Public Policy

  • October 16, 2025

    NY Counties Want Court To Toss Rest Of 911 Tribal Bias Suit

    Two New York counties have asked a federal judge to rethink her dismissal of only part of a lawsuit brought by the Cayuga Nation that accuses the counties of refusing to forward 911 calls made from the tribe's land to the tribal police unless the nation pays to connect the force to the counties' 911 system.

  • October 16, 2025

    Justices Told Presidential Firing Limits Rely On 'Soured' Logic

    President Donald Trump and a cadre of supporters have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to wipe out what remains of a 90-year-old ruling that empowers Congress to prohibit the president from firing certain agency officials at will, arguing the decision was flawed when originally issued and is now well past its prime. 

  • October 16, 2025

    Closed Pot Shops Can't Stop Future Enforcement, DC Argues

    A lawsuit seeking to halt the District of Columbia from penalizing and closing any more recreational marijuana shops should be dismissed, the city has told a federal court, arguing the retailers can't sue because they are either already closed or have failed to show they will be targeted.

  • October 16, 2025

    Afghans Fight US State Dept. Policy Denying Visa Eligibility

    Three Afghan nationals told a D.C. federal judge they were unlawfully denied eligibility to apply for a special immigrant visa and left at risk of persecution by the Taliban after years of providing security for U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

  • October 16, 2025

    Calif. Hospitals Sue Over New Healthcare Cost Increase Caps

    The California Hospital Association hit the state's Office of Health Care Affordability and others with a lawsuit Wednesday, claiming they violated state law with new rules that aim to limit increases in consumer health care costs by curbing hospital spending.

  • October 16, 2025

    NetChoice Fights Colo. 'Cigarette-Style' Social Media Law

    A lawyer for an internet trade association urged a federal judge Thursday to block a Colorado law set to take effect next year, comparing its requirement for social media platforms to display warnings for minors to the mandated warning labels on tobacco products.

  • October 16, 2025

    Texas Business Court Says Winter Storm Stalled Gas Delivery

    A Texas business court found that Marathon Oil Co. had no obligation to buy natural gas to make up for delivery shortfalls to a commodity trading company created during Winter Storm Uri, saying the winter storm counted as an unforeseen event.

  • October 16, 2025

    'Good Riddance': Feds Ax Big-Bank Climate Risk Guidance

    Federal regulators Thursday moved to scrap a set of Biden-era "principles" that sought to ensure large banks can manage potential balance-sheet risks from climate change, an ending that one Federal Reserve official greeted with a sharp send-off.

  • October 16, 2025

    Ex-Conn. Budget Official Testifies $70K Payments Were Legit

    Connecticut school construction director Kosta Diamantis believed state ethics statutes and a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court case allowed him to pocket roughly $70,000 in return for introducing his former brother-in-law's masonry company to a prominent general contractor, a federal jury heard Thursday.

  • October 16, 2025

    OCC Inks Deal With Fla. Bank Over BSA, AML Controls

    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency released an agreement Thursday with a Florida community bank for alleged law violations involving suspicious activity reporting and due diligence programs for foreign financial institutions' accounts.

  • October 16, 2025

    MTA Wants Truckers' Congestion Pricing Suit Tossed

    New York officials have told a Manhattan federal judge that an amended lawsuit alleging congestion pricing tolls wrongfully discriminate against commercial truckers still doesn't offer any new facts suggesting the tolls are unreasonable or violate federal law, so the lawsuit should be tossed for good.

  • October 16, 2025

    USDA Can't Curb SNAP Benefits As States Fight Data Demand

    A California federal judge on Wednesday preliminarily blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture from withholding potentially billions of dollars in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit funds from states that refuse to turn over highly sensitive personal information on millions of SNAP food assistance benefit recipients.

  • October 16, 2025

    US Chamber Sues To Block Trump's $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sued the Trump administration on Thursday to block a planned increase in the cost of highly coveted H-1B visas, saying the proposed $100,000 fee would have a "devastating effect" on American businesses, particularly those in the tech, healthcare, higher education and manufacturing sectors.

