Public Policy

  • June 04, 2025

    FCC Says C-Band Payment Clearinghouse Can Wind Down

    The C-Band Relocation Payment Clearinghouse has received the go-ahead from the Federal Communications Commission to wind down its operations by the end of the month, after the agency agreed it had done what it was intended to do.

  • June 04, 2025

    Justices Won't Intervene To Let Jan. 6 Cops Stay Incognito

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to grant an emergency stay that would have allowed current and former Seattle police officers who attended the Jan. 6, 2021, "Stop the Steal" insurrection to shield their identities from the public.

  • June 04, 2025

    ContractPodAi Launches Tariff-Focused AI Software

    Contract management software provider ContractPodAi, which offers an automated legal assistant called Leah, announced the release of a tariff-focused chatbot that tracks global tariffs and trade regulations.

  • June 04, 2025

    Steel, Aluminum Tariff Hike Casts Cloud Over US Investment

    President Donald Trump's latest tariff increases on steel and aluminum imports strengthen an existing barrier to an already duty-riddled trade environment and could put both domestic and foreign businesses' investment opportunities in the U.S. at risk, experts say.

  • June 04, 2025

    Trump Ordered To Explain Why Layoffs Don't Flout Injunction

    A California federal judge ordered the Trump administration Wednesday to explain why preparations for layoffs at the State Department and Department of Housing and Urban Development do not violate an injunction she issued last month, saying she needed more details about the agencies' plans to evaluate their compliance.

  • June 04, 2025

    Venezuelans Say End To Removal Protections Was 'Contrived'

    The National TPS Alliance and several Venezuelans have asked a California federal judge to set aside U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's vacatur of temporary protected status for Venezuela and Haiti, saying the underlying rationale is concocted.

  • June 04, 2025

    House Committee Puts Intoxicating-Hemp Ban In Spending Bill

    A U.S. House of Representatives committee on Wednesday released a spending bill that includes a major change to the statutory definition of hemp and hemp products in its agriculture appropriations that would effectively rewrite national hemp policy if it becomes law.

  • June 04, 2025

    CFPB Resumes $4.2M Redress After Pressure From States

    California's Department of Financial Protection and Innovation said Wednesday that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is now making good on a $4.2 million redress plan for former students of a shuttered sales-training firm, following agency delays and subsequent pressure from various states.

  • June 04, 2025

    Deportees Urge Justices To Keep 'Basic Measure Of Fairness'

    A class of deportees who are being sent to countries where they have no prior ties asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to leave in place a preliminary injunction requiring that they be provided a meaningful opportunity to challenge their destinations, calling it "a basic measure of fairness."

  • June 04, 2025

    DOJ Won't Have To Give Agri Stats Specific Data Fields

    A Minnesota federal court refused to force the U.S. Department of Justice to identify specific data fields in industry reports produced by Agri Stats that allegedly allow meat processors to share sensitive information, finding the case is not centered on individual data points.

  • June 04, 2025

    Trump Nominates Ex-SBA Official For Top CFIUS Post

    A former U.S. Small Business Administration official from Donald Trump's first term has been nominated by the president to lead the U.S. government panel that reviews foreign investments for national security risks.

  • June 04, 2025

    Calif. Assembly Passes Internet Price Cap, Moving To Senate

    The California State Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill that would mandate a low-cost option capping the price of high-speed internet service for low-income families at $15.

  • June 04, 2025

    Amtrak Bribery Plot Nets Contractor Nearly 5-Year Sentence

    A former executive for a masonry contractor who admitted to participating in a scheme that involved bribing an Amtrak manager to overbill the federal government $2 million in a $50 million restoration of Philadelphia's 30th Street Station was sentenced to 57 months in prison by a Pennsylvania federal court.

  • June 04, 2025

    Press Groups Get Some Abrego Garcia Case Docs Unsealed

    A Maryland federal judge gave a partial win Wednesday to more than a dozen news organizations pushing to intervene in the suit challenging the removal of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, ordering some sealed documents to be made public.

