Public Policy

  • September 17, 2026

    Weaponization Fund Plaintiffs Say Discovery Ruling Was Right

    Plaintiffs suing over the Trump administration's once-proposed "anti-weaponization fund" are telling a Virginia federal judge to reject the U.S. Department of Justice's objections to a magistrate judge's discovery order, accusing the administration of stonewalling their requests and urging prompt discovery production.

  • September 17, 2026

    Industry Groups, IP Attys Back High Court PTAB Denials Case

    The bar association for the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, a group of intellectual property law attorneys and others have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to scrutinize the discretionary denial policies of current U.S. Patent and Trademark Office leadership.

  • September 17, 2026

    Colo. $2B Graduated Tax Proposal Faces Signature Challenge

    A proposal to cut Colorado income tax rates for most earners, raise rates for high earners and raise $2 billion annually failed to gather the signatures needed to reach the state's November ballot, a lawsuit against state election officials charges.

  • September 17, 2026

    Groups Seek 4.4 GHz Revamp, But Clash On Exclusive Use

    Top wireless carriers and shared-spectrum advocates issued reports this week saying the government needs to set the 4 gigahertz band on a path toward industry use, but are at odds on whether to set aside the airwaves for full-power exclusive licenses.

  • September 17, 2026

    DOJ Official Says Political Appointees Play Antitrust Role

    Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. on Thursday defended the role political appointees play in enforcing antitrust laws, saying it would be "blatantly unconstitutional" if U.S. Department of Justice leadership merely deferred to unelected officials.

  • September 17, 2026

    Electricity Tax Rules Kept In Irish EU Reg Draft, Over Protests

    The Irish government, currently leading the Council of the European Union, kept rules requiring tax rates on electricity to be no less favorable than those on natural gas in its revision of a draft EU regulation, despite some member states' objections, according to a document obtained Thursday by Law360.

  • September 17, 2026

    Judge Finds NM PFAS Label Likely Violates First Amendment

    A New Mexico federal judge temporarily blocked the state from requiring manufacturers to place a PFAS label on any product intentionally made with forever chemicals, finding the groups opposed to the mandate likely have First Amendment grounds to challenge it.

  • September 17, 2026

    Judge Nixes Workers' Bid To Halt IRS Withholding Rules

    A Texas federal judge dismissed two workers' claims that the Internal Revenue Service's income tax withholding regulations resulted in employers overdeducting taxes from their employees' paychecks, finding that federal law bars the workers' bid to prevent tax collection.

  • September 17, 2026

    Senate Confirms Kirkland Partner To Texas Federal Bench

    The Senate voted 49-45 on Thursday to confirm Kasdin Miller Mitchell, a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, to serve as a U.S. district judge for the Northern District of Texas.

  • September 17, 2026

    NIH Grant Terminations Violate First Amendment, Court Told

    The National Institutes of Health is violating the First Amendment by terminating research grants based on policies aimed at suppressing "disfavored" viewpoints on gender identity, climate change and a host of other topics, researchers told a California federal court in a proposed class action suit.

  • September 17, 2026

    Cruz, Markey Urge Senate To Pass Bill To Keep AM Radio In New Cars

    Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., have called on the Senate to advance the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act following its passage in the House of Representatives.

  • September 17, 2026

    Tech Co. Settles Suit Over Flawed NC Digital Court System

    A putative class of individuals who alleged they were wrongfully arrested or detained due to glitches in North Carolina's electronic court system has settled its federal lawsuit against Tyler Technologies, the software developer behind the new digital court system, according to a notice filed Wednesday.

  • September 17, 2026

    Canada Commits To Trade Initiatives With EU, Southeast Asia

    Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday committed to work with European Union officials to enhance the trading relationship between the bloc and Canada as the country's top trade official is scheduled to visit major partners in Asia in the coming days to advance negotiations on trade agreements.

  • September 17, 2026

    Tenn. Prosecutor Immune In $850K Hemp Seizure Suit

    A Tennessee federal judge has dismissed a hemp distributor's claims against a district attorney general over 216 pounds of hemp that was seized, then destroyed, following a 2023 traffic stop, finding he has prosecutorial immunity.

