Public Policy

  • September 17, 2026

    Oil Giants, Estate Agree To End Heat Wave Death Claims

    The daughter of a Washington woman who died in a 2021 heat wave has agreed to drop claims against oil giants Chevron, Shell, BP and Phillips 66, according to motions filed Tuesday and Wednesday in King County Superior Court.

  • September 17, 2026

    Wash. High Court Strikes Down Natural Gas Voter Initiative

    The Washington State Supreme Court has invalidated a voter-approved initiative barring local governments and building code officials from adopting rules to discourage natural gas use, ruling in a 6-3 decision Thursday that it violates a provision of the state constitution limiting legislative measures to a single subject.

  • September 17, 2026

    FAR Council Releases Second Batch Of Regulatory Changes

    The Trump administration released a second batch of proposed rules Thursday as part of its effort to streamline the Federal Acquisition Regulation, covering everything from commercial products and services to contract negotiations.

  • September 17, 2026

    FDIC Pitches Plan For Faster Bank Merger Reviews

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. moved Thursday to revamp its procedures for vetting bank mergers, floating a package of proposed changes that could speed up the agency's reviews for many transactions and lead to fewer getting held up over competition concerns.

  • September 17, 2026

    Sue To Stop AI Armageddon? Not So Fast, Attys Say

    As executives at leading artificial intelligence companies increasingly assert that their own technology could one day pose an existential threat to humanity, a natural question follows: If the risk is real, can anyone sue to stop it before disaster strikes?

  • September 17, 2026

    T-Mobile Can't Challenge Ruling That It Broke Wash. Data Law

    A Washington state judge said he will not reconsider his finding that T-Mobile committed more than 722,000 violations of a state data breach notification law.

  • September 17, 2026

    AT&T Seeks To End Biz Landline Service In 34 States, DC

    AT&T is continuing its quest to end legacy copper line service across the United States, this time asking the Federal Communications Commission for permission to end traditional phone service for businesses in 34 states and Washington, D.C.

  • September 17, 2026

    Feds Resist Release Guarantee For Unlawfully Deported Man

    Immigration officials and attorneys for asylum seekers disagreed on the conditions required for the return from El Salvador of an unlawfully deported man, with the government refusing to guarantee the man will not be held in detention upon his return.

  • September 17, 2026

    Rail Giants Point To Shipper Support For $85B Merger

    Droves of companies that rely on freight in their daily business have recently thrown their support behind Union Pacific Corp.'s planned $85 billion merger with Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern Corp. in filings with a federal board being asked to approve the tie-up.

  • September 17, 2026

    Watchdogs Sue Trump Over Early Truth Social Post Access

    Two government watchdog groups are suing President Donald Trump and other high-ranking officials, claiming that their sale of early access to Trump's policy-focused Truth Social posts violates the First and Fifth amendments and only serves to enrich the president and his social media platform.

  • September 17, 2026

    7th Circ. Questions Illinois' Out-Of-State Liquor Delivery Ban

    The Seventh Circuit seemed unsure Thursday whether it should back a district court decision tossing two wine collectors' constitutional claim against an Illinois law barring out-of-state retailers delivering alcohol to in-state customers, questioning the state's underlying reasoning for the ban.

  • September 17, 2026

    NY Urges 2nd Circ. To Halt DOT Efforts Vs. Congestion Pricing

    New York transportation agencies have urged the Second Circuit to shut down the Trump administration's continued efforts to eliminate congestion pricing, saying the federal government doesn't have free rein to renege on cooperative agreements without justification.

  • September 17, 2026

    Ex-FCC Leaders Call ABC Probe Attack On Free Speech

    A bipartisan group of former top officials at the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday urged a D.C. federal court to put a halt to the agency's ongoing probe of ABC's Disney-owned stations, calling it an attack on free speech.

