Public Policy

  • September 22, 2026

    USPTO Announces New AI Chief, Int'l Pilot, Outreach Office

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has a new leader for artificial intelligence, is participating in a pilot program for a global intellectual property recordation system and is launching the latest outreach office. Here's what you need to know.

  • September 22, 2026

    FTC's Ferguson: Don't Fight New Fed. Courts Merger Policy

    Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson on Tuesday warned companies that fighting the FTC's shift to challenging mergers exclusively in federal court risks making "your life more difficult."

  • September 22, 2026

    CFTC Warns Prediction Platforms Of 'Mention Market' Risks

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Tuesday warned prediction market operators that offering wagers on whether a person will say certain words, interact with someone or attend an event comes with heightened manipulation risks that platforms must address before listing.

  • September 22, 2026

    SEC E-Delivery Plan Draws Access Concerns, Enviro Praise

    State regulators, labor unions and at least one member of Congress are among those urging the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to rethink a proposal that would allow issuers and market intermediaries to default to electronic delivery of investor documents, while Wall Street groups and environmental advocates praised the measure.

  • September 22, 2026

    FDA Must Revisit MiMedx Wound Care Powder Classification

    A Georgia federal judge vacated the Food and Drug Administration's classification of biomedical company MiMedx's wound care treatment as a biological product, which carries heightened regulatory requirements, finding the agency's determination was arbitrary because it had classified similar products as devices.

  • September 22, 2026

    Colo. Hospital Seeks To Toss Meta Pixel Patient Data Suit

    A Colorado hospital system has asked a federal court to toss a proposed class action accusing it of illegally sharing patients' browsing data with Meta through a website tracking tool, arguing the patient who sued failed to show he was harmed and that the conduct does not violate federal wiretapping law.

  • September 22, 2026

    Wash. Appeals Court Revives Colo. Tax Payment Dispute

    Whether intercompany payments count as profit, royalties or taxable management fees is a disputed question of fact, a Washington state appellate panel said Tuesday, ordering back to a trial court a dispute over whether a Colorado company and its affiliates owe Washington's business and occupation tax.

  • September 22, 2026

    Pa. Gov., Legislators Must Face Public-Defense Funding Suit

    A divided Pennsylvania appeals court has allowed a petition filed against the commonwealth's top political leaders to proceed, granting a path forward for the claims that chronic underfunding of public defender offices has led to indigent criminal defendants receiving ineffective legal assistance.

  • September 22, 2026

    Trump Admin Sued Over $289M In Soon-To-Lapse CDFI Funds

    A business advocacy group has sued the Trump administration, seeking to force it to distribute over $289 million in congressionally appropriated funds meant to support community development financial institutions before the funds lapse at the end of the month.

  • September 22, 2026

    Trump Admin Asks Justices To Curb Noncitizen Habeas Relief

    The Trump administration implored the U.S. Supreme Court to cure a circuit split over noncitizens filing habeas petitions to challenge their detention during pending removal proceedings, warning of "intolerable disuniformity" in how the Immigration and Nationality Act is administered.

  • September 22, 2026

    DC Circ. Nixes Congressional Veto Over Capitol Protests

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Tuesday deemed regulations barring demonstrations on the U.S. Capitol building's Eastern steps without a congressional sponsor unconstitutional, holding that the government cannot "pick and choose" who gets to use the space for protected speech.

  • September 22, 2026

    RI Judge Vacates Feds' Noncitizen Benefit Restrictions

    New York and other states applauded a Rhode Island federal judge's finding that the Trump administration flouted rulemaking requirements when it reinterpreted a 30-year-old welfare reform bill to try to subject a slew of federally funded benefit programs to immigration status verification requirements.

  • September 22, 2026

    DOJ Says Fired NCUA Members Aren't Like Fed Officials

    The U.S. Department of Justice is urging the D.C. Circuit to reverse a district court order reinstating ousted National Credit Union Administration board members, arguing Congress didn't impose presidential removal restrictions on the NCUA and that the agency isn't analogous to the Federal Reserve.

