Public Policy

June 24, 2025
Green Group Sues Forest Service Over NH Logging Project

A green group on Monday asked a New Hampshire federal court to strike down the U.S. Forest Service's approval of a White Mountain National Forest logging project that the group said didn't get the proper environmental review.
June 24, 2025
Judge Slams Feds' Grant Terms In Sanctuary Funding Fight

A California federal judge said federal grants that condition funding on states' cooperation with the Trump administration's immigration crackdown flout a court order blocking the administration from withholding funds from so-called sanctuary jurisdictions that limit their cooperation with federal immigration officials.
June 24, 2025
Texas Narrows Discovery Allowance In Property Tax Appeals

Texas district courts can't order discovery in property tax cases unless the discovery is requested by the appealing party under a bill signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.
June 24, 2025
GOP Budget Would Protect US From OECD Taxes, Rep. Says

Senate tax writers working on the $3.8 trillion budget reconciliation bill should support its international tax provisions intended to protect U.S. multinationals from paying higher taxes under the OECD's framework, a House Ways and Means Committee member said Tuesday.
June 24, 2025
Bloomberg 2020 Staffers Say Campaign Broke Pay Pledge

Former workers on Michael Bloomberg's 2020 presidential campaign said in a proposed class action filed in Massachusetts state court Tuesday that the media magnate and former New York City mayor reneged on a promise to keep them on the payroll through the general election.
June 24, 2025
Judge Torn On Afghan, Cameroonian TPS Removal

A Maryland federal judge appeared torn on how much — if anything — of the Trump administration's move to strip temporary protected status from Afghans and Cameroonians he could review Tuesday, with the government insisting that the termination was unreviewable and immigrant rights advocates claiming that the decision was arbitrary and capricious.
June 24, 2025
Oakland County Prosecutor Jumps Into Michigan AG Race

Karen McDonald, a county prosecutor best known for charging the parents of a teenage school shooter, is running for Michigan attorney general, according to a Tuesday campaign announcement.
June 24, 2025
Apple Assails 'Fundamentally Unfair' App Order At 9th Circ.

Apple urged the Ninth Circuit on Monday to nix a district court's "unduly punitive" mandate blocking it from charging any commission on iPhone app purchases made outside its systems, arguing an Epic Games injunction redux goes far beyond the original order and attacks conduct that's not illegal under California law.
June 24, 2025
Alaska Must Challenge Tribe's Gaming Hall In Home State

The state of Alaska must challenge federal approval for an Alaska Native tribe's gaming hall on its home turf and not in Washington, D.C., a D.C. federal judge ruled.
June 24, 2025
Cable Cos. Push For Faster 'Self-Help' To Upgrade Poles

Broadband providers need authority to quickly hire their own contractors to upgrade poles for service attachments if utilities that own the infrastructure can't get the work done quickly enough, a cable lobbying group told the Federal Communications Commission.
June 24, 2025
Ga. Justices Hold Off On Considering Wrongful Death Cap

The Supreme Court of Georgia declined Tuesday to consider whether the state's statutory cap on noneconomic damages can be applied to wrongful death suits, staving off for now a push by business lobbies to put a hard ceiling on plaintiffs' recoveries in such cases.
June 24, 2025
Mich. Court Says Nonprofit Can't Co-Own Power Project

A Michigan state appellate court on Monday found that the Michigan Public Power Agency's electric transmission lines lack the physical connection required under a 2021 law to co-own two new electric grid upgrade projects, marking the first time an appellate court has tackled the relatively new infrastructure statute.
June 24, 2025
Pa. Tax Ruling Boosts Nonprofits' Competitive Edge, Attys Say

A recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling clarifying that competitive executive compensation isn't a threat to the tax-exempt status for nonprofits has the added bonus of helping charities compete for and retain talent, attorneys tell Law360.
June 24, 2025
Trump Hones Immunity Argument In 2nd Circ. Carroll Appeal

