Public Policy

  • September 10, 2026

    Patent Declaratory Judgment Actions Are Back In Vogue

    Companies facing threats of patent infringement lawsuits are increasingly embracing declaratory judgment actions, a trend attorneys attribute to two pro-patent-owner shifts: the low institution rate of Patent Trial and Appeal Board challenges and the growth of Amazon's internal patent dispute process.

  • September 10, 2026

    Fla. AG Pushes Liability For Chatbots' Role In Crimes

    Florida's attorney general — who has accused OpenAI of facilitating a deadly mass shooting at Florida State University — is now pushing for legislation that would impose heavy fines, payments to victims and monitorship on tech companies whose artificial intelligence chatbots participate in criminal activity.

  • September 10, 2026

    Ed Martin Reprimanded Over Unauthorized FBI Contacts

    Last summer, when Ed Martin was still head of the weaponization working group at the U.S. Department of Justice, he was reprimanded after his team communicated with the FBI without authorization, according to recently released emails.

  • September 10, 2026

    FCC Looks At Modernizing Rules For Ultra-Wideband Devices

    The Federal Communications Commission could soon modernize its decades-old rules governing ultra-wideband devices, which are used in a wide range of applications including key fobs and ground-penetrating radars in construction work.

  • September 10, 2026

    Blank Rome Atty Ouster Can't Be Appealed, Conn. Panel Rules

    The former executive director of a Connecticut public housing authority cannot challenge a judge's revocation of his Blank Rome LLP lawyer's case-specific appearance in a $16.2 million loan dispute, a state appeals court has ruled, finding a trial court decision sidelining the attorney was not a final judgment.

  • September 10, 2026

    DOT Launches Task Force To Advance US Space Transport

    The Department of Transportation has launched a Space Policy Administration, Coordination, and Execution task force intended to coordinate space policy activities on behalf of the agency.

  • September 10, 2026

    Gig Cos.' Suit Over NYC Tip Law Paused For 2nd Circ. Review

    A New York federal judge has paused a suit by DoorDash and Uber challenging New York City's delivery tipping laws, putting the case on hold while the Second Circuit considers the companies' First Amendment appeal.

  • September 10, 2026

    Tax Court Nod To Income Approach Props Easement Valuation

    The IRS has been adversarial toward taxpayers using what is known as the income approach to value conservation easements, but the method's legitimacy was significantly reinforced by the U.S. Tax Court in a recent decision that endorsed the use of the method to value a Los Angeles-area donated property.

  • September 10, 2026

    Illinois, Nicor Gas Cut $140M Rate Reduction Deal

    Nicor Gas customers will see less than half of the 14% rate increase Illinois' largest gas utility service had initially sought as part of a rate reduction settlement valued around $140 million, state Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Wednesday.

  • September 10, 2026

    China Aims For Early Rollout Of $30B US Tariff Cut Package

    China and the U.S. are working toward implementing a package of tariff reductions for $30 billion worth of goods that cross the countries' borders, a Chinese official for the Ministry of Commerce said during a press briefing Thursday.

  • September 10, 2026

    1st Circ. Keeps USPS Ballot Mail Rule Blocked For Midterms

    The First Circuit on Thursday rejected a request from the U.S. Postal Service to lift a Massachusetts federal judge's order blocking new mail ballot requirements that the appellate court said would create "chaos and widespread disenfranchisement" just weeks before the November midterm elections.

  • September 10, 2026

    Indiana Justices Probe Timing Of Religious Abortion Suit

    Indiana justices sharply questioned both sides Thursday as they wrestled with whether the state's religious freedom law can be used to protect the abortion rights of Jewish women, repeatedly asking whether the case had developed enough to warrant a ruling.

  • September 10, 2026

    EU Seeks Input On Aligning VAT Rules With Circular Economy

    The European Union wants to revise the value-added tax system to promote circular business models intended to be more environmentally friendly, the Taxation and Customs Union said Thursday.