  • September 17, 2026

    Calif. Judge Holds Off On Sanctioning ICE Amid GEO Talks

    A California federal judge deferred imposing sanctions on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Thursday after the agency said it's working to give monitors access to health records for detained immigrants at a facility where the judge has twice ordered conditions to be improved.

  • September 17, 2026

    Minn. Homeowner Asks Justices To Undo Costs Order

    A self-represented Minnesota homeowner's effort to throw out tax court order recovering a county's litigation costs in a property valuation dispute will go before the state Supreme Court, according to a writ of certiorari filed Thursday.

  • September 17, 2026

    1st Circ. Lets HUD Shift $1.3B In Homelessness Aid

    A First Circuit panel said the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development may redirect $1.3 billion in homelessness funding from programs that focus on permanent housing to those supporting temporary shelter and assistance, finding the Trump administration likely was not required to go through a notice-and-comment procedure.

  • September 17, 2026

    A Single-Party FTC May Make Complaint OKs Easier, At A Cost

    The Federal Trade Commission has ditched its historical multimember, multiparty ethos for a one-party regime in which fewer dissents might make it easier for Chairman Andrew Ferguson to pursue his agenda, but it also forecloses the potential "moderating influence" that comes with winning broad buy-in from commissioners of two parties.

  • September 17, 2026

    Republicans Move Trump's CFPB Pick Ahead To Full Senate

    President Donald Trump's latest pick to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau moved closer to confirmation Thursday as Republican lawmakers voted to advance his nomination to the U.S. Senate floor.

  • September 17, 2026

    Commerce Orders Duties On Algerian Steel Rod Imports

    Imports of carbon and alloy steel wire rod from Algeria will be subject to a countervailing duty after the U.S. Department of Commerce finalized its determination Thursday that the imports are benefiting from government subsidies.

  • September 17, 2026

    Ex-Conn. Budget Official Flees US Before Corruption Sentence

    Former Connecticut budget official Konstantinos Diamantis slipped out of the United States before learning his fate on federal corruption charges by driving to Florida, taking a boat to the Bahamas, and flying to London, apparently using a Greek passport he was not supposed to possess, attorneys revealed in court Thursday.

  • September 17, 2026

    SEC Issues Innovation Exemption For Tokenized Stock Trading

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday unveiled its long-awaited innovation exemption, permitting certain crypto projects and liquidity providers to support tokenized stock trading for a five-year period without registering as exchanges or dealers.

  • September 16, 2026

    Post-Cambridge Analytica Investigation Unserious, Jury Told

    New Mexico jurors heard testimony Wednesday from a former Facebook employee that the social media giant's investigation of third-party app developers after the Cambridge Analytica scandal was weakened by executive anger over the cost and pressure for it to wrap up, among other things.

  • September 16, 2026

    Express Scripts Seeks To Exit AIDS Group's Drug Rate Suit

    Express Scripts called on a Washington federal judge to toss a lawsuit accusing it of using its market power to bully the AIDS Healthcare Foundation into accepting lower reimbursement rates for life-saving drugs, contending Tuesday that the case rehashes allegations a Missouri federal court has already rejected twice.

  • September 16, 2026

    Protesters Say Feds' Fight Shows Need For Misconduct Probe

    The U.S. government's opposition to a special investigation of prosecutorial misconduct that "poisoned" a now-dismissed criminal conspiracy case suggests Chicago prosecutors are still shielding critical details regarding the extent of official communications preceding the prosecution, underscoring the probe's necessity, protesters argued Tuesday.

Expert Analysis

  • A Road Map To Modernizing Clinical Lab Regulations

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    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' recent request for comments on potential changes to the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments provides an early indication of where CLIA is headed, and the operational, compliance, reimbursement and enforcement issues those changes will create, says Jose Vela at Clark Hill.

  • IRS Notice Helps Bridge Carbon Capture Reporting Gap

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    Recent guidance that extends a safe harbor for taxpayers claiming Section 45Q carbon capture credits provides a temporary reporting method that may keep viable projects moving while the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Environmental Protection Agency address future reporting standards, says Peter Lowy at Nelson Mullins.

