Public Policy

  • September 14, 2026

    NY-Led States, Cities Sue Over Trump Public Charge Rule

    A coalition of Democratic-led states and local governments sued the Trump administration on Monday, alleging that its revamped criteria for determining who is likely to become a public charge is arbitrary, will have a chilling effect and could worsen public health outcomes.

  • September 14, 2026

    Pa. Warns Data Center Growth Could Overwhelm Supply

    The Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission said in a Monday report that the state's electric grid by 2030 will carry a risk of outage nearly six times greater than a reliability standard for the region allows, based on the likeliest scenario to follow a rush of data center-driven electricity demand.

  • September 14, 2026

    Tribes, Gaming Group Weigh In On Contested Project

    Four California tribes and a gaming trade group have urged a Washington, D.C., federal judge to reject the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians' attempt to restore a federal determination that a 160-acre site in Vallejo is eligible for gaming, arguing the tribe knowingly invested millions of dollars despite repeated warnings that the determination remained under review.

  • September 14, 2026

    Aetna Tells 5th Circ. DOL Can't Block Aramark Suit Arbitration

    Aetna Life Insurance Co. urged the Fifth Circuit on Monday against the U.S. Department of Labor's argument that uniform company Aramark Services Inc.'s health claims dispute with the insurer should remain in court, arguing a Texas judge erred in declining to enforce the parties' binding arbitration agreement.

  • September 14, 2026

    Mich. Justices Keep Judge Off Ballot, But 2 Urge Law Change

    The Michigan Supreme Court has declined to hear a Kalamazoo, Michigan, district court judge's challenge to her removal from the November ballot over an inaccurate affidavit of identity, leaving intact an appellate ruling that state election officials were required to reject her candidacy.

  • September 14, 2026

    NY Village Can Pursue PFAS Claims Against Local Cos.

    A New York federal judge won't let a group of manufacturing and industrial companies out of a suit by the Village of Nyack alleging they contaminated the water supply with so-called forever chemicals, saying the allegations in the complaint make a plausible claim under state and federal environmental law.

  • September 14, 2026

    DOJ Derides Anti-Weaponization Fund Discovery

    The Justice Department is asking a Virginia federal judge to reverse a magistrate judge's order compelling discovery in a suit challenging the Trump administration's "anti-weaponization fund," claiming the plaintiffs lack standing and are merely attempting to set out on a fishing expedition that would intrude on executive privilege.

  • September 14, 2026

    Software Co. Urges Justices To Pause Thryv Order

    A Vermont software company has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to pause a D.C. Circuit mandate enforcing a Thryv remedy issued by the National Labor Relations Board, arguing that the high court will likely grant its upcoming petition challenging the circuit court's decision to uphold the mandate.

  • September 14, 2026

    FCC Eyes Reg Waiver For Maritime Locating Devices

    The Federal Communications Commission is looking at waiving restrictions on maritime equipment to allow for a new device for rescues at sea.

  • September 14, 2026

    Cop Pitches Nationwide Class In Flock Privacy Lawsuit

    Flock's surveillance network invades the privacy of the public and enables law enforcement employees to track people for improper reasons, according to a proposed class action filed in Georgia federal court.

  • September 14, 2026

    Feds Want Justices To Skip Google 'Settled Expectations' Row

    The federal government is telling the U.S. Supreme Court that Google didn't meet the appropriate standard to get the Federal Circuit to look at the company's challenge to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's policy of using the age of patents as a reason not to review them.

  • September 14, 2026

    EPA Repeals Power Plant Greenhouse Gas Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday finalized the rescission of a Biden-era rule that limited greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, and separately suggested that the agency shouldn't be regulating greenhouse gases emitted by the electricity sector.

  • September 14, 2026

    NextEra, Dominion Offer $1B Va. Plan Ahead Of $67B Merger

    NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy on Monday unveiled a benefits package aimed at winning support for their $67 billion proposed merger, including up to $1 billion in annual spending with Virginia suppliers for five years.

  • September 14, 2026

    Big Biz Coalition Backs Litigation Funding Disclosure Rule

    Big U.S. businesses and insurers like Amazon, Anthropic, Chubb and Walmart asked the federal judiciary on Monday to tighten disclosure requirements for litigation finance, claiming the lack of guardrails allows funders to operate "in the shadows."

