Public Policy

  • June 05, 2026

    HHS Can Issue Medicare Fines Without Jury, 4th Circ. Says

    The Fourth Circuit ruled Friday that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can seek monetary penalties from Medicare participants for violating program requirements without a jury trial, rejecting a Maryland nursing home operator's argument that Medicare participants are guaranteed that right.

  • June 05, 2026

    Rail Co. Loses DC Circ. Appeal Challenging State Forest Law

    The D.C. Circuit rejected Grafton & Upton Railroad Co.'s effort to preempt a Massachusetts town's claim over forest land the railroad wants to use for a new transloading facility, finding Friday that the federal Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act doesn't preempt a state right-of-first-refusal law.

  • June 05, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives Tribal Smoke Shop Owner's RICO Suit

    Officials with the Colorado River Indian Tribes must face a lawsuit brought by a smoke shop owner who claims they wrongfully evicted his business and stole its inventory, the Ninth Circuit ruled in a published opinion, saying tribal employees aren't automatically shielded by sovereign immunity.

  • June 05, 2026

    Trump Signs Memo To Speed Up AI Use For National Security

    President Donald Trump signed a memorandum on Friday aimed at accelerating the development and use of artificial intelligence for national security applications and barring companies from preventing the U.S. military from using their AI systems unless they get approval to.

  • June 05, 2026

    Epic Fights Apple's Bid For High Court Sanctions Review

    Epic Games told the U.S. Supreme Court there's no need for high court review of a California federal court's contempt order against Apple for violating a ban on company policies that barred app developers from steering users to outside payment options.

  • June 05, 2026

    Quinnipiac Hit With Title IX Suit After Dropping Rugby Team

    Current and future players for a women's rugby team eliminated by Quinnipiac University sued in Connecticut federal court Friday to reinstate the team, accusing the school of Title IX discrimination and of using NCAA revenue-sharing rules as an excuse to cut it.

  • June 05, 2026

    Trans Patients Urge Blocking DOJ 'Campaign Of Harassment'

    Transgender adolescents urged a California federal judge Friday to block a Stanford Medicine hospital from sharing gender-related care medical records in response to a Texas grand jury criminal subpoena, arguing that other courts have rebuffed similar government subpoena attempts and the judge should end the DOJ's "campaign of harassment."

  • June 05, 2026

    7th Circ. Says Ind. Can Bar Press From Attending Executions

    A divided Seventh Circuit panel on Friday ruled that an Indiana prison rule restricting journalists' access to inmate executions does not violate the First Amendment, as reporters are not actually prevented from covering executions.

  • June 05, 2026

    NYC Beats Taxi Drivers' Unfair Suspensions Suit

    A New York federal judge has said the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission had probable cause for summarily suspending the licenses for taxi and for-hire vehicle drivers who've been arrested, but not convicted, rejecting a proposed class action alleging the drivers were maliciously prosecuted.

  • June 05, 2026

    EPA Asks 4th Circ. To Back 'Streamlined' Haze Plan Reviews

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency urged the Fourth Circuit to deny a petition challenging its approval of West Virginia's regional haze plan, saying it reasonably accepted the plan after proposing to reject it based on a new policy to streamline reviews.

  • June 05, 2026

    Texas Justices Say Cities Sued Wrong Party In Telecom Row

    The Texas Supreme Court on Friday tossed a group of cities' challenge to state laws limiting what they can charge telecommunications companies to use public rights-of-way, finding the cities sued the wrong defendant and leaving the constitutional fight unresolved.

  • June 05, 2026

    GOP Lawmakers Target China With 2 Patent Bills

    Republican lawmakers are floating a pair of bills that would block anyone who is considered a national security threat from gaining a U.S. patent and require anyone with connections to "foreign adversaries" to list the association on an application.

  • June 05, 2026

    Coalition Urges Court To Halt Gov't Contractor DEI Order

    A coalition of nonprofits, university professors, federal contractors and subcontractors has asked a Maryland federal court to halt an executive order requiring government contractors to agree not to engage in "racially discriminatory DEI activities," arguing that they will continue to suffer irreparable harm if the order is not enjoined and stayed.

