Public Policy

  • June 17, 2025

    5th Circ. Finds $37M For PPE Delivery Problems Went Too Far

    The Fifth Circuit on Monday kept partially intact a $37 million award the Federal Trade Commission secured against a drop-shipping company, but found part of the award went too far because it fully refunded customers for COVID-19 protective gear that was delivered late.

  • June 17, 2025

    Tufts Student Says Feds Can't Ax Visa Record Claim

    Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk fired back at the Trump administration's attempt to dismiss her claim in Vermont federal court challenging its termination of her student visa compliance record, saying court after court has found the government acted unlawfully in axing other students' records.

  • June 17, 2025

    FCC Says Tribe's New Radio Station Reach Can Fall Short

    The Northern Arapaho Tribe of Wyoming will be getting a new radio station after the FCC granted the tribe a waiver that will let it bypass a requirement that it cover 50% of the reservation, which is bigger than Delaware and Rhode Island put together.

  • June 17, 2025

    CFPB's Vought Seeks To Limit Use Of Civil Penalty Fund

    Consumer Financial Protection Bureau acting Director Russell Vought is proposing to restrict the agency's ability to tap its civil penalty fund for consumer education and financial literacy initiatives as part of a trio of draft regulatory changes posted online Tuesday.

  • June 17, 2025

    Fundraising Pro Admits To Lying In Mich. 'Dark Money' Probe

    A political fundraising consultant pled guilty in Michigan state court on Tuesday to misleading investigators regarding her role in an alleged scheme to conceal the identities of donors supporting a ballot proposal campaign at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • June 17, 2025

    X Sues Over NY Social Media Law, Citing Trimmed Calif. Law

    A New York law requiring social media companies to divulge whether they define and moderate hate speech, extremism and misinformation or face fines is unconstitutional, Elon Musk's X Corp. claims in a federal lawsuit Tuesday, noting the law mirrors a California statute that the platform got trimmed earlier this year.

  • June 17, 2025

    HHS Says Trump Orders Merit Ending Trans Health Rule Case

    The federal government urged a Mississippi federal court to end a lawsuit challenging a Biden-era rule that protected gender-affirming care under the Affordable Care Act, arguing the Republican attorneys general leading the case can't show imminent harm given the Trump administration's position on the definition of "sex."

  • June 17, 2025

    Pot Shops Have Rights In Federal Court, Mich. Judge Says

    A Michigan federal judge Tuesday declined to remand a lawsuit from cannabis companies alleging the city of Grand Rapids' marijuana licensure program imposes illegal fees, rejecting the companies' argument that the case belongs in state court since marijuana remains illegal under federal law.  

  • June 17, 2025

    ND Secretary Fights Tribes' 8th Circ. Voting Rights Rehearing

    North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe is urging the Eighth Circuit to deny two Native American tribes' bid for a rehearing in their voting rights challenge, arguing their petition misinterprets the appellate court's opinions and overstates U.S. Supreme Court precedent on the issue.

  • June 17, 2025

    GOP Lawmaker Praises DOL IG's Law Firm Agreements Audit

    The chair of the Republican-led U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Tuesday praised a U.S. Department of Labor watchdog for investigating the agency over allegations it shared confidential information with plaintiffs attorneys, which comes after the panel called for an investigation in November.

  • June 17, 2025

    9th Circ. Says Chinook Can't Get Tribal Status From Courts

    The Chinook Indian Nation can't revive its bid seeking federally recognized tribe status that would entitle it to benefits from the U.S. government after the Ninth Circuit issued an order Tuesday finding the process for federal recognition comes from the U.S. Department of the Interior, not the federal judiciary.

  • June 17, 2025

    Senate Confirms Trump's FCC Nominee, Giving GOP Majority

    The U.S. Senate confirmed Olivia Trusty to the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday, providing Republicans a 2-1 majority on the telecom regulatory body five months after President Donald Trump named her for the seat.

  • June 17, 2025

    Ill. Increases Sports Betting, Tobacco Tax And Taxes Airbnbs

    Illinois increased its tax on sports betting and tobacco products and extended its tax on hotel operators to include short-term rentals like Airbnbs and Vrbos under a budget bill approved by the governor.

  • June 17, 2025

    FDA Unveils Voucher Program For Fast-Paced Drug Reviews

    Pharmaceutical companies that boost domestic drug manufacturing or address other national priorities will have a chance to secure speedier review and approval of new drugs under a pilot program the U.S. Food and Drug Administration unveiled Tuesday.

  • June 17, 2025

    Ill. Toy Makers Seek Justices' Early Review Of Trump Tariff Suit

    Illinois-based toy makers challenging President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs on Tuesday requested the U.S. Supreme Court consider their case before it is reviewed by the D.C. Circuit, arguing a stay to an injunction is allowing duty collections to continue and is damaging the companies.

  • June 17, 2025

    Hemp Interests Urge Court To Halt Md. Licensing Policy

    A group of Maryland hemp interests is urging a federal court to halt enforcement of a state policy which would require retailers to obtain recreational cannabis licenses to buy and sell hemp products, which they say is impossible to do.