Counsel for President Donald Trump told the Second Circuit on Tuesday that he did not "unequivocally and explicitly" waive presidential immunity before a jury awarded writer E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million in their defamation battle, refining the theory that he cannot be held liable.
June 24, 2025
Pollution Exclusion Applies Without Exception, AIG Unit Says

An AIG unit urged the Illinois Supreme Court to find that a permit or regulation allowing a company to discharge toxins into the environment has no bearing on the application of a pollution exclusion, saying "pollution is pollution" regardless of government authorization.
June 24, 2025
DHS Says District Court Defying Justices' Third Country Order

The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to clarify its order allowing the government to send noncitizens to countries they have no connection to with little or no prior warning, after a Massachusetts federal judge ruled the decision doesn't apply to men currently held at a U.S. military base in Djibouti.
June 24, 2025
UK Farmers Seek Judicial Review Of Inheritance Tax Changes

A group of farmers and family-owned businesses is taking the U.K. government to court over changes to the inheritance tax to remove exemptions for agricultural land, the firm representing the farmers announced Tuesday.
June 24, 2025
Trump Admin Must Release NIH Funds Amid Appeal

A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday denied the Trump administration's request to stay a recent order that it resume processing National Institutes of Health grant applications and releasing funds, warning that even one more day of delay would lead to irreparable harm.
June 24, 2025
Mass. Condo Value Won't Get Reduced, Board Says

The fair cash value of a Massachusetts condominium should not be lowered, the state Appellate Tax Board ruled, finding the owner failed to prove the property had decreased in value since she purchased it two months before.
June 24, 2025
CMA Outlines Potential Fixes For Google Search In UK

Britain's competition authority on Tuesday proposed applying the country's new digital markets regime to Google's search service and said it is considering potential interventions, including requiring choice screens and setting rules for search rankings.
June 24, 2025
Judiciary Warns Congress Of Cyber Risks To PACER

PACER, the online public repository of federal court documents, is vulnerable to cyberthreats, a top judiciary official told members of Congress on Tuesday.
June 24, 2025
A Midyear Review: Healthcare Dealmaking Trends Of 2025

Law360 Healthcare Authority reviews key trends that helped shape dealmaking activity in the healthcare industry so far this year.
June 24, 2025
House Reps. Seek Copyright Protections For Building Codes

Two members of Congress reintroduced a bill that would allow organizations that develop standards and codes for buildings to copyright their work so long as they offer a free version of the information.
June 23, 2025
GOP Plan For Merging Agencies Faces Reckoning, And Alarm

The Senate parliamentarian has given a thumbs-down to a Republican budget proposal that would allow President Donald Trump to unilaterally eliminate agencies through mergers and consolidation, adding to what experts say are a host of problems with the little-noticed provision.
June 23, 2025
Trump Admin Rescinds Clinton-Era 'Roadless' Logging Rule

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced Monday that she was rescinding the longstanding "Roadless Rule" limiting the number of roads built in national forests, calling the 2001 rule "outdated," contrary to the "will of Congress" and an obstacle to "common sense management of our natural resources."

Editor's Picks

Trump's Legal Battles

States, federal employee unions, various advocacy groups and several individuals have filed over 220 lawsuits challenging the Trump administration's implementation of executive orders and other initiatives. Law360 has created a database of those lawsuits, separated into categories based on their subject matter.

Expert Analysis

Fla. Condo Law Fix Clarifies Control Of Common Areas

Florida's repeal of a controversial statutory provision that permitted developers of mixed-use condominium properties to retroactively assert control over common facilities marks a critical shift in legal protections for unit owners and associations, promoting fairness, transparency and accountability, say attorneys at Pardo Jackson.
Trade In Limbo: The Legal Storm Reshaping Trump's Tariffs

In the final days of May, decisions in two significant court actions upended the tariff and trade landscape, so until the U.S. Supreme Court rules, businesses and supply chains should expect tariffs to remain in place, and for the Trump administration to continue pursuing and enforcing all available trade policies, say attorneys at Ice Miller.
Shareholder Takeaways From NY Internal Affairs Doctrine Suit

