Public Policy

  • September 11, 2026

    State Dept. Must Give Court 3 Diversity Visa Updates A Week

    A California federal judge has ordered the U.S. Department of State to provide three updates per week on the status of diversity visa applications, saying he was "troubled" by the lack of progress since he ordered adjudications to be resumed.

  • September 11, 2026

    5th Circ. Says Enviro Groups Timely In Prairie-Chicken Fight

    The Fifth Circuit on Friday allowed two environmental groups to join a lawsuit over the endangered designation of the lesser prairie-chicken, saying their second request to intervene was timely filed after the Trump administration made it clear it would stop defending the designation.

  • September 11, 2026

    Copyright Office To Test New Registration System In Late 2026

    The U.S. Copyright Office is making progress on its launch of its new modernized registration system, with plans to start rolling out some functions to Copyright Public Modernization Committee members later this year, leaders said Friday.

  • September 11, 2026

    Wis. Groups Say Warrantless Flock Searches Violate Chatrie

    Wisconsin privacy groups have sued a group of local governments over their warrantless searches of Flock Group Inc. camera data, arguing that they run afoul of the Fourth Amendment after the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Chatrie v. U.S.

  • September 11, 2026

    Tatneft Says Ukraine Is Politicizing $173M Award Appeal

    The Russian oil company Tatneft pressed the D.C. Circuit on Thursday to restart litigation aimed at enforcing a confirmed $173 million arbitral award against Ukraine, accusing the country of relying on "unsupported assertions and innuendo" to keep the case on pause indefinitely.

  • September 11, 2026

    Employers In Bind As Noncitizen Workers Lose TPS

    The Trump administration's rollback of Temporary Protected Status for 13 of 17 countries that had the designation has put work authorization for hundreds of thousands of noncitizen workers at risk across various industries, including healthcare, hospitality and construction.

  • September 11, 2026

    U of Mich. Hit With Suit Over Foreign Service Tuition Rate

    A student has accused the University of Michigan of violating federal law and his constitutional rights by refusing to grant him in-state tuition despite his parents' claim that Michigan is their permanent legal residence and his father's service as a U.S. Foreign Service officer overseas. 

  • September 11, 2026

    9th Circ. Leaves VA On Hook For Homeless Vet Housing

    The full Ninth Circuit Friday refused to revisit a ruling requiring the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to build supportive housing for homeless disabled veterans, sparking dissents that accused judges of swapping their robes for hard hats and "bulldozing" established disability law.

  • September 11, 2026

    DOJ Gets Final OK For Agri Stats Antitrust Settlement

    A Minnesota federal court has granted final approval to the U.S. Department of Justice's settlement with Agri Stats, with the company agreeing to stop offering the sales reports for meat processors at the center of the case.

  • September 11, 2026

    7th Circ. Probes Ill. Nonprofit Demographic Disclosure Law

    A Seventh Circuit panel wrestled Friday with whether Illinois' law requiring nonprofits to publicize their demographic data merely encourages diversity or unconstitutionally compels speech, with one judge questioning whether its "nudging effects" establish an injury while another highlighted legislators' statements indicating a push to influence leadership or donor decisions.

  • September 11, 2026

    New IHS Director Says Bill Protects $5.3B In Health Programs

    Newly confirmed Indian Health Service Director Mark Cruz in one of the first acts of his four-year term has told tribal leaders that $5.3 billion in federal funds earmarked for IHS programs is safe following the U.S. government's passage of a stopgap spending bill.

  • September 11, 2026

    3M Wants Conn. Firefighter PFAS Suit Moved To Different MDL

    3M Co. has asked to peel PFAS "forever chemicals" claims by Connecticut firefighter unions and several individuals away from a recently empaneled Minnesota multidistrict litigation containing claims by municipalities who purchased firefighting turnout gear, arguing the unions' and individuals' allegations instead belong in an ongoing South Carolina MDL.

  • September 11, 2026

    DC Circ. Probes DOT Authority To Withhold Calif. Funds

    A panel of D.C. Circuit judges grilled a Trump administration attorney Friday over the U.S. Department of Transportation's move to slash California's federal highway funding because of the state's commercial driver's licensing rules for nondomiciled drivers, wondering whether the agency had any authority to take the drastic measure.

