Public Policy

  • July 07, 2025

    EPA, Enviro Orgs. Fight Over 'Big Bill's' Impact On Funding Case

    Green groups fighting to reclaim grant funding frozen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asked the D.C. Circuit on Monday to reject the agency's argument that Congress's recent tax and policy bill means their lawsuit should be dismissed.

  • July 07, 2025

    8th Circ. Won't Rehear ND Tribe's Voting Rights Dispute

    The Eighth Circuit won't rehear a bid by two North Dakota tribes to overturn its decision that vacated their challenge to two of the state's voting laws after the panel found that provisions of the Voting Rights Act don't give private citizens the right to sue over dilution claims.

  • July 07, 2025

    Crypto Group, Treasury Drop 11th Circ. Tornado Cash Case

    Crypto think tank Coin Center Inc. and the U.S. government have ended their battle over the Biden-era blacklisting of Tornado Cash now that the U.S. Treasury Department has removed the crypto mixing service from its list of blocked entities and a federal judge has deemed the designation unlawful.

  • July 07, 2025

    Split 5th Circ. Upholds Block Of Texas' Migrant Arrest Law

    A split Fifth Circuit panel left intact a district court order blocking the enforcement of a Texas law that allows state officials to arrest people suspected of crossing the border unlawfully and empowers local judges to order their removal.

  • July 07, 2025

    Wis. Rep. Pushes 2 Bills To Counter EU's Tech, ESG Rules

    A Republican U.S. House representative recently introduced two pieces of legislation over European Union regulations the congressman has deemed to be burdensome to U.S. companies, according to a recent announcement from the representative.

  • July 07, 2025

    Mass. Cannabis Lab Calls Shutdown Order 'Unlawful'

    A cannabis testing lab asked a Massachusetts judge on Monday to let it resume operating, nearly a week after state regulators ordered it shut down for allegedly misreporting the results of mold and yeast tests.

  • July 07, 2025

    Judge Rejects DOJ Bids To Dismiss Abrego Garcia Suit

    A Maryland federal judge demanded answers from Trump administration attorneys Monday about when they knew of Kilmar Abrego Garcia's criminal indictment and return from El Salvador, saying the timing of the criminal case in Tennessee didn't align with the administration's earlier declarations that he couldn't be returned to the U.S.

  • July 07, 2025

    Green Group, Chemours Battle Over W.Va. PFAS Injunction Ask

    An environmental group is urging a West Virginia federal court to prevent Chemours from releasing a "forever chemical" into public drinking water sources along the Ohio River, while the company is fighting the effort.

  • July 07, 2025

    ​​​​​​​Gov't Says OPM Didn't Order Probationary Worker Firings

    The Trump administration maintained that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's guidance on probationary federal employees was lawful, telling a California federal judge the OPM did not order agencies to carry out a mass termination of these workers despite the claims of unions representing them.

  • July 07, 2025

    Countries Get August Ultimatum To Avoid US Tariff Hikes

    Goods entering the U.S. from numerous countries will face tariff hikes beginning Aug. 1 unless their governments commit to address trade concerns the U.S. has raised, according to letters President Donald Trump sent Monday.

  • July 07, 2025

    USPTO Ups Number Of Prioritized Patent Applications

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is raising the number of applications it can accept each year for a prioritized patent examination to 20,000.

  • July 07, 2025

    Settlement Unlikely In Airline Group's Colo. Sick Leave Suit

    An airline lobby and the state of Colorado told a federal court last week that a settlement "appears unlikely" in the airline group's case claiming the state's sick leave law is preempted by federal law.

  • July 07, 2025

    Biggest Enviro Cases To Watch In 2025: Midyear Report

    Law360 previews the lawsuits environmental attorneys will be watching closely during the second half of 2025, including the Trump administration's challenge to states' efforts to slow climate change, a lawsuit seeking to continue federal funding for climate change projects and product liability cases over forever chemicals in consumer goods.

