Public Policy

  • October 16, 2025

    Lumen Wants 'Speculative' $1.4B Pension Swap Suit Tossed

    Lumen Technologies Inc. asked a Colorado federal court to throw out a proposed class action alleging it wrongly transferred obligations for a $1.4 billion pension fund to a private equity-controlled insurance company, calling it "speculative" and arguing that retired employees can't show they've been harmed by the move.

  • October 16, 2025

    Tech Group Aims To Ax Texas' App Store Age Verification Law

    A new Texas law that requires app store owners to verify users' ages and block minors from downloading apps or making in-app purchases without parental consent unconstitutionally imposes a "broad censorship regime" on the entire mobile app ecosystem, a tech industry trade group argued in a lawsuit Thursday seeking to strike down the measure.

  • October 16, 2025

    Kalshi Tells 4th Circ. Md. Is Stepping On CFTC Oversight

    Maryland federal judge was wrong to reject sports betting company Kalshi's argument that its so-called prediction market, which allows users to wager on the outcome of real-world events, counts as a federal derivative exchange, the company said to the Fourth Circuit.

  • October 16, 2025

    Ex-Va. Federal Prosecutor Joins NY AG James' Defense Team

    The former deputy criminal chief for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Norfolk, Virginia, on Oct. 16 joined the team defending New York Attorney General Letitia James in the government's case accusing her of mortgage-related fraud, filed after the president encouraged prosecutors to take action against his "guilty as hell" political opponents.

  • October 16, 2025

    Trump Unveils IVF Drug Pricing Deal: 'We Want More Babies'

    President Donald Trump on Thursday unveiled two initiatives he said were designed to enhance the accessibility and affordability of in vitro fertilization.

  • October 16, 2025

    NY Counties Want Court To Toss Rest Of 911 Tribal Bias Suit

    Two New York counties have asked a federal judge to rethink her dismissal of only part of a lawsuit brought by the Cayuga Nation that accuses the counties of refusing to forward 911 calls made from the tribe's land to the tribal police unless the nation pays to connect the force to the counties' 911 system.

  • October 16, 2025

    Justices Told Presidential Firing Limits Rely On 'Soured' Logic

    President Donald Trump and a cadre of supporters have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to wipe out what remains of a 90-year-old ruling that empowers Congress to prohibit the president from firing certain agency officials at will, arguing the decision was flawed when originally issued and is now well past its prime. 

  • October 16, 2025

    Closed Pot Shops Can't Stop Future Enforcement, DC Argues

    A lawsuit seeking to halt the District of Columbia from penalizing and closing any more recreational marijuana shops should be dismissed, the city has told a federal court, arguing the retailers can't sue because they are either already closed or have failed to show they will be targeted.

  • October 16, 2025

    Afghans Fight US State Dept. Policy Denying Visa Eligibility

    Three Afghan nationals told a D.C. federal judge they were unlawfully denied eligibility to apply for a special immigrant visa and left at risk of persecution by the Taliban after years of providing security for U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

  • October 16, 2025

    Calif. Hospitals Sue Over New Healthcare Cost Increase Caps

    The California Hospital Association hit the state's Office of Health Care Affordability and others with a lawsuit Wednesday, claiming they violated state law with new rules that aim to limit increases in consumer health care costs by curbing hospital spending.

  • October 16, 2025

    NetChoice Fights Colo. 'Cigarette-Style' Social Media Law

    A lawyer for an internet trade association urged a federal judge Thursday to block a Colorado law set to take effect next year, comparing its requirement for social media platforms to display warnings for minors to the mandated warning labels on tobacco products.

  • October 16, 2025

    Texas Business Court Says Winter Storm Stalled Gas Delivery

    A Texas business court found that Marathon Oil Co. had no obligation to buy natural gas to make up for delivery shortfalls to a commodity trading company created during Winter Storm Uri, saying the winter storm counted as an unforeseen event.

  • October 16, 2025

    'Good Riddance': Feds Ax Big-Bank Climate Risk Guidance

    Federal regulators Thursday moved to scrap a set of Biden-era "principles" that sought to ensure large banks can manage potential balance-sheet risks from climate change, an ending that one Federal Reserve official greeted with a sharp send-off.

