Public Policy

  • October 15, 2026

    Wash. Justices Doubt Prosecutor Immunity In Judge DQ Case

    Washington Supreme Court justices pushed back Thursday on assertions by a county prosecutor's office that it's immune from claims that it improperly used disqualification affidavits to remove a former judge from its cases, with one justice noting that a line-level prosecutor acknowledged an officewide policy to seek disqualification of the judge.

  • October 15, 2026

    Louisiana Asks Justices To Undo Stay In Coastal Damage Suit

    Louisiana urged the U.S. Supreme Court to erase a Fifth Circuit stay of a remand order preventing one of its parishes from litigating coastal damage claims against an oil and gas company in state court, arguing the "comity essential to our federalism" was disrupted.

  • October 15, 2026

    Dems Want FTC To Investigate Online Homebuying Industry

    Democratic U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren have asked the Federal Trade Commission to conduct an antitrust investigation into the "anticompetitive and deceptive practices" of the country's online homebuying industry, saying that the FTC needs to employ "every enforcement tool available to restore competition to the entire online real estate marketplace."

  • October 15, 2026

    Colo. Panel Upholds Agency's Emissions Monitoring Rule

    The Colorado Court of Appeals upheld a state agency's rule on emissions monitoring Thursday, wholly rejecting a challenge by environmental groups that contended the rule allows most polluters to escape certain monitoring requirements by paying a fee.

  • October 15, 2026

    Matt Gaetz Accused Of Sex Trafficking In Florida Suit

    Two women on Thursday filed a Florida federal trafficking lawsuit against former Congressman Matt Gaetz, alleging that he used his power and influence to recruit them into a commercial "venture" in which they were paid to have sex with men in various cities throughout the U.S.

  • October 15, 2026

    Google Will Seek To Pause Ad Tech Case For DOJ Appeal

    Google will ask a New York federal court to pause a scheduled April trial in the private antitrust litigation over its advertising placement technology while it appeals a loss in a similar case from the U.S. Department of Justice in Virginia.

  • October 15, 2026

    Trump Admin Urges High Court To Curb APA Rule Vacatur

    The Trump administration is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether the Administrative Procedure Act allows federal judges to universally vacate agency rules in what could be a major test of the judiciary's authority to check executive agency power.

  • October 15, 2026

    FERC Makes Further Moves To Speed Up Gas Project Reviews

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday issued a pair of proposals aimed at speeding up its approval of gas infrastructure projects by narrowing the scope of the agency's environmental reviews.

  • October 15, 2026

    Calif. Asks DC Judge To Void EPA's 'Unlawful' Waiver Moves

    California has asked a D.C. federal judge to void the Trump administration and congressional Republicans' "manifestly unlawful" use of the Congressional Review Act to make Clean Air Act waivers for the Golden State subject to rescission by lawmakers.

  • October 15, 2026

    Feds Seek To Undo Colo. Payment To Defunct Health Insurer

    The federal government Wednesday asked a Colorado federal judge to reverse the approved distribution of nearly $2 million in assets from a defunct insurer to its creditors, claiming that a nearly $24 million claim from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services supersedes the general creditors' claims.

  • October 15, 2026

    Mo. Hemp Interests Seek To Block Restrictions

    Missouri officials have asked a federal court to halt discovery in a lawsuit by hemp companies challenging new regulations on intoxicating cannabinoid products, arguing the case turns on pure legal questions that can be resolved within the state's motion to dismiss.

  • October 15, 2026

    IRS Says Donor Disclosure Rule Is Key To Tax Compliance

    The Internal Revenue Service's nonprofit donor disclosure rule doesn't violate the First Amendment, the agency told a D.C. federal court, arguing the rule promotes voluntary compliance from nonprofits through information reporting requirements.

  • October 15, 2026

    White House Crypto Aide Exits Role

    White House crypto aide Patrick Witt announced Thursday that he's left his post, a departure that comes after key crypto legislation stalled in the U.S. Senate last month.

  • October 15, 2026

    NYC Comptroller Urges Anthropic To Ease Risks Before IPO

    New York City Comptroller Mark Levine is urging Anthropic PBC to pause plans for an initial public offering it says could value the company at $2 trillion, calling on the business to first resolve concerns over the technology's governance, safety and development pace.

