Public Policy

  • May 12, 2025

    'Stop Talking,' DC Judge Tells Atty For Ashli Babbitt Estate

    Counsel for the estate of Ashli Babbitt received a dressing down Monday from the D.C. federal judge overseeing the wrongful death suit against the government after repeatedly interrupting her during a hearing over another attorney's claim that he's owed a slice of the settlement pie.

  • May 12, 2025

    Judge Blocks Oak Flat Land Transfer Until High Court Review

    A federal judge has temporarily blocked the federal government from transferring an ancient Arizona Apache worship site to a copper mining company until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the dispute, saying there is no question that the tribes would suffer irreparable harm should the move proceed.

  • May 12, 2025

    DC Circ. Has 'Duty To Intervene' To Protect CFPB, Union Says

    A union representing employees of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has urged the D.C. Circuit to keep in place a lower court injunction barring the agency from stopping work and firing staff, asserting ahead of oral arguments this week that the Trump administration is trying to "place the executive branch above the law."

  • May 12, 2025

    GOP Sens. Urge FCC To Overhaul Media Ownership Regs

    Almost two dozen Republican senators have asked the Federal Communications Commission to "modernize the FCC's broadcast ownership rules," loosening regulations to allow "local broadcasters to compete with today's media giants."

  • May 12, 2025

    Mass. Court Says NIH Grant Disruption Suit Is In The Right Place

    A Massachusetts federal court ruled Monday that it has jurisdiction over several states' lawsuit challenging delays and cancellations of federal grant programs linked to issues they say are "disfavored" by the Trump administration, rejecting the federal government's contention that the claims instead belonged in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

  • May 12, 2025

    SEC's Atkins Outlines Crypto Policy Plans At Roundtable

    U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins told crypto industry participants on Monday that developing rules for digital asset markets would be a "key priority" of his chairmanship during a keynote address that promised to focus the agency's enforcement approach on fraud and manipulation.

  • May 12, 2025

    UAW Drops Claim Over Frozen Unemployment Benefits

    The United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Workers of America agreed to drop its claim that the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency violated an agreement to better investigate potentially fraudulent claims as long as the agency takes steps to comply with the deal.

  • May 12, 2025

    Feds Ask Tesla For More Info On Texas Robotaxi Launch

    Federal auto safety regulators have asked Tesla Inc. for more information about its upcoming plans to launch robotaxis in Austin, Texas, and whether the company has determined that its Full Self-Driving, or FSD, automated driving technology can achieve "acceptably safe behavioral competency."

  • May 12, 2025

    Duke Renews Push To Duck NC Town's Climate Damages Case

    A town in North Carolina can't pin the global climate crisis solely on Duke Energy Corp., the power giant argued Friday in seeking to scrap a suit accusing it of deceiving the public about the effects of climate change, saying the town's claims exceed the bounds of state law.

  • May 12, 2025

    DC Judge Grapples With Jurisdiction In ABA Grant Row

    A D.C. federal judge wrestled with his court's jurisdiction Monday as the American Bar Association sought a court order reviving terminated federal grant funding for its Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence.

  • May 12, 2025

    CFPB Eyes Reversal Of Biden-Era In-House Proceeding Rules

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Monday moved to scrap rules from the Biden administration that gave the agency's director more control over in-house enforcement proceedings, a rollback that comes on the heels of President Donald Trump striking two other Biden-era rules on overdraft fees and digital payment supervision.

  • May 12, 2025

    Green Groups Fight Feds' Effort To Rescind Bird Protections

    Environmental groups on Sunday asked a Texas federal court to reject the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's effort to reverse its decision to protect two populations of the lesser prairie-chicken under the Endangered Species Act.

  • May 12, 2025

    Deny 'ComEd Four' A 'Third Bite' At Posttrial Apple, Feds Urge

    Prosecutors are asking an Illinois federal judge to disregard a former Commonwealth Edison CEO and three lobbyists' bid to use a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling to try again to unwind their bribery convictions, arguing their motion is untimely and ignores the inapplicability of the high court's ruling, the jury instructions and "overwhelming evidence" proving their guilt.