  • June 05, 2026

    Diocese Says Feds Already Working On Land Before Taking

    Attorneys for the Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces in New Mexico clashed with the government Friday over reports that Border Patrol contractors are already working on a stretch of church-owned land the government wants for border wall construction but has not won the title to.

  • June 05, 2026

    DC Circ. Backs FERC In Midwest Grid Rate Refund Fight

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday affirmed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's order of refunds in a long-running dispute over rates charged by Midwest transmission owners, saying the agency heeded instructions the court gave in 2022 when it nixed previous FERC orders in the rate case.

  • June 05, 2026

    Builders Seek Redo On Biden-Era Labor Mandate Ruling

    An association of builders has urged the en banc Eleventh Circuit to rethink a panel's decision rejecting its attempt to secure an injunction blocking a Biden-era executive order requiring labor agreements for all federal contracts exceeding $35 million.

  • June 05, 2026

    Paramount Criticizes Consumers' Antitrust Suit As Unserious

    Paramount Skydance has asked a California federal judge to toss a consumer antitrust challenge to its pending $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, saying the lawsuit lacks essential elements to state a claim and criticizing the opposition for treating the litigation like a "sport" rather than a "serious matter."

  • June 05, 2026

    FCC Grants Amazon Leo's Waiver For Deployment Milestones

    The Federal Communications Commission has granted Amazon some leniency in meeting the deployment milestones of its Leo satellite system, which is meant to provide high-speed internet.

  • June 05, 2026

    Ex-City Council Member's 2nd Daughter Cops To COVID Fraud

    The second daughter of a former city council member in Charlotte, North Carolina, has pled guilty to her role in the family's alleged scheme to submit fake applications for federal loan assistance during the coronavirus pandemic, court records show.

  • June 05, 2026

    Top Groups Lobbying The FCC

    The Federal Communications Commission heard from lobbyists more than 100 times in May on issues ranging from 5G wireless in the C-band airwaves to a new foreign-made router ban, satellite spectrum, efforts to cut the volume on TV ads, next-gen 911 and more.

  • June 05, 2026

    Trade Court Backs Off Making CBP Chief Testify On Refunds

    The U.S. Court of International Trade judge handling the tariff refund cases for importers seeking refunds of unlawful duties amended his order that instructed the head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to appear at a hearing.

  • June 05, 2026

    Equifax Accused Of Listing Cell Numbers Without Consent

    Equifax listed the cellphone numbers of thousands of Colorado residents in its for-sale and for-profit directories without their consent, according to a proposed class action in Colorado state court.

  • June 05, 2026

    CMS Hemp Program Foes Take Standing Fight To DC Circ.

    A group challenging a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services program to give patients access to federally legal hemp products will bring their case to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals after a federal judge tossed their petition for lack of standing last month.

  • June 05, 2026

    Claims Over Russia Sanctions Test Investment Treaty Limits

    A spate of recent investor-state claims initiated by sanctioned Russian oligarchs seeking billions of dollars from European nations are relying on investment treaties in ways their drafters probably never envisioned, raising difficult questions for the tribunals tasked with adjudication.

  • June 05, 2026

    In Industry First, Cannabis Co. Trulieve Will List On NYSE

    Multistate marijuana company Trulieve Cannabis Corp. announced Friday that in response to a Trump administration rule loosening federal restrictions on medical cannabis, it would be listed on the New York Stock Exchange beginning next week, a first for the marijuana industry.

Expert Analysis

  • Ch. 11 Ruling Raises Bar For Avoiding Default Interest

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    Following a New York bankruptcy court's recent decision in 33 Mako, solvent debtors may find it significantly harder to avoid paying contractual default interest to oversecured lenders under Section 506(b) of the Bankruptcy Code, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Survive The Tech Revolution

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    Colorado Supreme Court Justice Maria Berkenkotter and Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Lino Lipinsky de Orlov discuss how artificial intelligence has already fundamentally altered the legal system and offer tips for courts navigating deepfakes, hallucinations and a gap in access to AI tools.

