Public Policy

  • 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.

  • July 31, 2026

    1st Circ. Says Boston Outdoor Dining Rules Not Biased

    The First Circuit rejected claims by a group of restaurant owners in Boston's Little Italy that Mayor Michelle Wu singled them out for stricter enforcement and impact fees related to outdoor dining because they are predominantly white and of Italian descent.

  • July 31, 2026

    OCC, FDIC Unveil Bid To Rewrite Community Lending Rules

    Federal regulators on Friday launched their latest push to update long-standing community lending rules for banks, issuing a new proposal that officials say would better tailor requirements by bank size and ensure financing isn't "diverted to activist causes."

  • July 31, 2026

    NJ Detention Center Access, Gun Liability: A Midyear Report

    As the second half of 2026 unfolds, New Jersey courts will grapple with disputes testing the limits of state authority and examining gun-industry accountability.

  • July 31, 2026

    NJ AI Limits, Microbets, Greenhouse Gasses: Midyear Report

    In addition to mulling newly minted Gov. Mikie Sherrill's first budget proposal, New Jersey lawmakers have spent the first half of 2026 tackling buzzy topics like artificial intelligence and perennial issues like greenhouse gasses.

  • July 31, 2026

    CBP Not Bound By CIT Ruling In Canadian CEO Border Suit

    A Washington federal judge has thrown out a suit by the Canadian CEO of a cannabis company and two of his employees alleging they were wrongly denied entry to the U.S. because they work in the industry, saying a Court of International Trade ruling allowed the company's merchandise to enter the country, but not its employees.

  • July 31, 2026

    Voluntary Benefits Suits Emerge As New ERISA Battleground

    A recent crop of proposed class actions targeting employers' insurance-related voluntary benefits offerings — for things like critical illness or hospital indemnity — marks a litigation trend that appears to be gaining, experts say.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • How Crypto Firms Can Prep As Clarity Act Inches Toward Law

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    Though the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act’s road to enactment remains uncertain, the statutory framework for regulating digital commodities recently advanced by the Senate Banking Committee is now sufficiently developed that market participants can begin preparing in several areas where the complicated legislation would affect them, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.

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