Public Policy

  • October 08, 2026

    US Atty Video Lets Harvard Researcher Probe Motive

    A rare video statement released by Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley after her office charged a Russian national and Harvard researcher with smuggling frog embryos last year could be seen as "objective evidence" that the prosecution was driven by vindictiveness, a federal judge said on Thursday.

  • October 08, 2026

    GAO To Investigate CFTC Staffing Cuts After Warren Request

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office will investigate the impact of staffing cuts at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, after Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., urged the watchdog agency to probe whether the cuts impacted the CFTC's ability to fulfill its responsibilities and whether they are legally sound.

  • October 08, 2026

    Colo. Landowners Sue To Block Data Center

    Colorado landowners sued Weld County and a data center developer, alleging that the county unlawfully approved the first phase of what they say will be the state's largest data center despite concerns about its water and electricity needs, noise pollution and violations of public meeting requirements.

  • October 08, 2026

    NCUA's 2-Week Leadership Gap Draws Senate Dem Scrutiny

    The Senate Banking Committee's top Democrat is seeking more details on an unusual gap in leadership that took place this summer at the National Credit Union Administration, questioning how the agency continued to function with an empty governing board.

  • October 08, 2026

    FTC's Meador Urges EU To Adopt Case-By-Case Enforcement

    Federal Trade Commission member Mark Meador on Thursday argued digital market rules in the U.K. and the European Union undermine international cooperation with U.S. antitrust and consumer protection enforcers, in the latest Trump administration admonishment of the policies.

  • October 08, 2026

    DOJ Says Denver's Mask Ban Threatens Officers' Safety

    The Trump administration sued the city of Denver and its officials in Colorado federal court Thursday, alleging the city's new ordinance that bans facial coverings for federal law enforcement officers is unconstitutional and threatens officers' safety.

  • October 08, 2026

    USPTO Plan To Limit AIA Reviews Is In White House's Hands

    Rules proposed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to place new limits on patent challenges are being scrutinized by a White House agency, which has held dozens of meetings with groups advocating for and against the plan in recent weeks.

  • October 08, 2026

    Coastal County Tells Texas Justices It's Free To Tax Stored Oil

    A Texas county's property tax on stored oil that companies said was bound for export doesn't violate the import-export clause of the U.S. Constitution, the county told the state's high court Thursday, saying a significant amount of oil remained in the state.

  • October 08, 2026

    DOT Tells 2nd Circ. Congestion Pricing Fight In Wrong Court

    The Trump administration doubled down on its efforts to eliminate New York's congestion pricing, telling the Second Circuit that the underlying contract dispute was heard in the wrong court and that it shouldn't be handcuffed to now-disfavored policies of earlier administrations anyway.

  • October 08, 2026

    Kratom Cos. Say Baltimore Overreached With Marketing Suit

    Three kratom sellers and distributors are asking a Maryland federal court to throw out a suit from the city of Baltimore alleging they misled consumers about the addictive nature of kratom, and saying the city is trying to step into enforcement shoes that are meant to be filled by state actors.

  • October 08, 2026

    Gildan Changes T-Shirt Contract Terms After FTC Pressure

    The Federal Trade Commission said Thursday that T-shirt manufacturer Gildan Activewear SRL has removed terms from its supply agreement with distributor S&S Holdings LLC that prevented Gildan from offering better prices to competing distributors.

  • October 08, 2026

    No Sign Of A Final Whistle For NCAA Eligibility Suits

    New NCAA rules and a looming U.S. Senate bill could lead to a decrease in court fights over athletes' eligibility, but the huge dollars at stake and athletes' desire to extend their careers mean that litigation is not going to disappear anytime soon.

  • October 08, 2026

    Trade Court Remands Commerce's Freight Coupler Duties

    The U.S. Department of Commerce failed to sufficiently explain how attached freight couplers are within the scope of countervailing and antidumping duties placed on freight rail couplers imported from China, the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled Thursday, remanding the matter back to Commerce for further explanation.

  • October 08, 2026

    ICE Policy Halting Biometrics Collection On Hold

    A D.C. federal judge has put a hold on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's policy of refusing to collect biometric information needed to process immigration applications for detained immigrants.

