Public Policy

  • September 29, 2026

    DC Circ. Anthropic Ruling Could Chill Contractor Speech

    The D.C. Circuit's decision backing the U.S. Department of Defense's removal of Anthropic from its supply chain was based on a broad reading of the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act, which could lead contractors to be more careful about publicizing disputes with the department.

  • September 29, 2026

    States' Temporary Aid Data-Sharing Injunction Bid Falls Short

    A D.C. federal judge declined to block a Trump administration policy allowing disclosures of temporary financial assistance recipients' sensitive personal information to federal authorities, saying that while it "seems plausible" this will chill participation in the program, Democratic-led states challenging the policy haven't provided "concrete evidence" of such harm.

  • September 29, 2026

    Key Bank Policymaking Official To Depart Treasury

    Luke Pettit, a top U.S. Department of the Treasury official who has helped shepherd the Trump administration's financial services policy agenda will step down next month, becoming the latest federal regulatory official to decamp in advance of the midterm elections.  

  • September 29, 2026

    Tech Giants Tell Fed. Circ. To Spurn Squires Remand Bid

    Google, Meta and other tech giants that challenged an Express Mobile website building patent have asked the Federal Circuit to reject the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's bid to remand the case to the patent office for further proceedings, after a panel of top Patent Trial and Appeal Board judges upheld the patent.

  • September 29, 2026

    CNN Wants Preliminary Injunction In White House Ban Case

    News outlets CNN, Politico and MS Now have asked for a preliminary injunction in their suit against the Trump administration over its ban on their journalists from entering the White House.

  • September 29, 2026

    DEA Judge Pauses Marijuana Rescheduling Over GAO Report

    A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration administrative law judge on Tuesday paused consideration of a pending proposal to reclassify marijuana after opponents of cannabis reform said a recent U.S. Government Accountability Office report found that regulators did not articulate the reasoning behind their recommendation to loosen restrictions on marijuana.

  • September 29, 2026

    Late Notice Can't Void Rent Control Exemption, Judge Rules

    A New Jersey federal judge has sided with the owners of two apartment towers on Jersey City's waterfront, ruling that the buildings qualify for an exemption from rent control under state law despite the city's contention that the owners failed to meet a notice requirement.

  • September 29, 2026

    Surgical Robot Co. Says 9th Circ. 'Expands' Antitrust Law

    Intuitive Surgical asked the full Ninth Circuit to reconsider a decision reviving a surgical repair company's claims that it blocked third parties from refurbishing components for its popular da Vinci surgery robot, arguing the panel created a whole new pathway to alleging monopolization of secondary markets.

  • September 29, 2026

    Summer Vacation Rules Save Texas Slip-And-Fall Suit

    A Texas appeals panel on Tuesday revived a woman's slip-and-fall suit, finding the trial court judge abused their discretion by ignoring her attorney's summer vacation designation and dismissing the case with prejudice when he was unprepared at trial.

  • September 29, 2026

    USPTO Details Best Practices For Subject Matter Declarations

    Patent applicants submitting declarations explaining why their patents are eligible under Section 101 of the Patent Act should hand in those statements separately from other evidence and also send them in sooner rather than later, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires recommended on Tuesday.

  • September 29, 2026

    DC Circ. Weighs Limits On Boasberg's Contempt Inquiry

    A top Justice Department official told an en banc D.C. Circuit panel that a district judge should refer former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for contempt over the 2025 deportation flights to El Salvador and move on, saying the judge had no authority to wrap others into his inquiry.

  • September 29, 2026

    Glock Says Conn. Wouldn't Clarify Convertible Pistol Sale Ban

    Glock Inc. criticized Connecticut's attorney general and other state authorities Tuesday, arguing litigation was necessary because officials provided no clear answers when asked whether certain pistols violate a new law that bans the importation, advertising or sale of newly manufactured handguns that can be "readily converted" into fully automatic weapons.

  • September 29, 2026

    Colo. Says DHS, ICE Flouted Notice Laws For Detention Site

    Colorado urged a federal judge to nullify a government contract for the renovation and operation of a federal immigrant detention facility northeast of Denver, alleging Tuesday that federal agencies flouted their legal obligations to conduct an environmental analysis and to notify the public about the planned facility's environmental impact.

