Public Policy

  • September 18, 2026

    Maurene Comey Says DOJ's Firing Justification Is Off Base

    Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey on Friday urged a Manhattan federal judge to find the Trump administration unlawfully fired her due to its dislike of her father, former FBI director James Comey, saying there's no support for the claim that an AUSA can be terminated without cause.

  • September 18, 2026

    Facebook Has Improved Systems For Misinfo, Exec Tells Jury

    Meta's chief product officer told a New Mexico jury Friday that Facebook's switch from fact-checkers to crowdsourced notes helped combat misinformation, but he was also grilled about a Mark Zuckerberg email that supposedly envisioned "tricking" users into public posting.

  • September 18, 2026

    Judge Nixes USDA's SNAP Deadline, Immigrant Benefit Rules

    An Oregon federal judge sided with a coalition of 21 states and the District of Columbia that challenged the Trump administration's restrictions to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, ruling Thursday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's guidance barring certain noncitizen immigrants from SNAP benefits was unlawful.

  • September 18, 2026

    UPMC, NYU Will End Gender-Affirming Trans Care For Minors

    New York University Langone Hospital and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center will pay $8.5 million and $950,000 respectively and will stop providing gender-affirming care to children, the Justice Department said Friday, closing another chapter in the Trump administration's use of the False Claims Act to target healthcare for trans minors. 

  • September 18, 2026

    3rd Circ. Says SBA Can Deny Excess PPP Loan Forgiveness

    A New Jersey car dealership that exceeded the federal limit on Paycheck Protection Program loans early in the COVID-19 pandemic is not entitled to partial loan forgiveness, the Third Circuit ruled Friday, holding that the Small Business Administration acted within its authority when it denied the company's relief bid.

  • September 18, 2026

    Fed 'Risk Aversion' Contributed To SVB's Failure, Report Says

    A "culture of risk aversion" and diffusion of decision-making among Federal Reserve supervisory staff, not deregulation or social media chatter, contributed to the 2023 collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, according to initial findings from a new post-mortem review.

  • September 18, 2026

    NJ Seeks Quick Win On TikTok's Money Transfers

    New Jersey's attorney general urged a state court Friday to find TikTok liable for operating an unlicensed money transmission business via its livestreaming service, arguing the platform receives users' money, converts it into virtual currency and ultimately pays creators in cash.

  • September 18, 2026

    Feds Must Face Suit Over Boy's Golden Gate Park Fall

    The family of a boy who fell into a maintenance hole after stepping onto an unsecured steel plate at a San Francisco-area national park can proceed with their core claim that the government committed willful misconduct, with a federal court ruling Friday a jury could find park services knew about the danger for years.

  • September 18, 2026

    Fugitive Ex-Conn. Official Sues To Keep His Pension Flowing

    Former Connecticut budget official Konstantinos Diamantis sued the state attorney general and comptroller Friday in federal court to keep his government pension payments flowing despite fleeing the U.S. ahead of a court hearing that could have ended with a decade-long prison sentence on corruption charges.

  • September 18, 2026

    Colo. Judge Mulls Sanction For Hospital In Gender Care Suit

    Transgender adolescent patients of Children's Hospital Colorado told a state judge the court must sanction the hospital for refusing to resume providing gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth patients, saying Friday that "nothing has changed" since the patients filed their January lawsuit.

  • September 18, 2026

    1st Circ. Backs Notice Requirement For 3rd-Country Removals

    The First Circuit on Friday largely rejected the Trump administration's challenge to limits on its so-called third country removal policy, leaving in place a lower court's order requiring deportees to be given advance notice and a meaningful opportunity to challenge a destination where they may face persecution or torture.

  • September 18, 2026

    Keeping Google Ad Tech Biz Intact 'Not A Close Call'

    The Justice Department Antitrust Division and Federal Trade Commission are now 0-3 in their efforts to break up major technology companies, and with monopolization trials still ahead against Amazon.com and Apple, observers say a Virginia federal judge's newly unsealed ruling underscores the legal and practical difficulties of those efforts.

  • September 18, 2026

    AI 'Brainrot' Fight Tests Copyright, TM Reach Of Viral Memes

    A bat-wielding wooden drum named Tung Tung Sahur is raising questions Mickey Mouse, Godzilla and James Bond never posed: Can a "brainrot" character created using artificial intelligence be protected by copyright, and can it later function as a trademark if it went viral before anyone used it as a brand?

  • September 18, 2026

    Newsom Convenes AI Safety Panel To Mull 'Kill Switch' Law

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered the prompt creation of an artificial intelligence safety panel to hasten the implementation of various potential AI safety and security laws, including a proposed measure that would require companies to develop a "kill switch" for their AI models.

