Public Policy

  • January 14, 2026

    State Dept. Pauses Immigrant Visas For 75 Countries

    The U.S. Department of State said Wednesday that it is indefinitely pausing immigrant visas for people from 75 countries who the agency said are likely to rely on government support and stress the public purse.

  • January 14, 2026

    Texas Justices Seem Open To Judicial Review Of Hemp Rule

    The Texas Supreme Court seemed skeptical of the Texas Department of State Health Services' argument that the judiciary lacks authority to review a decision to make delta-8 THC a controlled substance, asking Wednesday why the court should not have authority to enforce an existing law.

  • January 14, 2026

    Washington Urges DOE To Reconsider Coal Plant Restart

    Washington state has sought a rehearing over what its attorney general says is a "clumsy" U.S. Department of Energy order to continue operations at a coal plant set to be retired, arguing the plant lacks proper staffing and produces costlier electricity.

  • January 14, 2026

    Trump Imposes 25% Tariff On Select Semiconductor Imports

    President Donald Trump signed executive orders Wednesday taking action on semiconductor and mineral imports, choosing to impose a 25% tariff beginning Thursday on a narrow set of chips and their derivative products while emphasizing dealmaking to secure key minerals.

  • January 14, 2026

    Enviro Groups Sue Feds Over Montana Fire, Grazing Plans

    Conservation groups are asking a federal district court to block a Bureau of Land Management decision that will allow vegetation management treatments that include widespread prescribed fires and target grazing on 905,000 acres in southwest Montana, arguing the federal agency authorized the project without a specified time frame.

  • January 14, 2026

    FCC Still Weighing 39% Broadcast Cap, Carr Tells Lawmakers

    The Federal Communications Commission hasn't decided whether the law gives it wiggle room to lift the 39% cap on national audience share controlled by a single broadcast chain, a move that would let Nexstar merge with Tegna, the FCC's chief told lawmakers Wednesday.

  • January 14, 2026

    House Blocks GOP Bid To Cut Funds For DC Judges, Courts

    The House on Wednesday failed to approve a Republican-led amendment to a government funding bill that would decrease the funding for D.C. courts and take aim at two federal judges Republicans are looking to impeach.

  • January 14, 2026

    Justices Wary Of NJ's Immunity Defense In Transit Injury Suits

    The U.S. Supreme Court signaled skepticism Wednesday toward New Jersey's bid to cloak its public transit system in sovereign immunity, repeatedly questioning why the state chose the corporate form and rejected liability for the agency's debts but now insists the entity functions as an arm of the state.

  • January 14, 2026

    USPTO Tells Fed. Circ. To Reject Assignor Estoppel Case

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has urged the Federal Circuit to reject a mandamus petition by Tessell Inc. that claimed the office flouted precedent by using assignor estoppel to reject patent challenges, saying the decisions were based on discretion, not that legal doctrine.

  • January 14, 2026

    Duke Energy Fights To Recover Over $17M In Fuel Costs

    In an effort to secure recovery of over $17 million in fuel costs, counsel for Duke Energy's electric utilities serving the Carolinas told a state appeals court Wednesday that lawmakers have always intended for utilities to recover or return fuel costs "dollar for dollar."

  • January 14, 2026

    Senate Bill Would Give FCC One Year For Satellite Licensing

    A bipartisan U.S. Senate bill unveiled Wednesday would speed up satellite applications by limiting their review at the Federal Communications Commission to one year.

  • January 14, 2026

    Trump Admin Drops Appeal In Transportation Funds Suit

    The Trump administration has dropped its First Circuit appeal of an order blocking it from tying billions of dollars in federal transportation funding to states' cooperation with its immigration crackdown.

  • January 14, 2026

    Alito Denies Bid To Avoid Depos In Texas Hair Bias Suit

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday shot down a bid from a Texas school district seeking to stave off depositions of two district officials in a case alleging the district discriminated against Black students who wore their hair in locs.