  • October 08, 2026

    DA Looks To Stifle Subpoena In NC Digital Court Class Claims

    A local district attorney is seeking to quash a subpoena in a proposed class action alleging glitches in North Carolina's electronic court system led to scores of individuals being wrongfully arrested or detained, calling the request "overly broad" and "unduly burdensome."

  • October 08, 2026

    FDA Expects Mifepristone Safety Review Results By March

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration anticipates finishing its safety evaluation of mifepristone by March 2027, suggesting a longer horizon for its review of regulations allowing the abortion drug to be dispensed remotely, according to a report filed by the agency in Louisiana federal court.

  • October 08, 2026

    IP Rights Group Urges Against Litigation Funding Disclosure

    An inventor rights advocacy group has told a federal courts rules committee that requiring the disclosure of who is funding civil litigation would put independent inventors at a disadvantage when trying to enforce patents against a larger company.

  • October 08, 2026

    11th Circ. Voids Fla. Septic Permit Ban Over New FWS Rule

    The Eleventh Circuit issued a win Thursday for Florida environmental regulators who had been ordered to temporarily stop issuing new septic tank permits over concerns for the well-being of manatees, saying the lower court relied on a federal rule that was no longer valid.

  • October 08, 2026

    Pa. Justices To Hear Philly's Suit Over Opioid-Spurred Crime

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has agreed to weigh in on whether the city of Philadelphia can sue CVS Pharmacy Inc. and other stores under state public nuisance laws for allegedly exacerbating the opioid epidemic with their prescription drug sales.

  • October 08, 2026

    New Fraud Division Flexes Might In Latest Enforcement Policy

    The National Fraud Enforcement Division's new corporate enforcement policy emphasizes the quick pursuit of certain types of fraud through data analysis and staff resources, expands the target list beyond traditional healthcare providers and highlights the division's growing dominance within the U.S. Department of Justice, experts say.

  • October 08, 2026

    Amex Fined $350M Over Anti-Money Laundering Lapses

    American Express has been fined $350 million over findings of systemic deficiencies in its banking unit's anti-money laundering program, including for alleged failures to properly detect and report $13 billion in potentially illicit activity over roughly a decade, federal regulators said Thursday.

  • October 08, 2026

    High Court Puts 4th Circ. Political Ad Rate Ruling On Ice

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday stayed a Fourth Circuit ruling that directed the Federal Communications Commission to review an agency staff decision requiring broadcasters charge the lowest political ad rates for committees tied to candidates.

  • October 08, 2026

    Pa. Legislators Want More Time To Regulate 'Skill Games'

    Three Pennsylvania lawmakers and a coalition of "skill games" operators want the state Supreme Court to extend a deadline before police start seizing the game terminals, hoping to give the state Legislature more time to pass a law governing the games after the court found them to be illegal slot machines.

  • October 08, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Presses Inventor On SAWS Bias Challenge

    Federal Circuit judges appeared skeptical of an inventor's argument that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's controversial and now discontinued "sensitive" patent applications program derailed his application for a patent on a type of internal combustion engine in violation of his constitutional rights.

  • October 08, 2026

    Sen. Scott Can Trim Booz Allen Tax Info Leak Suit, Judge Says

    Sen. Rick Scott can narrow his suit over an IRS contractor's leak of his tax returns to proceed only on a negligence claim against Booz Allen Hamilton in Florida federal court, a judge ruled, saying the trim avoids overlapping litigation after claims against the leaker were transferred.

Expert Analysis

  • State Of Insurance: Q2 Notes From Illinois

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    The second quarter of 2026 featured a trio of auto insurance opinions from Illinois' appellate courts, addressing a notice requirement, narrowing insurers' exposure for delayed payment of underinsured motorist claims, and creating a district split on coverage for employee-drivers under employers' policies, says Matthew Fortin at BatesCarey.

  • Tips For Issuers Left In Lurch Without Genius Act Final Rules

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    The compliance runway envisioned by the Genius Act is steadily shrinking after regulators failed to finalize all the required implementing regulations by July 18, so stablecoin issuers should begin implementing "no-regrets" compliance measures and securing outside vendors before the law takes full effect in January, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.

