Public Policy

  • October 09, 2026

    FCC Urged To Put Hold On Repeal Of Media Ownership Cap

    Several groups are calling on the Federal Communications Commission to stay a recent order lifting its long-standing 39% cap on national broadcast audience reach while a court battle plays out.

  • October 09, 2026

    FCC To Begin Search For Upper C-Band Clearinghouse Admin

    The Federal Communications Commission has begun the process of selecting an entity that will serve as the clearinghouse charged with reimbursing incumbent spectrum users for making way for 5G wireless in the upper C-band.

  • October 09, 2026

    Pa. Justices Won't Extend Deadline For 'Skill Games' Removal

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has denied a request from three state lawmakers and a group of "skill games" operators to extend the deadline for businesses to remove devices that the high court recently deemed illegal slot machines.

  • October 09, 2026

    Phaseout Of FCC's E-Rate Could Dampen GDP, Report Says

    An advocacy group warned that a Federal Communications Commission plan to eventually phase out the E-Rate connectivity aid program could dampen U.S. economic output.

  • October 09, 2026

    Can Trade Secret Law Protect Indigenous Knowledge?

    As the U.S. and other countries struggle to agree on new international protections for Indigenous knowledge, trade secret law is drawing renewed attention as a possible solution for material that communities actually keep confidential.

  • October 09, 2026

    States Fight DOL's Ax Of Unemployment Insurance Grants

    Fourteen states sued the federal government in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on Friday, alleging the U.S. Department of Labor wrongfully terminated grants intended for modernizing their unemployment insurance programs.

  • October 09, 2026

    Noncitizen Guantánamo Detainees Fight Closed-Hearing Bid

    Lead plaintiffs in a certified class of noncitizen Guantánamo Bay detainees who are challenging a Trump administration policy to detain noncitizens at Guantánamo Bay asked a D.C. federal judge to reject an administration request to close an upcoming hearing when officials are anticipated to testify about the policy.

  • October 09, 2026

    Feds Say Calif. 'Clean Trucks' Pact Usurps Emissions Rules

    The Trump administration said Friday that California cannot usurp exclusive federal authority to set uniform motor vehicle emissions standards, urging a federal judge to strike down the Golden State's efforts to still enforce stricter emissions mandates on heavy-duty truck manufacturers in defiance of federal law.

  • October 09, 2026

    CU Boulder Hiked Fees For Records Requests, Suit Says

    An administrator at the University of Colorado Boulder claimed in Colorado state court Thursday that the school improperly withheld and attempted to overcharge for records requested related to harassment he experienced under the Colorado Open Records Act.

  • October 09, 2026

    SEC Proposes Restoring Funds' Ability To Cross-Trade Bonds

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission put forth a proposal on Friday to make it easier for mutual and other registered funds under the same manager to trade with one another, while promising to update the oversight rules for fund managers participating in such cross-trades.

  • October 09, 2026

    Vape Cos. FDA Suit On Hold As Agency Reviews Policy

    A Texas federal court has granted a joint motion to stay litigation by an Altria Group Inc. vape subsidiary challenging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's premarket authorization rule, pausing proceedings while the FDA pursues rulemaking to replace the challenged framework.

  • October 09, 2026

    EU, China Make Trade Pledges On Hybrid Vehicles, Minerals

    The European Union and China said Friday that they reached mutual understanding on several key trade matters following a bilateral meeting, including the facilitation of Chinese minerals to EU companies and limiting China's exports of hybrid vehicles to the bloc.

  • October 09, 2026

    Cannabis Wholesaler Settles Conn. AG's Consumer Claims

    A wholesaler that allegedly supplied Connecticut stores with high-potency cannabis products has agreed to settle a state enforcement action for $2 million and a promise not to operate without a license, according to a stipulated judgment Thursday.

  • October 09, 2026

    NM Groups Contest Militarization Of Public Land On Border

    A coalition of New Mexico groups has accused the Trump administration of unlawfully transferring more than 110,000 acres of public land along the southern border to the U.S. Department of Defense to close it off and rope the military into immigration enforcement.

