Public Policy

  • December 11, 2025

    6th Circ. Hesitant To Call CDC Puppy Import Rule A 'Ban'

    Sixth Circuit judges on Thursday appeared skeptical that updated U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rules for bringing in dogs from other countries amounted to a ban that exceeded the agency's authority, but still challenged the agency on why age and microchip requirements are needed to prevent the spread of rabies.

  • December 11, 2025

    Fla. Lawmaker Proposes Medical Marijuana Home Cultivation

    Florida is considering a bill that would allow qualified medical marijuana patients to grow up to six flowering cannabis plants at home for personal use and purchase seeds from licensed centers.

  • December 11, 2025

    Kratom, Kava Sellers Drop Suit Over Utah Product Ban

    A company that marketed psychoactive products derived from the kratom leaf and kava root has permanently dropped its federal lawsuit against Utah regulators challenging the constitutionality of rules blocking the sale of their wares in the state.

  • December 11, 2025

    NJ Judge Won't Lift Bid Deadline On Tunnel Rail Project

    A New Jersey federal judge said Thursday she won't lift a deadline to bid on a railway-construction project associated with building a new tunnel to New York City, saying a New Jersey construction company isn't likely to win its challenge to a project labor agreement tied to the venture.

  • December 11, 2025

    Colo. Appeals Court Backs New Reasonable Doubt Instruction

    A split Colorado appeals court Thursday upheld the use of a new model jury instruction on a reasonable doubt standard that a man convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material said lowered the burden for prosecutors to prove that a defendant is guilty.

  • December 11, 2025

    'Totally Unacceptable': Alsup Rips Feds In Student Loan Deal

    U.S. District Judge William Alsup on Thursday denied the U.S. Department of Education's request for an 18-month extension to process over 200,000 loan cancellation applications for students claiming they were defrauded by colleges they attended, calling it "totally unacceptable" and setting an April deadline to get the job done.

  • December 11, 2025

    Court Orders Redesign Of Calif. Cannabis Tracking System

    California's Department of Cannabis Control must overhaul its tracking system, a state court judge has ruled, saying it fails to highlight suspicious transactions or notify the department of regulatory violations, as required by state law.

  • December 11, 2025

    Democrats Say DOD Diverts $2B To Immigration Enforcement

    The Pentagon has diverted at least $2 billion in obligated funds to support immigration enforcement efforts across the country instead of the agency's core national security functions, according to a report released by Democratic lawmakers on Thursday. 

  • December 11, 2025

    Trial Record Backs Gender-Affirming Care, Ohio Justices Told

    A group of transgender youths and their families urged Ohio's highest court to affirm their win overturning state restrictions on gender-affirming care, arguing undisputed evidence at trial backed their arguments on the safety and effectiveness of the treatment.

  • December 11, 2025

    FTC Challenges $725M Construction Adhesives Deal

    The Federal Trade Commission filed suit Thursday in New York federal court to challenge a $725 million merger combining Loctite with Liquid Nails, arguing that joining "the clear top two brands of construction adhesives" would drive up costs for home building and improvement.

  • December 11, 2025

    Localities Worried Over FCC Preeemption On Rights Of Way

    Cities are protesting a legal effort underway at the Federal Communications Commission to potentially override local decision-making when it comes to the use of publicly owned rights of way for high-speed internet deployment projects.

  • December 11, 2025

    Tracking Challenges To USPTO's Discretion Policy

    Leaders at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office have significantly altered the Patent Trial and Appeal Board playing field since March, making changes to institution reviews that have led to unprecedented levels of petition denials. A steady stream of companies has challenged those changes through mandamus petitions to the Federal Circuit, and here Law360 tracks where those petitions stand.

  • December 11, 2025

    SEC Gives DTCC Nod To Offer Tokenization Service

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday issued a no-action letter clearing the way for The Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. to launch a service tokenizing certain securities.