  • Why Courts Are Pushing Back On Greenwashing Laws

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    Recent Fourth Circuit and California federal court decisions blocking state greenwashing statutes on First Amendment grounds reveal a tension at the heart of environmental marketing regulation — while states want clarity, courts aren't prepared to let legislatures flatly ban categories of truthful commercial speech, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • What NYC Bridge Crash Signals About Micromobility Liability

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    A recent fatal crash between a cyclist and a man riding a high-powered electric scooter on New York City's Queensboro Bridge highlights how litigation over accidents involving micromobility devices may increasingly shift away from ordinary negligence and toward product liability, says Jeff Korek at Gersowitz Libo.

  • 3 Ways Tokenization Is Moving To Traditional Finance

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    Recent initiatives reflect efforts to integrate distributed ledger technology into existing regulatory frameworks for securities, banking and payments settlements while preserving the underlying rights and obligations of market participants, say attorneys at Hughes Hubbard.

  • At The Intersection Of Right-To-Repair Laws And IP Rights

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    Right-to-repair legislation passing through Congress highlights a broad tension between manufacturers' security measures and consumer autonomy, with important repercussions for the automotive industry's intellectual property rights, says Keith Noe at Lando & Anastasi. 

  • Opinion

    States Should Reconsider Forced PBM Divestiture Laws

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    State legislatures are attempting to enact policies intended to force pharmacy benefit managers to divest from pharmacies, but these laws would have the practical effect of reducing patient access and competition, potentially violating the U.S. Constitution in the process, says former Utah Attorney General John Swallow.

  • HSR Deals Proceed More Steadily Than Narratives Suggest

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    The most recent Hart-Scott-Rodino Act data show that transaction volume remained relatively stable, transaction values continued to increase and enforcement activity remained low, suggesting that enforcement rates have been relatively consistent across presidential administrations despite widely differing public rhetoric regarding merger enforcement, says Amanda Wait at Michael Best.

  • Assessing The Benefits Of Fla.'s Newest Business Structure

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    As of July 1, Florida business owners can create protected series LLCs to shield assets from liability while avoiding increased costs and wasted time, but burdensome recordkeeping obligations are crucial to maintaining the very protection that makes them attractive in the first place, says Gregory Ritter at Moritt Hock.

  • Key Post-Proposal Shifts Likely In CFPB Loss Mitigation Rule

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    Mortgage servicers, borrowers and consumer advocates should prepare for a likely narrowed version of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's loss mitigation rule, which is likely to permit sequential reviews, defer to investor guidelines, extend compliance timelines and preempt conflicting state standards, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • Series

    Teaching SEC Investigations Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Instructing a law school course on U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigations has made me a more thoughtful, deliberate practitioner because it requires me to continually reassess and challenge what I know about securities law enforcement, how I know it and how best to explain it, says David Chase at Miami Law.

  • Noncompete Laws Show States Focusing On Bans, Healthcare

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    The first half of 2026 confirms that state legislatures are driving the most consequential changes in noncompete law, including a few state bans and several healthcare-specific laws, making a one-size-fits-all approach increasingly untenable for multistate employers, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • What's Inside Proposed, Expanded NY Stablecoin Regulations

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    New York's recently proposed regulations for payment stablecoin issuers would, if adopted, increase the regulatory burdens of a state license, and midsize issuers considering a conversion to a federal charter should weigh the associated costs of both options, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Justices' Tax Sale Ruling Tees Up Auction Fairness Battles

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Pung v. Isabella County, Michigan, that taxpayers are not entitled to fair market value of real property seized to satisfy a tax debt shifts attention to the fairness of state and local auction procedures, and whether taxpayers claiming surplus proceeds face unwarranted hurdles, say attorneys at Miller Canfield.

  • What Corporate Counsel Can Learn From OpenAI Test Breach

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    The significance of the recent artificial intelligence testing breach involving OpenAI and Hugging Face lies in what it reveals about the path of AI’s evolution, because legal professionals must translate that trajectory into actionable governance, contractual and advisory frameworks, says Jason Mueller at Vorys.

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