Public Policy

  • July 21, 2025

    Officials' Intent Key In Visa Revocation Trial, Judge Says

    A Massachusetts federal judge hearing a free-speech case stemming from the arrests of pro-Palestinian student activists said Monday he is grappling with whether immigration officials were carrying out an official Trump administration policy or using their own discretion to implement a broader set of priorities within the law.

  • July 21, 2025

    4th Circ. Reverses Portion Of Railroads' Broadband Suit

    The Fourth Circuit has ruled that the Association of American Railroads has standing to challenge a Virginia state law requiring railroads to allow for broadband crossings, reversing a trial court decision and dealing another blow to a law that the Virginia Supreme Court already gutted on state constitutional grounds in May.

  • July 21, 2025

    Judge Allows Calif. Tribe In Casino Suit, Denies Dismissal Bid

    A California tribe at the center of a dispute over a decision to take 70 acres into trust for its proposed Sonoma County hotel and casino project can intervene in the litigation, a federal judge said, while finding that the Indigenous nation cannot dismiss the case based on sovereign immunity.

  • July 21, 2025

    Feds Move To Drop Some Counts Against Texas Rep. Cuellar

    The federal government on Friday moved to drop counts of a bribery indictment against U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife, citing "prosecutorial discretion."

  • July 21, 2025

    DOL Rescinds ERISA Guidance On Citi Racial Equity Program

    The U.S. Department of Labor rescinded a Biden-era opinion letter Monday that had backed Citi's commitment to pay fees for diverse investment managers overseeing Citi-sponsored benefit plans regulated by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, saying the letter no longer reflected the department's views.

  • July 21, 2025

    Not So Fast: CFPB Shelves Bid To Scrap State Notice Rules

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Monday withdrew a plan to repeal rules that regulate how state officials are supposed to alert it before suing companies under its federal enforcement authority, reversing course after industry groups lobbied to tighten, not toss, the requirements.

  • July 21, 2025

    NJ US Atty Accused Of Ethics Violations Amid Possible Exit

    A group of ethics experts and former presidential advisors requested an ethics investigation into interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba on Monday, as she reportedly approaches the end of her run as the top federal prosecutor in the Garden State.

  • July 21, 2025

    Ruger Says Colo. Shooting Suits Can't Lean On Conn. Ruling 

    Sturm Ruger & Co. on Monday asked a Connecticut state judge to strike lawsuits by the families of the victims of a Colorado mass shooting, saying litigation from the Sandy Hook massacre does not open the Constitution State's unfair trade practices statute to all advertising-based claims against gunmakers.

  • July 21, 2025

    Trump DOJ To Appeal Axing Of Order Targeting Jenner & Block

    The U.S. Department of Justice plans to fight a federal judge's ruling that struck down President Donald Trump's executive order targeting Jenner & Block LLP, as it filed a notice of appeal Monday in D.C. federal court.

  • July 21, 2025

    Trump Admin's Harvard Cuts Vex Judge: 'Staggering To Me'

    A Massachusetts federal judge said Monday that the Trump administration has not presented evidence that Harvard has failed to address antisemitism on its campus and expressed bewilderment at the government's legal justifications for cutting $2.2 billion in funding.

  • July 21, 2025

    Top 4 Texas Cases To Watch: A Midyear Report

    Several major cases are taking shape in the Lone Star State, including the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association's suit seeking to hold Boeing accountable for lost revenue after the 737 Max was grounded, as well as the continuing fallout of a former Houston judge's romance scandal that could cost a Texas firm millions of dollars. Here's a look at the top cases to watch in Texas through the rest of the year.

  • July 21, 2025

    Senate Panel To Revote On US Atty Noms After Dem Walkout

    The Senate Judiciary Committee is poised to revote on five U.S. attorney nominees on Thursday, including Jeanine Pirro, former Fox News host and New York state judge, after Democrats walked out of last week's meeting over objections to how the consideration of controversial Third Circuit nominee Emil Bove was being handled.

  • July 21, 2025

    How Criminal Law Is Shaped By Administrative Decisions

    Behind line prosecutors are administrators, policies, and day-to-day logistics that enable and shape not only prosecutors' work but trends in how justice is administered throughout the country, according to a New York University School of Law professor and researcher.

  • July 18, 2025

    Law360 Names 2025's Top Attorneys Under 40

    Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2025, our list of more than 150 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.

  • July 18, 2025

    Top 4 Texas Court Rulings Of 2025: Midyear Report

    Texas courts made several high-profile decisions in the first half of 2025, including backing a multibillion-dollar mattress merger, awarding more than $6 million to employees fired by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and granting the state a $1.4 billion data privacy settlement with Google. Here are four of the biggest court rulings in Texas so far this year.

  • July 18, 2025

    Judge Demands Layoff Plans From Trump Administration

    A California federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to hand over reorganization and reduction-in-force plans linked to an executive order directing layoffs at federal agencies, finding that the government's privilege claim was outweighed by the plaintiffs' need for the information to pursue their claims under the Administrative Procedure Act.

  • July 18, 2025

    ​​​​​​​3rd Circ. Pick 'Respected' By Trump, Mysterious To Senators

    The senior White House lawyer nominated to represent Delaware on the Third Circuit is a constitutional scholar and presidential immunity defender touted as "highly respected" by President Donald Trump, although some Delaware lawmakers have questioned her ties to the First State.