  • October 16, 2025

    Kirk-Related Visa Revocations May Rub Against Court Rulings

    The Trump administration's revocation of visas from individuals who criticized Charlie Kirk after his death raises First Amendment concerns that could run up against a recent federal court ruling holding that noncitizens have the same free speech rights as U.S. citizens.

  • October 16, 2025

    FCC Republican Calls Upper C-Band Rework Critical To 6G

    The Federal Communications Commission is wasting no time gearing up for a potential spectrum overhaul in the upper C-Band, with the approach of 6G wireless being a big motivator, according to an agency Republican.

  • October 16, 2025

    Texas Panel Blocks Hospital Subpoenas In Trans Care Suit

    A Texas appellate court on Thursday directed a trial court to withdraw an order requiring two Dallas hospitals to turn over documents concerning alleged gender affirming care, saying the lower court abused its discretion since nonparty patients had motions for protection pending in another court.

  • October 16, 2025

    China's Crackdown On Rare Earth Minerals Spooks Importers

    In the latest trade salvo between the U.S. and China, stricter Chinese export controls on critical earth minerals that many U.S. manufacturers rely on are causing concern for businesses, which may have difficulty diversifying supply chains for the rare materials.

  • October 16, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Affirms Dismissal Of Nev. Tribe's $208M Breach Suit

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday said it won't overturn a Court of Federal Claims' decision to dismiss the Winnemucca Indian Colony's $208 million breach of trust allegations against the Bureau of Indian Affairs, saying the Nevada tribe failed to identify a substantive source of law that requires compensation.

  • October 16, 2025

    USPTO Says Fed. Circ. Should Skip 'Settled Expectations' Case

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office wants the Federal Circuit to reject a challenge to the way the agency has denied review of patents based on the owner's "settled expectations," saying Thursday it has full discretion on whether to review patents or not.

  • October 16, 2025

    Venezuelans Seek Path To Contest Alien Enemies Act Labels

    Attorneys for Venezuelans flown on U.S. government flights to El Salvador and then transferred from the CECOT prison there to Venezuela have renewed their motion for a preliminary injunction that would order the government to provide them with an avenue to challenge their Alien Enemies Act designations.

  • October 16, 2025

    Fla. Asks Justices To Halt Calif., Wash. Truck Licensing Lapses

    Florida has taken steps to sue California and Washington in the U.S. Supreme Court, alleging the Democratic-led states have flouted federal law by allowing unauthorized immigrants to obtain commercial drivers licenses to haul big rigs cross-country, endangering motorists and causing "mayhem" on roadways.

  • October 16, 2025

    4th Circ. Says No Recourse For Men Imprisoned Extra Year

    The Fourth Circuit said there could be no recourse in federal court for two inmates who spent an extra year in prison because of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares' incorrect interpretation of a state law that granted the men enough credits for good behavior to be released in 2022.

  • October 16, 2025

    Judge Shields Migrants From ICE After Courthouse Arrests

    A California federal judge on Thursday barred U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from detaining two asylum-seeking mothers without notice and a hearing, ruling the agency's courthouse arrest tactics likely violate due process.

  • October 16, 2025

    Mass. Seasonal Community Leaders Plug Real Estate Tax Bills

    Massachusetts locations designated as seasonal communities would have new revenue options, including a local-option real estate transfer tax, to fund affordable housing efforts under legislation pitched by local leaders to a legislative panel.

  • October 16, 2025

    Ex-Trump Aide Bolton Indicted Over Classified Info Handling

    John Bolton, the former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, was indicted Thursday by a Maryland federal grand jury on charges related to the handling of classified information.

Expert Analysis

  • New Calif. Chatbot Bill May Make AI Assistants Into Liabilities

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    While a pending California bill aims to regulate emotionally engaging chatbots that target children, its definition of "companion chatbot" may cover more ground — potentially capturing virtual assistants used for customer service or tech support, and creating serious legal exposure for businesses, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • How Gov't Shutdown Will Affect Federal Health Agencies

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    Federal health agencies' contingency plans indicate that many major programs will remain insulated from disruption during the ongoing government shutdown, but significant policy proposals will likely be delayed and the Trump administration's emphasis on reduction-in-force plans distinguishes this shutdown from past lapses, says Miranda Franco at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3

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    Of note in the third quarter of the year, New York state regulators moved forward on their agendas to limit abuse of electronic banking, including via a settlement with stablecoin issuer Paxos and a lawsuit against Zelle alleging insufficient security measures, says Chris Bonner at Barclay Damon.