  • July 07, 2025

    Ex-FTC Antitrust Chief Returns To Covington As Co-Chair

    Covington & Burling LLP has rehired the former director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Competition as a co-chair of its antitrust and competition practice group in Washington, D.C., the firm announced Monday.

  • July 07, 2025

    MyPillow CEO's Attys Sanctioned Over False AI Citations

    Two attorneys for MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell were sanctioned by a Colorado federal judge on Monday over a February brief containing nearly 30 "defective citations" after using artificial intelligence.

  • July 07, 2025

    DOJ Wants Md. Federal Judges' Immigration Orders Blocked

    A Maryland federal court standing order temporarily staving off the deportation of detained noncitizens who file habeas petitions is barred by a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that federal judges do not have authority to issue universal injunctions, according to the Trump administration.

  • July 07, 2025

    Maine Authorizes Task Force To Explore Property Tax Changes

    Maine authorized the creation of a task force to explore the need for legislation and constitutional amendments to provide more effective property tax relief for residents under a bill signed by the governor.

  • July 07, 2025

    Trump Threatens Extra 10% Tariff On BRICS-Aligned Nations

    President Donald Trump threatened an additional 10% tariff on any country aligning with what's known as the BRICS coalition, which includes Brazil, Russia, India and China.

  • July 07, 2025

    Arnold & Porter Adds Biden DOJ Official To DC Team

    A former third-ranking official at the U.S. Department of Justice, who also held top positions in the Office of Personnel Management and served as solicitor general in his home state of Ohio, has joined Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP in Washington, D.C., the firm announced Monday.

  • July 07, 2025

    Feds Cite National Security As Trial Over Student Visas Begins

    A Trump administration lawyer told a Massachusetts federal judge Monday that the government's decision to revoke the visas of hundreds of college students and faculty over their pro-Palestinian speech was not viewpoint discrimination but a response to what it contends are threats to national security.

  • July 07, 2025

    Ex-Oklahoma Pot Regulator's Discrimination Claims Tossed

    An Oklahoma federal judge has thrown out discrimination claims filed by a former employee of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority in a suit alleging she was terminated for whistleblowing, saying she failed to allege that she was dismissed in retaliation for protected speech or activities.

  • July 07, 2025

    Leaders Of €15M Motor Oil VAT Scheme Convicted, EU Says

    Three ringleaders of a €15 million ($17.6 million) value-added tax fraud ring involving motor oil were among 13 people convicted for their roles in the scheme, with Italian courts handing out a combined 34 years in sentences, the European Public Prosecutor's Office said.

  • July 03, 2025

    SEC Signals Openness To Novel Crypto ETPs

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission appears to be laying the groundwork to approve increasingly innovative crypto exchange-traded products with a staff statement on disclosure expectations and the recent approval of a novel fund, but experts said the commission's openness comes with a focus on fulsome disclosure.

  • July 03, 2025

    139 EPA Workers Put On Leave For Letter Critical Of Trump

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency confirmed Thursday that it had placed 139 employees on administrative leave after they signed onto a letter criticizing the Trump administration's policies as undermining the agency's "mission of protecting human health and the environment."

  • July 03, 2025

    FDIC's Consumer Compliance Enforcement Surged In 2024

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. hit banks with a surge of consumer protection-related enforcement actions in the final year of the Biden administration, issuing the largest total dollar amount of fines in almost a decade, according to a new report from the agency.

Expert Analysis

  • Only Certainty About FAR Reform Order Is Its Uncertainty

    Author Photo

    The president’s recent order overhauling the Federal Acquisition Regulation, which both contractors and agencies rely on to ensure predictability and consistency in federal procurement, lacks key details about its implementation, which will likely eliminate many safeguards that ensure contractors are treated fairly and that procurements are awarded in a reasonable manner, say attorneys at Miles & Stockbridge.

