Public Policy

  • October 14, 2026

    Kushner Is Unlawfully Serving As Envoy, Watchdog Says

    Jared Kushner is unlawfully wielding power on behalf of the United States government, an ethics watchdog alleged Wednesday, asking a Washington, D.C., federal judge to block the president's son-in-law from acting as a top diplomat without disclosing his personal finances and potential conflicts of interest.

  • October 14, 2026

    State Dept. Ordered To Open 2027 Diversity Visa Program

    A California federal judge ordered U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday to swiftly open up registration for the 2027 diversity visa program and to make a public announcement of the registration period "no later than midnight" Thursday.

  • October 14, 2026

    Ex-Oakland Mayor Thao Put 'Power Up For Sale,' Jury Told

    Prosecutors told a California federal jury during trial openings Wednesday that Oakland's then-mayor Sheng Thao put "power up for sale" when she and her boyfriend accepted bribes in exchange for potential city contracts to build prefab "tiny homes" for the unhoused.

  • October 14, 2026

    NC Health Plan Can't Block Atrium's Cost-Sharing Program

    Atrium Health can move forward with a program to offer lower healthcare costs to members of North Carolina's state health plan, a state court judge ruled, handing a loss to the state treasurer in his lawsuit claiming Atrium's program will ultimately saddle the plan with more debt.

  • October 14, 2026

    High Court Won't Pause Mich. Activist Pretrial Jail Order

    The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a bid by a self-described "antifa" member to halt a Sixth Circuit order sending him back to jail pending charges that he cyberstalked and threatened a social media supporter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

  • October 14, 2026

    Judge Probes Public Disclosure Bar In Fluor FCA Lawsuit

    A D.C. federal judge said Wednesday that a whistleblower's qui tam False Claims Act lawsuit accusing defense logistics contractor Fluor of labor trafficking could ultimately fall under the statute's public disclosure bar, given that "a bunch of stuff" had been floating around on the company prior to his complaint.

  • October 14, 2026

    DC Circ. Not Fan Of EPA's Citation Habits In Methane Appeal

    The D.C. Circuit didn't seem too sure Wednesday morning whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had behaved how it ought to have when extending compliance deadlines for initiating requirements to reduce methane pollution from the oil and gas sector.

  • October 14, 2026

    Conn. Committee Backs Monitored Return For Convicted Atty

    A former Connecticut attorney who pled guilty to moving money during a client's $3 million securities scheme can be readmitted to the bar subject to monitoring, insurance and mentorship conditions, a local ethics committee has recommended, though a three-judge panel will now decide whether to accept or reject that guidance.

  • October 14, 2026

    3rd Circ. Backs Pa. Regulator In Pipeline Approval Fight

    The Third Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a Pennsylvania regulator's approval of a Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co. project, ruling there was no evidence the water quality information pushed by environmental groups would have altered the outcome of the application.

  • October 14, 2026

    US Backs Alaska In High Court Fight Over Plane Forfeiture

    The federal government has told the U.S. Supreme Court that Alaska is well within its right to confiscate "instrumentalities of crime" and the state's attempted forfeiture of an 83-year-old bush pilot's $95,000 plane for transporting a six-pack of beer to a dry village wasn't excessive.

  • October 14, 2026

    GAO Says ICE, CBP Should Improve Body Camera Programs

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office issued a report recommending that immigration enforcement agencies improve their body-worn camera policies, noting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security concurred with all of its recommendations, except over automated camera activation controls.

  • October 14, 2026

    Delay In 39% Audience Cap Lift Not Needed, Broadcasters Say

    The broadcast lobby urged the Federal Communications Commission to reject a bid from several cable industry groups to pause the agency's repeal of the 39% national audience share limit on TV station chains.

  • October 14, 2026

    LSU's Relent Hasn't Cooled College Football Roster Litigation

    The Southeastern Conference is looking to proceed with its suit over Louisiana State University's efforts to add former NFL players to its roster, telling an Alabama federal judge that its claims are live despite the school's decision not to bring those players aboard.