  • October 16, 2025

    Ex-Conn. Budget Official Testifies $70K Payments Were Legit

    Connecticut school construction director Kosta Diamantis believed state ethics statutes and a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court case allowed him to pocket roughly $70,000 in return for introducing his former brother-in-law's masonry company to a prominent general contractor, a federal jury heard Thursday.

  • October 16, 2025

    OCC Inks Deal With Fla. Bank Over BSA, AML Controls

    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency released an agreement Thursday with a Florida community bank for alleged law violations involving suspicious activity reporting and due diligence programs for foreign financial institutions' accounts.

  • October 16, 2025

    MTA Wants Truckers' Congestion Pricing Suit Tossed

    New York officials have told a Manhattan federal judge that an amended lawsuit alleging congestion pricing tolls wrongfully discriminate against commercial truckers still doesn't offer any new facts suggesting the tolls are unreasonable or violate federal law, so the lawsuit should be tossed for good.

  • October 16, 2025

    USDA Can't Curb SNAP Benefits As States Fight Data Demand

    A California federal judge on Wednesday preliminarily blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture from withholding potentially billions of dollars in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit funds from states that refuse to turn over highly sensitive personal information on millions of SNAP food assistance benefit recipients.

  • October 16, 2025

    US Chamber Sues To Block Trump's $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sued the Trump administration on Thursday to block a planned increase in the cost of highly coveted H-1B visas, saying the proposed $100,000 fee would have a "devastating effect" on American businesses, particularly those in the tech, healthcare, higher education and manufacturing sectors.

  • October 16, 2025

    Kirk-Related Visa Revocations May Rub Against Court Rulings

    The Trump administration's revocation of visas from individuals who criticized Charlie Kirk after his death raises First Amendment concerns that could run up against a recent federal court ruling holding that noncitizens have the same free speech rights as U.S. citizens.

  • October 16, 2025

    FCC Republican Calls Upper C-Band Rework Critical To 6G

    The Federal Communications Commission is wasting no time gearing up for a potential spectrum overhaul in the upper C-Band, with the approach of 6G wireless being a big motivator, according to an agency Republican.

  • October 16, 2025

    Texas Panel Blocks Hospital Subpoenas In Trans Care Suit

    A Texas appellate court on Thursday directed a trial court to withdraw an order requiring two Dallas hospitals to turn over documents concerning alleged gender affirming care, saying the lower court abused its discretion since nonparty patients had motions for protection pending in another court.

  • October 16, 2025

    China's Crackdown On Rare Earth Minerals Spooks Importers

    In the latest trade salvo between the U.S. and China, stricter Chinese export controls on critical earth minerals that many U.S. manufacturers rely on are causing concern for businesses, which may have difficulty diversifying supply chains for the rare materials.

  • October 16, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Affirms Dismissal Of Nev. Tribe's $208M Breach Suit

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday said it won't overturn a Court of Federal Claims' decision to dismiss the Winnemucca Indian Colony's $208 million breach of trust allegations against the Bureau of Indian Affairs, saying the Nevada tribe failed to identify a substantive source of law that requires compensation.

  • October 16, 2025

    USPTO Says Fed. Circ. Should Skip 'Settled Expectations' Case

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office wants the Federal Circuit to reject a challenge to the way the agency has denied review of patents based on the owner's "settled expectations," saying Thursday it has full discretion on whether to review patents or not.

  • October 16, 2025

    Venezuelans Seek Path To Contest Alien Enemies Act Labels

    Attorneys for Venezuelans flown on U.S. government flights to El Salvador and then transferred from the CECOT prison there to Venezuela have renewed their motion for a preliminary injunction that would order the government to provide them with an avenue to challenge their Alien Enemies Act designations.

Expert Analysis

  • Digital Asset Report Opens Doors For Banks, But Risks Linger

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    A recent report from a White House working group discussing digital asset market structure signals how banks may elect to expand into digital asset custody, trading and related services in the years ahead, but the road remains layered with challenges, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Series

    Power To The Paralegals: How And Why Training Must Evolve

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    Empowering paralegals through new models of education that emphasize digital fluency, interdisciplinary collaboration and human-centered lawyering could help solve workforce challenges and the justice gap — if firms, educators and policymakers get on board, say Kristine Custodio Suero and Kelli Radnothy.