  • September 17, 2026

    SpaceXAI, Apple Must Show Texas Judge Antitrust Deal Terms

    A Texas federal judge has ordered Elon Musk's companies and Apple Inc. to provide him with a copy of their recent settlement for in-camera review after OpenAI Inc. demanded to look over the agreement and argued its terms may undermine the antitrust allegations SpaceXAI LLC is still pursuing against OpenAI.

  • September 17, 2026

    Ex-Conn. Utility Regulator Defends Appeal Of FOIA Fine

    Former Connecticut utility regulator Marissa P. Gillett has asked a state court not to toss her appeal of a $2,500 fine imposed on her by the Freedom of Information Commission for failure to comply with a records request from Eversource Energy, disagreeing with the commission that her case is now moot because the agency paid the fine and underwent FOIA training.

  • September 17, 2026

    EU Antitrust Chief Says AI Competition Mitigates Risk

    Europe's top antitrust enforcer raised concerns Thursday about the need to regulate artificial intelligence companies, while a top U.S. official said enforcers need to hear more about potential collaborations on AI safety before deciding if they're problematic.

  • September 17, 2026

    10th Circ. Debates Bid To Revive Colo. Atty Fee Law Challenge

    Colorado residents and community watch groups urged the Tenth Circuit on Thursday to revive their constitutional challenge against a Colorado law that mandates attorney fee awards to local governments in certain land use disputes, fielding court questions on the case's reviewability and whether sovereign immunity applies.

  • September 17, 2026

    Trump Withdraws ICE Nominee Schroyer After Senate Delay

    The White House announced Thursday that it withdrew President Donald Trump's nomination of former Oklahoma state trooper Lance Schroyer to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after his nomination stalled in the Senate.

  • September 17, 2026

    EPA Sued Over Power Plant Greenhouse Gas Rule Repeal

    Environmental and public health groups on Thursday sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its repeal of greenhouse gas emissions standards for power plants, accusing the agency of renouncing its legal obligation to tackle climate change-related pollution from the power sector.

  • September 17, 2026

    DHS Says Western Hemisphere Asylum Claims Are Meritless

    U.S. Department of Homeland Security General Counsel James Percival sent a letter to the American Immigration Lawyer's Association this week warning that attorneys who file frivolous asylum applications will be "subject to penalties."

  • September 17, 2026

    Michigan Court Pilot Aims To Aid Unrepresented Litigants

    The Michigan Supreme Court announced Wednesday that it is launching a pilot project, based on recent reforms in Utah and Arizona, that will allow trained nonlawyers to provide in-court support to people who cannot afford a lawyer in civil cases.

  • September 17, 2026

    Tribe Says HHS Defied High Court On Contract Funding

    A California tribe has sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and its Indian Health Service in Washington, D.C., federal court, accusing them of unlawfully slashing about $2.37 million in contract support costs to less than $100,000.

  • September 17, 2026

    Judge Nixes DEI Conditions For Federal Education Funds

    A Massachusetts federal judge Thursday found the U.S. Office of Management and Budget cannot stipulate education research funding on rooting out diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, but declined to force the government to spend certain education funds before they expire this month.

  • September 17, 2026

    Ore. Judge Denies HHS' Attempt To Amend Gender Care Order

    An Oregon federal judge on Thursday rejected the Trump administration's bid to narrow an earlier order that voided a policy declaration central to the government's crackdown on gender-affirming care for minors.

  • September 17, 2026

    Weaponization Fund Plaintiffs Say Discovery Ruling Was Right

    Plaintiffs suing over the Trump administration's once-proposed "anti-weaponization fund" are telling a Virginia federal judge to reject the U.S. Department of Justice's objections to a magistrate judge's discovery order, accusing the administration of stonewalling their requests and urging prompt discovery production.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Mich. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The second quarter brought several notable financial services law developments to Michigan, including a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on state tax foreclosures, progress on a money transmission modernization bill package, and continued legislative momentum on cryptocurrency and mortgage lending, say attorneys at Dykema.