  • September 14, 2026

    NY Pardon Ends High Court Fight Over Immigration Detention

    A dispute before the U.S. Supreme Court over whether noncitizens subject to removal proceedings because of criminal convictions are entitled to bond hearings was rendered moot after the immigrant at the center of the case received a pardon.

  • September 14, 2026

    1st Circ. Rejects Judge's Standing Order On Deportations

    The First Circuit struck down a federal district judge's standing order that prohibited U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from deporting criminal defendants unless the government resolved or permanently dropped the pending charges.

  • September 14, 2026

    Former Trump Assistant To Co-Lead Covington Policy Practice

    Covington & Burling LLP said Monday the firm has hired a former assistant to President Donald Trump, who served in the president's first administration as director of the Domestic Policy Council and most recently owned a federal consulting business in Washington, D.C.

  • September 14, 2026

    ND Opposes Tribes' Bid To Keep Court-Imposed Voting Map

    North Dakota is seeking to dissolve a 2011 court-approved remedial legislative map that was put in place while a Voting Rights Act dispute brought by two tribal nations made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, calling the tribes' request for a deferral "astonishing."

  • September 14, 2026

    Trade Court OKs ITC's Freight Coupler Duty Determination

    The U.S. International Trade Commission provided sufficient explanation for including a major U.S. producer and importer of Mexican freight rail couplers as part of the domestic industry during the course of its duty investigations, according to an opinion published Monday by the U.S. Court of International Trade.

  • September 14, 2026

    Lawsuits Challenge New Ill. Taxes On Digital Ads, Social Media

    Newly enacted taxes in Illinois on digital advertising and social media platforms violate federal law and the U.S. Constitution and should be struck down, an industry group charged in a pair of lawsuits in state court.

  • September 14, 2026

    Trump Says He Will Remove Tariffs On Irish Whiskey

    President Donald Trump said Sunday that the U.S. is planning to remove tariffs on whiskey imported from Ireland.

  • September 14, 2026

    IRS Asks 6th Circ. To Uphold Revamped Microcaptive Rules

    The Internal Revenue Service asked the Sixth Circuit to affirm a Tennessee federal court's ruling that a set of revised IRS rules requiring taxpayers to disclose some microcaptive insurance arrangements doesn't violate the Administrative Procedure Act, saying the U.S. Treasury Department acted within its authority in promulgating the regulations.

  • September 14, 2026

    Chamber Tells Justices Plane Forfeiture Should Be Blocked

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reaffirm the Eighth Amendment's excessive fines clause and find that the state of Alaska's seizure of a $95,000 plane over a six-pack of beer is out of proportion to the alleged harm.

  • September 14, 2026

    Conn. Budget Official Deserves 10-Year Sentence, Feds Say

    Federal prosecutors say former Connecticut budget official Konstantinos Diamantis deserves to spend between roughly 10 and 12½ years in prison after being convicted of accepting bribes, committing extortion and lying to federal agents, arguing "his greed, corruption and abject lack of integrity" require time behind bars.

  • September 14, 2026

    Abbott To Pay $385M To End FCA Claims Over Infant Formula

    The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday said that Abbott Laboratories has agreed to pay nearly $385 million to end False Claims Act allegations over the manufacture of contaminated infant formula at locations in Michigan and Arizona.

Expert Analysis

  • Why Courts Are Pushing Back On Greenwashing Laws

    Author Photo

    Recent Fourth Circuit and California federal court decisions blocking state greenwashing statutes on First Amendment grounds reveal a tension at the heart of environmental marketing regulation — while states want clarity, courts aren't prepared to let legislatures flatly ban categories of truthful commercial speech, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • What NYC Bridge Crash Signals About Micromobility Liability

    Author Photo

    A recent fatal crash between a cyclist and a man riding a high-powered electric scooter on New York City's Queensboro Bridge highlights how litigation over accidents involving micromobility devices may increasingly shift away from ordinary negligence and toward product liability, says Jeff Korek at Gersowitz Libo.

