Public Policy

  • May 14, 2025

    Connecting With Friends Becoming 'Secondary,' FB Head Says

    The head of Facebook acknowledged in D.C. federal court Wednesday that Meta Platforms Inc.'s original application remains focused heavily on sharing with friends, but, despite Federal Trade Commission claims it's monopolized that business, said social media has evolved so much that those connections are no longer the platform's "main character."

  • May 14, 2025

    DOJ Tells Judge It's Reshaping, Not Killing, Detainee Legal Aid

    A D.C. federal judge suggested he might need more in an administrative record to decide whether to reinstate government-backed legal assistance programs for detained noncitizens after a late filing from the feds suggested congressionally appropriated funds would still go out but to different recipients.

  • May 14, 2025

    Judge Questions Harm In Suit Over CPB Board Terminations

    A D.C. federal judge on Wednesday seemed unconvinced that Corporation for Public Broadcasting members purportedly ousted by President Donald Trump are facing the sort of irreparable harm that warrants blocking their firings, questioning whether the nonprofit corporation could take other measures to fill its leadership.

  • May 14, 2025

    CFPB Junks Plans For Data Broker, Contract Clause Rules

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Wednesday that it is mothballing several more Biden-era regulatory initiatives, calling off planned rules that would have, among other things, required data brokers to comply with credit reporting-style protections.

  • May 14, 2025

    Labor Groups Sue HHS Over Workplace Safety Agency Cuts

    Unions representing employees in the nursing, education, mining and manufacturing industries on Wednesday sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in Washington, D.C., federal court over efforts to gut an agency tasked with protecting workers' health and safety.

  • May 14, 2025

    ICE Policy Tweak Won't Fix Harm To F-1 Students, Judge Says

    A California federal judge issued an injunction Wednesday in multiple cases challenging the Trump administration's termination of foreign students' F-1 visa records, rejecting the government's arguments that its recent policy change eliminates the likelihood students will be irreparably harmed, but he held off on deciding whether to grant nationwide relief.

  • May 14, 2025

    Judge Hints At Shielding Docs Of Live Nation Competitors

    The California federal judge overseeing claims from concertgoers accusing Live Nation of violating antitrust law is likely to grant a request from ticketing rivals to protect documents the rivals say could facilitate the very conduct at issue in the case.

  • May 14, 2025

    Virginia Judge Orders ICE To Release Georgetown Academic

    A Virginia federal judge on Wednesday ordered the release of a Georgetown University fellow that the Trump administration detained and initiated removal proceedings against while his habeas case is pending.

  • May 14, 2025

    9th Circ. Doubts Wash. Anti-Vaxxers' Stance In Med Board Suit

    A Ninth Circuit judge expressed skepticism on Wednesday that the federal appellate court could revive Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s suit against the Washington Medical Commission for initiating disciplinary proceedings against physicians who publicly aired anti-vaccination views, pointing out that federal courts generally "don't interfere" with ongoing state litigation.

  • May 14, 2025

    HUD Allocates $1.1B For Tribal Affordable Housing Initiatives

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will allocate more than $1.1 billion in Indian Housing Block Grant funding to support affordable housing efforts in Native American tribal communities, HUD announced Tuesday.

  • May 14, 2025

    USDA Says Native Villages Aren't Tribal Land In $70M Dispute

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture is standing by its assertion that two Native Alaskan villages are not tribal lands in the same way as reservations in its bid to convince a court to side with it in a fight over $70 million in broadband funds the agency is accused of wrongly giving away.

  • May 14, 2025

    Ga. Justices Consider Sovereignty In Telecom Permits Case

    Georgia's justices were urged by the state Wednesday to overturn a trial court order granting summary judgment to telecommunications providers that sued to enforce prior contracts with the Georgia Department of Transportation that did not include increased permitting fees.

  • May 14, 2025

    5th Circ. Declines To Rehear SEC's Kroger Proxy Decision

    The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday declined to rehear conservative shareholders' case against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over a shareholder proposal from Kroger Co.'s 2023 ballot, following a November opinion that rejected the shareholders' challenge.