  • Gauging SEC Short-Sale Rules' Future After 5th Circ. Remand

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    Though the Fifth Circuit recently remanded to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission two Biden-era rules requiring disclosure of securities lending and short-sale activity in order to consider the rules' cumulative economic impact, it's possible they will get reproposed, meaning compliance timelines could change, says Scott Budlong at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • How AI Can Find Environmental Risks Before Regulators Do

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    By using artificial intelligence to analyze public information that regulators collect but find incredibly challenging to connect across agencies and databases, legal teams can identify risks before widespread health impacts occur, rather than waiting for harm to surface — potentially transforming environmental litigation, says Paul Napoli at Napoli Shkolnik.

  • High Court Firearm Case Tests Limits Of Double Jeopardy

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    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments next week on the double jeopardy implications of overlapping federal gun statutes in Barrett v. U.S., and its ultimate decision could either erode a key shield in defense practitioners’ arsenals or provide strong constitutional grounds to challenge duplicative charges, says Sharon Appelbaum at Appelbaum Law.

  • Series

    Judging Figure Skating Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Judging figure skating competitions helps me hone the focus, decisiveness and ability to process complex real-time information I need in court, but more importantly, it makes me reengage with a community and my identity outside of law, which, paradoxically, always brings me back to work feeling restored, says Megan Raymond at Groombridge Wu.

  • $100K H-1B Fee May Disrupt Rural Healthcare Needs

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    The Trump administration's newly imposed $100,000 supplemental fee on new H-1B petitions may disproportionately affect healthcare employers' ability to recruit international medical graduates, and the fee's national interest exceptions will not adequately solve ensuing problems for healthcare employers or medically underserved areas, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3

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    The third quarter of 2025 brought legislative changes to state money transmission certification requirements and securities law obligations, as well as high-profile accounting and anti-money laundering compliance enforcement actions by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • What Ethics Rules Say On Atty Discipline For Online Speech

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    Though law firms are free to discipline employees for their online commentary about Charlie Kirk or other social media activity, saying crude or insensitive things on the internet generally doesn’t subject attorneys to professional discipline under the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, says Stacie H. Rosenzweig at Halling & Cayo.

  • Balancing The Risks And Rewards Of Private Equity In 401(k)s

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    The recent executive order directing government agencies to consider encouraging private equity and other alternative investments in 401(k) plans does not change the fundamental fiduciary calculus or reduce risk, as success with private investments will depend on careful analysis of both participant demand and fiduciary obligations, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • What's At Stake In High Court's Ill. Ballot Deadline Case

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    In Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments next week on whether and when candidates for office have standing to bring prospective challenges to election laws, raising broader issues about the proper timing of federal court election litigation, say Richard Pildes and Samuel Ozer-Staton at NYU School of Law.

  • Kimmel 2nd Circ. Victory Holds Novel Copyright Lessons

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    The Second Circuit's recent decision in Santos v. Kimmel, dismissing a copyright infringement claim against Kimmel for airing Cameo videos recorded by former U.S. Rep George Santos, examines the unusual situation of copyrighted works created at the request of the alleged infringer, say attorneys at Venable.

  • 2 Rulings Highlight IRS' Uncertain Civil Fraud Penalty Powers

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    Conflicting decisions from the U.S. Tax Court and the Northern District of Texas that hinge on whether the IRS can administratively assert civil fraud penalties since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2024 decision in SEC v. Jarkesy provide both opportunities and potential pitfalls for taxpayers, says Michael Landman at Bird Marella.

  • SEC Fine Signals Crackdown On Security-Based Swap Dealers

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent fine against MUFG Securities is unique because it involves a non-U.S. security-based swap dealer complying with U.S. laws based on the election of substituted compliance, but it should not be dismissed as a one-off case, says Kelly Rock, formerly at the SEC.

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