Public Policy

  • May 22, 2025

    Rehab Greenhouse Violated Zoning Rules, Conn. Justices Say

    A drug rehab center's attempt to operate a 2,100-square-foot plastic greenhouse as a therapy facility on a northwestern Connecticut farm was an impermissible expansion of a previous nonconforming land use, the state's highest court ruled Thursday, overturning the center's earlier appellate court victory in a zoning dispute.

  • May 22, 2025

    Medical Pot Patient's Bias Suit Against Penske Can Proceed

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has refused to dismiss a discrimination case brought by a medical marijuana patient alleging a unit of Penske Corp. unlawfully rescinded his job offer.

  • May 22, 2025

    Suit Slams 'Abrupt And Unlawful' DOJ Grant Terminations

    Five nonprofit and community organizations whose grants were terminated by the U.S. Department of Justice have launched a class action lawsuit in D.C. federal court challenging the department's "abrupt and unlawful" cancellation of $820 million in grant funding.

  • May 22, 2025

    Florida AG Wants Block On Immigration Law Paused

    The state of Florida told the Eleventh Circuit Wednesday that a block on a state law criminalizing the entry of unauthorized immigrants should be paused, arguing that the law's challengers are trying to "push precedent past its breaking point" and have no standing to enforce federal immigration law.

  • May 22, 2025

    As Trump Wields FCA, Whistleblowers May See 'Dollar Signs'

    The Trump administration's plan to use the False Claims Act to target diversity programs and alleged civil rights fraud steers a well-worn statute into uncharted territory, and could spur significant whistleblower activity amid high-profile battles with Harvard University, BigLaw firms and other institutions, experts told Law360.

  • May 22, 2025

    US, Swiss Medtech Groups Push For Tariff-Free Trade

    Eliminating tariffs for imported medical technologies between the U.S. and Switzerland and new regulatory fast-track processes would safeguard the two countries from potentially catastrophic supply chain disruptions, according to a recent statement issued by top medical technology company trade associations in the U.S. and Switzerland.

  • May 22, 2025

    Ill. AG, Trump Tower Strike $4.8M Deal To End Wastewater Row

    Illinois' attorney general announced Thursday that the state has struck a deal with the owners of Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago to resolve litigation over the hotel's continual underreporting of the amount of wastewater it discharges into the Chicago River, in violation of environmental laws.

  • May 22, 2025

    Federal Gov't Backs States' BlackRock Coal Investments Suit

    The federal government on Thursday threw its support behind a case from Texas and several other states that accuses investment groups including BlackRock Inc. of using their energy holdings to drive up coal prices under the guise of environmental concerns.

  • May 22, 2025

    Int'l Student Visa Record Terminations Blocked Nationwide

    A California federal judge barred the Trump administration on Thursday from detaining foreign students who had their electronic F-1 student visa records terminated, and from imposing any additional adverse legal consequences on affected international students across the country.

  • May 22, 2025

    FCC Eyes More Satellite Use Across 4 Spectrum Bands

    The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday took the next step in plans to open multiple spectrum bands to more extensive satellite use by proposing changes that officials say could free up a total of 20,000 megahertz for space-based communications.

  • May 22, 2025

    Neb. Gov. Rejects Letting Districts Tax Outside Property

    A Nebraska bill to let some local taxing districts impose taxes on property outside their boundaries, and to create statewide standards for inspections by public housing authorities, was vetoed by the state's governor.

  • May 22, 2025

    Congress Kills Calif. EV Program Waiver, Other Climate Rules

    Congress on Thursday sent President Donald Trump four resolutions undoing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency actions, including the Biden-era approval of California's effort to ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles in the state, drawing a promise of litigation from the state.

  • May 22, 2025

    DHS Says Harvard Int'l Students Must Transfer Or Leave US

    Harvard University international students must transfer away from the university or lose their legal status, the Trump administration said, after it stripped the university of its ability to enroll foreign students in the latest salvo in the showdown between the government and the Ivy League institution.

  • May 22, 2025

    Justices Allow Trump To Fire NLRB, MSPB Members, For Now

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled two fired members of the National Labor Relations Board and the Merit Systems Protection Board cannot return to work while they challenge President Donald Trump's authority to fire them without cause, handing the president a win in his crusade against a 90-year-old precedent limiting his power to fire employees at independent agencies.