  • September 11, 2026

    Prediction Markets' High Court Clash Looks More Imminent

    The widespread clash over whether the regulation of prediction markets falls under federal or state jurisdiction was bound to land in the U.S. Supreme Court, and a new circuit split and urgent policy questions may force the justices' hands to take up the issue.

  • September 11, 2026

    FCC Can't Avoid Final Order On Fox Philly Issue, Court Told

    A media advocacy group told the D.C. Circuit on Friday that the Federal Communications Commission cannot sidestep its duty to issue a final order on whether to dismiss a petition over Fox TV's character fitness for a broadcast license in Philadelphia.

  • September 11, 2026

    Zurich Needn't Cover Auto Dealers In Deceptive Pricing Row

    Two Zurich units have no duty to defend or indemnify a group of auto dealers accused by the Federal Trade Commission and the Maryland Attorney General's Office of misrepresenting the cost of vehicles to consumers, a Virginia federal judge ruled Friday.

  • September 11, 2026

    Bank Regulators Propose Tailored Third-Party Risk Guidance

    Federal banking regulators Friday proposed revisiting 3-year-old guidance on third-party risk management for banks, saying they plan to let banks tailor their practices more specifically to the actual risk posed by each relationship.

  • September 11, 2026

    IRS Can Withhold Docs That May Air Taxpayer ID, Court Rules

    The IRS may withhold documents sought by a tax news publisher, a Washington, D.C., federal judge said, finding the subject is prominent enough that disclosing the records could allow the taxpayer to be identified using a former IRS contractor's leak of President Donald Trump's tax returns and thousands of others.

  • September 11, 2026

    Australian Bill Would Hone R&D Tax Credit To Newer Firms

    The Australian government is seeking input on a bill that would narrow eligibility for its research and development tax credit to newer firms while raising the value of the credit for businesses that qualify, the Department of the Treasury said Friday.

  • September 11, 2026

    Mich. Township Seeks To Pause Winery Events Fight

    A northern Michigan township asked a federal judge to dismiss or stay a lawsuit brought by several local wineries that claim the township is attempting to bypass a previous court ruling to block them from hosting special events, saying the township's appeal of that earlier ruling remains pending in the Sixth Circuit.

  • September 11, 2026

    ABA Cyber Task Force Co-Chair Eyes AI Education Boost

    With the legal industry presenting a more and more enticing target for cyberattacks, it's becoming increasingly important for practitioners to know how to best protect clients' data and most effectively use emerging artificial intelligence tools — a task that the American Bar Association's Cybersecurity Legal Task Force is well positioned to assist with, its incoming co-chair recently told Law360.

  • September 11, 2026

    Corp. Transparency Law Unconstitutional, Justices Told

    The Supreme Court should find that the Corporate Transparency Act is unconstitutional to prevent a future administration from reviving its application to domestic entities, the National Small Business Association told the justices.

  • September 11, 2026

    RV Part Cos. Give Enforcers More Time To Review Merger

    LCI Industries and Patrick Industries have pulled and refiled their merger notices, giving enforcers with the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice additional time to review a planned merger between two of the nation's biggest RV parts suppliers.

  • September 11, 2026

    Commerce Probing 3 Nations' Hydraulic Cylinders For Duties

    The U.S. Department of Commerce is investigating whether linear hydraulic cylinders imported into the U.S. from China, India and Mexico are benefiting from government subsidies, it said Friday.

  • September 11, 2026

    ITC Probing Imported Pizza Boxes For Possible Harms

    The U.S. International Trade Commission said Friday it is investigating whether corrugated pizza boxes imported into the country from China, Malaysia and Turkey that are being allegedly sold at unfair prices are harming U.S. domestic industry.

Expert Analysis

  • Challenging Detention After 5th Circ. Ends Bond Clocks

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    After the vacatur of the Fifth Circuit’s holding that the U.S. Constitution requires bond hearings for detained noncriminal noncitizens, practitioners should go back to filing habeas petitions, pending the court's en banc rehearing, says Kemal Hepsen at Mandamus Lawyers.

  • Patent Eligibility Bulletin: New USPTO Guidance And AI Risks

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    In the second quarter of 2026, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office updated its subject matter eligibility declarations in line with its increasingly permissive patent eligibility stance, while the Federal Circuit rigorously applied the Alice framework in a decision that highlighted risks facing patent claims that utilize artificial intelligence and machine learning, say attorneys at Banner Witcoff.