  • October 14, 2026

    Cannabis Reform Foes Cite GAO In Push To Reopen Hearings

    A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration administrative law judge on Wednesday ordered the government to respond to a bid by opponents of cannabis reform to reopen hearings on a proposal to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana.

  • October 14, 2026

    9th Circ. Blocks Calif. Law Requiring Fed Agents To Show IDs

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Wednesday reversed the implementation of a California law requiring federal agents to display identification, saying the Trump administration is "certain to succeed" on its argument that the state statute violates the U.S. Constitution's supremacy clause.

  • October 14, 2026

    DOJ Pushes Congress To Expand Death Penalty

    The U.S. Department of Justice has proposed a bill to Congress to bolster the use of the death penalty in both state and federal courts, in a bid to advance a related executive order President Donald Trump signed at the beginning of his second term.

  • October 14, 2026

    Brooklyn DA Busts Crypto Scam Targeting Russian Speakers

    The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office said Wednesday it has taken down hundreds of servers and domains used to defraud Russian speakers in the U.S., dealing a significant blow to the international cryptocurrency scam operation.

  • October 14, 2026

    Trump Dodging Deposition In Defamation Suit, BBC Says

    The BBC asked a Florida federal court to convene a hearing on whether President Donald Trump should be forced to sit for a deposition, saying he's not following through with obligations in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster over a documentary on the January 2021 U.S. Capitol attack.

  • October 14, 2026

    Fla. Horse Trainer Asks Court To Toss Doping Sanctions

    A thoroughbred horse trainer asked a Florida federal court to rule that sanctions imposed on him for allegedly using banned substances violated his constitutional rights, arguing he was denied a jury trial and that a private regulator overstepped its authority by handing out punishment. 

  • October 14, 2026

    DOJ, IRS Say Enforcement Surge Exposed $490M In Tax Fraud

    The U.S. Department of Justice prosecuted 76 people linked to more than $490 million in federal revenue losses as part of a stepped-up enforcement effort with the IRS and U.S. attorneys' offices over the past six weeks, the leader of the DOJ's new fraud division said Wednesday.

  • October 14, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Upholds Patent Denial In SAWS-Bias Challenge

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday swiftly upheld the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's decision to deny an inventor's internal combustion engine patent application after he argued his constitutional rights were violated when his case was sent to the USPTO's controversial, now-discontinued Sensitive Application Warning System, or SAWS, program.

  • October 14, 2026

    11th Circ. Says Fla. Can Enforce Social Media Teen Ban

    The Eleventh Circuit has ruled that Florida can enforce its restrictions on social media for children, vacating and reversing a preliminary injunction that blocked the state's enforcement.

  • October 14, 2026

    Trade Court Can Order Refunds Without Suits, Fed. Circ. Told

    A subset of importers shouldn't be required to file suits at the U.S. Court of International Trade to receive refunds for tariffs paid that were deemed unlawful by the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a technology trade organization told the Federal Circuit.

  • October 14, 2026

    Trustee Asks 1st Circ. To Nix Shuttered Bank Owner's Claims

    A Puerto Rico federal court properly dismissed claims against a trustee appointed to administer the receivership of a shuttered online bank suspected of facilitating tax evasion and money laundering, he told the First Circuit, saying he's entitled to 11th Amendment immunity because he was sued in his official capacity.

  • October 14, 2026

    Challenges To VOA Cuts Moot After Policy Shift, Agency Says

    The U.S. Agency for Global Media told a D.C. federal judge that consolidated suits by a coalition of journalists, federal employees and labor unions seeking to overturn cuts that slashed staffing at Voice of America are moot because the agency has changed the policy at issue.

Expert Analysis

  • The State Of Prediction Market Litigation After 9th Circ. Ruling

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Kalshi v. Assad gives state regulators significant appellate backing to enforce state gaming laws over prediction markets, creating a direct split with the Third Circuit that will likely lead to Supreme Court review of the question, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • CISA Town Halls Signal Key Cyber Rule Changes Ahead

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    The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recently held a series of town halls to gather additional stakeholder input on the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act, offering potential insights into how the agency may address key issues in a forthcoming final rule, say attorneys at Covington.