  • January 14, 2026

    Labour Party Won't Block Scottish Budget With Mansion Tax

    The Labour Party will not block plans to implement what is commonly known as a mansion tax in Scotland at a threshold lower than the rest of the U.K. and to raise income tax thresholds to cut taxes for low earners, the party's Scottish leader said Wednesday.

  • January 14, 2026

    Trump, Co-Defendants Aim To Mute DA Willis On Fee Demands

    President Donald Trump and others say that the Fulton County District Attorney's Office shouldn't be allowed to weigh in on their request for millions of dollars in legal fees after the district attorney's office was disqualified from the now-dropped election interference case.

  • January 14, 2026

    DOJ Calls On 3rd Circ. To Rethink Habba DQ Ruling

    In a request for rehearing en banc filed Wednesday, the federal government asked the Third Circuit to reconsider its decision blocking Alina Habba from serving as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey, saying the issue is "of exceptional importance."

  • January 14, 2026

    NJ Legislature OKs Entertainment Renovation Tax Credit

    New Jersey would allow certain sports and entertainment renovation projects to claim an income tax credit under an economic development program if a bill passes in the state Legislature. 

  • January 14, 2026

    NJ Court Won't Probe State's Unclaimed Property Law

    A New Jersey federal judge dismissed a Chilean citizen's suit challenging the constitutionality of New Jersey's unclaimed property law, finding that he lacks standing despite his arguments that he fears the state may again seize, sell and undercompensate him for abandoned stocks.

  • January 14, 2026

    Fla. Atty Witness In Charity Probe Picked For Appellate Seat

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday nominated John Guard, senior counselor to the attorney general of Florida, to an appellate court seat, after his nomination for a federal judgeship fizzled once he came under scrutiny in a criminal probe regarding a charity connected to the governor.

  • January 14, 2026

    SG Asks High Court To Reshuffle Sides In AT&T Fine Case

    U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday to realign the parties' designations in a combined case over the Federal Communications Commission's penalty powers after the justices recently granted review.

  • January 14, 2026

    Wash. Gov. Backs Plan For Tax On Millionaires

    Washington state residents earning more than $1 million in a single year would be subject to a nearly 10% tax on that income under a plan backed by the state's governor.

  • January 14, 2026

    Idaho Tribes Urge 9th Circ. To Uphold Land Swap Ruling

    The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes are asking the Ninth Circuit to deny a bid by a global agribusiness and the federal government for an en banc panel rehearing on its decision to invalidate an Idaho land transfer, saying the petition doesn't raise any exceptional questions and ignores long-standing Supreme Court precedent.

  • January 14, 2026

    IRS Clarifies 1st-Year 100% Depreciation Deduction Eligibility

    The IRS unveiled guidance Wednesday governing the eligibility for and calculation of a retooled tax deduction for the additional first year of depreciation of an asset-producing property, including sound recording production machines, reflecting changes enacted in the July budget reconciliation law.

  • January 14, 2026

    DHS Cutting 1-Year Exit Requirement For Religious Workers

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday it's scrapping a regulation that has required foreign religious workers with R-1 visas to leave the U.S. for at least one year before returning after a five-year maximum stay.

  • January 14, 2026

    Uber, DoorDash Drivers Lost $550M In Tips, NYC Says

    UberEats and DoorDash rolled out design tricks after New York City implemented a minimum pay standard for food delivery workers that has led to workers losing $550 million in tips, the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection said.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practical Problem Solving

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    Issue-spotting skills are well honed in law school, but practicing attorneys must also identify clients’ problems and true goals, and then be able to provide solutions, says Mary Kate Hogan at Quarles & Brady.

