Public Policy

  • September 16, 2026

    Tenn. Must Face Adult-Entertainment Groups' Age-Check Suit

    A federal judge in Tennessee has ruled that the state must face a suit from free speech advocates, an individual adult-content creator and adult-entertainment industry groups claiming a state law requiring age checks violates their First Amendment rights.

  • September 16, 2026

    Calif. AI Law Requires Ads To Disclose 'Synthetic Performers'

    Advertisements shown in California that feature artificial intelligence-generated actors must explicitly disclose that such "synthetic performers" were used under a new SAG-AFTRA-backed bill that California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law Wednesday.

  • September 16, 2026

    9th Circ. Greenlights Blocking Kalshi Contracts On Tribal Land

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday reversed an order denying California tribes' request for a preliminary injunction seeking to block Kalshi and Robinhood from offering sports-event contracts on tribal lands, finding the tribes will likely win their Indian Gaming Regulatory Act claims, and "this is the 'stuff' of sports betting."

  • September 16, 2026

    DTE Faces Suit Alleging Retaliation Over Fermi 2 Safety Data

    A longtime employee of utility DTE Electric Co.'s Fermi 2 nuclear energy plant has said he was forced out of his job because he reported safety data discrepancies to upper management and human resources, accusing the company of retaliation in Michigan federal court.

  • September 16, 2026

    House Clears Russia Sanctions Bill With New Tariff Powers

    The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation Wednesday that would enhance President Donald Trump's economic tools to pressure Russia and Iran, including new tariff authorities to impose duties on imports from countries found to economically support Russia, sending the bill to his desk.

  • September 16, 2026

    EPA's Policy Repeals May Spell Exit From Climate Regulation

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's latest move to undo Biden-era greenhouse gas emissions rules lays legal groundwork for the agency to completely abandon climate change regulation, though it remains to be seen whether courts will endorse a full-blown retreat.

  • September 16, 2026

    Kroger Faces Skepticism In Bid To Slash Wash. AG's Fee Win

    A Washington appellate judge expressed skepticism Wednesday at Kroger's bid to dismiss or reduce the state's $28.4 million fee award for successfully challenging the proposed merger with Albertsons, saying Kroger doesn't know how the Washington State Attorney General's Office split the work with the lead law firm that handled the bench trial.

  • September 16, 2026

    Judge Extends Supervision Over Migrant Teen Detention

    A D.C. federal court has said it'll continue to supervise the federal government after finding it repeatedly failed to make individualized determinations on whether certain migrant teenagers should be placed in a less restrictive alternative to adult immigration detention upon turning 18.

  • September 16, 2026

    AP Sues Courts Over Rule Blocking Habeas Records Access

    The Associated Press, in a new lawsuit, is fighting the federal courts for digital access to habeas filings, arguing that a rule curtailing electronic access to the records is unconstitutional and has hampered coverage of the tens of thousands of such cases filed since President Donald Trump's second term began.

  • September 16, 2026

    Newman Saga Prompts Bill To Limit Judicial Suspensions

    The long-running saga over Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's fitness to remain on the court has exposed "major flaws" in the judicial accountability system, according to a Republican member of the House who introduced a bill Wednesday to reform it.

  • September 16, 2026

    House Panel Advances Digital Asset Tax Framework

    Congress would create parity between the tax treatment of digital assets and traditional financial assets, as well as institute safeguards against abuse, under a bipartisan digital asset tax framework package passed by the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday.

  • September 16, 2026

    Zillow Must Arbitrate MLS Claims, Compass Claims Paused

    An Illinois federal court has refused Zillow's request for an injunction in its case accusing a Chicago-area multiple listing service of working with Compass to block access to home listings and sent the claims against the MLS to arbitration.

  • September 16, 2026

    1st Circ. Hints Trump Admin Sought To Skirt Review Of Cuts

    The First Circuit on Wednesday repeatedly suggested that the Trump administration had sought to evade court review by intentionally failing to issue written guidance before it began shuttering federal programs targeted by the president in an executive order last year.

