Public Policy

  • October 08, 2026

    Buffalo Sues Feds Over NY Tribe's Land Sale's Status

    The city of Buffalo is asking a New York district court to vacate the federal government's decision to place a 3.8-acre waterfront parcel in a restricted fee status for the Seneca Nation of Indians that could remove the property from the municipality's tax rolls.

  • October 08, 2026

    Ex-Thermo Fisher Manager Blames Age, Sex Bias For Ouster

    A former senior director of research and development at Thermo Fisher Scientific alleged that he was sidelined and then forced out as part of an effort by the Massachusetts-based company to weed out older workers and promote a more "youthful" and "progressive" image.

  • October 08, 2026

    EU Lawmakers Call For Stronger Trade Ties To African Nations

    The European Parliament approved a resolution Thursday that calls for stronger trade relations with African countries.

  • October 08, 2026

    Feds Bar Microsoft, Adobe, Others From Visa Program

    Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the Trump administration has suspended Microsoft, Adobe and other technology companies from utilizing a program that allows H-1B visa holders to apply for green cards, saying Microsoft in particular has "abused" the system.

  • October 08, 2026

    Enviro Group, Feds End Suit Over Alaska Refuge Road Work

    The state of Alaska, the federal government and an environmental nonprofit have agreed to dismiss a dispute over a 500-acre land exchange that will allow road construction on Izembek National Wildlife Refuge lands.

  • October 08, 2026

    Split Congress Could Spur Competing Probes, Cleary Finds

    If the new year brings an era of divided Congress, then "dueling investigations" into the same topics should be expected, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP said in a report it released Thursday.

  • October 07, 2026

    House, Senate Dems Pitch Plans To Clamp Down On AI Harms

    A House Democrat floated draft legislation Wednesday aimed at making it easier for those harmed by emerging artificial intelligence systems to sue developers for damages, on the same day that the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee unveiled her own comprehensive framework for addressing "catastrophic" risks posed by AI.

  • October 07, 2026

    DNC Sues Over Trump's Taxpayer-Funded 'Propaganda Ads'

    The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday sued the Trump administration over its use of taxpayer dollars to air "political propaganda ads" promoting the president ahead of the November midterm elections.

  • October 07, 2026

    1st Circ. Clearing Appeals Over Old FCC Jail Phone Cap Order

    The First Circuit is clearing up a tangle of appeals it has on its plate challenging the Federal Communications Commission's prison phone rate caps after the agency threw a wrench in the plan by updating those regulations post-oral argument.

  • October 07, 2026

    California Federal Judge Jeffrey White To Retire After 24 Years

    Senior U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White will retire at the end of the year after nearly a quarter-century on the federal bench in Northern California.

  • October 07, 2026

    States Urge Justices To Fix Prediction Markets' Legal 'Chaos'

    A coalition of 39 states and the District of Columbia urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to resolve a circuit split over the regulation of prediction markets like Kalshi, saying the industry's "aggressive theory of preemption" threatens states' sovereignty and ability to protect their residents. 

  • October 07, 2026

    Trump 'Outsourced' White House Press Functions, Judge Told

    Media organizations urged a New York federal judge on Wednesday to stop President Donald Trump from using Truth Social for his communications as long as the company offers paid early access to those posts, arguing that the private company's "entwinement" with the president violates the First Amendment.

  • October 07, 2026

    Trump Admin Challenge To Mich. Egg Rules Tossed

    A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday threw out the federal government's suit over the state's ban on eggs produced by caged hens, ruling that the government lacks standing to challenge the law.

  • October 07, 2026

    Justices Wary Of Prolonging Guam Ammo Disposal Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared wary of ruling that a Guam-based nonprofit can't challenge the U.S. Air Force's plan to explode expired munitions because its application to do so has yet to be approved by the territory's Environmental Protection Agency.

  • October 07, 2026

    Okla. Pot Agency Accused Of Retaliating Over Gender Pay Gap

    The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority was hit with a sex discrimination and retaliation lawsuit by a former employee who claims the agency reprimanded her for pointing out that she was paid less than her male colleagues, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court Tuesday.

  • October 07, 2026

    RI Says Changed Law Moots Challenges To Pot Program

    It's time to bring to an end three lawsuits that challenged Rhode Island's social equity and adult-use cannabis licensing program, the state has told a federal court, arguing that the litigation is moot now that the Legislature has changed the challenged provisions.

  • October 07, 2026

    Local Banks Want In On Plan To Use Banks To Stop Robocalls

    Community banks want to make sure they qualify to issue letters of credit to voice providers if the Federal Communications Commission decides to go through with rules that would require companies to show they have financial backing in the hopes of staunching the onslaught of robocalls.

  • October 07, 2026

    FCC Eyes Spectrum Sale To Boost 5G, Satellite D2D

    The Federal Communications Commission's staff has teed up a proposal that would pave the way for a new auction of 25 megahertz worth of spectrum that could be used for advanced Earth-based wireless service and satellite connectivity to smart devices.

