Public Policy

  • July 09, 2025

    Iowa Urges Judge Not To Block Law Regulating PBMs

    The state of Iowa urged a federal judge Tuesday not to halt enforcement of state restrictions on pharmacy benefit managers that took effect earlier this month, arguing that most of the challenged law doesn't apply to the health plans and employers seeking to enjoin it.

  • July 09, 2025

    Sierra Club Says OMB Ignoring Funding Freeze Info Requests

    The Office of Management and Budget's refusal to produce records concerning the Trump administration's freeze of federal funding programs is impeding the Sierra Club's mission to advocate for and educate the public about pressing public health and environmental issues, the environmental organization alleged Tuesday in California federal court.

  • July 09, 2025

    Senate Confirms Airline Executive To Lead FAA

    The U.S. Senate Wednesday largely voted along party lines to confirm President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration.

  • July 09, 2025

    Senators Weigh Principles To Guide Crypto Market Rules

    Senate Democrats and a former chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission homed in on the importance of preserving the strength of existing securities laws during a Wednesday hearing where senators and industry experts previewed their priorities for the chamber’s coming crypto market structure proposal.

  • July 09, 2025

    Trump Admin Beats Injunction Bid Over Deleted Webpages

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge on Wednesday rejected the Sierra Club and other nonprofits' request for a preliminary injunction forcing federal agencies to restore webpages the groups said provided critical environmental information, saying they hadn't shown keeping the status quo while their case is pending would cause irreparable harm.

  • July 09, 2025

    Ohio Officials Sued Over $600M In Funds For Browns Stadium

    The transfer of $600 million in unclaimed property funds to the Cleveland Browns to help finance a proposed new suburban stadium for the NFL team is an "unconstitutional and unlawful misappropriation of private property,'' a group of unclaimed-property owners alleged in a proposed class action in Ohio state court against several state officials.

  • July 09, 2025

    USPTO Defends Termination Of Art Project Patent App

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Wednesday defended its decision to sanction an art kit company that hired a patent services business that used a licensed practitioner's signature in a patent application without permission, saying it had the authority to terminate the application.

  • July 09, 2025

    FCC Targets Older Regulations On Phone Service 'Slamming'

    The Federal Communications Commission will take a close look during its July meeting at whether to consolidate or even scrap a bevy of rules against "slamming," or the unauthorized switching of phone services to a new provider.

  • July 09, 2025

    7th Circ. Nixes Rail Sharing Order Power For Subpar Service

    Federal regulators can't give themselves power to order rail carriers to share shipments with their rivals unless the incumbent railroad's service is "inadequate," a Seventh Circuit panel said in striking a Surface Transportation Board rule designed to empower such mandates when service merely fails certain reliability metrics.

  • July 09, 2025

    EPA Sued Over Oil Refineries' Hydrogen Fluoride Use

    A group of environmental advocates has hauled the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency into California federal court to stop the use of hydrogen fluoride in domestic oil manufacturing refineries, arguing it's endangering the public and the Toxic Substances Control Act requires that the agency eliminate those risks through regulations.

  • July 09, 2025

    DOJ Atty Floats Axing Removal Law As Only Fix For Adversaries

    A U.S. Department of Justice attorney suggested that killing the expedited removal statute, which enables the swift expulsion of unauthorized immigrants, is the only hypothetical relief that a court can offer a group challenging President Donald Trump's expansion of the law.

  • July 09, 2025

    LA County, Cities Want In On Immigration Enforcement Suit

    Los Angeles County and several of its cities have urged a California federal court to let them join a proposed class action that seeks to stop the Trump administration from continuing what officials say are unconstitutional immigration raids in their communities.

  • July 09, 2025

    Water Co. Can't Charge Customers $42M, Conn. Justices Say

    State regulators lawfully rejected Eversource subsidiary Aquarion Water Co. of Connecticut's 2022 request to increase rates by $42 million to pay for plant additions, but they wrongly scuttled the utility's $1.5 million bid to recover conservation expenses, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

  • July 09, 2025

    Suit Challenges Colo. Abortion Parental Notice Law

    An OB-GYN asked a Colorado state judge on Tuesday to block the state's requirement for minors seeking an abortion to give notice to a parent, saying it runs afoul of a 2024 amendment to the Colorado Constitution.