  • May 22, 2025

    Coalition Backs Calif. Tribe's Fight Over $700M Casino Project

    A coalition of tribes weighed in on a dispute over the federal government's decision to rescind gambling eligibility for the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians' $700 million casino project, questioning the federal government's perceived acquiescence to pushback from other tribes.

  • May 22, 2025

    Judge Asks If DEI Is Now 'Homogeneity, Inequity And Exclusion'

    A Massachusetts federal judge considering a challenge to the Trump administration's cuts to hundreds of National Institutes of Health grants pressed the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday for its definition of diversity, equity and inclusion, at one point asking hypothetically whether the government's policy is now "homogeneity, inequity and exclusion."

  • May 22, 2025

    Pa. House Rep Asks 3rd Circ. For Immunity In Robocall Suit

    Counsel for a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives told the Third Circuit on Thursday that a federal judge was wrong to conclude the lawmaker was not immune from a Telephone Consumer Protection Act lawsuit over recorded phone messages he sent to constituents.

  • May 22, 2025

    Columbia Student Says 2nd Circ. Backs Removal Challenge

    A Columbia University student who says she is being unlawfully targeted by the Trump administration for deportation after attending a pro-Palestine demonstration told a New York federal judge that recent Second Circuit decisions bolster her challenge to her imminent detention.

  • May 22, 2025

    Marshals Pick Advances As Dems Seek Move From DOJ

    President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Marshals Service was voted out of committee on Thursday, the same day Democrats introduced legislation to move the agency from the executive to judicial branch to prevent the potential weaponization of the marshals.

  • May 22, 2025

    Michigan Seeks 6th Circ. Rehearing In Enbridge Pipeline Row

    Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has asked the full Sixth Circuit to find she is protected by sovereign immunity from an Enbridge Energy lawsuit to halt her efforts to shut down an oil and natural gas pipeline.

  • May 22, 2025

    Chancellor Wants Del. High Court To Review 'DExit' Corp. Law

    Delaware's chancellor wants the state's high court to weigh in on a constitutional challenge of the controversial corporate law overhaul signed into law in March in an attempt to stave off more corporate charter relocations and protect the state's legal industry and $2 billion in annual corporate franchise fees.

  • May 22, 2025

    BigLaw Firms Insist Trump Deals Are Legal, Don't Alter Values

    Nine BigLaw firms including Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, Latham & Watkins LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP have written to members of Congress defending controversial agreements they made with the Trump administration to avoid executive orders targeting the firms, according to letters obtained by Law360 on Thursday.

  • May 22, 2025

    2nd Suit Says Fla. Investigator Lied About Insurance Fraud

    A Florida man accused of insurance fraud after helping a roofing company sign up customers whose homes suffered hurricane damage has sued the criminal investigator who referred the charges, telling a federal court that the investigator fabricated facts and intentionally misled state attorneys.

  • May 22, 2025

    NC City Council Member, Daughters Accused Of COVID Fraud

    Federal prosecutors on Thursday accused a Charlotte city council member and her two daughters of filing bogus small business loan applications to obtain six figures in COVID-19 relief funds, some of which they allegedly used to throw the council member a birthday party.

  • May 22, 2025

    GOP FTC Drops Dems' Pepsi Price Discrimination Suit

    The Republican-controlled Federal Trade Commission on Thursday dropped one of the last cases approved by agency Democrats before they handed over the gavel, abandoning a New York federal court complaint accusing Pepsi of giving a big box retailer better terms and promotional payments than smaller competitors.

Expert Analysis

  • Action Steps To Prepare For Ramped-Up Export Enforcement

    Author Photo

    In light of recent Bureau of Industry and Security actions and comments, companies, particularly those with any connection to China, should consider four concrete steps to shore up their compliance programs given the administration's increasingly aggressive approach to export enforcement, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Mastering Discovery

    Author Photo

    The discovery process and the rules that govern it are often absent from law school curricula, but developing a solid grasp of the particulars can give any new attorney a leg up in their practice, says Jordan Davies at Knowles Gallant.