  • September 22, 2026

    Telecom Looks To Retire Legacy Phone Lines In NH, Maine

    A regional telecom provider has asked the Federal Communications Commission to approve a technology transition that would let the company switch out legacy systems for internet protocol networks in Maine and New Hampshire.

  • September 22, 2026

    Ga. Leaders Push For Nonpartisan Probate Elections

    Current and former Georgia officials on Tuesday threw their support behind a proposed constitutional amendment that would require probate judges to be elected in nonpartisan elections across the state, saying judges should be assessed on skill instead of politics.

  • September 22, 2026

    Del. High Court Upholds Permanent Absentee Voting Law

    The Delaware Supreme Court has preserved the state's permanent absentee voting law, rejecting two state Senate candidates' argument that the system violates the Delaware Constitution by allowing voters to automatically receive absentee ballots in future elections without reestablishing their eligibility each time.

  • September 22, 2026

    Ex-Charlotte Councilwoman Gets 10 Months For COVID Fraud

    A former city council member in Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced Tuesday to 10 months in federal prison on one count of wire fraud conspiracy after prosecutors said she submitted sham applications for COVID-19 relief funds with her two daughters.

  • September 22, 2026

    Guatemalan Children's Removal Rights Suit Stays Alive

    A D.C. federal judge on Monday left intact most claims challenging attempts by immigration officials to deport unaccompanied Guatemalan children in federal custody, noting the "hasty attempt" by the government to remove the children without due process or counsel.

  • September 22, 2026

    Blue States Expand Fight Over Trump Offshore Wind Buyouts

    Democratic-led states on Tuesday stepped up their fight against the Trump administration's buyouts of U.S. offshore wind leases, filing a trio of lawsuits that seek to undo payments to developers for abandoning projects on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

  • September 22, 2026

    Commerce On The Lookout For Polysilicon Stockpiling

    The U.S. Department of Commerce is looking to prevent the stockpiling of imported polysilicon and derivative products ahead of tariffs and price floors that will come into effect in December, it said in new rules Tuesday.

  • September 22, 2026

    Law Firm Says Illinois Tollway Owes Limo-Crash Defense Fees

    The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority is being sued in Illinois state court by a Chicago law firm claiming the agency has failed to pay attorney fees for its defense in litigation over a catastrophic 2016 limousine crash.

  • September 22, 2026

    Oil Cos. Escape Mich. Climate Change Antitrust Suit

    A federal judge on Tuesday nixed a lawsuit from Michigan accusing global oil and gas giants of conspiring for decades to delay the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, ruling the allegations do not amount to valid antitrust claims.

  • September 22, 2026

    Commerce Sets Zero-Tariff Rules For Specialty Drugs

    Nuclear medicine and animal healthcare drugs are some of the products that will qualify for a zero rate when tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals take effect at the end of the month, according to a notice issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security.

  • September 22, 2026

    DC Judge Tosses Okla. Tribes' Gaming Compact Challenge

    A D.C. district court judge has handed the federal government a summary judgment win in a challenge by four tribes in a long-running dispute over gaming compacts, finding that the Indigenous nations failed to show they have standing.

  • September 22, 2026

    HVAC Contractor Accused Of $8M 'Mass Save' Rebate Fraud

    A group of utility companies that participate in a Massachusetts energy-efficiency incentive program have alleged in state court that an HVAC contractor defrauded the program out of around $8 million through various schemes, including claiming rebates for heat pumps that were never installed.

Expert Analysis

  • Where DOJ's Fraud Priorities Memo May Actually Matter

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s recently released memo outlining priorities for its newly created fraud division will shape how cases are identified, staffed and sequenced, meaning white collar defense work must begin earlier, say David Tarras at Tarras Defense and Trevor Jones at Dynamis.

  • What To Know As Legal Duty To Consider AI Takes Shape

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    While the U.K. Jurisdiction Taskforce’s recent statement on liability for artificial intelligence harms is nonbinding for both U.K. and U.S. lawyers, it highlights the importance of being able to distinguish between the availability of a tool and a professional obligation to use it, say Jonny Frank and Michael Costa at StoneTurn.