  • Maintaining Legal Compliance For GenAI In Life Sciences

    Author Photo

    As companies continue to implement generative artificial intelligence to enhance all phases of drug discovery, they must remain mindful of legal, regulatory and practical considerations as best practices in this space emerge and evolve, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Assessing Jurisdictional Issues In 2nd Circ. Bank Audi Case

    Author Photo

    The Second Circuit's reasoning last month in Raad v. Bank Audi that the exercise of personal jurisdiction must be based on conduct taking place within the jurisdiction reminds foreign financial institutions to continually monitor how plaintiffs are advocating for an expansive view of personal jurisdiction in the U.S., say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Series

    Teaching Business Law Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Teaching business law to college students has rekindled my sense of purpose as a lawyer — I am more mindful of the importance of the rule of law and the benefits of our common law system, which helps me maintain a clearer perspective on work, says David Feldman at Feldman Legal Advisors.

  • Enviro Justice Efforts After Trump's Disparate Impact Order

    Author Photo

    The Trump administration's recent executive order directing the U.S. Department of Justice to unwind disparate impact regulations may end some Biden-era environmental justice initiatives — but it will not end all efforts, whether by state or federal regulators or private litigants, to address issues in environmentally overburdened communities, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • What Disparate Impact Order Means For Insurers' AI Use

    Author Photo

    A recent executive order seeking to bar disparate impact theory conveys a meaningful policy shift, but does not alter the legal status of federal antidiscrimination law or enforceability of state laws, such as those holding insurers accountable for using artificial intelligence in a nondiscriminatory matter, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • Choosing A Road To Autonomous Vehicle Compliance

    Author Photo

    As autonomous vehicle manufacturers navigate the complex U.S. regulatory landscape, they may opt for different approaches to following federal, state and local rules and laws, as they balance the tradeoffs between innovation, compliance and speed of deployment, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Navigating The Expanding Frontier Of Premerger Notice Laws

    Author Photo

    Washington's newly enacted law requiring premerger notification to state enforcers builds upon a growing trend of state scrutiny into transactions in the healthcare sector and beyond, and may inspire other states to enact similar legislation, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Evolving Federal Rules Pose Further Obstacles To NY LLC Act

    Author Photo

    Following the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's recent changes to beneficial ownership information reporting under the federal Corporate Transparency Act — dramatically reducing the number of companies required to make disclosures — the utility of New York's LLC Transparency Act becomes less apparent, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • The Risks Of Trump's Plan To Fast-Track Deregulation

    Author Photo

    A recent memorandum issued by President Donald Trump directing the repeal of so-called unlawful regulations, and instructing that agencies invoke the good cause exception under the Administrative Procedure Act, signals a potentially far-reaching deregulatory strategy under the guise of legal compliance, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • Deregulation Memo Presents Risks, Opportunities For Cos.

    Author Photo

    A recent Trump administration memo providing direction to agencies tasked with rescinding regulations under an earlier executive order — without undergoing the typical notice-and-review process — will likely create much uncertainty for businesses, though they may be able to engage with agencies to shape the regulatory agenda, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

  • Action Steps To Prepare For Ramped-Up Export Enforcement

    Author Photo

    In light of recent Bureau of Industry and Security actions and comments, companies, particularly those with any connection to China, should consider four concrete steps to shore up their compliance programs given the administration's increasingly aggressive approach to export enforcement, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Mastering Discovery

    Author Photo

    The discovery process and the rules that govern it are often absent from law school curricula, but developing a solid grasp of the particulars can give any new attorney a leg up in their practice, says Jordan Davies at Knowles Gallant.

  • DOJ Signals Major Shift In White Collar Enforcement Priorities

    Author Photo

    In a speech on Monday, an official outlined key revisions to the U.S. Department of Justice’s voluntary self-disclosure, corporate monitorship and whistleblower program policies, marking a meaningful change in the white collar enforcement landscape, and offering companies clearer incentives and guardrails, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • Understanding Compliance Concerns With NY Severance Bill

    Author Photo

    New York's No Severance Ultimatums Act, if enacted, could overhaul how employers manage employee separations, but employers should be mindful that the bill's language introduces ambiguities and raises compliance concerns, say attorneys at Norris McLaughlin.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Public Policy archive.