  • DOJ Signals Major Shift In White Collar Enforcement Priorities

    Author Photo

    In a speech on Monday, an official outlined key revisions to the U.S. Department of Justice’s voluntary self-disclosure, corporate monitorship and whistleblower program policies, marking a meaningful change in the white collar enforcement landscape, and offering companies clearer incentives and guardrails, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • Understanding Compliance Concerns With NY Severance Bill

    Author Photo

    New York's No Severance Ultimatums Act, if enacted, could overhaul how employers manage employee separations, but employers should be mindful that the bill's language introduces ambiguities and raises compliance concerns, say attorneys at Norris McLaughlin.

  • What New Study Means For Recycling Compliance In Calif.

    Author Photo

    Companies must review the California recycling agency's new study to understand its criteria for assessing claims of product and packaging recyclability under a law that takes effect next year, and then decide whether the risks of making such claims in the state outweigh the benefits, say attorneys at Keller & Heckman.

  • Mergers Face Steeper Slopes In State Antitrust Reviews

    Author Photo

    The New York Supreme Court's recent summary judgment in New York v. Intermountain Management, blocking the acquisition and shuttering of a ski mountain in the Syracuse area, underscores the growing trend among state antitrust enforcers to scrutinize and challenge anticompetitive conduct under state laws, say attorneys at Robins Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    The IRS Shouldn't Go To War Over Harvard's Tax Exemption

    Author Photo

    If the Internal Revenue Service revokes Harvard's tax-exempt status for violating established public policy — a position unsupported by currently available information — the precedent set by surviving the inevitable court challenge could undercut the autonomy and distinctiveness of the charitable sector, says Johnny Rex Buckles at Houston Law Center.

  • Balancing Deep-Sea Mining Executive Order, Int'l Agreements

    Author Photo

    President Donald Trump's recent executive order directing exploration and exploitation of deep-sea mineral resources appears to conflict with the evolving international framework regulating such activities, so companies and investors should proceed with care and keep possible future legal challenges in mind, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • CFTC Memos Clarify When 'Sorry' Still Gets You Subpoenaed

    Author Photo

    A pair of Commodity Futures Trading Commission advisories released in February and April open a new path to self-reporting but emphasize that serious breaches still warrant a trip to the penalty box, prompting firms to weigh whether — and how — to disclose potential violations in the future, say attorneys at Pryor Cashman.

  • Parsing The SEC's New Increased Co-Investment Flexibility

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new co-investment exemptive orders simplify processes and reduce barriers for regulated funds — and rulemaking may evolve further to allow investors access to additional investment opportunities and increase available capital for issuers seeking to raise money from fund complexes, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Cos. Must Assess And Prepare For Cartel-Related FCPA Risks

    Author Photo

    Given the Trump administration’s strong signaling that it will focus on drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations when it resumes Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement, global businesses should refresh their risk assessments and conduct enhanced due diligence to account for these shifting priorities, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • State AGs Shape Regulatory Dynamic In Trump's 1st 100 Days

    Author Photo

    With President Donald Trump's promised rollback of long-standing federal regulations and enforcement actions just beginning, alongside a flurry of executive orders, what state attorneys general do now will influence the complex state-federal regulatory landscape for years to come, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Opinion

    New Hospice Regulations Should Enforce Core Principles

    Author Photo

    As the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General prepares to research and expand on oversight of Medicare hospice care, the OIG should keep in mind certain core principles, such as an emphasis on preventing the entry of hospices that raise red flags, says Bill Dombi at Arnall Golden.

  • AT&T Decision May Establish Framework To Block FCC Fines

    Author Photo

    The Fifth Circuit's recent decision in AT&T v. FCC upends the commission's authority to impose certain civil penalties, reinforcing constitutional safeguards against administrative overreach, and opening avenues for telecommunications and technology providers to challenge forfeiture orders, say attorneys at HWG.

  • Opinion

    Int'l Athletes' Wages Should Be On-Campus Employment

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security should recognize participation in college athletics by international student-athletes as on-campus employment to prevent the potentially disastrous ripple effects on teams, schools and their surrounding communities, says Catherine Haight at Haight Law Group.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Public Policy archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!