  • July 09, 2025

    DOJ Says Calif.'s Trans Student Athlete Policies Violate Title IX

    The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday accused the California Department of Education of illegally discriminating against cisgender female student athletes by allowing transgender girls to compete on girls' high school sports teams.

  • July 09, 2025

    Red States Want In On Youths' Suit Over Trump Energy Orders

    A coalition of Republican states led by Montana asked a federal court Tuesday for permission to intervene in a lawsuit brought by youths challenging President Donald Trump's recently enacted fossil fuel policies.

  • July 09, 2025

    Plan Administrator Seeks To Toss Union's Pension Error Suit

    A benefit plan administration company said it shouldn't have to face a lawsuit claiming a union pension fund paid $2.4 million in interest because the administrator paid benefits on the wrong day of the month, arguing in Pennsylvania federal court that it wasn't acting as a fiduciary.

  • July 09, 2025

    7th Circ. Revives Deputy's Retaliation Suit Over Election Feud

    The Seventh Circuit reinstated a sheriff's deputy's retaliation suit claiming he wasn't promoted because he criticized his boss while attempting to unseat him as sheriff, ruling the lower court failed to credit evidence that the sheriff admitted sabotaging the deputy's career when finding the case was untimely.

  • July 09, 2025

    Supreme Court Denies Fla. Bid To Enforce Immigration Law

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday denied Florida's request to lift a block on a state law that criminalizes the entry of unauthorized immigrants into the state, leaving in place a ruling that the law is likely preempted by the federal Immigration and Nationality Act.

  • July 09, 2025

    NY School District Faces Civil Rights Probe Over Mascot Ban

    The U.S. Department of Education said it's investigating a Long Island, New York, school district for civil rights violations for working to remove its Native American mascot and imagery under a state law banning the symbols.

  • July 09, 2025

    DHS Used Pro-Israel Sites To Target Activists, Official Testifies

    A mid-level U.S. Department of Homeland Security official told a Massachusetts federal court on Wednesday that the agency relied in part on pro-Israel websites that post dossiers on individuals deemed to support Palestine to identify potential targets for visa and green card revocations.

  • July 09, 2025

    1st Woman On Montana's US Court To Take Senior Status

    U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters of the District of Montana, who was the first woman appointed to that court, has announced that she will take semiretired status next year.

  • July 09, 2025

    DA Willis Urges Ga. Justices To Ax Trump Case Testimony Bid

    Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis urged the Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday to toss a subpoena seeking her testimony from the state Senate committee that was investigating her relationship with a special prosecutor during her prosecution of President Donald Trump in an election interference case, arguing the panel is "seeking to 'try' the district attorney in public."

  • July 09, 2025

    Businesses, States Tell Fed. Circ. Trump's Tariffs Are Unlawful

    The U.S. Court of International Trade correctly determined President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs were improperly imposed under a law that makes no mention of the trade mechanism, a group of states and small businesses told the Federal Circuit, arguing that the duties should be limited under another law.

  • July 09, 2025

    3M PFAS Suit Belongs In State Court, Conn. Tells 2nd Circ.

    Connecticut is urging the Second Circuit to reject 3M Co.'s effort to move a state court lawsuit accusing the company of polluting the environment with forever chemicals contained in its consumer products to federal court.

Expert Analysis

  • Tariff Strategies For The US Renewable Energy Sector

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    The Trump administration's tariff actions over the last few months are challenging for the renewable energy industry — but there are strategies for contending with the uncertainty, including diversifying supply chains, seeking certification about equipment origins, and adding tariff-related language to supply contracts and offtake agreements, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Series

    Playing Poker Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Poker is a master class in psychology, risk management and strategic thinking, and I’m a better attorney because it has taught me to read my opponents, adapt when I’m dealt the unexpected and stay patient until I'm ready to reveal my hand, says Casey Kingsley at McCreadyLaw.

