Public Policy

  • January 08, 2026

    Ill. Judge Wary Of Ending Force Suit In Light Of Minn. Shooting

    An Illinois federal judge on Thursday appeared hesitant to allow plaintiffs accusing immigration officials of using excessive force against Chicago press and peaceful protesters to voluntarily end their case, saying she had concerns in light of continued enforcement operations in Illinois as well the shooting this week of a woman by an immigration officer in Minneapolis.

  • January 08, 2026

    States Can't Block HPE Integration Amid Deal Review

    A California federal court refused Thursday to bar Hewlett Packard Enterprise from further integrating with Juniper Networks while state enforcers raise objections to a U.S. Department of Justice settlement allowing the merger to move ahead.

  • January 08, 2026

    Courts Back Agencies Despite Loper Bright Ruling, DOJ Says

    Appellate courts have mostly upheld federal agencies' interpretation of ambiguous statutes, including tax disputes, even after the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 landmark decision that limited agency deference, a U.S. Department of Justice attorney said Thursday.

  • January 08, 2026

    5th Circ. Pushes TSA On $48M Refund Fine Against Southwest

    A Fifth Circuit judge laughed aloud at the Transportation Security Administration's statement that it lacks the capacity to refund a security service fee to millions of passengers, questioning Thursday why Southwest Airlines Co. should get dinged with a $48 million fine for failing to refund the fee to some passengers.

  • January 08, 2026

    Minn. Protesters Seek Injunction To Bar Excessive Force

    A group of Minnesota residents urged a federal judge on Wednesday — the day a federal agent shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in her vehicle — to quickly block federal immigration officers from using excessive force on protesters and observers.

  • January 08, 2026

    Fla. Entrepreneur Urges Court To Halt RI Pot Licensing

    Rhode Island's cannabis authority should be temporarily blocked from following a rule that forbids issuing licenses to out-of-state residents, a Florida entrepreneur told a federal court, saying his lawsuit slamming the state's residency rule as unconstitutional is likely to succeed.

  • January 08, 2026

    Satellite Co. Pays $175K To End FCC's Team Telecom Case

    The Federal Communications Commission has agreed in return for a $175,000 payment to end its probe into whether a Luxembourg satellite company violated a national security deal with the U.S. government.

  • January 08, 2026

    6th Circ. Says Immunity Dooms Mich. Farm's Zoning Fight

    The Sixth Circuit will not revive a Michigan couple's lawsuit against their township related to a heated dispute over zoning approvals for selling cider and hosting events at their farm, saying the farm owners have not shown the local officials should be stripped of their qualified immunity.

  • January 08, 2026

    NC Wins Appeal To Use Smithfield Funds For Enviro Grants

    The North Carolina Attorney General's Office can continue putting money from a decades-old hog waste agreement toward environmental grants, a state appeals court panel ruled, overturning a lower court order earmarking the money exclusively for public schools.

  • January 08, 2026

    Wyoming's First-Of-Its-Kind Stablecoin Up For Purchase

    The public can now purchase Wyoming's state-issued stablecoin through crypto exchange Kraken, a first for a public entity, the state's stablecoin project announced Thursday.

  • January 08, 2026

    Texas AG Says P&G Is Updating Kid Fluoride Crest Label

    The Texas attorney general said Wednesday that Procter & Gamble has agreed to place information about the recommended amount of fluoride toothpaste for children on its packaging in order to show the accurate amount on its Crest toothpaste for children.

  • January 08, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Backs Trade Court's Rejection Of Cheaper Duty Bid

    A Federal Circuit panel Thursday affirmed a U.S. Court of International Trade judge's determination that a Christmas ornament seller imported its Chinese-made goods to Canada with the intention of selling them in the U.S. and therefore isn't entitled to a cheaper duty rate.

  • January 08, 2026

    Pa. Board Can't Review Court Firing Over 'FAFO' Freebies

    The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board lacks jurisdiction to review an Adams County probation officer's firing over passing out stress balls with the irreverent acronym "FAFO" on them, since it did not fit a narrow union-related exemption to the courts' broad authority over their employees, a state appellate court said Thursday.