  • May 12, 2025

    ICE Hits LA County With Subpoena Over Noncitizen Benefits

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Monday it has issued a sweeping subpoena to Los Angeles County, demanding records — including immigration status — for recipients of California's Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants.

  • May 12, 2025

    Ex-Trump Attys Can't Dodge Jan. 6 In Ethics Case, Panel Told

    The Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission has told a disciplinary panel the events of Jan. 6, 2021, should be open for discussion at a hearing for attorneys accused of violating ethics rules by filing a challenge to the state's 2020 election results, despite commissioners having no plans to elicit testimony about the protests.

  • May 12, 2025

    More Than Defaults: Google Judge Mulls AI, Search, Browsers

    A D.C. federal judge has three weeks to figure out the last questions he'll ask the U.S. Department of Justice and Google before laying out search monopolization remedies that could help shape the way consumers search, browse and use artificial intelligence.

  • May 12, 2025

    No One Can Challenge Rehab Permit Deal, Conn. Tells Court

    No one is aggrieved by a Connecticut agency settlement that granted a conditional approval to the operator of a substance abuse treatment facility, so no one can challenge it in court, the state attorney general's office argued Monday before the Connecticut Supreme Court.

  • May 12, 2025

    Ohio AG Will Ask 6th Circ. To Revive Social Media Age Limit

    Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Monday that he is appealing a federal court decision blocking the state's law barring social media companies from allowing children under 16 to create accounts without parental consent.

  • May 12, 2025

    DC Judge Declines To Block IRS From Sharing Info With ICE

    A D.C. federal judge rejected Monday a trio of immigration advocacy groups' request to block the Internal Revenue Service from sharing with immigration enforcement agencies the names and addresses of people suspected of being in the country illegally.

  • May 12, 2025

    DHS To Terminate Temporary Protections For Afghans

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is terminating temporary protections for Afghan nationals, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Monday, saying that conditions in the country do not meet the requirements for a temporary protected status designation.

  • May 12, 2025

    Unions Tell Justices To Protect Privacy In Social Security Case

    Two unions and an advocacy group argued Monday that there's no need for the U.S. Supreme Court to make it easier for the Department of Government Efficiency to access the Social Security Administration's data on millions of Americans, claiming requiring the supposed fraud-busting team to follow protocol doesn't constitute an emergency.

  • May 12, 2025

    Judiciary To Face House Members With $9.4B Budget Request

    Top judiciary officials will make the case this week that they need $9.4 billion in discretionary spending for fiscal 2026, a 9.3% increase over fiscal 2025, in order to rectify past funding shortfalls and meet increasing challenges with judicial threats, among other things.

  • May 12, 2025

    Feds Should Relax CBRS Power Limits, Carriers Say

    Telecom carriers asked the Federal Communications Commission to accept industry proposals to relax power limits for devices in the Citizens Broadband Radio Service in hopes of opening the prime spectrum for more rapid growth.

  • May 12, 2025

    20 AGs Suing HHS Move to Halt Cuts At 4 Affected Agencies

    States challenging the Trump administration's plans for massive cuts to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are asking a Rhode Island federal court to block any planned terminations at four of the department's agencies and programs.

  • May 12, 2025

    Hedge Fund Group Urges Delay On New AML Rules

    A top trade group representing hedge funds is urging the Trump administration to delay enforcement of new Treasury Department anti-money laundering rules applicable to investment managers, part of a broader attempt to persuade financial and securities regulators to slow down or rescind wide-ranging rules.

Expert Analysis

  • Addressing PFAS Risks In Public Company Disclosures

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    As individual lawsuits and class actions over PFAS risks spanning multiple sectors and products increase, and rapidly evolving and often unclear regulatory initiatives on both the federal and state levels proliferate, it's more important than ever for companies to know how and when to complete PFAS-related disclosures, say attorneys at Venable.

  • Crisis Management Lessons From The Parenting Playbook

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    The parenting skills we use to help our kids through challenges — like rehearsing for stressful situations, modeling confidence and taking time to reset our emotions — can also teach us the fundamentals of leading clients through a corporate crisis, say Deborah Solmor at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Cara Peterman at Alston & Bird.