  • September 16, 2026

    BofA Settles Suit Over Maryland Pandemic Benefits Cards

    Bank of America on Wednesday agreed to settle a proposed class action alleging it mismanaged Maryland's unemployment benefits debit cards during the pandemic.

  • September 16, 2026

    Del. Defends Absentee Voting Law At State High Court

    Two Delaware Senate candidates urged the Delaware Supreme Court on Wednesday to strike down the state's permanent absentee voting system as unconstitutional, while state election officials defended the law as a valid way to administer absentee voting for people who remain eligible over multiple elections.

  • September 16, 2026

    SEC Floats Eliminating Shareholder Proposal Rule

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday proposed a number of changes to the way publicly traded companies seek shareholder input, including by promising to eliminate one of the pathways shareholders can use to place their own proposals on corporate ballots. 

  • September 16, 2026

    FTC Deal Bars Gunmakers From Overlapping Board Members

    Beretta Holding SA is swearing off putting any of its own executives on fellow gunmaker Ruger's board under a Federal Trade Commission settlement announced Wednesday addressing competitive overlap concerns from a more than $100 million deal that will increase Beretta's stake in the company from 9.95% to up to 25%.

  • September 16, 2026

    Va. DOT Warns FCC Deadlines For Permits May Be Too Short

    The Virginia Department of Transportation has warned the Federal Communications Commission that a plan to limit state and local telecom permit reviews to 120 days might not offer enough time, especially if service providers' applications are faulty.

  • September 16, 2026

    ICE Blocked From Threatening Critic Who Sent Scathing Email

    A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday blocked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from threatening to prosecute a critic who sent a scathing email comparing then-acting Director Todd Lyons to a Nazi, saying the "warning notice" ICE agents issued on the Rochester man's doorstep likely violates his free speech rights. 

  • September 16, 2026

    80 Hospitals End Suit Over Now Vacated HHS Payment Rule

    A group of 80 hospitals has voluntarily ended a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services over denied Medicare payment appeals after a D.C. federal court vacated a 2023 rule affecting how those payments were calculated.

  • September 16, 2026

    States Say DOJ's RealPage Deal Doesn't Affect Their Claims

    A group of states told a North Carolina federal court to reject property management software company RealPage Inc.'s argument that its rent price-fixing settlement with the federal government moots the states' antitrust claims.

  • September 16, 2026

    DOJ Says Groups Can't Halt Rule Skipping Asylum Interviews

    The Trump administration told a D.C. federal judge that immigrant legal service providers lack standing to challenge a rule permitting asylum officers to skip interviews if someone is ineligible for asylum and send those cases straight to immigration court.

  • September 16, 2026

    10th Circ. Clears The Way To Fill Denver's Expanded Reservoir

    The Tenth Circuit has cleared the way for Denver Water to begin filling an expanded reservoir that holds the city's water supply, finding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did not err when approving a permit for the project.

  • September 16, 2026

    Pa. Justices Ask When Canes, Hot Dogs Become Crime Tools

    Pennsylvania's justices contemplated pummeling one another with canes, gavels and hot dogs as they grappled with what transforms a mundane object into an "instrument of crime" during arguments Wednesday.

  • September 16, 2026

    Conn. Judge Trims Claims In 3M Firefighter PFAS Suit

    A Connecticut federal judge has dismissed some "forever chemicals" allegations lodged against 3M Co. by state firefighter unions and firefighters in a Minnesota multidistrict litigation concerning municipalities that purchased firefighting turnout gear, ruling that the unions lack associational standing over certain claims in the case.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Shareholder Derivative Litigation Needs A Better Framework

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    Uncoordinated, multiforum shareholder derivative litigation is a growing issue for corporate defendants that have little to no recourse for organizing and consolidating actions, but several commonsense steps should be utilized to preempt such disputes, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • How Justices' TPS Ruling Affects Workforce Planning

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent holding in Mullin v. Doe that courts lack jurisdiction to review temporary protected status determinations greenlights the end of TPS for thousands of Syrian and Haitian nationals, and means employers must reevaluate TPS-designees' employability while avoiding discriminatory document practices, says attorney Richard Herman.