  • June 04, 2025

    Bulgaria Meets Criteria To Switch To Euro Next Year, EU Says

    The European Commission and European Central Bank affirmed that Bulgaria has met all necessary criteria to adopt the euro as its currency starting Jan. 1, which would make it the 21st country to do so.

  • June 04, 2025

    FTC Can't Exclude TikTok Blackout From Meta Case

    Meta Platforms can point to TikTok briefly going dark at the beginning of 2025 as it tries to fend off claims that it is monopolizing the social media market, after a D.C. federal judge refused to let the Federal Trade Commission lock the case to evidence from the year 2023.

  • June 04, 2025

    FCC Hopes To Junk 'Dead Wood' In Cable Regs, Chair Says

    The Federal Communications Commission wants to eliminate 77 regulations affecting the cable industry that the FCC's Republican chief says are outdated.

  • June 04, 2025

    Boston Condo Owned By LLC Wins Partial Exemption

    A Boston condominium owned by a single-member limited liability company is eligible for a partial tax exemption as a primary residence, the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board said in an opinion released Wednesday, reversing the determination of the city board of assessors.

  • June 04, 2025

    MoneyLion Says CFPB Can't Duck Fed Funding Issue

    Online lending platform MoneyLion has doubled down on its bid for dismissal of a lawsuit brought by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, telling a New York federal judge that new reasoning from the U.S. Supreme Court confirms the agency is improperly funded and that it is not improper to file successive dismissal motions as the CFPB has contended.

  • June 04, 2025

    DC Judge Weighs Harm In Teen Program Funding Fight

    A D.C. federal judge on Wednesday seemed unconvinced by Planned Parenthood's assertion that new federal grant requirements for a public health initiative aimed at preventing teen pregnancy are harmful enough to warrant a preliminary injunction.

  • June 04, 2025

    Lawmakers Say Recent Rocket Mortgage Deals Need Scrutiny

    A group of lawmakers is calling on antitrust enforcers to scrutinize online mortgage giant Rocket's recent deals for real estate brokerage website Redfin and mortgage company Mr. Cooper over concerns that Rocket is trying to dominate the entire homebuying process.

  • June 04, 2025

    NY Judge Orders Temporary Block On DOL's Job Corps Cuts

    A New York federal judge on Wednesday issued a temporary restraining order to stop the U.S. Department of Labor from eliminating Job Corps, saying the agency can't move ahead with shutting down the more than 60-year-old job training program without approval from Congress.

  • June 04, 2025

    Aerospace Coms Group Asks FCC To Redo Launch Changes

    A radio communications group representing the country's largest aerospace companies and defense contractors is asking the Federal Communications Commission to rethink certain recent procedural changes for space launch operations, arguing that more safeguards are needed to protect incumbent flight test operations from potential space launch interference.

  • June 04, 2025

    Apple Can Shield Info In NJ TikTok Addiction Suit

    A New Jersey state court will allow Apple Inc. to inject itself into the state attorney general's high-profile lawsuit accusing TikTok of designing features that harm and cause addiction in children, allowing the manufacturer of the iPhone to argue, away from public view, that certain content in the lawsuit should be redacted.

  • June 04, 2025

    Trade Talks With US Trying To Avoid Tariff Hikes, EU Says

    The European Union and the U.S. aim to avoid tariff hikes threatened by President Donald Trump beginning July 9 as they negotiate this week on investments to rebalance trade in goods and on what the U.S. considers trade barriers, the bloc's trade commissioner said Wednesday.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Enviro To Mid-Law

    Author Photo

    Practitioners leaving a longtime government role for private practice — as when I departed the U.S. Department of Justice’s environmental enforcement division — should prioritize finding a firm that shares their principles, values their experience and will invest in their transition, says John Cruden at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • Independent Contractor Rule Up In The Air Under New DOL

    Author Photo

    In several recent court challenges, the U.S. Department of Labor has indicated its intent to revoke the 2024 independent contractor rule, sending a clear signal that it will not defend the Biden-era rule on the merits in anticipation of further rulemaking, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Why Trade Cases May Put Maple Leaf Deference On Review

    Author Photo

    When litigation challenging the president’s trade actions reaches the Federal Circuit, the court will have to reevaluate the Maple Leaf standard in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 Loper Bright decision limiting Chevron-like deference to cases involving statutory provisions in which Congress delegated discretionary authority to the executive branch, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Risk Control Tips For Banks With Cryptocurrency Customers

    Author Photo

    Given federal policy shifts, cryptocurrency's presence within the U.S. banking system will doubtless increase, so banks should keep in mind key risk control considerations when accepting funds related to cryptocurrency transactions — and make sure they know their customers and the crypto industry, says Jason Noto at Polsinelli.