  • How GCs Can Assess The Risks Of Emerging AI Laws

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    Amid a swirl of momentous legislative activity aimed at regulating artificial intelligence, general counsel must return to first principles when determining whether new laws will apply and whether the company’s use could cause regulators to subject it to additional regulation, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Illinois Domestic Violence Law Expands Employer Obligations

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    With a new Illinois law expanding domestic violence protections by redefining harassment for the digital age and making protective orders more accessible, employers should review their policies and training programs as they will likely encounter more orders and a wider range of workplace restrictions, say attorneys at Nixon Peabody.

  • What State AI Election Laws Mean For The 2026 Midterms

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    In the absence of federal rules governing artificial intelligence in elections and no consensus emerging across state laws, campaigns, their vendors and AI developers must address the risks associated with outdated rules written for other problems, says Matthew Shapanka at Covington.

  • Why Pa. Push For Brownfield Renewables May Not Be Enough

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    A recent executive order from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro directed state regulators to expedite siting of clean energy development on former industrial sites — but additional reforms may be needed to effectively eliminate barriers to these types of projects, says Louis Dodge at Langsam Stevens.

  • Draft Biosolids Guidance Illuminates EPA's Approach To PFAS

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    Recent draft guidance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on mitigating risks from two "forever chemicals" in sewage sludge is not legally binding, but its recommendations may help wastewater treatment plants operators, landowners, farmers, water agencies and the public understand the agency's current thinking, says Ayodeji Ayolola at Gordon Rees.

  • 4 Words In A 1980 Law Could Redraw Bank Lending

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    The Tenth Circuit's interpretation of a single phrase in the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act could reshape interstate bank lending, requiring banks and fintechs to document loan-making functions, monitor repayment triggers, and reassess true lender and contractual risks, say attorneys at Sheppard.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Cultivating Good Judgment

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    Law schools generally overlook the role that solid judgment skills play in real-world practice, but attorneys can bridge the gap by strengthening their abilities to assess a case’s strengths and weaknesses, develop and execute effective strategies, and provide clear recommendations to clients, says Manny Caixeiro at Venable.

  • Responding To State Packaging Law Uncertainty

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    As states roll out new packaging and recycling mandates, companies face expanding compliance duties and a growing wave of constitutional challenges that offer key lessons for managing regulatory risk, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • CMS Rule, DOJ Probes Deepen Gender Care Compliance Risk

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    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' final rule restricting Medicaid funding for hospitals that provide gender-affirming care is likely to face immediate litigation, but the CMS rulemaking is already working alongside U.S. Department of Justice's enforcement campaign to create operational risk for providers, say attorneys at Arnall Golden.

  • New Del. Corp. Law's Technical Tweaks Bring Broad Changes

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    While the new amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law, which took effect on Aug. 1, appear technical, they have broad implications for wound-down corporations and carry personal exposure for whoever signed the certificate of dissolution, hinting at where entity law is heading next, says Ashwin Ram at Buchalter.

  • How Trucking Cos. Can Tackle Risk From New DOJ Task Force

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    Trucking companies should audit their drivers’ credentials and address risk areas lest they attract the attention of the new Justice Department-led task force against the fraudulent licensing of immigrants as commercial truckers, which is turning former questions of administrative or regulatory noncompliance into matters for federal prosecution, say attorneys at RJO.

  • What To Expect From Colorado's New Artist Co. Structure

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    Colorado's newly established class of artist companies, or A-Corps, provides a useful structure for small-scale ventures, but challenges could arise for more complex business plans, and limitations on investor participation may limit widespread adoption, say attorneys at Armstrong Teasdale.

  • 2 Cases Shed Light On Invoking The 5th Before Congress

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    Given the anticipated increase in congressional investigations following the midterm elections, those who anticipate being in Congress' spotlight can draw valuable Fifth Amendment lessons from the ongoing case involving Dr. Anthony Fauci's testimony and the D.C. Circuit’s recent ruling in de la Torre v. Cassidy, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

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