  • October 15, 2026

    Pa. E-Cigarette Law Survives Vape Companies' Challenge

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has upheld a state law limiting electronic cigarette sales to products that have received or are pending approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, finding the state law fell into an exception to the federal tobacco law's preemptions.

  • October 15, 2026

    PhRMA Again Seeks To Join 340B Rebate Pilot Fight

    The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America on Thursday asked a Maine federal court to let it join a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's proposed rebate system in the 340B drug discount program, arguing the litigation could directly affect its members' approved plans and financial interests.

  • October 15, 2026

    Innocent Spouse Tax Relief Bid Timely Filed, 5th Circ. Told

    The U.S. Tax Court improperly concluded that a Texas woman narrowly missed a statutory filing deadline in seeking innocent spouse relief on federal income taxes and shouldn't have dismissed her case, she told the Fifth Circuit, arguing the deadline isn't jurisdictional.

  • October 15, 2026

    Missouri AG Alumni Make Their Mark In Trump 2.0

    Missouri is hundreds of miles from Washington, D.C., but the legal community of the Show-Me State has taken a significant hold in the second Trump administration.

  • October 15, 2026

    Justices Stay 4th Circ. Mandamus In FCC Political Ad Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court has stayed an order from a Fourth Circuit panel that would have required the full Federal Communications Commission to review agency staff guidance requiring broadcasters to offer discount ad rates to political committees tied to candidates.

  • October 15, 2026

    Muscogee Chief Says Court Can't Grant Freedmen Citizenship

    Muscogee (Creek) Nation Principal Chief David Hill is asking an Oklahoma federal court to dismiss a challenge that looks to block the tribe from denying citizenship to descendants of people once enslaved by the Indigenous nation, arguing that it can be achieved only through a constitutional amendment and legislative process.

  • October 15, 2026

    Colo. Chamber Can't Join Tax Plan Challenge, Court Says

    A court Thursday denied the request of the Colorado Chamber of Commerce to intervene in suit alleging that a proposal to replace the state's flat income tax rate with a graduated system failed to gather the signatures needed to reach the November ballot.

  • October 15, 2026

    DOJ Defends Government-Funded Trump Ad Campaign

    A D.C. federal judge declined to immediately join a New York federal court in blocking the Trump administration's government-funded campaign-style ads from airing after a Justice Department attorney said the campaign was over, but appeared to agree with a Democratic National Committee attorney who called the ads propaganda and not public service announcements as the government has claimed.

  • October 15, 2026

    Nonprofits Sue Over NC Budget Gutting Civil Legal Aid Grants

    Three nonprofits are mounting a legal challenge to a provision of the North Carolina state budget that strips funding for civil legal aid services historically provided by the state's Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts program, saying the maneuver flouts directives by the Tar Heel state's top court and violates the First Amendment.

  • October 15, 2026

    Gov't Urges Justices To Reject Google, Intel Fight Over Fintiv

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject Intel Corp. and Google LLC's challenge to a precedent allowing Patent Trial and Appeal Board petitions to be denied based on related litigation.

  • October 15, 2026

    Trade Court Sustains Malaysian Wind Tower Duty Calculations

    The U.S. Department of Commerce has now properly justified various decisions it made during a countervailing duty administrative review of a Malaysian utility wind tower producer, the U.S. Court of International Trade found, rejecting many of the company's objections as baseless.

Expert Analysis

  • CMS Rule, DOJ Probes Deepen Gender Care Compliance Risk

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    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' final rule restricting Medicaid funding for hospitals that provide gender-affirming care is likely to face immediate litigation, but the CMS rulemaking is already working alongside U.S. Department of Justice's enforcement campaign to create operational risk for providers, say attorneys at Arnall Golden.

  • New Del. Corp. Law's Technical Tweaks Bring Broad Changes

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    While the new amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law, which took effect on Aug. 1, appear technical, they have broad implications for wound-down corporations and carry personal exposure for whoever signed the certificate of dissolution, hinting at where entity law is heading next, says Ashwin Ram at Buchalter.