  • June 17, 2025

    Domestic Violence Groups Sue Feds Over Grant Restrictions

    A group of domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions is asking a federal court to block the Trump administration from imposing restrictions on grants by the Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women, saying the new rules make it impossible to effectively operate their programs that help victims.

  • June 17, 2025

    Democrats Probe Palantir About IRS Taxpayer Database

    Ten Democratic lawmakers demanded information Tuesday from the head of Palantir Technologies Inc. about media reports that the software company is working with the IRS to create a searchable database containing sensitive taxpayer information — claims the company denied almost immediately.

  • June 17, 2025

    Texas AG Seeks Execution In Shaken Baby Syndrome Case

    The Texas attorney general's office has asked a state court to set an execution date for a man convicted based on a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome, despite his case pending on appeal before the state's highest criminal court.

  • June 17, 2025

    Senate Bill Could Hike Taxes On Litigation Funding Profits

    Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, released the committee's budget reconciliation proposal Monday evening, which includes proposed reforms to third-party litigation funding.

  • June 17, 2025

    Justice Jackson Tops Royalties And Trip Disclosures In 2024

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackon wasn't the only member of the high court to make a stage-related debut in the past year: Justice Sonia Sotomayor had a hand in helping a Missouri theater company create a musical adaptation of one of her children's books, according to financial disclosure forms released Tuesday.

  • June 17, 2025

    Firms Fight To Rep End Users In PVC Pipe Antitrust Row

    Several law firms are duking it out for a lead counsel appointment representing a new class of end-user plaintiffs in consolidated litigation accusing PVC pipe companies of using a commodity pricing service to exchange information and illegally fix prices, with Pearson Warshaw LLP, Kirby McInerney LLP, Fegan Scott LLC and Levin Sedran & Berman LLP making bids.

  • June 17, 2025

    DOJ Urged To Add Prosecutors Amid Threats To Congress

    Following the tragic shooting of Minnesota state lawmakers, the top Republican and Democrat on the committee that oversees the U.S. Capitol Police are asking the U.S. Department of Justice to give the force more prosecutorial resources.

  • June 17, 2025

    Mich. Court Backs County's Bid For Financial Data Access

    Elected commissioners in Macomb County, Michigan, won a state Supreme Court bid to gain access to the county's financial information, while the court also left in place a ruling that Macomb's prosecutor may turn to outside law firms for legal advice.

  • June 17, 2025

    New Acting US Attorney Tapped For Colorado

    U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi has appointed a new acting top federal prosecutor in Colorado, turning to a veteran of the agency.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • 5th Circ. Ruling Is Latest Signal Of Shaky Qui Tam Landscape

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    In his recent concurring opinion in U.S. v. Peripheral Vascular Associates, a Fifth Circuit judge joined a growing list of jurists suggesting that the False Claims Act's whistleblower provisions are unconstitutional, underscoring that acceptance of qui tam relators can no longer be taken for granted, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

  • Foreign Countries Have Strong Foundation To Fill FCPA Void

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    Though the U.S. has paused enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, liberal democracies across the globe are well equipped to reverse any setback in anti-corruption enforcement, potentially heightening prosecution risk for companies headquartered in the U.S., says Stephen Kohn at Kohn Kohn.

  • How Attys Can Use A Therapy Model To Help Triggered Clients

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    Attorneys can lean on key principles from a psychotherapeutic paradigm known as the "Internal Family Systems" model to help manage triggered clients and get settlement negotiations back on track, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.

  • A Tale Of Two Admins: Parsing 1st Half Of SEC's FY 2025

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    The first half of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's fiscal year 2025, which ended March 31, was unusually eventful, marked by a flurry of enforcement actions in the last three months of former Chair Gary Gensler's tenure and a prompt pivot after Inauguration Day, say attorneys at Jones Day.

  • A Closer Look At Amendments To Virginia Noncompete Ban

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    Recently passed amendments in Virignia will prohibit noncompetes for all employees who are eligible for overtime pay under federal law, and though the changes could simplify employers’ analyses as to restrictive covenant enforceability, it may require them to reassess and potentially adjust their use of noncompetes with some workers, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • What Bank Regulator Consolidation Would Mean For Industry

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    Speculation over the Trump administration’s potential plans to consolidate financial service regulators is intensifying uncertainty, but no matter the outcome for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the industry should expect continued policy changes, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Getting Ahead Of The SEC's Continued Focus On Cyber, AI

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is showing it will continue to scrutinize actions involving cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, but there are proactive measures that companies and financial institutions can take to avoid regulatory scrutiny going forward, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Navigating Florida's Bad Faith Reforms After Appellate Ruling

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    A Florida appellate court's recent decision is among the first to interpret two significant amendments to the state's insurance bad faith law, and its holding that one of the statutes could not apply retroactively may affect insurers' interpretation of the other statute, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • 3 Steps For In-House Counsel To Assess Litigation Claims

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    Before a potential economic downturn, in-house attorneys should investigate whether their company is sitting on hidden litigation claims that could unlock large recoveries to help the business withstand tough times, says Will Burgess at Hilgers Graben.

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