  • October 09, 2026

    FCC Aims To Boost Mexico, Canada Telecom Border Security

    The Federal Communications Commission will vote on proposed new rules that would strengthen border security by improving transparency and disclosures for communications across the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders.

  • October 09, 2026

    CNN Says Azerbaijan Can't Sue Over Israel-Iran Report

    CNN has urged a Delaware federal court to throw out Azerbaijan's defamation lawsuit over the network's report that Israel used the country as a base for covert operations against Iran, arguing the First Amendment bars governments, foreign or domestic, from suing news organizations over criticism of their conduct.

  • October 09, 2026

    Feds Again Turn To 9th Circ. In Fight Over ICE Facility

    The Trump administration said Friday it will ask the Ninth Circuit to overturn a trial court decision requiring ICE to give independent monitors access to conduct inspections and electronic records for detained immigrants at a lockup in Adelanto, California, where a judge has twice called for conditions to be improved.

  • October 09, 2026

    US Sets Rules For Mexico, Canada Metal Tariff Discount

    The U.S. Department of Commerce on Friday defined how the U.S. content of certain metal products from Canada and Mexico will be determined for purposes of applying President Donald Trump's modifications to the steel, aluminum and copper tariff regimes.

  • October 09, 2026

    Squires Grants 4 PTAB Petitions, Rejects 3 In New Drop

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has instituted four new America Invents Act reviews at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and turned down three in his newest mass order.

  • October 09, 2026

    Md. Says No US Harm From Undocumented Tuition Law

    Maryland urged a federal court to reject a challenge to a state law that allows unauthorized immigrants to pay in-state college tuition, arguing the Trump administration has failed to identify any injury it has suffered from the law.

  • October 09, 2026

    M&A Attys See Resilience Through Q3 Amid Geopolitical Risk

    Global M&A activity remained strong through the first nine months of 2026 despite a third-quarter slowdown, as strategic buyers and private equity firms continued to pursue deals in areas ranging from technology and defense to essential services, attorneys told Law360.

  • October 09, 2026

    Bill Would Shift Unused Housing Vouchers To Tribal Veterans

    A bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would allow tribal nations to give back U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development vouchers that can be redistributed to Indigenous communities that are facing a shortage for their veterans.

  • October 09, 2026

    Up Next At High Court: Criminal Sentences & Video Privacy

    The U.S. Supreme Court will close out its October sitting by hearing oral arguments in two cases that ask what level of deference federal district courts should give to commentary interpreting the federal sentencing guidelines, and what purchases are protected under a video consumer privacy statute.

  • October 09, 2026

    Hospitals Ask Court To Block Revised Plan For 340B Rebates

    The American Hospital Association and four safety-net hospitals in Maine sued the Trump administration Friday to block plans to establish a rebate system in the 340B drug discount program, alleging it violates procedural requirements and threatens hospital finances.

  • October 09, 2026

    Grassley Attacks Dems' Claims Of Rule-Breaking Over Hearing

    Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, clapped back at Democrats for their accusations that Republicans broke Senate rules during a hearing last week at which former special counsel Jack Smith appeared.

Expert Analysis

  • 2 Cases Shed Light On Invoking The 5th Before Congress

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    Given the anticipated increase in congressional investigations following the midterm elections, those who anticipate being in Congress' spotlight can draw valuable Fifth Amendment lessons from the ongoing case involving Dr. Anthony Fauci's testimony and the D.C. Circuit’s recent ruling in de la Torre v. Cassidy, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • AG Watch: Oregon Targets Consumer Costs

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    Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield's challenges to bank interest rate and escrow preemption signal heightened scrutiny of consumer costs for lending services, requiring financial institutions serving Oregon and other states with opt-out laws to reassess compliance risk, says Keturah Taylor at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Loper Bright Unlikely To Upend DEA Rescheduling Challenges

