Public Policy

  • January 13, 2026

    Energy Co. Seeks Early Win In ND Lease Cancellation Row

    A Colorado energy company is asking a North Dakota federal district court to vacate a series of Bureau of Indian Affairs decisions that determined it didn't own a legally protected interest in a decades-old 320-acre gas and oil lease on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.

  • January 13, 2026

    Youths Urge 9th Circ. To Revive Trump Energy Orders Fight

    A group of young people asked the Ninth Circuit to revive their lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's energy-related emergency orders, arguing the lower court erred by saying it did not have jurisdiction to rule on the matter.

  • January 13, 2026

    Halligan Blasts Court's 'Inquisition' Over US Atty Status

    Lindsey Halligan said Tuesday that she is still the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia despite a recent ruling to the contrary, dismissing a federal judge's questions about why she's still using the title as an "inquisition" and a "gross abuse of power."

  • January 13, 2026

    NJ Gov. Says Ex-Elections Chief's Admission Fatal To Case

    New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy told a state court judge that a suit by former elections chief Jeffrey Brindle should be completely dismissed because his decision to write a satirical article in his official capacity invalidates his First Amendment claim as it applies to his continued employment in the role.

  • January 13, 2026

    NJ Gov. Signs Bill Regulating Intoxicating Hemp Products

    New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has signed into law a bill regulating the sale of intoxicating hemp products, closing what the bill's sponsors called a loophole that allowed them to be sold without oversight.

  • January 13, 2026

    4th Circ. Combines DOJ Appeals Of Comey, James Dismissals

    The Fourth Circuit has granted the Trump administration's request to combine its previously separate appeals of the dismissals of prosecutions against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

  • January 13, 2026

    FCC Told It Lacks Legal Authority For Jail Cellphone Jamming

    The Federal Communications Commission does not have the statutory power to authorize cellphone signal jamming in jails and prisons, a consumer interest group says.

  • January 13, 2026

    Court Urged To Block Trump Admin's Anti-Wind, Solar Orders

    Clean energy advocates have asked a Massachusetts federal judge to block a suite of Trump administration actions aimed at restricting wind and solar development, claiming there's no justification for the policies aside from the administration being anti-renewable energy.

  • January 13, 2026

    Harvard Seeks 1st Circ. Backing For Student Visa Program

    The federal government "has no persuasive defense" of its efforts to bar international students from enrolling at Harvard University, the school told the First Circuit in asking the court to uphold an order enjoining the move.

  • January 13, 2026

    SD Gov. Proposes Local Property Tax Alternative In Address

    South Dakota counties would have the option to replace the county's share of property taxes with a half-cent sales tax under a plan proposed by the governor in his State of the State address Tuesday.

  • January 13, 2026

    Express Scripts Can't Impel FTC Atty Views On Insulin Makers

    A Federal Trade Commission in-house judge has denied a bid from Express Scripts to force a commission attorney to sit for a deposition to discuss an investigation into insulin manufacturers as the pharmacy benefit manager defends against the agency's insulin pricing case.

  • January 13, 2026

    Jack Smith To Testify Publicly Next Week

    Former special counsel Jack Smith is slated to testify publicly before the House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 22 after, according to his attorney, having been "ready and willing" to do so for a while.

  • January 13, 2026

    Tribal Groups Weigh In On High Court Miss. Ballot Dispute

    A group of Native American organizations is backing a U.S. Supreme Court petition that looks to reverse a Fifth Circuit determination on Mississippi's law regarding late-arriving mail-in ballots, arguing that not allowing states to extend receipt deadlines will lead to further disenfranchisement of Indigenous people.

  • January 13, 2026

    NJ Sues Metal Recycler Over Fires, Cites Public Nuisance

    New Jersey has launched a public nuisance suit against one of the nation's largest scrap metal recyclers, alleging that the company has allowed hazardous conditions at its Camden facilities to persist for years, triggering more than a dozen fires that have repeatedly blanketed nearby neighborhoods in smoke and toxic pollution.

  • January 13, 2026

    Maine Alters Excise Tax Assessment On Camper Trailers

    Maine will change its application and collection of excise tax on camper trailers under a law that took effect without the signature of Democratic Gov. Janet Mills.

  • January 13, 2026

    House Clears African, Haitian Trade Agreement Extensions

    The U.S. House of Representatives late Monday overwhelmingly approved two bills that would extend regional trade agreements with African nations and Haiti for three years each, with both now headed to the U.S. Senate for approval.

  • January 13, 2026

    Sen. Warren Questions SEC On Crypto In 401(k) Plans

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in advance of a banking committee vote on cryptocurrency market structure legislation, asking how the agency will protect investors as the administration also pushes to broaden access to cryptocurrency in 401(k) retirement plans.

  • January 13, 2026

    Approach The Bench: Judge Bough On Ethics

    Years of experience as a plaintiff's attorney influenced U.S. District Judge Stephen Bough's disclosure rules for litigators appearing in his court.

  • January 13, 2026

    Hemp Co. Accuses Rival Of Using Pot-Based THC, Not Hemp

    Hemp-derived cannabinoid company CCT Sciences LLC is suing a competitor in Florida federal court, alleging that despite the rival's claims of using "natural" hemp-derived THC, it instead uses illegal cannabis derivatives in its products.

  • January 13, 2026

    Md. Bill Would Allow Separate Land, Improvement Tax Rates

    Maryland would authorize local governments to establish subclasses of real property consisting of land and improvements to land and impose separate tax rates for each subclass under legislation set to be considered by the state House of Delegates' Ways and Means Committee.

  • January 12, 2026

    4 Ways DOJ Probe Into Powell Could Be Risky For Trump

    The criminal probe that President Donald Trump's U.S. Department of Justice has opened into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell dramatically escalates administration pressure on the central bank, but it is not without significant potential risks for the White House.