  • December 11, 2025

    Ill. State Sen. Fends Off Bribery Retrial With Government Deal

    A sitting Illinois state senator who was set for a criminal bribery retrial has agreed instead to enter a deferred prosecution agreement that will see his federal case dismissed next year as long as he follows certain conditions without issue and pays the U.S. government $6,800.

  • December 11, 2025

    Texas Business Group CEO Resigns After Sexual Assault Suit

    The CEO of Texas' largest business association has stepped down after a woman who founded a business advocacy group said he attempted to coerce her into a sexual relationship and then assaulted her when she rejected his advances. 

  • December 11, 2025

    Navajo President Reinstates Controller Amid Legal Dispute

    Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren has agreed to formally recognize that Sean McCabe is the tribe's controller, ending a dispute over the first-in-command's efforts to terminate his employment.

  • December 11, 2025

    NextNav Gears Up Geolocation System Test In Bay Area

    Navigation technology developer NextNav said Thursday it would conduct a test run in San Jose, California, of its proposed network to backstop the Global Positioning System.

  • December 11, 2025

    FEMA's Freeze On Disaster Mitigation Funds Ruled Unlawful

    The Trump administration unlawfully terminated Federal Emergency Management Agency funds intended to pay for disaster mitigating projects, a Massachusetts federal judge ruled Thursday, describing the case as an "unlawful executive encroachment on the prerogative of Congress to appropriate funds" for specific purposes.

  • December 11, 2025

    NJ Sens. Urge Cooperation On Next NJ US Attorney Nom

    The New Jersey senators are looking to collaborate with the White House to find a new nominee for U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey after the president's initial pick failed.

  • December 11, 2025

    5th Circ. Weighs Constitutionality Of Gun Dealer Licensing Law

    A Fifth Circuit panel seemed dubious Thursday of a gun dealer's claim that licensing requirements imposed on firearm merchants run afoul of the Second Amendment, asking if the dealer was arguing that the federal government cannot regulate gun sellers.

  • December 11, 2025

    Failed ACA Credit Extension Votes Leave Costs In Limbo

    The Senate failed Thursday to pass procedural votes on two healthcare proposals to address the upcoming lapse in the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits, including a proposal by Democrats to extend the subsidies for three years.

  • December 11, 2025

    Fed Terminates 3 Actions Against Credit Suisse, JPMorgan

    The Federal Reserve said Thursday that it has terminated a trio of enforcement actions against Credit Suisse Group AG and JPMorgan Chase & Co., lifting consent orders that were tied to alleged illicit finance practices and trade surveillance failures.

  • December 11, 2025

    Trump Admin. Defends 'Authority' To Cancel Migrant Parole

    The Trump administration told a Massachusetts federal judge Thursday it has "discretionary authority" to revoke removal protections and work authorizations for nearly 1 million immigrants who entered the country using the federal government's CBP One app.

  • December 11, 2025

    DOJ-UnitedHealth Deal Requiring Home Health Sale OK'd

    A Maryland federal judge signed off on the U.S. Department of Justice settlement resolving its challenge to UnitedHealth's $3.3 billion acquisition of home health and hospice company Amedisys, under a deal requiring the sale of least 164 locations across 19 states.

  • December 11, 2025

    BREAKING: Terraform Founder Gets 15 Years For 'Epic' $40B Crypto Scam

    A Manhattan federal judge hit Terraform founder Do Kwon with a 15-year prison sentence Thursday, saying he caused "real people to lose $40 billion in real money" as he orchestrated a massive fraud that sunk the once high-flying crypto concern.

Expert Analysis

  • Key Crypto Class Action Trends And Rulings In 2025

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    As the law continued to take shape in the growing area of crypto-assets, this year saw a jump in crypto class action litigation, including noteworthy decisions on motions to compel arbitration and class certification, says Justin Donoho at Duane Morris.