  • High Court's Ruling May Not Stop Ghost Gun Makers

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    In Bondi v. VanDerStok, a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Gun Control Act applies to untraceable "ghost gun" kits under certain circumstances — but companies that produce these kits may still be able to use creative regulatory workarounds to evade government oversight, says Samuel Bassett at Minton Bassett.

  • CFPB Vacatur Bid Sheds Light On Agency Decision-Making

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    While the CFPB's joint motion to vacate the settlement it reached with Townstone Financial last year won't affect precedent on the Equal Credit Opportunity Act's scope, it serves as a road map to CFPB decisional processes and provides insight into how other regulators make similar decisions, says Jason McElroy at Saul Ewing.

  • 4 Legislative Proposals Reflect Growing Scrutiny Of Pharma IP

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    Bipartisan legislative momentum in Congress, including a recent package of bills targeting exclusivity strategies that delay generic and biosimilar competition, signals growing scrutiny of life sciences intellectual property strategies, so biologics companies and investors must pay attention to new strategic, compliance and litigation risks, says Olga Berson at Thompson Coburn.

  • Wash. Justices' Moonlight Ruling Should Caution Employers

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    The Washington Supreme Court's recent decision in David v. Freedom Vans, which limited when employers can restrict low-wage workers from moonlighting, underscores the need for employers to narrowly tailor restrictive covenants, ensuring that they are reasonable and allow for workforce mobility, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • The Potential Efficiencies, Risks Of Folding PCAOB Into SEC

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    Integrating the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board into the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission offers the potential for regulatory efficiencies, as well as a more streamlined and consistent enforcement approach, but it also presents constitutional and operational uncertainties, say attorneys at Hilgers Graben.

  • What To Watch For As High Court Mulls NRC's Powers

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    If successful, Texas’ challenges to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s authority — recently heard by the U.S. Supreme Court and currently pending before a Texas federal court — may have serious adverse consequences for aspiring NRC licensees, including potential nuclear power plant operators, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Tips For Companies Crafting Tariff Surcharge Disclosures

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    As the Trump administration imposes tariffs on imports, retail businesses considering itemizing tariff-related costs separately for consumers must ensure that any disclosures are both accurate and defensible to avoid regulatory enforcement or private suits, says Christopher Cole at Katten.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From NY Fed To BigLaw

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    While the move to private practice brings a learning curve, it also brings chances to learn new skills and grow your network, requiring a clear understanding of how your skills can complement and contribute to a firm's existing practice, and where you can add new value, says Meghann Donahue at Covington.

  • Reviewing Trump Admin's Rapid Pro-Crypto Regulatory Pivot

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    The digital asset industry has received a boost from the explicitly pro-crypto Trump administration, which in its first few months reversed Biden-era rules and installed industry proponents at regulatory agencies, marking one of the biggest regulatory about-faces by a government in recent memory, says Robert Appleton at Olshan Frome.

  • Cos. Face Enviro Justice Tug-Of-War Between States, Feds

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    The second Trump administration's sweeping elimination of environmental justice policies, programs and funding, and targeting of state-level EJ initiatives, creates difficult questions for companies on how best to avoid friction with federal policy, navigate state compliance obligations and maintain important stakeholder relationships with communities, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Top 3 Litigation Finance Deal-Killers, And How To Avoid Them

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    Like all transactions, litigation finance deals can sometimes collapse, but understanding the most common reasons for failure, including a lack of trust or a misunderstanding of deal terms, can help both parties avoid problems, say Rebecca Berrebi at Avenue 33 and Boris Ziser at Schulte Roth.

  • A 2-Step System For Choosing A Digital Asset Reporting Path

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    Under the Internal Revenue Service's new digital asset reporting regulation, each type of asset may have three potential reporting destinations, so a detailed testing framework can help to determine the appropriate path, says Keval Sonecha at Sonecha & Amlani.

  • NEPA Repeal Could Slow Down Environmental Review

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    As the Trump administration has rescinded the Council on Environmental Quality's long-standing National Environmental Policy Act regulations, projects that require NEPA review may be bogged down by significant regulatory uncertainty and litigation risks, potentially undermining the administration's intent to streamline the permitting process, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

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