  • A Shift In How Policymakers Are Approaching PBM Regulation

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    Recent federal and state legislative and regulatory activity involving pharmacy benefit managers represent a change in focus from transparency to PBM compensation structures, vertical integration and competitive effects, say attorneys at Barclay Damon.

  • Workplace Menopause Laws Demand New HR Playbooks

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    A recent wave of state and local legislation that makes menopause an expressly protected condition in the workplace creates new compliance obligations amid an already ambiguous federal framework, and demands a workplace culture where employees feel safe asking for support, says Elliot Griffin at Ballard Spahr.

  • How State Actions Are Reshaping Surveillance Pricing Risk

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    Amid heightened state enforcement activity and expanding legislative action to curb surveillance pricing concerns related to transparency, fairness and discrimination, businesses should closely examine how consumer data is used in pricing decisions, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • State Of Insurance: Q2 Notes From Illinois

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    The second quarter of 2026 featured a trio of auto insurance opinions from Illinois' appellate courts, addressing a notice requirement, narrowing insurers' exposure for delayed payment of underinsured motorist claims, and creating a district split on coverage for employee-drivers under employers' policies, says Matthew Fortin at BatesCarey.

  • Tips For Issuers Left In Lurch Without Genius Act Final Rules

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    The compliance runway envisioned by the Genius Act is steadily shrinking after regulators failed to finalize all the required implementing regulations by July 18, so stablecoin issuers should begin implementing "no-regrets" compliance measures and securing outside vendors before the law takes full effect in January, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.

  • Why Courts Are Pushing Back On Greenwashing Laws

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    Recent Fourth Circuit and California federal court decisions blocking state greenwashing statutes on First Amendment grounds reveal a tension at the heart of environmental marketing regulation — while states want clarity, courts aren't prepared to let legislatures flatly ban categories of truthful commercial speech, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • What NYC Bridge Crash Signals About Micromobility Liability

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    A recent fatal crash between a cyclist and a man riding a high-powered electric scooter on New York City's Queensboro Bridge highlights how litigation over accidents involving micromobility devices may increasingly shift away from ordinary negligence and toward product liability, says Jeff Korek at Gersowitz Libo.

  • 3 Ways Tokenization Is Moving To Traditional Finance

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    Recent initiatives reflect efforts to integrate distributed ledger technology into existing regulatory frameworks for securities, banking and payments settlements while preserving the underlying rights and obligations of market participants, say attorneys at Hughes Hubbard.

  • At The Intersection Of Right-To-Repair Laws And IP Rights

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    Right-to-repair legislation passing through Congress highlights a broad tension between manufacturers' security measures and consumer autonomy, with important repercussions for the automotive industry's intellectual property rights, says Keith Noe at Lando & Anastasi. 

  • Opinion

    States Should Reconsider Forced PBM Divestiture Laws

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    State legislatures are attempting to enact policies intended to force pharmacy benefit managers to divest from pharmacies, but these laws would have the practical effect of reducing patient access and competition, potentially violating the U.S. Constitution in the process, says former Utah Attorney General John Swallow.

  • HSR Deals Proceed More Steadily Than Narratives Suggest

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    The most recent Hart-Scott-Rodino Act data show that transaction volume remained relatively stable, transaction values continued to increase and enforcement activity remained low, suggesting that enforcement rates have been relatively consistent across presidential administrations despite widely differing public rhetoric regarding merger enforcement, says Amanda Wait at Michael Best.

  • Assessing The Benefits Of Fla.'s Newest Business Structure

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    As of July 1, Florida business owners can create protected series LLCs to shield assets from liability while avoiding increased costs and wasted time, but burdensome recordkeeping obligations are crucial to maintaining the very protection that makes them attractive in the first place, says Gregory Ritter at Moritt Hock.

  • Key Post-Proposal Shifts Likely In CFPB Loss Mitigation Rule

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    Mortgage servicers, borrowers and consumer advocates should prepare for a likely narrowed version of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's loss mitigation rule, which is likely to permit sequential reviews, defer to investor guidelines, extend compliance timelines and preempt conflicting state standards, say attorneys at Goodwin.

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