  • 3 Ways Tokenization Is Moving To Traditional Finance

    Author Photo

    Recent initiatives reflect efforts to integrate distributed ledger technology into existing regulatory frameworks for securities, banking and payments settlements while preserving the underlying rights and obligations of market participants, say attorneys at Hughes Hubbard.

  • At The Intersection Of Right-To-Repair Laws And IP Rights

    Author Photo

    Right-to-repair legislation passing through Congress highlights a broad tension between manufacturers' security measures and consumer autonomy, with important repercussions for the automotive industry's intellectual property rights, says Keith Noe at Lando & Anastasi. 

  • Opinion

    States Should Reconsider Forced PBM Divestiture Laws

    Author Photo

    State legislatures are attempting to enact policies intended to force pharmacy benefit managers to divest from pharmacies, but these laws would have the practical effect of reducing patient access and competition, potentially violating the U.S. Constitution in the process, says former Utah Attorney General John Swallow.

  • HSR Deals Proceed More Steadily Than Narratives Suggest

    Author Photo

    The most recent Hart-Scott-Rodino Act data show that transaction volume remained relatively stable, transaction values continued to increase and enforcement activity remained low, suggesting that enforcement rates have been relatively consistent across presidential administrations despite widely differing public rhetoric regarding merger enforcement, says Amanda Wait at Michael Best.

  • Assessing The Benefits Of Fla.'s Newest Business Structure

    Author Photo

    As of July 1, Florida business owners can create protected series LLCs to shield assets from liability while avoiding increased costs and wasted time, but burdensome recordkeeping obligations are crucial to maintaining the very protection that makes them attractive in the first place, says Gregory Ritter at Moritt Hock.

  • Key Post-Proposal Shifts Likely In CFPB Loss Mitigation Rule

    Author Photo

    Mortgage servicers, borrowers and consumer advocates should prepare for a likely narrowed version of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's loss mitigation rule, which is likely to permit sequential reviews, defer to investor guidelines, extend compliance timelines and preempt conflicting state standards, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • Series

    Teaching SEC Investigations Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Instructing a law school course on U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigations has made me a more thoughtful, deliberate practitioner because it requires me to continually reassess and challenge what I know about securities law enforcement, how I know it and how best to explain it, says David Chase at Miami Law.

  • Noncompete Laws Show States Focusing On Bans, Healthcare

    Author Photo

    The first half of 2026 confirms that state legislatures are driving the most consequential changes in noncompete law, including a few state bans and several healthcare-specific laws, making a one-size-fits-all approach increasingly untenable for multistate employers, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • What's Inside Proposed, Expanded NY Stablecoin Regulations

    Author Photo

    New York's recently proposed regulations for payment stablecoin issuers would, if adopted, increase the regulatory burdens of a state license, and midsize issuers considering a conversion to a federal charter should weigh the associated costs of both options, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Justices' Tax Sale Ruling Tees Up Auction Fairness Battles

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Pung v. Isabella County, Michigan, that taxpayers are not entitled to fair market value of real property seized to satisfy a tax debt shifts attention to the fairness of state and local auction procedures, and whether taxpayers claiming surplus proceeds face unwarranted hurdles, say attorneys at Miller Canfield.

  • What Corporate Counsel Can Learn From OpenAI Test Breach

    Author Photo

    The significance of the recent artificial intelligence testing breach involving OpenAI and Hugging Face lies in what it reveals about the path of AI’s evolution, because legal professionals must translate that trajectory into actionable governance, contractual and advisory frameworks, says Jason Mueller at Vorys.

  • Patent Eligibility Reforms Keep Chasing The Wrong Fixes

    Author Photo

    Repeated efforts to create a consistent, predictable patent eligibility standard under Section 101 have centered on replacing judge-made exceptions with new statutory language, but the better fix is to align examination standards with how courts actually apply eligibility doctrine, says former Patent Trial and Appeal Board judge Amee Shah.

  • Opinion

    Qualified Immunity Bill's Reach Goes Beyond Federal Officers

    Author Photo

    The federal Qualified Immunity Abolition Act, introduced earlier this year and described by the bill sponsors as a federal-officer measure, would in actuality reach the entire universe of Section 1983 defendants, a distinction that matters as much to defense counsel as to plaintiffs, says attorney V. James DeSimone.

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.