  • May 14, 2025

    Colo. Justices Leery Of Speaker's Motive In Anti-SLAPP Test

    The Colorado Supreme Court on Wednesday pressed a veterinary clinic on its position that courts should consider a speaker's motivations to determine if their comments involve issues of public interest, with some justices wondering if that would create too high a bar to trigger an anti-SLAPP law.

  • May 14, 2025

    Gaming Co. Asks High Court To Undo Wash. Compacts' Order

    A casino owner and operator is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to undo a Ninth Circuit ruling that dismissed its challenge to Washington state tribal gaming compacts, arguing the case implicates an acknowledged conflict about the interplay of the Administrative Procedure Act.

  • May 14, 2025

    FCC Cuts Deal With Fla. Pirate Radio Operator

    The Federal Communications Commission has cut a deal with a man it accused of running an unauthorized radio station in Broward County, Florida, which requires him to pay a small fine and stop the illegal broadcasts in exchange for avoiding a stiffer penalty.

  • May 14, 2025

    Lawmakers Line Up To Unwind Trump's 'Chaotic' IEEPA Tariffs

    Nearly 150 members of Congress have thrown their support behind 12 state attorneys general suing to halt the Trump administration's "emergency" tariffs, arguing they far exceed the statutory authority of a president.

  • May 14, 2025

    Interior Policy Aims To Shorten Oil And Gas Leasing Reviews

    The U.S. Department of the Interior has unveiled a new policy that attempts to speed up oil and gas leasing on public lands by cutting the amount of time spent reviewing the suitability of potential leasing areas.

  • May 14, 2025

    DC Judge Halts Trump Order Axing State Dept. Union Rights

    The U.S. State Department can't carry out President Donald Trump's executive order gutting collective bargaining rights for federal workers, a D.C. federal judge ruled Wednesday, finding the American Foreign Service Association is likely to show the directive went beyond the president's powers.

  • May 14, 2025

    House Panel To Fold $3.8T Tax Overhaul Into Budget Package

    The House Budget Committee has scheduled a vote Friday on legislation that would combine the House Ways and Means Committee's $3.8 trillion tax bill with the work of other House committees as part of the fiscal 2025 budget reconciliation bill. 

  • May 14, 2025

    Abbott Signs Bill Codifying Immunity For Corporate Execs

    Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday signed into state law a corporate reform bill that codifies the "business judgment rule," which provides immunity for corporate directors from personal liability for company decisions.

  • May 14, 2025

    8th Circ. Dismisses North Dakota Native Voting Rights Dispute

    An Eighth Circuit panel vacated a North Dakota Native American voting rights dispute over whether the state's legislative body's drawing of redistricting maps violated federal law on Wednesday, saying parties don't have a private right to sue state officials over dilution claims under the Civil Rights Act.

  • May 14, 2025

    Wisconsin Lake Homeowners Amend Tribal Tax Burden Suit

    Four lake homeowners and an association have amended a suit against local governments in the Menominee reservation in northern Wisconsin, claiming the tribe has sought to grow the amount of tax-exempt land while leaving owners of taxable homes to pay more than their fair share. 

  • May 14, 2025

    Harvard Researcher Charged With Smuggling Amid ICE Case

    Federal prosecutors on Wednesday unsealed criminal smuggling charges against a Russian national and Harvard Medical School researcher who has been challenging her monthslong detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after she returned to the U.S. from Europe carrying frog embryos.

  • May 14, 2025

    CFTC Forex Case Dismissed Over Sanctioned Conduct

    A New Jersey federal judge on Wednesday approved sanctions against the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, one day after a special master's report said the agency acted in "bad faith" to gain a "tactical advantage" over a foreign exchange firm it accused of fraud.

Expert Analysis

  • Unpacking Trump Admin Plans For Value-Based Care

    Author Photo

    Recent developments from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation suggest the Trump administration intends to put its own stamp on value-based care, emphasizing cost savings assessment in particular, with its recent cancellation of several payment models that had supported primary care, says Miranda Franco at Holland & Knight.

