In DAPL Protest Case

    An Eighth Circuit panel has upheld a lower court's award of more than $35,000 in costs to Morton County, North Dakota, and its officials in a challenge by an environmentalist who was severely injured by law enforcement during a protest over the Dakota Access pipeline.

  • October 07, 2026

    1st Circ. Skeptical Of Legal Basis For IRS-ICE Data Sharing

    The First Circuit repeatedly suggested during a hearing Wednesday that the Trump administration's use of a privacy exception in the tax code for criminal investigations to justify demanding tax records of noncitizens could allow it to target nearly anyone's private returns.

  • October 07, 2026

    DOJ Urges Judge To Lift Block On Birthright Citizenship Order

    The Trump administration is urging a Maryland federal judge to dissolve her injunction blocking its latest executive order aiming to limit birthright citizenship, claiming that new agency guidance confirming that the policy only applies to children born after it takes effect leaves the families who originally sued without standing.

  • October 07, 2026

    Tenn. Judge Tosses Developer's Data Centers Moratorium Suit

    A Tennessee federal judge has tossed a data center developer's challenge to a moratorium on data centers without prejudice, ruling in part that the suit is inconsistent when it comes to the type of property interest that the developer is asserting with its allegations.

  • October 07, 2026

    Colo. Legislative Aide Says He Was Fired For Pay Complaints

    A Colorado state representative fired a senior legislative aide after he objected to doing campaign work on taxpayer-funded time and complained that she failed to fairly pay him for hundreds of hours of campaign work, according to a suit filed in Colorado state court.

  • October 07, 2026

    Family Tells 5th Circ. Penske Can't Evade Crash Liability

    The family of a man killed in a Texas collision said a Fifth Circuit panel faithfully followed federal law when it revived its lawsuit alleging freight broker and trucking giant Penske is vicariously liable for the 2018 accident, and en banc review before the full court is unwarranted.

  • October 07, 2026

    Don't Let Post-Merger Iridium Disrupt Astronomy, FCC Told

    Astronomers have warned the Federal Communications Commission that aerospace company Rocket Lab USA Inc. must fulfill its obligations to avoid harmful interference if the agency approves the license transfer needed for its proposed $8 billion purchase of satellite operator Iridium Communications.

  • October 07, 2026

    Mich. Tribal Officials Detail Missing Persons Plan At Summit

    Officials from the Bay Mills Indian Community outlined how they plan to respond to cases of missing and murdered Indigenous people at a summit in Michigan on Wednesday, explaining how the tribe will coordinate law enforcement, victim services and community resources and sharing lessons learned from previous missing persons cases. 

  • October 07, 2026

    Copyright Office Probes AI's Role In Streaming Fraud

    The U.S. Copyright Office is examining whether music-streaming fraud and artificial intelligence-generated music are affecting royalty payments and licensing systems as part of a broader inquiry requested by Congress.

  • October 07, 2026

    Mich. Judge Rejects Due Process Claims In Visa Records Suit

    A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday trimmed the due process claims from students challenging the sudden termination of their immigration records, finding the students abandoned the claims and that courts have found no constitutional protection for a visa status.

  • October 07, 2026

    Only Animus Claims Viable In Yemen TPS Suits, Judge Says

    A New York federal court has dismissed the thrust of two lawsuits challenging the Trump administration's revocation of Yemen's temporary protected status designation, though it still allowed the plaintiffs to pursue their intentional discrimination claims.

  • October 07, 2026

    FCC Proposes $10M In Fines For Alleged Lifeline Fraud

    The Federal Communications Commission has proposed more than $10 million in fines against two providers for allegedly defrauding the agency's Lifeline program, which provides discounts on phone and internet services to qualifying low-income Americans.

  • October 07, 2026

    USTR Probes EU Carbon Tax's Impact On US Trade

    The U.S. is considering whether the European Union's carbon import tax and proposals to expand its scope harm American producers, the U.S. Trade Representative's Office said.

  • October 07, 2026

    Justices' Docs Should Belong To Public, Gov't Watchdogs Say

    Nearly two dozen government accountability groups are calling for Congress to enact a law that would make U.S. Supreme Court justices' papers government property that would someday be available to the public.

  • October 07, 2026

    Interior Plan Targets Indian Affairs Records For Disposal

    The U.S. Department of the Interior is seeking tribal input on proposed changes to the Indian Affairs record schedule that, if approved, will make documents eligible for destruction after certain time periods, depending on category.

  • October 07, 2026

    Commerce Orders Duties On Indian Paprika Oil Extract

    The U.S. Department of Commerce issued antidumping and countervailing duty orders Wednesday on imports of a paprika-derived coloring additive from India after finding the goods were being sold at unfair prices.

  • October 07, 2026

    EEOC Set To Revoke Guidance On Workers' Criminal History

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is poised to roll back guidance on the use of workers' arrest and conviction records in employment decisions, now that the proposed rescission has been sent to the White House for review.