  • January 08, 2026

    Fed Eyeing Carveouts For Confidentiality Label, Bowman Says

    The Federal Reserve's top bank regulator signaled openness to easing restrictions around so-called confidential supervisory information, or CSI, saying the label has grown so broad that it can obstruct collaboration and reduce regulatory accountability.

  • January 08, 2026

    Organ Procurer Says CMS Rule Will Toss Industry Into Chaos

    A North Carolina-based organ procurement organization wants a federal court to toss aside a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rule taking effect this year that will alter how organ procurers are certified, arguing the rule pits them against one another in a "Hunger-Games-style" competition.

  • January 08, 2026

    4 Executive Pay Trends Attorneys Will Be Watching In 2026

    A potentially sweeping overhaul simplifying the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's disclosure regime for public company executive compensation will be top of mind for executive pay practitioners as they look for new developments in the coming year. Here's a look at this and three other areas they'll be keeping an eye on.

  • January 08, 2026

    Miami Dade College Seeks Judge DQ In Trump Library Case

    Miami Dade College said a Florida state judge should be disqualified from presiding over a dispute concerning its transfer of land to the state for the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library, arguing that the judge thanked and hugged the retired Florida International University professor challenging the transfer and discussed facts that weren't in court documents.

  • January 08, 2026

    La. Judge Is Senate's 1st Judicial Confirmation Of 2026

    The Senate voted 53-40 on Thursday to confirm former acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook to be a district judge in the Western District of Louisiana.

  • January 08, 2026

    EPA's Water Rule Dispute Paused Amid Legal Uncertainty

    A North Dakota federal judge is holding in abeyance seven states' challenge to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rule revision that considers tribal rights in addressing water quality standards until the agency determines if it wants to defend the final law or start a new rulemaking process.

  • January 08, 2026

    Sen. Ag Committee To Hold Crypto Markup Next Week

    The Senate Agriculture Committee intends to hold its own markup of a bill to regulate crypto markets the same day as its Banking Committee counterparts, a spokesperson confirmed Thursday.

  • January 08, 2026

    Trump Admin Says Climate Grant Class Suit Is Moot

    The Trump administration has told the D.C. Circuit that a proposed class action accusing it of illegally terminating a $3 billion environmental justice block grant program is moot because Congress has rescinded the funds that green groups and local governments are seeking to recover.

  • January 08, 2026

    Audits Get Final Word On Economic Substance, IRS Atty Says

    IRS attorneys provide legal guidance during audits on whether a transaction lacks economic substance, but examiners make the ultimate determination, an agency associate chief counsel said Thursday while explaining how the agency applies a powerful anti-abuse tool in audits.

  • January 08, 2026

    Trump Seeks $6.2M In Legal Fees In Ga. Election Case

    President Donald Trump asked a state judge Wednesday to award him more than $6.2 million in legal fees from his Georgia election interference case, invoking a recent state law allowing defendants to recoup their expenses from public coffers if their prosecutors are disqualified for misconduct.

  • January 08, 2026

    Trump Admin Can't Undo Block On Drug Rebate Program

    A First Circuit panel has refused to lift a district judge's block on a Trump administration plan to pilot a rebate model for a federal drug discount program that benefits low-income patients, saying the federal government is unlikely to win its appeal.

  • January 08, 2026

    Legal Services Atty Named Top NYC Human Rights Enforcer

    New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has tapped a lawyer from a group that provides free legal services to low-income clients to spearhead the city's human rights enforcement body.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    A Uniform Federal Rule Would Curb Gen AI Missteps In Court

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    To address the patchwork of courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence, curbing abuses and relieving the burden on judges, the federal judiciary should consider amending its civil procedure rules to require litigants to certify they’ve reviewed legal filings for accuracy, say attorneys at Shook Hardy.