  • September 29, 2026

    Fed Bill Seeks To End NY Control Of Seneca Policing

    U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has introduced companion legislation that will establish a path to end a federal law that gave the state criminal jurisdiction over Seneca Nation territory, which is designed to resolve overlapping responsibilities among federal, state and tribal authorities.

  • September 29, 2026

    Agency Says Indicted Ex-Boss Can't Use Home For Bond

    The former executive director of two Connecticut housing authorities cannot use his home to secure a $500,000 bond in his federal wire fraud case, the Groton Housing Authority and related entities told the state court judge overseeing a civil case arising from his alleged theft.

  • September 29, 2026

    FCC Can Step Into Idaho Pole Dispute With Utility, ISP Says

    An internet service provider insisted the Federal Communications Commission has jurisdiction in its fight with a utility over pole upgrades for broadband gear in Idaho, saying state regulators lacked authority over the issue when the dispute first occurred.

  • September 29, 2026

    Feds Seek To Throw Out States' Challenge To DEI Contract EO

    The Trump administration told a Maryland federal court that it should toss a lawsuit from states challenging its implementation of an executive order targeting diversity, equity and inclusion practices in the government contracting space, arguing the order falls within well-settled law.

  • September 29, 2026

    NY Court Officials Must Disclose Secret Guidance To Judges

    The New York State Office of Court Administration must hand over a batch of memos instructing state judges how to interpret the law after fighting for years to keep them under wraps, a New York state appeals court ruled Tuesday.

  • September 29, 2026

    Public Citizen Files 2 Complaints Over Trump Ads

    Nonprofit advocacy group Public Citizen has filed two complaints following the appearance of an ad boosting the image of President Donald Trump that was paid for by government funds.

  • September 29, 2026

    Akin Adds House Financial Services Staffer To Lobbying Team

    Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP said Tuesday a former senior staff member on the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services has joined its lobbying and public policy practice in Washington, D.C.

  • September 29, 2026

    Tax Co. Urges 5th Circ. To Deny Microcaptive Rules Case Stay

    A global tax services provider asked the Fifth Circuit to deny the IRS' request to stay its challenge to the agency's reporting rules for microcaptive insurance companies pending the resolution of a similar case before the appeals court, saying it should be allowed to present its own arguments.

  • September 29, 2026

    11th Circ. Urged To Undo School's Ban On Penguins Book

    Book authors urged the Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday to overturn a Florida school's ban on a children's novel about two male penguins that partnered to raise a chick, arguing that the lower court unlawfully created a new exception for governments to regulate private speech. 

  • September 29, 2026

    Justices Allow Third-Country Removals To Resume, For Now

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to resume, for now, deporting immigrants to countries besides their own, while agreeing to review the legality of the practice.

  • September 29, 2026

    11th Circ. Won't Pause Sanctions Against Trump In IRS Case

    An Eleventh Circuit panel refused Tuesday to pause a district court's sanctions order barring President Donald Trump and others from citing the agreement he made to settle his $10 billion suit against the Internal Revenue Service while they appeal the order.

  • September 29, 2026

    Qualcomm Presses High Court To Ignore FedEx RPI Dispute

    Qualcomm wants the U.S. Supreme Court to skip a bid from FedEx to examine the Federal Circuit's refusal to review whether the technology company complied with real-party-in-interest requirements in a patent challenge, arguing the same type of dispute won't likely come up again.

Expert Analysis

  • Preparing For Next Congress With Eye On Investigation Risk

    Author Photo

    Rod Rosenstein, Brian Whisler and Bruce Linskens at Baker McKenzie offer advice for organizations seeking to build a proactive response plan to potential congressional oversight as the election looms.

  • Asylum Ruling Signals Larger Separation Of Powers Battle

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Mullin v. Al Otro Lado that border officials may turn away asylum-seekers without inspection is part of a broader conversation about the reach of institutional safeguards that subject governmental authority to legal constraint, says Dree Collopy at American University's Washington College of Law.