  • 11th Circ. FCA Qui Tam Revival Queues Up Next Challenges

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    Though the Eleventh Circuit on Sept. 1 upheld the constitutionality of the False Claims Act's qui tam provision, it will probably face continued litigation since the appellate court declined to rule on other constitutional challenges and the decision will likely be petitioned to the U.S. Supreme Court, say attorneys at Sheppard.

  • Home Equity Products Face Expanding Regulatory Patchwork

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    Home equity investment providers, which have recently come under scrutiny from regulators and industry groups, face meaningful burdens as the U.S. Senate and a growing number of states take divergent regulatory approaches, with no uniform standard likely anytime soon, say attorneys at Bradley.

  • How Orbital Data Centers May Test NEPA's Reach

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    With environmental and scientific groups recently pushing back against the Federal Communications Commission's proposal to exempt massive data center satellite constellations from review under the National Environmental Policy Act, the question of whether NEPA even applies to projects in space turns on three closely related issues, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • How Subchapter V Bill May Change Restructuring Analysis

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    While a recently passed Senate bill would expand the pool of businesses eligible to use the streamlined Subchapter V process, its more significant influence may be on how distressed businesses and their lenders evaluate restructuring alternatives long before a bankruptcy petition is filed, says Robert Charbonneau at Agentis.

  • Series

    Ballet Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    A lifetime of learning and performing ballet taught me that success — whether in dance or practicing law — comes only through hours of thorough preparation, boundless energy and relentless effort, says Sharon Katz-Pearlman at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Illinois BNPL Law Casts Wide Net Over Loan Providers

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    A new Illinois law's broad definition of buy now, pay later providers under its new dedicated licensing and supervisory regime notably imposes conduct standards similar to other consumer credit regimes and aggressively looks through a wide range of business activities and arrangements, say attorneys at Ashurst Perkins.

  • BIA Ruling Calls For Analyzing Advance Parole Travel's Risks

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    The Board of Immigration Appeals’ recent policy reversal, holding that a temporary trip abroad pursuant to advance parole counts as a departure under the Immigration and Nationality Act, means counsel should assess their clients' immigration history and potential risks of travel before they depart, says attorney Richard Herman.

  • What Cos. Should Know About DOE Energy Dominance Loans

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    With the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Dominance Financing set to become a vital resource for funding U.S. energy and critical minerals projects, interested companies must understand the terms of potential loans and take into account the applicable financial, technical, legal and regulatory requirements, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • How Jackson Walker Settlement Will Affect Conflict Checks

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    Jackson Walker's recently filed $15 million settlement with the U.S. Trustee is effectively a contract between one firm and the government that will nevertheless serve as a template of conflict disclosure practices for all firms practicing in the bankruptcy courts, says attorney Ken Rosen.

  • Scope Issues For Cos. To Consider Ahead Of Cyber Rules

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    As the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency finalizes its proposed Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act rules, organizations can take steps to navigate the uncertainty that stems from inconsistent critical infrastructure sector definitions and overlapping sector boundaries, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • DOJ Fraud Declination Highlights Self-Disclosure Tradeoffs

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    As exemplified by the U.S. Department of Justice's declination of charges against Campus Eye Management under its new corporate enforcement policy, self-disclosure can be an attractive option for healthcare companies navigating criminal exposure, but should be weighed against potential costs, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Nonbank Lenders Should Watch In 'Open Banking' Redo

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    Nonbank mortgage lenders should prepare for several key changes in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's anticipated open banking rule rewrite that could reshape verification costs, vendor relationships and loan workflows, says Kara Ward at Baker Donelson.

  • SEC's Long-Awaited Crypto Rule Is 1st Piece Of Larger Puzzle

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently proposed crypto rule provides issuers with a workable exempt offering framework but leaves holder-side questions for forthcoming rules, meaning compliance officers and counsel will have to work from an incomplete picture for now, says Josh Burton at Silver Regulatory Associates.

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