  • September 10, 2026

    Mass. Panel Says Liquor Board Can Tailor Licensing Penalty

    A Massachusetts appellate court held Thursday that revoking a wholesale alcohol supplier's license for violating common ownership rules was not mandatory, finding that state law gives regulators leeway to impose a lesser punishment. 

  • September 10, 2026

    Mass. Judge Sanctioned Over Handling Of ICE At Courthouse

    Massachusetts' highest court on Thursday sanctioned a judge over her handling of a case involving a defendant wanted by immigration agents in 2018, an incident that led to federal charges that were dismissed after the judge agreed to a disciplinary process.

  • September 10, 2026

    Canada Mulls Canned Vegetable Import Quota For US, Others

    Imports of canned vegetables from the U.S. into Canada may be subject to a broader tariff rate quota after a Canadian tribunal found the American products are among those harming Canada's domestic industry following a surge in such imports in 2025.

  • September 10, 2026

    Neb. Tax Board Upholds $1.8M Value Of Apartment Complex

    The Nebraska tax commission said a local assessor correctly valued a 48-unit apartment complex at $1.8 million, after rejecting arguments from its owner that the condition of the building and the market for rentals warranted a reduction.

  • September 10, 2026

    Mich. Panel Keeps 2 Detroit-Area Candidates Off The Ballot

    A Michigan appeals court has upheld an order removing two employees of a city outside Detroit from the ballot in the November election, rejecting the city's argument that a charter provision requiring municipal employees to resign before running for elected office violates the First Amendment. 

  • September 10, 2026

    FCC Ordered To Answer Petition In Discounted Ads Fight

    The Fourth Circuit has ordered the Federal Communications Commission to answer a petition from a group of Democratic candidates seeking to block an agency action that extended discounted television and radio advertising rates to committees that buy spots in coordination with political candidates.

  • September 10, 2026

    Tax Due On Leased Part Of City Parking, Minn. Court Says

    The portions of a parking ramp owned by the city of Duluth but leased to a for-profit hotel are subject to property taxation, the Minnesota Tax Court ruled, rejecting an appeal by the city.

  • September 10, 2026

    Cannabis Equipment OK For Tax Break, Colo. Dept. Says

    Numerous items of equipment used by a company in the cultivation and manufacturing of cannabis products are eligible for Colorado sales and use tax breaks for manufacturing and agricultural operations, the state Department of Revenue said.

  • September 10, 2026

    High Court Bars Mo. From Using GOP Map In Midterms

    Missouri cannot use a newly drawn congressional map that favors Republicans in the midterms, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday when it stayed a federal judge's order that would've required state election officials to use the challenged map despite the Missouri Supreme Court deeming it invalid without voter approval.

  • September 09, 2026

    Fla. AG Sues Netflix Over 'Bait-And-Switch' Data Harvesting

    Florida has become the second state to sue Netflix over its purported harvesting of personal data from children and families, alleging that the streaming provider engaged in a "bait-and-switch" when it leveraged subscribers' personal information to fuel its advertising despite promising to be a "safe respite" from these practices. 

  • September 09, 2026

    Sugar Buyers Want Paul Weiss DQ'd From Price-Fixing MDL

    Hershey, J.M. Smucker and other food makers urged a Minnesota federal judge Tuesday to disqualify Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP from representing Domino Foods in sugar price-fixing multidistrict litigation, arguing the firm is conflicted out because it saw their confidential sugar-purchasing data when it was being considered as plaintiffs' counsel.

  • September 09, 2026

    NM Again Hauls Meta To Trial, This Time Over Privacy

    The state of New Mexico told a jury Wednesday that Facebook flagrantly misrepresented its privacy practices, including the one that let Cambridge Analytica harvest the data of 87 million mostly nonconsenting users, as the state goes to trial against the company for the third time in seven months.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Mich. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The second quarter brought several notable financial services law developments to Michigan, including a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on state tax foreclosures, progress on a money transmission modernization bill package, and continued legislative momentum on cryptocurrency and mortgage lending, say attorneys at Dykema.