  • Crypto In 2025: From Federal Deregulation To State Action

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    The cryptocurrency enforcement landscape evolved in 2025, marked by federal deregulatory trends and active state attorney general enforcement, creating both opportunity and risk for businesses navigating the digital asset market, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • How CFTC Enforcement Shifted In 2025 And What's Next

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    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission pivoted sharply under acting Chairman Caroline Pham in 2025, resulting in a pared-back enforcement docket, sweeping policy changes intended to provide greater transparency, and a renewed focus on fraud prevention and maintaining market integrity for the CFTC's core markets, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Learning From 2025 FCA Trends Targeting PE In Healthcare

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    False Claims Act enforcement trends and legislative developments from this year signal intensifying state and federal scrutiny of private equity's growing footprint in healthcare, and the urgency of compliance, says Lisa Re at Arnold & Porter.

  • Reviewing 2025's State And Federal AI Regulations

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    In light of increasing state and federal action to oversee the use of artificial intelligence, companies that develop or deploy the technology should keep abreast of current and forthcoming AI laws and consider their applicability to their business activities, says Jessica Brigman at Spencer Fane.

  • Software Patents May Face New Eligibility Scrutiny

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    November guidance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, along with recent litigation trends from the Federal Circuit, may encourage new challenges in the USPTO and district courts to artificial intelligence and software patents that rely on generic computing functions without concrete details, say attorneys at Venable.

  • What Trump Order Limiting State AI Regs Means For Insurers

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    Last week's executive order seeking to preclude states from regulating artificial intelligence will likely have minimal impact on insurers, but the order and related congressional activities may portend a federal expectation of consistent state oversight of insurers' AI use, says Kathleen Birrane at DLA Piper.

  • Opinion

    A Uniform Federal Rule Would Curb Gen AI Missteps In Court

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    To address the patchwork of courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence, curbing abuses and relieving the burden on judges, the federal judiciary should consider amending its civil procedure rules to require litigants to certify they’ve reviewed legal filings for accuracy, say attorneys at Shook Hardy.

  • Investment Advisers Should Stay Apprised Of New AI Risks

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently issued annual examination priorities reiterate a host of regulatory implications for investment advisers using artificial intelligence tools, highlighting that meaningful ongoing due diligence can help mitigate both operational and regulatory surprises amid AI's rapid evolution, says Christopher Mills at Sidley.

  • New Rule Shows NRC Willing To Move Fast To Reform Regs

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    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s decision to forgo public comment and immediately rescind certain rules governing adjudicatory procedures, federal tort claims and disclosure of licensee information signals the agency's intent to accelerate the regulatory streamlining efforts ordered by the president this spring, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • AG Watch: Texas Junk Fee Deal Shows Enforcement Priorities

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    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's recent $9.5 million settlement with online travel agency website Booking Holdings for so-called junk fee practices follows a larger trend of state attorneys general who have taken similar action and demonstrates the significant penalties that can follow such allegations, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • 10th Circ. Dissent May Light Path For Master Account Access

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    While the Tenth Circuit's majority in Custodia Bank v. Federal Reserve Board recently affirmed Federal Reserve banks' control over master account access, the dissent raised constitutional questions that could support banks seeking master accounts in future litigation, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • Calif. AG's No-Poach Case Reflects Tougher Antitrust Stance

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    This month, California’s attorney general resolved the latest enforcement action barring the use of no-poach agreements, underscoring an aggressive antitrust enforcement trend with significant increases in criminal and civil penalties, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • A Look At The Wave Of 2025 Email Marketing Suits In Wash.

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    Since the Washington Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Old Navy in April, more than 30 lawsuits have alleged that a broad range of retailers across industries sent emails that violate the Washington Commercial Electronic Mail Act, but retailers are unlikely to find clear answers yet, says Gonzalo Mon at Kelley Drye.

  • 3 Defense Strategies For Sporadically Prosecuted Conduct

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    Not to be confused with selective prosecutions, sporadic prosecutions — charging someone for conduct many others do without consequences — can be challenging to defend, but focusing on materiality, prosecutorial motivations and public opinion can be a winning strategy, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

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