  • Opinion

    Why It's Time To Retire The Efficient Market Hypothesis

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    As agentic artificial intelligence systems increasingly affect financial markets, the efficient market hypothesis no longer offers a viable foundation for legal and regulatory engagement, and a new theoretical foundation is needed, say Zachary Brenner, a student at California Western School of Law, and attorney Gary Brenner.

  • Avoiding The Risk Of Continued AI-Washing Enforcement

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    A recent action brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Justice, alleging a software developer defrauded investors by lying about his app’s artificial intelligence capabilities, suggests this administration will continue to target AI washing, so companies should adopt practices to mitigate enforcement risk, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • 4 Ways Slater Is Priming DOJ For Continued Antitrust Success

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    Just as Jonathan Kanter did during his recent tenure leading the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater is following the effective blueprint set by Thurman Arnold when he modernized the division more than 80 years ago, says Perry Apelbaum at Kressin Powers.

  • 3 Tax Issues Manufacturers Should Watch In 2025 Budget Bill

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    As Congress works toward a budget reconciliation bill, manufacturing companies should keep a keen eye on proposals to change bonus depreciation, the qualified business income deduction and energy tax credits, which could have a significant impact on capital-intensive industries, say attorneys at Frost Brown Todd.

  • Key Aspects Of FDIC's Resolution Planning FAQ

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    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s recent FAQ on changes to its resolution plan rule ease burdensome requirements for some large institutions and exempt others from discussion of franchise components, making it easier for banks to finalize submissions before the July 1 deadline, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Why Texas Should Slow Down On Healthcare Merger Bills

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    More time is needed to study three Texas bills aimed at considering the effects of healthcare consolidation to increase affordability and access to healthcare, which could have the opposite effect, say John Saran and Harshita Rathore at Holland & Knight and Robbie Allen at U.S. Heart and Vascular.

  • As Tariffs Hit The Radar, PE Counsel Should Review Strategies

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    As tariffs compound existing challenges in the private equity sector, counsel should consider existing headwinds such as interest rates and industry-specific impacts like supply chains and pricing power, which may help mitigate risks and capture opportunity, says Nathan Viehl at Thompson Coburn.

  • Trump Rule Would Upend Endangered Species Status Quo

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    The Trump administration's recent proposal to rescind the regulatory definition of "harm" in the Endangered Species Act would be a tectonic shift away from years of established regulatory practice, with major implications for both species protection and larger-scale conservation efforts, says David Smith at Manatt.

  • DOJ Memo Raises Bar For Imposition Of Corporate Monitors

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    A recently released U.S. Department of Justice memo, outlining guidance on the imposition of compliance monitors in corporate criminal cases, reflects DOJ leadership’s concerns about scope creep and business costs, but the strategies for companies to avoid a monitorship haven't changed much compared to the Biden era, says James Koukios at MoFo.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Becoming A Firmwide MVP

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    Though lawyers don't have a neat metric like baseball players for measuring the value they contribute to their organizations, the sooner new attorneys learn skills frequently skipped in law school — like networking, marketing, client development and case evaluation — the more valuable, and less replaceable, they will be, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.

  • How NY's FAIR Act Mirrors CFPB State Recommendations

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    New York's proposed FAIR Business Practices Act, which targets predatory lending and junk fees, reflects the Rohit Chopra-era Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recommendations to states in a number of ways, including by defining "abusive" conduct and adding a new right to file class actions, says Christian Hancock at Bradley Arant.

  • Expect Eyes On Electronic Devices At US Entry Points

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    Electronic device searches are becoming common at U.S. border inspections, making it imperative for companies to familiarize themselves with what's allowed, and mandate specific precautions for employees to protect their privacy and sensitive information during international travel, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Big Tech M&A Risk Under Trump May Resemble Biden Era

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    Merger review under the Trump administration may not differ substantially from merger review under the Biden administration, particularly in the Big Tech arena, in which case dealmakers and investors should shift the antitrust discount on M&A deals upward, says Jonathan Barnett at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

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