  • January 12, 2026

    NY Fights Feds' Stop-Work Orders For Offshore Wind Projects

    New York is challenging a federal order halting construction of two offshore wind projects that are projected to power more than a million homes, saying the Trump administration has not explained why the projects, which both previously passed all safety and environmental reviews, have suddenly presented national security concerns.

  • January 12, 2026

    Dominion Energy Wants $11B Offshore Wind Project Revived

    Dominion Energy has asked a Virginia federal court to block the Trump administration from shutting down work on an $11 billion offshore wind project, arguing that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management hasn't explained its rationale for the abrupt suspension order, which threatens thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars.

  • January 12, 2026

    DC Court Won't Rehear Calif. Tribal Recognition Dispute

    A D.C. federal judge has refused to reconsider his order denying a bid by a group of residents to block a U.S. Department of the Interior decision giving federal recognition to California's Ione Band of Miwok Indians as the tribe completes construction of a casino.

  • January 12, 2026

    5th Circ. Won't Revive TMX's Texas Challenge To $52M Pa. Fine

    An affiliate of consumer lender TMX Finance can't use Texas federal courts to challenge the enforcement of Pennsylvania's consumer lending interest rate cap by the Keystone State's financial regulator, the Fifth Circuit has determined.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    A Uniform Federal Rule Would Curb Gen AI Missteps In Court

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    To address the patchwork of courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence, curbing abuses and relieving the burden on judges, the federal judiciary should consider amending its civil procedure rules to require litigants to certify they’ve reviewed legal filings for accuracy, say attorneys at Shook Hardy.

  • Investment Advisers Should Stay Apprised Of New AI Risks

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently issued annual examination priorities reiterate a host of regulatory implications for investment advisers using artificial intelligence tools, highlighting that meaningful ongoing due diligence can help mitigate both operational and regulatory surprises amid AI's rapid evolution, says Christopher Mills at Sidley.

  • New Rule Shows NRC Willing To Move Fast To Reform Regs

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    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s decision to forgo public comment and immediately rescind certain rules governing adjudicatory procedures, federal tort claims and disclosure of licensee information signals the agency's intent to accelerate the regulatory streamlining efforts ordered by the president this spring, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • AG Watch: Texas Junk Fee Deal Shows Enforcement Priorities

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    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's recent $9.5 million settlement with online travel agency website Booking Holdings for so-called junk fee practices follows a larger trend of state attorneys general who have taken similar action and demonstrates the significant penalties that can follow such allegations, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • 10th Circ. Dissent May Light Path For Master Account Access

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    While the Tenth Circuit's majority in Custodia Bank v. Federal Reserve Board recently affirmed Federal Reserve banks' control over master account access, the dissent raised constitutional questions that could support banks seeking master accounts in future litigation, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • Calif. AG's No-Poach Case Reflects Tougher Antitrust Stance

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    This month, California’s attorney general resolved the latest enforcement action barring the use of no-poach agreements, underscoring an aggressive antitrust enforcement trend with significant increases in criminal and civil penalties, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • A Look At The Wave Of 2025 Email Marketing Suits In Wash.

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    Since the Washington Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Old Navy in April, more than 30 lawsuits have alleged that a broad range of retailers across industries sent emails that violate the Washington Commercial Electronic Mail Act, but retailers are unlikely to find clear answers yet, says Gonzalo Mon at Kelley Drye.

  • 3 Defense Strategies For Sporadically Prosecuted Conduct

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    Not to be confused with selective prosecutions, sporadic prosecutions — charging someone for conduct many others do without consequences — can be challenging to defend, but focusing on materiality, prosecutorial motivations and public opinion can be a winning strategy, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • 2025 Noncompete Developments That Led To Inflection Point

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    Employers must reshape their approaches to noncompete agreements following key 2025 developments, including Delaware's rejection of blue-penciling and the proliferation of state wage thresholds, say attorneys at Gunderson Dettmer.

  • Riding The Changing Winds For AI Innovations At The USPTO

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    As recent U.S. Patent and Trademark Office moves reshape how artificial intelligence inventions will be examined and put them on firmer eligibility footing, practitioners need to consider how this shift is both an opportunity and a challenge, say Ryan Phelan at Marshall Gerstein and attorney Mark Campagna.

  • Series

    The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Integrating Practice Groups

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    Enacting unified leadership and consistent client service standards ensures law firm practice groups connect and collaborate around shared goals, turning a law firm merger into a platform for growth rather than a period of disruption, says Brian Catlett at Fennemore Craig.

  • The Tricky Issues Underscoring Prediction Market Regulation

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    Prediction markets are not merely testing the boundaries of commodities law — they are challenging the conventional divisions between gambling regulation and financial market oversight, and in doing so, may reshape both, says Braeden Anderson at Gesmer Updegrove.

  • Nonprofits Face Uncertainty Over Political Activity Rules

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    Two federal court decisions suggesting that the Internal Revenue Service's rules for 501(c)(4) organizations' political activity may be too vague to survive constitutional scrutiny leave nonprofit organizations caught between constitutional limits on government regulation of speech and tax limits on their exempt status, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • Opinion

    Supreme Court Term Limits Would Carry Hidden Risk

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    While proposals for limiting the terms of U.S. Supreme Court justices are popular, a steady stream of relatively young, highly marketable ex-justices with unique knowledge and influence entering the marketplace of law and politics could create new problems, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

  • Navigating A Sea Change In Rent Algorithm Regulation

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's proposed settlement of the RealPage lawsuit represents a pivotal moment in the regulation of algorithmic rent-setting, restraining use of these tools amid a growing trend of regulatory limits on use of algorithmic data and methodologies in establishing housing rental prices. say attorneys at Wilson Elser.

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