Public Policy

  • September 10, 2026

    Executive Privilege Questions Cloud Congressional Probe Prep

    As corporate leaders brace for the possibility of Democrats retaking control of Congress and launching aggressive investigations into the Trump administration's dealings with a vast array of companies, attorneys say a U.S. Justice Department opinion on executive privilege could complicate the probes.

  • September 10, 2026

    States Drop Suit Over HUD's Fair Housing Funding Changes

    A group of 16 states and the District of Columbia have agreed to drop their California federal court lawsuit accusing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development of wrongfully seeking to cut off funding for fair housing enforcement targeting discrimination based on characteristics such as sexual orientation.

  • 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. 

Expert Analysis

  • What 'Good Faith' Means In Calif.'s 1st Climate Reporting Year

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    Initial submissions to California's corporate greenhouse gas emissions reporting program are due this month — and for regulated businesses, the first-year issue is not whether CARB has answered every implementation question, but how a company can make its good faith compliance efforts provable later, says Thierry Montoya at FBT Gibbons.

  • How New Counter-Drone Rule Will Reshape Event Security

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    A new interim final rule on counter-unmanned aircraft systems creates one of the most structured regulatory frameworks yet adopted for mitigating unauthorized drone activity, with implications for law enforcement, airport and stadium operators, drone companies, and public event organizers, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • How Home Infusion Providers Can Adapt To Enrollment Pause

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    Recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services moratoria on new enrollments of home health agencies, medical equipment companies and hospices make home infusion providers' compliance obligations more complex and ambiguous, requiring new careful consideration of specific enrollment requirements and limitations, say attorneys at Quarles & Brady.

  • Opinion

    Birthright Citizenship Dissents Belie Originalist Interpretation

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    The three dissents in the U.S. Supreme Court's recent birthright citizenship decision clashed with originalist readings of the Constitution, applying the 14th Amendment more narrowly than its drafters, and by applying contemporary and living document approaches to constitutional interpretation, says Ediberto Roman at Florida International University.

  • NYDFS Swedbank Order Offers Lessons On Candor

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    The New York State Department of Financial Services' consent order with Swedbank reflects the department's broad view of its investigative authority, emphasizes transparency, and underscores the risks of intrusive investigations that can occur if a regulator believes that it was misled, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • 3 Rulings Show High Court's Transnational Litigation Stance

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's most recent term closed with three consequential decisions for transnational litigation that illustrate the court's readiness to enforce a Congress-created cause of action for overseas conduct and unwillingness to create this liability itself, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Managing Data Center Power Issues, Public Pushback

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    The many risks associated with data center construction include power availability, government regulations and public opinion, and contractual disputes — but these can be mitigated with careful project controls, planning and targeted contract drafting, say Randa Adra and Lily Geyer at Crowell & Moring, and Natasha Dahl at Ankura.

  • California FAIR Plan Is Outgrowing Last-Resort Role

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    With a recent rate increase, a litigation win and pending legislation to reshape operations, the California FAIR Plan is being regulated and reinforced as an apparent fixture of California's insurance market, rather than the temporary safety net originally intended, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Data Center Risks Include Schedules, Supply Chain, Labor

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    Managing the dynamic technical and legal risks related to data center development requires sophisticated strategies for dealing with compressed schedules and liquidated damages, supply chain and long-lead equipment challenges, and labor shortages and productivity issues, say Randa Adra and Lily Geyer at Crowell & Moring, and Natasha Dahl at Ankura.

  • How 'Markedly Different' Test Shapes Patent Eligibility Debate

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    Following last month's U.S. Senate hearing on the proposed Patent Eligibility Restoration Act, it is important to examine how courts and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office have applied the 46-year-old "markedly different characteristics" framework to determine eligibility of composition-of-matter claims, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • 5 Antitrust Lessons On Bundled Discounts After Medtronic

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    The recent California federal court decision upholding a $381.7 million verdict against Medtronic offers practitioners a clearer road map for navigating bundled discount claims under Section 2 of the Sherman Act, and the practical implications are substantial, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Calif. OppFi Suit Outlines Key Criteria For Bank Partnerships

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    A California state court's recent ruling in OppFi v. Hewlett offers fintech-bank partnerships a blueprint for structuring lending programs to withstand future true lender challenges, while signaling that enforcement theories may face added scrutiny under the state's ban on underground regulations, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

  • AG Watch: Va. Auto Renewal Law Clears Enforcement Path

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    The most consequential aspect of recent amendments to Virginia's automatic renewal law is the enforcement authority it creates, giving the attorney general a clear statutory pathway to pursue cases involving subscription-related compliance failures under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act, says Chuck Slemp at Cozen O'Connor.

  • A New Era Of Scrutiny For China-Linked Pharma Deals

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    As Congress considers bipartisan legislation that would heighten regulatory scrutiny for life sciences deals involving Chinese biotech entities, companies should reassess the risks and due diligence requirements that will come with using heavily China-dependent pipelines, says Jen Maki at Ankura.

  • Justices' FTC Ruling Weakens Qui Tam's Constitutional Base

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s holding in Trump v. Slaughter, expanding presidential control over those exercising executive power, suggests that courts may be receptive to arguments challenging the constitutional foundations of the False Claims Act’s qui tam mechanism, says Daniel Passeser at Wiggin.

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