  • What Cos. Should Do During Stay Of Nasdaq Delisting Rule

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently approved — and subsequently stayed — Nasdaq's $5 million market value threshold for continued listing, giving companies additional time to evaluate financing opportunities, communicate with investors and consider strategic alternatives, says Joseph Lucosky at Lucosky Brookman.

  • NC Dental Review Change Counters Tougher National Trend

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    North Carolina’s elimination of its prior review requirement for dental management agreements departs sharply from the national trend toward expanded corporate practice of medicine oversight, but stakeholders should not view this regulatory shift as a relaxation of compliance expectations, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Prepping To Use Crypto Collateral Under Ohio Ownership Law

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    Ohio's digital asset law should ease the path to using cryptocurrency as collateral, and as the October effective date approaches, lenders should update their loan documentation and diligence processes to take advantage of the new control-based perfection rules, say attorneys at Kegler Brown.

  • NY Bill Would Boost Litigation Risk For Cosmetics Cos.

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    The Beauty Justice Act, now pending in the New York Legislature, would not only present compliance challenges for companies making cosmetics and personal care products, but could also be used by private plaintiffs to bring consumer fraud, false advertising, toxic exposure and product liability claims, says Kadeejah Kelly-Previl at Faegre Drinker.

  • Appellate Vape Rulings May Expand State Regulation Powers

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    Two recent federal appeals courts decisions rejecting Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act preemption challenges to state electronic nicotine delivery systems directory laws signal an emerging appellate consensus that could significantly expand states' power to regulate vaping product sales where federal enforcement falls short, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Parsing Gov't Scrutiny Of Lending To Unauthorized Workers

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    Attorneys at Mayer Brown explain guidance recently issued by three banking regulators that addresses risks associated with lending to so-called non-work authorized individuals and discuss what the regulatory update could mean for fintech companies.

  • Discovery Into Insurers' AI Use Should Stay Proportional

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    As insurers increasingly use artificial intelligence to make claim decisions, plaintiffs in first-party coverage litigation should seek discovery that tracks how materially the automated system influenced the challenged decision, not whether the insurer used AI somewhere in its operations, says attorney Joe Zaid.

  • How FCC Covered List Blitz Is Sidelining Commerce Dept.

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    The swath of recent Federal Communications Commission rulemakings raises serious questions about the purpose and future of Commerce's Office of Information and Communications Technology and Services, and how the U.S. government will go forward in imposing national security regulation on domestic applications of adversary-linked technologies, says Peter Jeydel at Troutman.

  • DOJ Healthcare Declination Offers Self-Disclosure Checklist

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's declination of criminal charges against Campus Eye Management signals that its new self-disclosure policy provides a real path for healthcare companies to avoid criminal exposure, but that path is paved with speed, transparency and operational remediation, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • SEC Rulemaking Radar: The Rubber Meets The Road

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new rulemaking agenda shows its regulatory reset taking shape, with sweeping crypto proposals that could bring the biggest changes it has made to broker-dealer, exchange and trading compliance in decades, says Christopher Grobbel at Goodwin.

  • Monitor Exposure, Stay Flexible Amid Tariff Uncertainty

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    To navigate an unstable trade environment, businesses must evaluate their exposure to new tariffs invoked under a patchwork of statutory authorities and be prepared to adapt to further changes that may be on the horizon, says Bhargav Prajapati at Capital Trade.

  • CFPB Complaint Portal Overhaul Signals Changing Priorities

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's updates to its consumer complaint portal and decision to cease publishing consumer complaint narratives should be viewed by companies as one component of a larger recalibration of how the CFPB collects information and allocates its supervisory and enforcement resources, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Series

    Being In A Band Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing shows in storied New York City venues and rehearsing with my bandmates in poorly ventilated rooms helped develop the professional qualities I rely on as a litigator, including an ability to collaborate with strong-minded equals and the determination to treat each client with singular focus, says Eliad Shapiro at Herrick Feinstein.

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