  • Investment Advisers Should Stay Apprised Of New AI Risks

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently issued annual examination priorities reiterate a host of regulatory implications for investment advisers using artificial intelligence tools, highlighting that meaningful ongoing due diligence can help mitigate both operational and regulatory surprises amid AI's rapid evolution, says Christopher Mills at Sidley.

  • New Rule Shows NRC Willing To Move Fast To Reform Regs

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    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s decision to forgo public comment and immediately rescind certain rules governing adjudicatory procedures, federal tort claims and disclosure of licensee information signals the agency's intent to accelerate the regulatory streamlining efforts ordered by the president this spring, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • AG Watch: Texas Junk Fee Deal Shows Enforcement Priorities

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    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's recent $9.5 million settlement with online travel agency website Booking Holdings for so-called junk fee practices follows a larger trend of state attorneys general who have taken similar action and demonstrates the significant penalties that can follow such allegations, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • 10th Circ. Dissent May Light Path For Master Account Access

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    While the Tenth Circuit's majority in Custodia Bank v. Federal Reserve Board recently affirmed Federal Reserve banks' control over master account access, the dissent raised constitutional questions that could support banks seeking master accounts in future litigation, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • Calif. AG's No-Poach Case Reflects Tougher Antitrust Stance

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    This month, California’s attorney general resolved the latest enforcement action barring the use of no-poach agreements, underscoring an aggressive antitrust enforcement trend with significant increases in criminal and civil penalties, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • A Look At The Wave Of 2025 Email Marketing Suits In Wash.

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    Since the Washington Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Old Navy in April, more than 30 lawsuits have alleged that a broad range of retailers across industries sent emails that violate the Washington Commercial Electronic Mail Act, but retailers are unlikely to find clear answers yet, says Gonzalo Mon at Kelley Drye.

  • 3 Defense Strategies For Sporadically Prosecuted Conduct

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    Not to be confused with selective prosecutions, sporadic prosecutions — charging someone for conduct many others do without consequences — can be challenging to defend, but focusing on materiality, prosecutorial motivations and public opinion can be a winning strategy, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • 2025 Noncompete Developments That Led To Inflection Point

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    Employers must reshape their approaches to noncompete agreements following key 2025 developments, including Delaware's rejection of blue-penciling and the proliferation of state wage thresholds, say attorneys at Gunderson Dettmer.

  • Riding The Changing Winds For AI Innovations At The USPTO

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    As recent U.S. Patent and Trademark Office moves reshape how artificial intelligence inventions will be examined and put them on firmer eligibility footing, practitioners need to consider how this shift is both an opportunity and a challenge, say Ryan Phelan at Marshall Gerstein and attorney Mark Campagna.

  • Series

    The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Integrating Practice Groups

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    Enacting unified leadership and consistent client service standards ensures law firm practice groups connect and collaborate around shared goals, turning a law firm merger into a platform for growth rather than a period of disruption, says Brian Catlett at Fennemore Craig.

  • The Tricky Issues Underscoring Prediction Market Regulation

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    Prediction markets are not merely testing the boundaries of commodities law — they are challenging the conventional divisions between gambling regulation and financial market oversight, and in doing so, may reshape both, says Braeden Anderson at Gesmer Updegrove.

  • Nonprofits Face Uncertainty Over Political Activity Rules

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    Two federal court decisions suggesting that the Internal Revenue Service's rules for 501(c)(4) organizations' political activity may be too vague to survive constitutional scrutiny leave nonprofit organizations caught between constitutional limits on government regulation of speech and tax limits on their exempt status, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • Opinion

    Supreme Court Term Limits Would Carry Hidden Risk

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    While proposals for limiting the terms of U.S. Supreme Court justices are popular, a steady stream of relatively young, highly marketable ex-justices with unique knowledge and influence entering the marketplace of law and politics could create new problems, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

  • Navigating A Sea Change In Rent Algorithm Regulation

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's proposed settlement of the RealPage lawsuit represents a pivotal moment in the regulation of algorithmic rent-setting, restraining use of these tools amid a growing trend of regulatory limits on use of algorithmic data and methodologies in establishing housing rental prices. say attorneys at Wilson Elser.

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