  • New Russia Energy Sanctions Add Compliance Complexity

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    Recent U.S. and U.K. designations of Russian oil companies and related entities, as well as a new sanctions package from EU, mark a significant escalation in restrictions on the Russian energy industry, and add a new layer of regulatory complications for companies operating in the global energy sector, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • 6 Laws For Calif. Employers To Know In 2026

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    California's legislative changes for 2026 impose sweeping new obligations on employers, including by expanding pay data reporting, clarifying protections related to bias mitigation training and broadening record access rights, but employers can avoid heightened exposure by proactively evaluating their compliance, modernizing internal systems and updating policies, says Alexa Foley at Gordon Rees.

  • How New SEC Policies Shift Shareholder Proposal Landscape

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    U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins' recent remarks provide a road map for public companies to exclude nonbinding shareholder proposals from proxy materials, which would disrupt the mechanism that has traditionally defined how shareholders and companies engage on governance matters, say attorneys at Gunderson.

  • NBA, MLB Betting Indictments: Slam Dunks Or Strikeouts?

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    Recent fraud charges against bettors, NBA players and MLB pitchers raise questions about what the government will need to prove to prosecute individuals involved in placing bets based on nonpublic information, and it could be a tough sell to juries, say attorneys at Ford O'Brien.

  • Tracking The Evolution Of AI Insurance Regulation In 2025

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    As artificial intelligence continues to transform the insurance industry, including underwriting, pricing, claims processing and customer engagement, state regulators, led by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, are increasing oversight to ensure that innovation does not outpace consumer protections, say attorneys at Fenwick.

  • Series

    Knitting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Stretching my skills as a knitter makes me a better antitrust attorney by challenging me to recalibrate after wrong turns, not rush outcomes, and trust that I can teach myself the skills to tackle new and difficult projects — even when I don’t have a pattern to work from, says Kara Kuritz at V&E.

  • How 11th Circ.'s Qui Tam Review Could Affect FCA Litigation

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    On Dec. 12, the Eleventh Circuit will hear arguments in U.S. ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates, setting the stage for a decision that could drastically reduce enforcement under the False Claims Act, and presenting an opportunity to seek U.S. Supreme Court review of the act's whistleblower provisions, say attorneys at Epstein Becker.

  • Prepping For 2026 Shifts In Calif. Workplace Safety Rules

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    California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health is preparing for significant shifts and increased enforcement in 2026, so key safety programs — including injury and illness prevention plans, workplace violence plans, and heat illness prevention procedures — must remain a focus for employers, says Rachel Conn at Conn Maciel.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Welcome To Miami

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    After nearly 20 years in operation, the Miami Complex Business Litigation Division is a pioneer upon which other jurisdictions in the state have been modeled, adopting many innovations to keep its cases running more efficiently and staffing experienced judges who are accustomed to hearing business disputes, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • How AI Exec Order May Tee Up Legal Fights With States

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    The Trump administration's draft executive order would allow it to challenge and withhold federal dollars from states with artificial intelligence laws, but until Congress passes comprehensive AI legislation, states may have to defend their regulatory frameworks in extended litigation, says Charles Mills, a clerk at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia.

  • Recent Proposals May Spell Supervision Overhaul For Banks

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    A slew of rules recently proposed by the federal banking agencies with approaching comment deadlines would rewrite supervision standards to be further tailored to banks' size and activities, while prioritizing financial risks over process, documentation and other nonfinancial risks, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Where DEI Stands After The Federal Crackdown In 2025

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    The federal government's actions this year have marked a fundamental shift in the enforcement of antidiscrimination laws, indicating that diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that perpetuate allegedly unlawful discrimination will face vigorous scrutiny in 2026, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Rule Update May Mean Simpler PFAS Reports, Faster Timeline

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recently proposed revisions to the Toxic Substances Control Act's per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances reporting rule would substantially narrow reporting obligations, but if the rule is finalized, companies will need to prepare for a significantly accelerated timeline for data submissions, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • What US Can Learn From Brazil's Securities Arbitration Model

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    To allay investor concerns about its recent approval of mandatory arbitration clauses in public company registration statements, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission should look to Brazil's securities arbitration model, which shows that clear rules and strong institutions can complement the goals of securities regulation, say arbiters at the B3 Arbitration Chamber.

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