  • 'Skinny Label' Arguments Spotlight Induced Infringement Risk

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    Recent oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in Hikma Pharmaceuticals v. Amarin Pharma highlight the uncertain boundary between lawful generic competition through so-called skinny labels and induced patent infringement, with potential implications for patent holders’ communication, enforcement and causation strategies across industries, says Anton Hopen at Trenam.

  • What Jury Holdouts Can Teach Trial Lawyers About Strategy

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    Though a hung jury can be a disappointment, a psychological understanding of jury holdouts can help trial lawyers shape their damages arguments and understand leadership and group composition as a function of jury selection, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation.

  • 'Mobile' Sources For On-Site Generation May Be A Risky Bet

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering treating large on-site generators used at data centers as mobile rather than stationary sources under the Clean Air Act, a significant policy change that would leave developers that adopt this solution at risk of regulatory reversals, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • AI Investment Advice May Fail Investor Protection Rules

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    Based on an ongoing study of artificial intelligence platforms' investment advice given to retail investors, direct access to AI may not yield recommendations for typical households that are suitable under relevant securities rules, raising new and important issues in the regulation of financial markets, says Bruce Carlin at Rice University.

  • Startup Founder Disputes Increasingly Turn On Governance

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    Recent Delaware developments suggest that as courts place increasing emphasis on board process, independence and oversight in founder-led startups, the growing intersection of governance, technology risk and investor oversight is accelerating both the emergence and escalation of founder disputes, says mediator Frank Burke.

  • 3 AI Adoption Mistakes GCs Should Avoid

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    The pressure in-house legal teams face to quickly adopt artificial intelligence tools, combined with budget constraints and the need to evaluate a crowded market of options, sets the stage for implementation mistakes that are often difficult to undo, says former 23andMe general counsel Guy Chayoun.

  • Series

    Playing Basketball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My grandfather used to say "I wear your jersey" as shorthand for wholly committing to support someone with loyalty and integrity — ideals that have shaped my life on the basketball court and in legal practice, says Tracy Schimelfenig at Schimelfenig Legal.

  • AG Watch: Reconciling 2 Maryland Data Privacy Statutes

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    In-house counsel should map the interplay between the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act's strictly necessary standard to deliver a requested service, and the Protection From Predatory Pricing Act's exemption of consent-based pricing within loyalty programs, before the state attorney general begins enforcement on the latter in October, says Erek Barron at Mintz.

  • EPA Listing Signals New Scrutiny Of Drugs In Drinking Water

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    The recent publication of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's latest draft drinking water contaminant list highlights pharmaceuticals as a category of concern, marking the start of a process that could shape future research priorities, monitoring requirements, and federal and state actions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • New Cuba Sanctions Raise Risks For Foreign Banks, Cos.

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    President Donald Trump's bold move leveling secondary sanctions against Cuba expands enforcement risk for foreign banks and companies with no U.S. nexus, signaling that non-U.S. businesses should reassess related transactions, counterparties and exposure as regulators test this broader authority, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • SEC Clarifies 'Baby Shelf' Restrictions For Small Cos.

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    For smaller public companies looking to access the capital markets, the so-called baby shelf requirements can be a significant limitation, but recent guidance from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission helps to alleviate the effect of subsequent baby shelf restrictions on an at-the-market facility, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Nexstar Offers A Cautionary Tale On State-Level Deal Scrutiny

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    State-enforcement challenges to the $6.2 billion Nexstar-Tegna merger remind legal practitioners that federal approval isn't always sufficient to deliver certainty on closing, integration and timetable assumptions, says Brett Story at Britehorn Securities.

  • How 'Bundling' Enforcement Is Parsing Efficiency, Access

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    Recent antitrust enforcement actions have taken a selective view of companies' bundling of products or services — challenging it when it shuts out rivals, but tolerating it when it creates efficient scale — making the real test now less about lower prices than about whether competition is being blocked, says attorney Alan Kusinitz.

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