  • Trending At The PTAB: A Pivot On Discretionary Denials

    Author Photo

    Following the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's rescission of the 2022 Vidal memorandum and a reversion to the standards under Apple v. Fintiv, petitioners hoping to avoid discretionary denials should undertake holistic review of all Fintiv factors, rather than relying on certain fail-safe provisions, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • Key Insurance Issues Likely To Arise From NY Superfund Law

    Author Photo

    The recently enacted New York Climate Change Superfund Act imposes a massive $75 billion in liabilities on energy companies in the fossil fuel industry, which can be expected to look to their insurers for coverage, raising a slew of coverage issues both old and new, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • SDNY Sentencing Ruling Is Boon For White Collar Defendants

    Author Photo

    Defense attorneys should consider how to maximize the impact of a New York federal court’s recent groundbreaking ruling in U.S. v. Tavberidze, which held that a sentencing guidelines provision unconstitutionally penalizes the right to a jury trial, says Sarah Sulkowski at Gelber & Santillo.

  • How Trump Policies Are Affecting The Right To Repair

    Author Photo

    Recent policy changes by the second Trump administration — ranging from deregulatory initiatives to tariff increases — are likely to have both positive and negative effects on the ability of independent repair shops and individual consumers to exercise their right to repair electronic devices, say attorneys at Carter Ledyard.

  • How Attorneys Can Master The Art Of On-Camera Presence

    Author Photo

    As attorneys are increasingly presented with on-camera opportunities, they can adapt their traditional legal skills for video contexts — such as virtual client meetings, marketing content or media interviews — by understanding the medium and making intentional adjustments, says Kerry Barrett.

  • Justices' TikTok Ruling Sets Stage For 1st Amendment Battle

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling upholding a law requiring TikTok's sale sets the stage for an inevitable clash between free speech and government interests and signals that future cases will turn on whether a regulation poses a substantial burden on speech, say attorneys at Dykema.

  • What Del. Corporate Law Rework Means For Founder-Led Cos.

    Author Photo

    Although the amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law have proven somewhat divisive, they will provide greater clarity and predictability in the rules that apply to founder-led companies navigating transactions concerning controlling stockholders and responding to books-and-records requests, say attorneys at Munger Tolles.

  • Border Cash Transaction Rule Heralds Wider AML Crackdown

    Author Photo

    The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s new order for money services providers near the Mexican border to report cash transactions over $200 should warn financial institutions to prepare for the new administration's heightened scrutiny of cross-border transactions and anti-money laundering compliance, says Daniel Silva at Buchalter.

  • Opinion

    Congress Must Reform The PTAB To Protect Small Innovators

    Author Photo

    Lawmakers must reintroduce the Promoting and Respecting Economically Vital American Innovation Leadership Act or similar legislation to prevent larger companies from leveraging the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to target smaller patent holders, says Schwegman Lundberg's Russell Slifer, former deputy director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

  • Series

    Baseball Fantasy Camp Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    With six baseball fantasy experiences under my belt, I've learned time and again that I didn't make the wrong career choice, but I've also learned that baseball lessons are life lessons, and I'm a better lawyer for my time at St. Louis Cardinals fantasy camp, says Scott Felder at Wiley.

  • DOJ Immigration Playbook May Take Cues From A 2017 Case

    Author Photo

    A record criminal resolution with a tree trimming company accused of knowingly employing unauthorized workers in 2017 may provide clues as to how the U.S. Department of Justice’s immigration crackdown will touch American companies, which should prepare now for potential enforcement actions, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • Paul Atkins' Past Speeches Offer A Glimpse Into SEC's Future

    Author Photo

    Following Paul Atkins' Thursday Senate confirmation hearing, a look at his public remarks while serving as a commissioner at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission between 2002 and 2008 reveals eight possible structural and procedural changes the SEC may see once he likely takes over as chair, say attorneys at Covington.

  • McKernan-Led CFPB May Lead To Decentralized Enforcement

    Author Photo

    Though Jonathan McKernan’s confirmation as director would likely mean a less active Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the decreased federal oversight could lead to more state-led investigations, multistate regulatory actions and private lawsuits under consumer protection laws, says Jonathan Pompan at Venable.

  • How Fla. Is Floating A Raft Of Bills To Stem Insurance Woes

    Author Photo

    Proposed reforms that follow a report skewering Florida's insurance industry offer a step in the right direction in providing relief for property owners, despite some limitations, say attorneys at Farah & Farah.

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.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!