  • Solar's Momentum At Mid-2026 Will Help It Overcome Snags

    Author Photo

    The rapid expansion of U.S. solar development in the first half of 2026 is likely to continue its pace, even amid ongoing shifts in federal trade policy and supply chain regulations, obstacles to permitting reform, and an increasing divide between states enacting policies to encourage or stymie project development, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • The Debanking Minefield: Navigating Fair Access In 2026

    Author Photo

    Federal regulators' recent elimination of reputational risk from bank supervision, alongside a growing patchwork of state fair access laws, is reshaping how banks make account and service decisions and ushering in a new compliance era requiring individualized, objective and risk-based access determinations, say attorneys at Spencer Fane.

  • Carbon Health Settlement Highlights Why Evidence Is Key

    Author Photo

    The California Attorney General's Office's first-of-its-kind settlement with Carbon Health, imposing penalties for alleged corporate practice of medicine violations, shows that friendly professional corporation challenges usually hinge not on the parties' management services agreement, but on whether the operational record matches it, says Ben Dubin at VC Expert Services.

  • What PE Practitioners Need To Know About New Del. ABC Act

    Author Photo

    Delaware's new Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors statute represents a structural shift in how companies backed by private equity can be wound down and provides a more streamlined tool for managing sponsor liability without the public visibility of a bankruptcy proceeding, says Evelyn Meltzer at Troutman Pepper.

  • How To Brace For A Potential Democratic Oversight Push

    Author Photo

    With the possibility of a shift in congressional control after the November midterm elections, companies and their general counsel should prepare now by mapping oversight exposure, reviewing government interactions, preserving records and developing coordinated communications strategies, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • Opinion

    Labor Contract Bill Would Introduce Sweeping Risks For Cos.

    Author Photo

    The House-approved Faster Labor Contracts Act would force rapid first-contract bargaining, subject businesses to binding arbitration over key workplace terms, and create major uncertainty for nonunion companies, making it crucial for employers to assess their exposure and mitigate the risks now, say attorneys at FBT Gibbons.

  • Fed Autonomy Rests On Narrow Exception After Justices Rule

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions in Trump v. Cook and Trump v. Slaughter expand presidential removal power while temporarily preserving the Federal Reserve’s independence, but there is uncertainty about which of the Fed’s authorities fall within the court’s narrow monetary-policy exception, says Keith Bradley at Squire Patton.

  • Assessing New Risks After The End Of The SEC's Gag Rule

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent rescission of its long-standing no‑deny gag rule marks a transition from a regime of enforced silence to one of strategic communication, meaning the question is no longer simply whether to settle, but how to manage the narrative that follows, say attorneys at Nelson Mullins.

  • New Pipeline Repair Rules Shift Burden To Engineer Judgment

    Author Photo

    A proposal from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to allow operators more flexibility to make analysis-informed repair choices, rather than hew to long-standing prescriptive criteria, could make documenting the engineer’s decision-making process as important to compliance as the ultimate repair performed, says Ahuva Battams at Beatty & Wozniak.

  • Series

    Being A Magician Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    The skills I've developed as a lifelong magician have translated directly into tangible benefits in the courtroom because performing magic and trying cases both live at the intersection of psychology, storytelling, timing and disciplined rehearsal, says Mark Dombroff at Fox Rothschild.

  • What Ga. Stablecoin Licensing Law Means For Payments Cos.

    Author Photo

    Georgia recently enacted one of the first state-level licensing frameworks for stablecoin issuance aligned with the Genius Act, which may appeal to eligible companies by making licensure accessible to nondepository entities and potentially offering easier access to regulatory guidance, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • Illinois Audit Law Will Make AI Clauses Actually Enforceable

    Author Photo

    A law recently enacted in Illinois creates a first-in-the-nation requirement for artificial intelligence developers to undergo annual audits, providing objective standards that can be incorporated into private contracts and addressing the problem of defining responsible AI use, says William Tanenbaum at Moses & Singer.

  • Opinion

    Shareholder Derivative Litigation Needs A Better Framework

    Author Photo

    Uncoordinated, multiforum shareholder derivative litigation is a growing issue for corporate defendants that have little to no recourse for organizing and consolidating actions, but several commonsense steps should be utilized to preempt such disputes, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

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.