  • How Trucking Cos. Can Tackle Risk From New DOJ Task Force

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    Trucking companies should audit their drivers’ credentials and address risk areas lest they attract the attention of the new Justice Department-led task force against the fraudulent licensing of immigrants as commercial truckers, which is turning former questions of administrative or regulatory noncompliance into matters for federal prosecution, say attorneys at RJO.

  • What To Expect From Colorado's New Artist Co. Structure

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    Colorado's newly established class of artist companies, or A-Corps, provides a useful structure for small-scale ventures, but challenges could arise for more complex business plans, and limitations on investor participation may limit widespread adoption, say attorneys at Armstrong Teasdale.

  • 2 Cases Shed Light On Invoking The 5th Before Congress

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    Given the anticipated increase in congressional investigations following the midterm elections, those who anticipate being in Congress' spotlight can draw valuable Fifth Amendment lessons from the ongoing case involving Dr. Anthony Fauci's testimony and the D.C. Circuit’s recent ruling in de la Torre v. Cassidy, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • AG Watch: Oregon Targets Consumer Costs

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    Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield's challenges to bank interest rate and escrow preemption signal heightened scrutiny of consumer costs for lending services, requiring financial institutions serving Oregon and other states with opt-out laws to reassess compliance risk, says Keturah Taylor at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Loper Bright Unlikely To Upend DEA Rescheduling Challenges

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    As cannabis industry stakeholders await a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration ruling on broader cannabis rescheduling, the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 decision in Loper Bright to eliminate judicial deference to agency decisions should not dramatically affect cannabis rescheduling litigation risk, but it could marginally strengthen proponents' hand if the DEA denies rescheduling, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • Money Transmission Issue Looms For Prediction Markets

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    The circuit split recently created by the Ninth Circuit's ruling in Kalshi v. Assad has implications reaching beyond gaming regulation as, depending on the ultimate characterization of prediction market event contracts, platforms may face differing obligations under federal and state money transmission laws, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • The Deep Split Over Mandatory Detention, And What's Next

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    The government’s mandatory detention policy for noncitizens who entered the U.S. without inspection has led to a spate of decisions this year, with nine circuits rejecting the government's reading of the Immigration and Nationality Act against two that have accepted it, making the issue ripe for U.S. Supreme Court review, says attorney Kemal Hepsen.

  • Intersecting Investigation Risks Loom In Next Congress

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    Taken together, two July D.C. Circuit decisions and a recent U.S. Department of Justice opinion on executive privilege may affect the procedural defenses and privilege protections available to targets of oversight in the upcoming Congress, and companies should begin preparing now, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • FTC Focus: A Shift In The Pricing Disclosure Terrain

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    Recent state and Federal Trade Commission developments spotlight materially different ways in which personalized pricing might be addressed, which could result in an increasingly fragmented regulatory landscape in which businesses face differing disclosure obligations and substantive restrictions depending upon the jurisdiction, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Attorneys Using AI May Have Ethical Duty To Redact Docs

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    The trajectory of legal ethics guidance in recent years strongly suggests that as redaction technology becomes more accessible, the failure to use it when uploading highly confidential materials into artificial intelligence tools will become increasingly difficult to defend as reasonable, say attorneys at Lewis Brisbois.

  • Compliance Lessons From Agriculture Co. Mexican Bribe DPA

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    Agricultural company Scoular’s recently announced deferred prosecution agreement over alleged Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations at the U.S.-Mexico border reinforces the U.S. Department of Justice’s focus on cartels, and companies must accordingly ensure they address risks associated with the use of customs brokers, says Adam Safwat at Foley Hoag.

  • OpenAI Deal Highlights AI Hiring Risks In PERM Process

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent settlement of allegations that OpenAI discriminated against U.S. applicants for positions connected to the permanent labor certification process underscores that employers providing or using artificial intelligence must align their recruitment practices with their overlapping compliance obligations, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

  • 5 Practice Tips After DOJ's Healthcare Fraud Declination

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    In light of the U.S. Department of Justice's decision to not prosecute Campus Eye Management under the agency's new corporate enforcement and voluntary self-disclosure policy, healthcare companies should keep several considerations in mind when weighing their risk and self-disclosure strategy, including the distinctions between reporting to the DOJ versus other government agencies, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

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