  • October 07, 2026

    PhRMA Sues To Block Medicare Foreign Drug Price Rule

    The pharmaceutical industry's top lobbying group asked a D.C. federal judge Wednesday to block a new Medicare rule tying Part B drug payments to prices abroad, claiming that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is imposing a "most-favored-nation" price control that Congress has repeatedly declined to enact.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • What's Next For Prediction Markets If States Win At High Court

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    While the Supreme Court hasn't taken up a prediction market case yet, a high court win for the states in their quest to regulate the exchanges would likely mean a wave of state legislature bills and regulatory guidance arriving on different timelines, rather than a single uniform transition, says Howard Herndon at Bradley Arant.

  • FDIC Standards Body Could Ease Bank Vendor Due Diligence

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    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s recently proposed standards body for bank vendors could streamline due diligence and onboarding, but banks and their third-party service providers alike should still monitor open questions around oversight, certification costs and governance, say attorneys at Clark Hill.

  • Navigating A Key Inflection Point In Biosimilar Sector M&A

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    As biosimilar mergers and acquisitions gain notice amid U.S. Food and Drug Administration reforms, a maturing patent framework and a looming patent cliff, companies diversifying into the higher-growth biologics space should align their regulatory, intellectual property and transactional strategies, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • AI Meeting Recaps Pose New Discovery And Privilege Risks

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    The New York City Bar Association’s recent ethics opinion, cautioning attorneys not to record nonclient conversations with artificial intelligence tools, reflects an emerging view that AI meeting recaps are now a distinct business record category, meaning counsel should set meeting-level controls and apply framework-level updates, says William Wright at Faegre Drinker.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: September Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses six recent rulings involving pecuniary loss in false price comparison advertising, privity in an insurance fee class, antitrust standing, immigration class representatives, retirement beneficiary class commonality, and Rule 23(f) appeals in Fair Labor Standards Act claims.

  • How Employers Can Navigate NLRB Rulings Ripe For Reversal

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    Given a recent National Labor Relations Board memo seeking to reverse several precedents — including on severance agreements and workplace policies — employers should prepare now to restore broader protections when the board acts, while following the law as it exists today, says Howard Lavin at Thompson Coburn.

  • What Comes Next For Digital Asset Regs After Clarity Act Flop

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    After the U.S. Senate recently blocked the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, agency rulemaking could still offer a near-term remedy, and companies meanwhile should monitor the existing framework assembled from enforcement precedent and case law in the absence of a purpose-built statute, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • FDA Bill Shows Risk Of Inexact Statute Text, Post-Loper Bright

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    A recent House bill to amend the Food and Drug Administration's drug preclusion framework reveals the increased importance of precision when drafting statutory rules in a post-Loper Bright landscape, as several minor errors in the text could lock in unintended results that will be difficult to repeal, say attorneys at Venable.

  • Species 'Harm' Definition Rollback Brings Risk For Developers

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    A rule recently adopted by federal agencies rescinds the definition of "harm" in Endangered Species Act regulations to exclude habitat destruction — but while the move is aimed at reducing regulatory burdens, it creates new uncertainty for developers, and may trigger increased environmental protections in California, say attorneys at Cox Castle.

  • $95M Nev. Case Provides Clues On Wound Care Enforcement

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    Federal prosecutors’ recent U.S. v. Dubin indictment, charging a Nevada physician with healthcare fraud over an alleged $95 million Medicare billing scheme involving amniotic wound allografts, provides a clearer picture of an increasingly data-driven enforcement strategy that follows the entire wound care transaction, say attorneys at Bass Berry.

  • DOJ Fraud Memo Highlights Trade Enforcement Playbook

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    A recent U.S. Department of Justice memo that outlines the Fraud Enforcement Division's priorities demonstrates that customs and trade fraud enforcement has entered a new and far more aggressive phase, with recent cases highlighting how the False Claims act is driving the new push, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • HPE-Juniper Settlement Teaches Key Tunney Act Lessons

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    A California federal court's recent approval of the U.S. Department of Justice's settlement with Hewlett Packard over its Juniper Networks acquisition offers legal practitioners some crucial lessons, including on unique tech-sector remedies for mergers and acquisitions and the continued viability of the Tunney Act, says Shubha Ghosh at Syracuse University College of Law.

  • What Opt-In Framework Means For Novel Space Activities

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    The U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Space Commerce is advancing a voluntary certification framework for commercial space activities not covered by existing licenses — but it's unclear whether this approach becomes a durable mission authorization regime, and separate legal permissions from agencies may still be necessary, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Negotiating The Scope Of The Stablecoin Customer ID Rule

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    Though comments on bank regulators’ proposed rule for stablecoin issuers under the Genius Act generally agree that oversight would help prevent illicit activity, agencies must reconcile disagreement over whether to extend customer identification requirements from issuers' primary-market relationships to secondary-markets activity, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • How To Improve Hiring Transparency Amid Ghost Job Scrutiny

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    Recent regulatory and state law scrutiny of ghost job postings for roles that don't exist or aren't being filled signals a shift toward hiring transparency, and employers that fail to adapt risk enforcement actions, consumer protection claims and financial penalties, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

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