Public Policy

  • 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.

  • September 09, 2026

    21 States Want Changes To Endangered Species Act Blocked

    California, Massachusetts, Washington and 18 other states on Wednesday filed a pair of suits challenging the Trump administration's recent changes to how the Endangered Species Act is implemented, claiming that the rules drastically weaken safeguards for the most vulnerable species and were rolled out unlawfully.

  • September 09, 2026

    Conn. Regulator GC Admonished To Abide By Records Law

    The Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission admonished the general counsel for the state's utility regulator on Wednesday, warning attorney Scott Muska to properly handle public records requests according to state law.

  • September 09, 2026

    9th Circ. Deems NCAA's 5-Year Rule Injunction Appeals Moot

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Wednesday tossed the NCAA's appeals of court orders barring it from enforcing its five-year rule to sideline two football players from the 2025 season, finding the cases are moot because the "clock has run out" on the season and the athletes' collegiate careers have wrapped.

  • September 09, 2026

    Crypto Org. Taps Prelogar To Back CFTC's Side In Perps Fight

    A crypto policy group advocating for perpetual derivatives markets hired former U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar to pen a brief backing the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's approval of bitcoin perpetual contracts as the agency fights a challenge from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

  • September 09, 2026

    DC Circ. Denies Bid To Force FCC Action On News Policy

    A D.C. Circuit panel declined Wednesday to compel the Federal Communications Commission to respond to a petition seeking a repeal of its news distortion policy, saying the petitioners failed to establish that they have no other adequate means to seek relief.

  • September 09, 2026

    Trump Admin Floats Barring Many Noncitizens From Census

    The Trump administration on Wednesday proposed changes to how people will be counted in the 2030 census to exclude noncitizens who don't have green cards from the headcount and remove questions on race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

  • September 09, 2026

    Conn. Farmers Can't Point To Hemp Law Injury, Judge Says

    Connecticut hemp farmers and processors failed to overturn state laws that cracked down on the sale of intoxicating hemp products, after a federal judge ruled that they failed to show how they were concretely harmed by statutes that do not directly regulate cultivation.

  • September 09, 2026

    Texas Court Finds Most Of O'Rourke Fundraising Appeal Moot

    A Texas appellate court in a split decision found that onetime presidential hopeful Beto O'Rourke's challenge to a court order blocking fundraising for state Democrats is moot and separately ruled that a Tarrant County, Texas, court has jurisdiction over the case.

Expert Analysis

  • High Court Rulings Could Alter Agency Strategy For Cos.

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decisions in Trump v. Slaughter and Trump v. Cook mark major turning points in the law of independent agencies and in how regulated companies should think about federal enforcement, rulemaking and agency-facing strategy, say attorneys at Holtzman Vogel.

  • How CME Suit May Reshape CFTC's Crypto Derivatives Rules

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    CME Group's recent lawsuit over the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's approval of a Kalshi application to offer a bitcoin perpetual contract as a futures product could have cascading consequences for crypto derivatives regulation, highlighting why policy ambitions do not override statutory text or substitute for reasoned decision-making, says attorney Tamara de Silva.

  • Opinion

    Justices' Parole Ruling Degrades Green Card Holders' Rights

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Blanche v. Lau, holding that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers can parole a returning lawful permanent resident without clear and convincing evidence of a crime, weakens the statutory and practical protections Congress intended, say attorneys at Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners.

  • NEPA Reforms Can Fix Permitting Without Weakening Review

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    Recent National Environmental Policy Act reforms, in tandem with a Senate bill proposing faster permitting reviews and greater agency coordination, mark a long overdue move toward more efficient energy and infrastructure permitting that does not sacrifice environmental assessment, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • 2 Microsoft Matters Could Help Shape AI Antitrust Outlook

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    A pending federal court case and investigation focusing on Microsoft's allegedly anticompetitive conduct in the deployment of artificial intelligence tools are testing whether antitrust law can distinguish ordinary competition to supply the AI ecosystem from conduct that distorts how that competition unfolds, says Kylie Kim at Massey & Gail.

  • Preparing For Next Congress With Eye On Investigation Risk

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    Rod Rosenstein, Brian Whisler and Bruce Linskens at Baker McKenzie offer advice for organizations seeking to build a proactive response plan to potential congressional oversight as the election looms.

  • Asylum Ruling Signals Larger Separation Of Powers Battle

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Mullin v. Al Otro Lado that border officials may turn away asylum-seekers without inspection is part of a broader conversation about the reach of institutional safeguards that subject governmental authority to legal constraint, says Dree Collopy at American University's Washington College of Law.

  • Solar's Momentum At Mid-2026 Will Help It Overcome Snags

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    The rapid expansion of U.S. solar development in the first half of 2026 is likely to continue its pace, even amid ongoing shifts in federal trade policy and supply chain regulations, obstacles to permitting reform, and an increasing divide between states enacting policies to encourage or stymie project development, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • The Debanking Minefield: Navigating Fair Access In 2026

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    Federal regulators' recent elimination of reputational risk from bank supervision, alongside a growing patchwork of state fair access laws, is reshaping how banks make account and service decisions and ushering in a new compliance era requiring individualized, objective and risk-based access determinations, say attorneys at Spencer Fane.

  • Carbon Health Settlement Highlights Why Evidence Is Key

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    The California Attorney General's Office's first-of-its-kind settlement with Carbon Health, imposing penalties for alleged corporate practice of medicine violations, shows that friendly professional corporation challenges usually hinge not on the parties' management services agreement, but on whether the operational record matches it, says Ben Dubin at VC Expert Services.

  • What PE Practitioners Need To Know About New Del. ABC Act

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    Delaware's new Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors statute represents a structural shift in how companies backed by private equity can be wound down and provides a more streamlined tool for managing sponsor liability without the public visibility of a bankruptcy proceeding, says Evelyn Meltzer at Troutman Pepper.

  • How To Brace For A Potential Democratic Oversight Push

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    With the possibility of a shift in congressional control after the November midterm elections, companies and their general counsel should prepare now by mapping oversight exposure, reviewing government interactions, preserving records and developing coordinated communications strategies, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • Opinion

    Labor Contract Bill Would Introduce Sweeping Risks For Cos.

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    The House-approved Faster Labor Contracts Act would force rapid first-contract bargaining, subject businesses to binding arbitration over key workplace terms, and create major uncertainty for nonunion companies, making it crucial for employers to assess their exposure and mitigate the risks now, say attorneys at FBT Gibbons.

  • Fed Autonomy Rests On Narrow Exception After Justices Rule

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions in Trump v. Cook and Trump v. Slaughter expand presidential removal power while temporarily preserving the Federal Reserve’s independence, but there is uncertainty about which of the Fed’s authorities fall within the court’s narrow monetary-policy exception, says Keith Bradley at Squire Patton.

  • Assessing New Risks After The End Of The SEC's Gag Rule

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent rescission of its long-standing no‑deny gag rule marks a transition from a regime of enforced silence to one of strategic communication, meaning the question is no longer simply whether to settle, but how to manage the narrative that follows, say attorneys at Nelson Mullins.

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