  • 5 Real Estate Takeaways From Trump's Sweeping Tax Law

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    Changes to the Internal Revenue Code included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will have a range of effects on real estate sponsors, investors and real estate investment trusts — from more compliance flexibility around taxable REIT subsidiary limits to new considerations raised by a key retaliatory tax provision that was left out, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Evaluating The Current State Of Trump's Tariff Deals

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    As the Trump administration's ambitious tariff effort rolls into its ninth month, and many deals lack the details necessary to provide trade market certainty, attorneys at Adams & Reese examine where things stand.

  • Series

    Playing Softball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My time on the softball field has taught me lessons that also apply to success in legal work — on effective preparation, flexibility, communication and teamwork, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.

  • 5 Years In, COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Landscape Is Shifting

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    As the government moves pandemic fraud enforcement from small-dollar individual prosecutions to high-value corporate cases, and billions of dollars remain unaccounted for, companies and defense attorneys must take steps now to prepare for the next five years of scrutiny, says attorney David Tarras.

  • How Securities Test Nuances Affect State-Level Enforcement

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    Awareness of how different states use their securities investigation and enforcement powers, particularly their use of the risk capital test over the federal Howey test, is critical to navigating the complicated patchwork of securities laws going forward, especially as states look to fill perceived federal enforcement gaps, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Mastering Time Management

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    Law students typically have weeks or months to prepare for any given deadline, but the unpredictability of practicing in the real world means that lawyers must become time-management pros, ready to adapt to scheduling conflicts and unexpected assignments at any given moment, says David Thomas at Honigman.

  • Calif. Bill May Shake Up Healthcare Investment Landscape

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    If signed by the governor, newly passed California legislation would significantly expand the Office of Health Care Affordability's oversight of private equity and hedge fund investments in healthcare companies and management services organizations, and raise several questions about companies' data confidentiality and filing burdens, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • How Prohibiting Trigger Leads May Affect Mortgage Marketing

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    Recent amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act prohibiting the sale of trigger leads mark a significant shift in the regulatory landscape for mortgage lenders, third-party lead generators and their legal counsel, who should reevaluate lead generation strategies and compliance protocols, say Joel Herberman, Rob Robilliard and Leah Dempsey at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • How Hyperlinks Are Changing E-Discovery Responsibilities

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    A recent e-discovery dispute over hyperlinked data in Hubbard v. Crow shows how courts have increasingly broadened the definition of control to account for cloud-based evidence, and why organizations must rethink preservation practices to avoid spoliation risks, says Bree Murphy at Exterro.

  • Pharma Copay Programs Raise Complex Economic Questions

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    The growing prevalence of copay accumulator and maximizer programs in the pharmaceutical industry is drawing increased scrutiny from patients, advocacy groups, lawmakers and courts, bringing complex questions about how financial responsibility for prescription drug purchases is determined and complicating damages assessments in litigation, say analysts at Analysis Group.

  • State False Claims Acts Can Help Curb Opioid Fund Fraud

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    State versions of the federal False Claims Act can play an important role in policing the misuse of opioid settlement funds, taking a cue from the U.S. Department of Justice’s handling of federal fraud cases involving pandemic relief funds, says Kenneth Levine at Stone & Magnanini.

  • Pemex Bribery Charges Provide Glimpse Into FCPA Evolution

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    A recently unsealed indictment against two Mexican nationals for allegedly bribing officials at Pemex, Mexico’s state-owned oil company, reveals that Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement is adapting to new priorities, but still remains active, and compliance programs should continue apace, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • CFPB Proposal Defining Consumer Risk May Add Uncertainty

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    Though a recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposal would codify when risks to consumers justify supervisory intervention against nonbanks, furthering Trump administration plans to curtail CFPB authority, firms may still struggle to identify what could attract supervisory designation under the new rule, say attorneys at Steptoe.

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