  • September 18, 2026

    DOJ Revises Policies Over False Claims Act Suits

    The U.S. Department of Justice issued revisions Friday to department policy governing False Claims Act lawsuits, emphasizing that agency guidance documents have limited effect and that the government should continually assess whether to seek dismissal of qui tam actions.

  • September 18, 2026

    7th Circ. Skeptical Of Bid To Block Ill. 'Captive Audience' Ban

    Two interest groups asking the Seventh Circuit to revive their challenge to an Illinois law banning captive audience meetings by employers faced pointed questions Friday about whether the law has injured them at all, with one judge saying their suit is based on a "series of ifs."

  • September 18, 2026

    9th Circ. Decertifies Class Of Ore. Transgender Prisoners

    The Ninth Circuit has reversed class certification for a group of transgender incarcerated people, finding that they had not shown that the Oregon Department of Corrections has systemically targeted trans women by housing them in male-only facilities.

  • September 18, 2026

    Employers See Moving Targets With H-1B Fee, And New Limits

    The Trump administration on Friday ordered federal agencies to scrutinize H-1B employers that have laid off U.S. workers, adding another layer of uncertainty for employers seeking to recruit highly skilled foreign workers.

  • September 18, 2026

    FTC Chair Defends Overlapping Antitrust Authorities

    Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson on Friday defended his agency's continuing role as an antitrust enforcer despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision that weakened the agency's independence and left it as beholden to the White House as its counterpart at the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • September 18, 2026

    9th Circ. Asks Wash. Justices About Indirect Employer Claims

    A Ninth Circuit panel has asked the Washington State Supreme Court to clarify whether the state's law permits common law wrongful firing claims against indirect employers and certain individuals, saying the answers are key to assessing a former solar company CFO's claim he was unjustly ousted by a private equity backer.

  • September 18, 2026

    Judge Questions Whether 'Lawfare' Fund Fight Is Really Moot

    A Virginia federal judge seemed unlikely to toss a challenge to the Trump administration's nixed "Anti-Weaponization Fund" and tax audit immunity for the Trump family Friday, saying she worries the fund could be revived in a different form down the road.

  • September 18, 2026

    Kalshi Loses Bid To Lift Wash. Event Contracts Ban

    Kalshi can't lift an injunction currently barring its operations in Washington, a King County Superior Court judge ruled, denying the prediction market's request to reconsider an August order blocking the company from offering most event contracts to state residents.

  • September 18, 2026

    4th Circ. Punts Decision On Forcing FCC Political Ad Ruling

    The Fourth Circuit deferred action Friday on a request from Democrats to force a Federal Communications Commission ruling on whether broadcasters have to charge the lowest broadcast ad rates for political committees tied to candidates.

  • September 18, 2026

    CIA Officers Urge 4th Circ. To Reject DEI Firings Rehearing

    Career intelligence officers fighting their terminations following the Trump administration's anti-DEI executive orders told the Fourth Circuit Thursday that there's no point in granting an en banc rehearing of a panel's order allowing them to internally appeal the firings, arguing the panel's ruling has limited application beyond their own case.

  • September 18, 2026

    Dems Seek Probe Of Suspect Comments On DOL Proposal

    A trio of Democratic lawmakers urged the federal government to open a probe into reports that a U.S. Department of Labor proposal to expand retirement plans' access to alternative investments was flooded with fake comments, asserting the allegations raise questions about whether the public comment process has been corrupted.

Expert Analysis

  • A Look At Loper Bright's Uneven Effect On Immigration Law

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    Recently decided cases in the Second and Fourth Circuits show the disparate effects independent judicial review has had on long-standing immigration precedents since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 ruling that ended Chevron deference, says Danny Alicea at the Legal Aid Society.

  • Opinion

    New CMS Medical Device Pathway May Have Limited Effect

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    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' new pathway for giving Medicare beneficiaries earlier access to certain medical devices bears similarities to previous programs that did not advance coverage significantly, and thus may only benefit certain manufacturers, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • A Texas Ruling May Offer Guidance On Freight Broker Liability

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport removed federal preemption defenses to freight broker negligent-selection claims, and a July verdict in Texas against C.H. Robinson raised further questions about how brokers can achieve compliance — but another recent Texas decision involving Home Depot may offer some answers, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.

  • Time Is On Payment Processors' Side As Deal Dynamics Shift

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    As payment processors increasingly use timing and volume to gain leverage, merchants should negotiate payment processing agreements well before renewal or migration deadlines, ensuring proper benchmarking, reserve, data, termination and transition terms are in place, says James Alexander at Reed Smith.

  • 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.

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