  • How State, Local Rules Are Expanding Debt Collection Reach

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    Consumer protection rules recently enacted by several states signal that the rules of debt collection are being rewritten at a pace that should command the attention of every creditor, servicer, debt buyer, collection agency and collection law firm operating across state lines, says Weldianne Scales at Reed Smith.

  • How Nixing Trade-Through Rule Would Alter Equity Markets

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent proposal to rescind the trade-through rule and the locked-and-crossed-markets prohibition represents one of the most significant potential changes to U.S. equity market structure in two decades, affecting exchanges, broker-dealers, and institutional and retail investors alike, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Reviving Prize Law Would Reshape Maritime Seizure Risks

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    Recent U.S. maritime interdictions of sanctioned tankers and shadow fleet vessels raise urgent questions about whether civil forfeiture or prize law — a framework that has not been meaningfully tested since the Spanish-American War — governs and the potential impacts on vessel owners, charterers and insurers, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • The Nuance Between The Atkins, Gensler SEC Strategic Plans

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    U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins' recent draft strategic plan is a marked departure from that of former Chair Gary Gensler, portraying an intention to leave decisions to the market rather than steering corporate behavior through expansive disclosure mandates and regulatory enforcement, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Future Of Fed Independence Shaky After Justices' Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Trump v. Cook preserved the Federal Reserve's formal independence but could invite the president to remove board members with just modest protections, leaving the central bank's autonomy uncertain and potentially setting up fresh clashes over other agencies, says Steven Schwinn at the University of Chicago.

  • Series

    Mich. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The second quarter brought several notable financial services law developments to Michigan, including a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on state tax foreclosures, progress on a money transmission modernization bill package, and continued legislative momentum on cryptocurrency and mortgage lending, say attorneys at Dykema.

  • How New FERC Orders Are Prepping Grid For Large Loads

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    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's recent show-cause orders to grid operators to justify how their rates and regulations account for the interconnection of large and colocated loads like data centers may be just the first step in FERC's efforts to address anticipated reliability and affordability challenges in the coming years, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.

  • FDA Moves Leave Peptides In A Legal Gray Zone

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    While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has taken a concrete step forward on reclassifying certain peptides, the practical consequence of their interim status cannot be overstated — these substances are no longer designated as posing a significant safety risk, but they have not been affirmatively authorized for compounding, say attorneys at Sheppard.

  • Series

    Bass Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Landing a trophy striped bass and closing a big deal both require cultivating the patience to finesse — not force — your way to desired outcomes, changing course when your old approach isn’t working and learning from the ones that got away, says Jon Ruiss at Alston & Bird.

  • What Consent Decree Trends Mean For Deal Clearances

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    With merger remedies back on the table under the current administration, an analysis of recent Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice consent decrees reveals that prior approval and prior notice provisions are no longer a foregone conclusion, and companies may be able to negotiate narrowly tailored obligations, say attorneys at Weil.

  • Series

    NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The year's second quarter brought several notable banking law developments to New York, including a proposal to align state stablecoin rules with the federal Genius Act, fresh fair lending and cybersecurity guidance from state regulators, and a significant Second Circuit holding on preemption, say attorneys at Ashurst Perkins Coie.

  • How Reincorporating In Texas May Alter Earnout Disputes

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    While the DExit debate has focused on shareholder suits, far less attention has been paid to what reincorporating in Texas means for M&A disputes, making it particularly important to understand the nuances between Delaware and Texas earnout jurisprudence, say attorneys at Selendy Gay.

  • What To Know If DOL Raises Overtime Salary Floor

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    With the U.S. Department of Labor recently rescinding a 2024 rule that increased the minimum salary for the Fair Labor Standards Act's overtime exemptions, employers should assess how a future increase would affect their workforce, paying particular attention to job duties requirements and state laws, says James Coleman at Constangy.

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