  • October 07, 2026

    NC Panel Nixes Challenge To Confederate Memorial's Removal

    A nonprofit honoring Confederate soldiers has no standing to challenge the relocation of a Confederate monument to a local courthouse, a North Carolina Court of Appeals panel ruled Wednesday in affirming dismissal of the group's lawsuit.

  • October 07, 2026

    Prosthetic Breast Merchant Admits To $1.3M Insurance Fraud

    A former business owner in Connecticut pled guilty to running a $1.3 million insurance scam that targeted Medicaid and private companies by submitting fraudulent claims for custom breast prostheses that customers never ordered or received, federal court records show.

Expert Analysis

  • The State Of Prediction Market Litigation After 9th Circ. Ruling

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Kalshi v. Assad gives state regulators significant appellate backing to enforce state gaming laws over prediction markets, creating a direct split with the Third Circuit that will likely lead to Supreme Court review of the question, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • CISA Town Halls Signal Key Cyber Rule Changes Ahead

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    The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recently held a series of town halls to gather additional stakeholder input on the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act, offering potential insights into how the agency may address key issues in a forthcoming final rule, say attorneys at Covington.

  • 11th Circ. FCA Qui Tam Revival Queues Up Next Challenges

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    Though the Eleventh Circuit on Sept. 1 upheld the constitutionality of the False Claims Act's qui tam provision, it will probably face continued litigation since the appellate court declined to rule on other constitutional challenges and the decision will likely be petitioned to the U.S. Supreme Court, say attorneys at Sheppard.

  • Home Equity Products Face Expanding Regulatory Patchwork

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    Home equity investment providers, which have recently come under scrutiny from regulators and industry groups, face meaningful burdens as the U.S. Senate and a growing number of states take divergent regulatory approaches, with no uniform standard likely anytime soon, say attorneys at Bradley.

  • How Orbital Data Centers May Test NEPA's Reach

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    With environmental and scientific groups recently pushing back against the Federal Communications Commission's proposal to exempt massive data center satellite constellations from review under the National Environmental Policy Act, the question of whether NEPA even applies to projects in space turns on three closely related issues, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • How Subchapter V Bill May Change Restructuring Analysis

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    While a recently passed Senate bill would expand the pool of businesses eligible to use the streamlined Subchapter V process, its more significant influence may be on how distressed businesses and their lenders evaluate restructuring alternatives long before a bankruptcy petition is filed, says Robert Charbonneau at Agentis.

  • Series

    Ballet Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    A lifetime of learning and performing ballet taught me that success — whether in dance or practicing law — comes only through hours of thorough preparation, boundless energy and relentless effort, says Sharon Katz-Pearlman at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Illinois BNPL Law Casts Wide Net Over Loan Providers

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    A new Illinois law's broad definition of buy now, pay later providers under its new dedicated licensing and supervisory regime notably imposes conduct standards similar to other consumer credit regimes and aggressively looks through a wide range of business activities and arrangements, say attorneys at Ashurst Perkins.

  • BIA Ruling Calls For Analyzing Advance Parole Travel's Risks

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    The Board of Immigration Appeals’ recent policy reversal, holding that a temporary trip abroad pursuant to advance parole counts as a departure under the Immigration and Nationality Act, means counsel should assess their clients' immigration history and potential risks of travel before they depart, says attorney Richard Herman.

  • What Cos. Should Know About DOE Energy Dominance Loans

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    With the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Dominance Financing set to become a vital resource for funding U.S. energy and critical minerals projects, interested companies must understand the terms of potential loans and take into account the applicable financial, technical, legal and regulatory requirements, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • How Jackson Walker Settlement Will Affect Conflict Checks

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    Jackson Walker's recently filed $15 million settlement with the U.S. Trustee is effectively a contract between one firm and the government that will nevertheless serve as a template of conflict disclosure practices for all firms practicing in the bankruptcy courts, says attorney Ken Rosen.

  • Scope Issues For Cos. To Consider Ahead Of Cyber Rules

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    As the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency finalizes its proposed Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act rules, organizations can take steps to navigate the uncertainty that stems from inconsistent critical infrastructure sector definitions and overlapping sector boundaries, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • DOJ Fraud Declination Highlights Self-Disclosure Tradeoffs

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    As exemplified by the U.S. Department of Justice's declination of charges against Campus Eye Management under its new corporate enforcement policy, self-disclosure can be an attractive option for healthcare companies navigating criminal exposure, but should be weighed against potential costs, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Nonbank Lenders Should Watch In 'Open Banking' Redo

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    Nonbank mortgage lenders should prepare for several key changes in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's anticipated open banking rule rewrite that could reshape verification costs, vendor relationships and loan workflows, says Kara Ward at Baker Donelson.

  • SEC's Long-Awaited Crypto Rule Is 1st Piece Of Larger Puzzle

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently proposed crypto rule provides issuers with a workable exempt offering framework but leaves holder-side questions for forthcoming rules, meaning compliance officers and counsel will have to work from an incomplete picture for now, says Josh Burton at Silver Regulatory Associates.

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