  • How New FERC Orders Are Prepping Grid For Large Loads

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    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's recent show-cause orders to grid operators to justify how their rates and regulations account for the interconnection of large and colocated loads like data centers may be just the first step in FERC's efforts to address anticipated reliability and affordability challenges in the coming years, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.

  • FDA Moves Leave Peptides In A Legal Gray Zone

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    While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has taken a concrete step forward on reclassifying certain peptides, the practical consequence of their interim status cannot be overstated — these substances are no longer designated as posing a significant safety risk, but they have not been affirmatively authorized for compounding, say attorneys at Sheppard.

  • Series

    Bass Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Landing a trophy striped bass and closing a big deal both require cultivating the patience to finesse — not force — your way to desired outcomes, changing course when your old approach isn’t working and learning from the ones that got away, says Jon Ruiss at Alston & Bird.

  • What Consent Decree Trends Mean For Deal Clearances

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    With merger remedies back on the table under the current administration, an analysis of recent Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice consent decrees reveals that prior approval and prior notice provisions are no longer a foregone conclusion, and companies may be able to negotiate narrowly tailored obligations, say attorneys at Weil.

  • Series

    NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The year's second quarter brought several notable banking law developments to New York, including a proposal to align state stablecoin rules with the federal Genius Act, fresh fair lending and cybersecurity guidance from state regulators, and a significant Second Circuit holding on preemption, say attorneys at Ashurst Perkins Coie.

  • How Reincorporating In Texas May Alter Earnout Disputes

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    While the DExit debate has focused on shareholder suits, far less attention has been paid to what reincorporating in Texas means for M&A disputes, making it particularly important to understand the nuances between Delaware and Texas earnout jurisprudence, say attorneys at Selendy Gay.

  • What To Know If DOL Raises Overtime Salary Floor

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    With the U.S. Department of Labor recently rescinding a 2024 rule that increased the minimum salary for the Fair Labor Standards Act's overtime exemptions, employers should assess how a future increase would affect their workforce, paying particular attention to job duties requirements and state laws, says James Coleman at Constangy.

  • Roundup

    The Most Talked-About Supreme Court Decisions Of 2026

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    This term, 11 U.S. Supreme Court decisions quickly became hot topics among Law360's guest writers.

  • Structuring Space Nuclear Deals For Regulatory Risk

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    With the White House's recent focus on space nuclear power, a highly important question for companies that want to build orbital reactors, lunar surface systems or critical components is whether the transaction documents can handle foreign investment constraints, export controls and treaty-linked liability, says Kristie Blase at Frazer + Blase.

  • Proof, Not Just Timing, Will Decide Clean Energy Credits

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    For wind and solar projects that sprinted to begin construction before the accelerated placed-in-service deadline of July 4, project owners must now assemble and maintain documentation to qualify the project and defend against a potential clean energy credit audit, says Peter Lowy at Nelson Mullins.

  • Coordinating Life Sciences IP Strategies In The US And EU

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    As postgrant practice for life sciences patents is restructured in the U.S. and European Union simultaneously, patent owners will need to implement transatlantic coordination that treats international proceedings as components of a single intellectual property risk architecture, says Paul Calvo at Sterne Kessler.

  • Texas Business Court Rulings Show Deal Terms Paramount

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    As the courts within the Texas Business Court system have begun reaching the substantive merits of the cases before them, they are persuasively demonstrating they will not only enforce the terms of transactions as written, but will also embrace a holistic approach to complex transaction documentation interpretation, says Christopher Pace at Winston Taylor.

  • Series

    Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The year's second quarter brought several noteworthy financial services developments to California, including activity around a commercial finance oversight bill, the former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau head's appointment to lead a new consumer agency, and a ruling reinforcing viable bank-fintech partnerships, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • Trademark Law As A Tool To Bolster NIL Rights Against AI

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    The meteoric rise of artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes is prompting high-profile celebrities to protect their name, image and likeness rights using federal trademark law — a powerful yet limited supplement to traditional NIL claims, says Susan Natland at BakerHostetler.

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