A May New York Court of Appeals decision in Ezrasons v. Rudd involving Barclays — affirming the state's "firmly entrenched" internal affairs doctrine — is a win for all corporate stakeholders seeking stability in resolving disputes between shareholders and directors and officers, say attorneys at Sadis & Goldberg.
The Legal Fallout Of The Open Model AI Ecosystem

The spread of open-weight and open-source artificial intelligence models is introducing potential harms across the supply chain, but new frameworks will allow for the growth and development of AI technologies without sacrificing the safety of end users, says Harshita Ganesh at CMBG3 Law.
Move Beyond Surface-Level Edits To Master Legal Writing

Recent instances in which attorneys filed briefs containing artificial intelligence hallucinations offer a stark reminder that effective revision isn’t just about superficial details like grammar — it requires attorneys to critically engage with their writing and analyze their rhetorical choices, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.
3 Rulings May Reveal Next Frontier Of Gov't Contract Cases

Several U.S. Supreme Court decisions over the past year — involving wire fraud, gratuities and obstruction — offer wide-ranging and arguably conflicting takeaways for government contractors that are especially relevant given the Trump administration’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, say attorneys at Rogers Joseph.
How Ore. Law Puts New Confines On Corp. Health Ownership

A newly enacted law in Oregon strengthens the state’s restrictions on corporate ownership of healthcare practices, with new limitations on overlapping control, permissible services, restrictive covenants and more making it necessary for practices to review decades-old physician practice arrangements, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
Early Trends In Proxy Exclusion After SEC Relaxes Guidance

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent guidance broadening shareholder proposal exclusion under Rule 14a-8 has been undoubtedly useful to issuers this proxy season, but it does not guarantee exclusion, say attorneys at Debevoise.
How New Texas Law Revamps Electric Grid To Meet Demand

A new Texas law enacted in response to the burdens that data centers, crypto mining and other large-scale users are placing on the state's electric grid means that stakeholders must review updated requirements around grid interconnection, disclosure of development plans and operational flexibility during tight conditions, say attorneys at Jackson Walker.
Best Practices For State Banks Eyeing Federal Conversions

Amid a notable uptick — fueled by ongoing regulatory upheaval — in state-chartered banks exploring conversion to national bank charters, banks contemplating the decision should weigh the benefits, like uniform supervision, and potential impediments, like costly exam fees, say attorneys at Skadden.
DOJ May Rethink Banning Firearms For Marijuana Users

In light of various federal circuit court decisions and an executive order from President Donald Trump, U.S. Department of Justice enforcement policy now may be on the verge of changing decidedly in favor of marijuana users' gun rights, and could foreshadow additional marijuana-friendly reforms, says Jacob Raver at Dentons.
EDNY Ruling May Limit Some FARA Conspiracy Charges

Though the Eastern District of New York’s recent U.S. v. Sun decision upheld Foreign Agents Registration Act charges against a former aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, its recognition of an affirmative legislative policy to exempt some officials may help defendants charged with related conspiracies, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
9th Circ. Has Muddied Waters Of Article III Pleading Standard

District courts in the Ninth Circuit continue to apply a defunct and especially forgiving pleading standard to questions of Article III standing, and the circuit court itself has only perpetuated this confusion — making it an attractive forum for disputes that have no rightful place in federal court, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
Future Of Enviro Crimes Under Trump's Federal Regs Order

President Donald Trump's recent executive order about fighting overcriminalization in federal regulations creates new advocacy opportunities for defense counsel to argue that particular environmental crime investigations and matters ought to be limited or declined based on the policy priorities reflected in the order, say attorneys at Sidley.
Trump Antitrust Shift Eases Pressure On Private Equity Deals

Enforcement actions and statements by Trump administration antitrust officials forecast a shift away from specifically targeting private equity activity, which should be welcome news to dealmakers, but firms shouldn't expect to escape traditional antitrust scrutiny, says Nathaniel Bronstein at Fried Frank.