  • How New FERC Orders Are Prepping Grid For Large Loads

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    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's recent show-cause orders to grid operators to justify how their rates and regulations account for the interconnection of large and colocated loads like data centers may be just the first step in FERC's efforts to address anticipated reliability and affordability challenges in the coming years, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.

  • FDA Moves Leave Peptides In A Legal Gray Zone

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    While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has taken a concrete step forward on reclassifying certain peptides, the practical consequence of their interim status cannot be overstated — these substances are no longer designated as posing a significant safety risk, but they have not been affirmatively authorized for compounding, say attorneys at Sheppard.

  • Series

    Bass Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Landing a trophy striped bass and closing a big deal both require cultivating the patience to finesse — not force — your way to desired outcomes, changing course when your old approach isn’t working and learning from the ones that got away, says Jon Ruiss at Alston & Bird.

  • What Consent Decree Trends Mean For Deal Clearances

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    With merger remedies back on the table under the current administration, an analysis of recent Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice consent decrees reveals that prior approval and prior notice provisions are no longer a foregone conclusion, and companies may be able to negotiate narrowly tailored obligations, say attorneys at Weil.

  • Series

    NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The year's second quarter brought several notable banking law developments to New York, including a proposal to align state stablecoin rules with the federal Genius Act, fresh fair lending and cybersecurity guidance from state regulators, and a significant Second Circuit holding on preemption, say attorneys at Ashurst Perkins Coie.

  • How Reincorporating In Texas May Alter Earnout Disputes

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    While the DExit debate has focused on shareholder suits, far less attention has been paid to what reincorporating in Texas means for M&A disputes, making it particularly important to understand the nuances between Delaware and Texas earnout jurisprudence, say attorneys at Selendy Gay.

  • What To Know If DOL Raises Overtime Salary Floor

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    With the U.S. Department of Labor recently rescinding a 2024 rule that increased the minimum salary for the Fair Labor Standards Act's overtime exemptions, employers should assess how a future increase would affect their workforce, paying particular attention to job duties requirements and state laws, says James Coleman at Constangy.

  • Roundup

    The Most Talked-About Supreme Court Decisions Of 2026

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    This term, 11 U.S. Supreme Court decisions quickly became hot topics among Law360's guest writers.

  • Structuring Space Nuclear Deals For Regulatory Risk

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    With the White House's recent focus on space nuclear power, a highly important question for companies that want to build orbital reactors, lunar surface systems or critical components is whether the transaction documents can handle foreign investment constraints, export controls and treaty-linked liability, says Kristie Blase at Frazer + Blase.

  • Proof, Not Just Timing, Will Decide Clean Energy Credits

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    For wind and solar projects that sprinted to begin construction before the accelerated placed-in-service deadline of July 4, project owners must now assemble and maintain documentation to qualify the project and defend against a potential clean energy credit audit, says Peter Lowy at Nelson Mullins.

  • Coordinating Life Sciences IP Strategies In The US And EU

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    As postgrant practice for life sciences patents is restructured in the U.S. and European Union simultaneously, patent owners will need to implement transatlantic coordination that treats international proceedings as components of a single intellectual property risk architecture, says Paul Calvo at Sterne Kessler.

  • Texas Business Court Rulings Show Deal Terms Paramount

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    As the courts within the Texas Business Court system have begun reaching the substantive merits of the cases before them, they are persuasively demonstrating they will not only enforce the terms of transactions as written, but will also embrace a holistic approach to complex transaction documentation interpretation, says Christopher Pace at Winston Taylor.

  • Series

    Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The year's second quarter brought several noteworthy financial services developments to California, including activity around a commercial finance oversight bill, the former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau head's appointment to lead a new consumer agency, and a ruling reinforcing viable bank-fintech partnerships, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • Trademark Law As A Tool To Bolster NIL Rights Against AI

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    The meteoric rise of artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes is prompting high-profile celebrities to protect their name, image and likeness rights using federal trademark law — a powerful yet limited supplement to traditional NIL claims, says Susan Natland at BakerHostetler.

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