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    As cannabis industry stakeholders await a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration ruling on broader cannabis rescheduling, the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 decision in Loper Bright to eliminate judicial deference to agency decisions should not dramatically affect cannabis rescheduling litigation risk, but it could marginally strengthen proponents' hand if the DEA denies rescheduling, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • Money Transmission Issue Looms For Prediction Markets

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    The circuit split recently created by the Ninth Circuit's ruling in Kalshi v. Assad has implications reaching beyond gaming regulation as, depending on the ultimate characterization of prediction market event contracts, platforms may face differing obligations under federal and state money transmission laws, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • The Deep Split Over Mandatory Detention, And What's Next

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    The government’s mandatory detention policy for noncitizens who entered the U.S. without inspection has led to a spate of decisions this year, with nine circuits rejecting the government's reading of the Immigration and Nationality Act against two that have accepted it, making the issue ripe for U.S. Supreme Court review, says attorney Kemal Hepsen.

  • Intersecting Investigation Risks Loom In Next Congress

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    Taken together, two July D.C. Circuit decisions and a recent U.S. Department of Justice opinion on executive privilege may affect the procedural defenses and privilege protections available to targets of oversight in the upcoming Congress, and companies should begin preparing now, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • FTC Focus: A Shift In The Pricing Disclosure Terrain

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    Recent state and Federal Trade Commission developments spotlight materially different ways in which personalized pricing might be addressed, which could result in an increasingly fragmented regulatory landscape in which businesses face differing disclosure obligations and substantive restrictions depending upon the jurisdiction, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Attorneys Using AI May Have Ethical Duty To Redact Docs

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    The trajectory of legal ethics guidance in recent years strongly suggests that as redaction technology becomes more accessible, the failure to use it when uploading highly confidential materials into artificial intelligence tools will become increasingly difficult to defend as reasonable, say attorneys at Lewis Brisbois.

  • Compliance Lessons From Agriculture Co. Mexican Bribe DPA

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    Agricultural company Scoular’s recently announced deferred prosecution agreement over alleged Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations at the U.S.-Mexico border reinforces the U.S. Department of Justice’s focus on cartels, and companies must accordingly ensure they address risks associated with the use of customs brokers, says Adam Safwat at Foley Hoag.

  • OpenAI Deal Highlights AI Hiring Risks In PERM Process

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent settlement of allegations that OpenAI discriminated against U.S. applicants for positions connected to the permanent labor certification process underscores that employers providing or using artificial intelligence must align their recruitment practices with their overlapping compliance obligations, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

  • 5 Practice Tips After DOJ's Healthcare Fraud Declination

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    In light of the U.S. Department of Justice's decision to not prosecute Campus Eye Management under the agency's new corporate enforcement and voluntary self-disclosure policy, healthcare companies should keep several considerations in mind when weighing their risk and self-disclosure strategy, including the distinctions between reporting to the DOJ versus other government agencies, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • What Bulk-Power Gear Import EO Means For US Energy Cos.

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    Though President Donald Trump's recent executive order restricting imports of foreign-produced bulk-power system electrical equipment imposes no immediate obligations on private parties, stakeholders can take near-term steps to mitigate supply chain and contractual risks, as much of the order's ultimate impact will depend on implementing regulations, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • Assessing The Early Days Of Woodcock's SEC Tenure

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    Since David Woodcock took over the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Division of Enforcement four months ago, the division has pursued a scaled-back caseload centered on fraud and manipulative conduct, largely following the enforcement outlook that emerged under SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, say attorneys at Akerman.

  • AI And AML: Rulemakings Lean Into Responsible Innovation

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    Recent federal rulemaking increasingly supports deployment of artificial intelligence tools for anti-money laundering compliance purposes, and institutions that build clear use and governance frameworks will be best positioned to defend programs when AI systems err, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • Series

    Juggling And Unicycling Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Because I juggle (sometimes with fire) and ride the unicycle, friends and family used to joke that I should join the circus, but I pursued the practice of law instead and learned that my hobbies benefit my profession in several important ways, says Morgan Eddy at Smith Currie.

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