  • How The USPTO Might Find A Path Forward After Job Cuts

    Author Photo

    Recent layoff plans and other cost-reduction initiatives at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office call for a corresponding adjustment to improve operational efficiency, such as adding post-filing examination request procedures and artificial intelligence enhancements, says James Gourley at Carstens Allen.

  • How Trump Orders Affect Health Orgs.' Care For Trans Minors

    Author Photo

    Two recent executive orders issued by President Donald Trump regarding gender-affirming care for minors have put healthcare organizations in a precarious situation, and these institutions should prepare for various implications and potential scenarios, say attorneys at ArentFox.

  • FDIC Rules Rollback Foretells More Pro-Industry Changes

    Author Photo

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s March withdrawal of Biden-era proposals to tighten brokered deposit rules and impose new corporate governance standards shows that acting chair Travis Hill’s commitment to reviewing regulations that may restrict growth and innovation for financial institution and fintech companies is unlikely to flag soon, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Trump DOE's Plan On AI Offers Challenges, Opportunities

    Author Photo

    The Trump administration's push to make federal land available for development of artificial intelligence data centers follows a similar Biden administration proposal — but a new request for information from the U.S. Department of Energy envisions a rapid timeline that may prove challenging for both the DOE and industry stakeholders, say attorneys at HWG.

  • NY Tax Talk: Sourcing, Retroactivity, Information Services

    Author Photo

    Attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland examine recent decisions by New York’s Tax Appeals Tribunal, Division of Taxation and Court of Appeals on location sourcing of broker-dealer receipts, a case of first impression on the retroactive application of Corporate Franchise Tax regulations and when fees for information services are excluded from taxation.

  • DOJ Memo Maps Out A Lighter Touch For Digital Assets

    Author Photo

    A recent memo issued by the Justice Department signals a less aggressive approach toward the digital asset industry, with notable directives including disbandment of the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, a higher evidentiary bar for unlicensed money transmitting, and prosecutions of individuals rather than platforms, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • SEC Update May Ease Accredited Investor Status Verification

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently opened a new avenue to verifying accredited investor status, which could encourage more private fund sponsors and other issuers to engage in a general solicitation with less fear that they will lose the offering's exemption from registration under the Securities Act, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Legal Ethics Considerations For Law Firm Pro Bono Deals

    Author Photo

    If a law firm enters into a pro bono deal with the Trump administration in exchange for avoiding or removing an executive order, it has an ethical obligation to create a written settlement agreement with specific terms, which would mitigate some potential conflict of interest problems, says Andrew Altschul at Buchanan Angeli.

  • Avoiding Compliance Risks Under Calif. Recycling Label Law

    Author Photo

    CalRecycle's recently published final findings on California's S.B. 343 — determining which products and packaging materials are eligible to use the "chasing arrows" recyclability symbol — offer key guidance that businesses operating in the state must heed to avert the risk of penalties or litigation, says Christopher Smith at Greenspoon Marder.

  • Reproductive Health Under Trump So Far, And What's Next

    Author Photo

    Based on priorities stated so far, the Trump administration will likely continue to weaken Biden-era policies that protect reproductive health, with abortion, in vitro fertilization and contraception all being issues to watch closely amid a post-Dobbs shift, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • FDIC Unlocks A Door To Banks' Potential Crypto Future

    Author Photo

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s recent crypto guidance broadens the scope of permissible activities for banks to an unprecedented level, although most institutions are unlikely to initiate or expand such practices in the immediate future, says Amanda Kowalski at Barley Snyder.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Public Policy archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!