  • July 18, 2025

    USPTO Calls On Fed. Circ. To Reject Fight Over Fintiv Policy

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office urged the Federal Circuit on Friday to reject allegations that its handling of policies governing Fintiv-based discretionary denials violates due process, claiming SAP America Inc. is just upset that its Patent Trial and Appeal Board challenges were rejected.

  • July 18, 2025

    Calif. Sues Trump Admin Over $4B High-Speed Rail Fund Cuts

    California's High-Speed Rail Authority hit the Trump administration with an Administrative Procedure Act lawsuit in California federal court Friday, claiming the Federal Railroad Administration's abrupt termination of $4 billion in grants to the electric rail project was arbitrary, politically motivated and based on Trump's "extreme antipathy toward California."

  • July 18, 2025

    FCC Seeks To Change How It Handles Broadband Report

    The Federal Communications Commission got the ball rolling Friday on its annual inquiry into how available advanced telecommunications are to everyone in the country, only a few weeks before it will vote to change the way it evaluates how well broadband is being deployed.

  • July 18, 2025

    As Trump Signs Stablecoin Bill, Attorneys Talk Compliance

    President Donald Trump on Friday signed into law a bill to regulate stablecoins, known as the Genius Act, and practitioners are now turning their attention to helping firms comply with both the provisions of the statute and the coming rulemakings from regulators.

  • July 18, 2025

    Trade Legal Matters To Watch: Midyear Report

    Aggressive, sweeping tariff actions have defined the first six months of President Donald Trump's second term, altering the global trade environment in attempts to return manufacturing to the U.S. and reset trading deficits, but legal challenges to certain duties may obstruct Trump's long-term trade strategy in ongoing negotiations later this year.

  • July 18, 2025

    EPA To Lay Off Science Office Workers Amid Reorganization

    Scientists performing independent research that often supports regulations intended to protect human health and the environment are set to lose their jobs as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency eliminates its Office of Research and Development.

  • July 18, 2025

    Feds Fight Bid To Block Pacific Monument Fishing Permits

    The federal government is fighting a bid by conservation groups to vacate a letter by the Trump administration that they say gave the go-ahead for permit holders to commercially fish in a Pacific Coast national monument, arguing it wasn't an agency decision that has any legal rights or obligations.

  • July 18, 2025

    Interior Process Tweaks Will Further Stymie Wind And Solar

    The wind and solar energy industries, already stressed by Trump administration and congressional regulatory and financial restraints, face a new roadblock as the Department of the Interior will increasingly involve its political leadership in project approval process details.

Expert Analysis

  • How Trump's Trade Policies Are Shaping Foreign Investment

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    Five months into the Trump administration, investors are beginning to see the concrete effects of the president’s America First Investment Policy as it presents new opportunities for clearing transactions more quickly, while sustaining risk aversion related to Chinese trade and potentially creating different political risks, say attorneys at Covington.

  • How Trump Admin Treasury Policies Are Reaching Banks

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    The Treasury Department has emerged as an important facilitator of the Trump administration's financial policies affecting banks, which are now facing deregulation domestically and the use of international economic authorities in cross-border trade and investment, say attorneys at Davis Polk.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • FTC Focus: Enforcers Study AI Innovation And Entrenchment

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    The Federal Trade Commission and other regulators setting their sights on the burgeoning artificial intelligence ecosystem are considering how the government should approach innovation in tech markets that tend, almost inevitably, toward concentration, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • High Court ACA Ruling May Harm Preventative Care

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Kennedy v. Braidwood last week, ruling that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary has authority over an Affordable Care Act preventive care task force, risks harming the credibility of the task force and could open the door to politicians dictating clinical recommendations, says Michael Kolber at Manatt.

  • Policy Shifts Bring New Anti-Money Laundering Challenges

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    In the second half of 2025, the U.S. anti-money laundering regulatory landscape is poised for decisive shifts in enforcement priorities, compliance expectations and legislative developments — so investment advisers and other financial institutions should take steps to prepare for potential new obligations and areas of risk, say attorneys at Linklaters.

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

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    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

  • Kousisis Concurrence Maps FCA Defense To Anti-DEI Suits

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    Justice Clarence Thomas' recent concurrence in Kousisis v. U.S. lays out how federal funding recipients could use the high standard for materiality in government fraud cases to fight the U.S. Justice Department’s threatened False Claims Act suits against payees deviating from the administration’s anti-DEI policies, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

  • Despite Dark Clouds, Outlook For US Solar Has Bright Spots

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    While tariff, tax policy and bankruptcy news seemingly portends unending challenges for the U.S. solar energy industry, signs of continued growth in solar generating capacity and domestic solar manufacturing suggest that there is a path forward, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • Assessing New Changes To Texas Officer Exculpation Law

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    Consistent with Texas' recent modernization of its corporate law, the recently passed S.B. 2411 allows officer exculpation, streamlines certificate of formation amendments, authorizes representatives to act on shareholders' behalf in mergers and makes other changes aimed toward companies seeking a more codified, statutory model of corporate governance, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • How Ending OFCCP Will Affect Affirmative Action Obligations

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    As President Donald Trump's administration plans to eliminate the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which enforces federal contractor antidiscrimination compliance and affirmative action program obligations, contractors should consider the best compliance approaches available to them, especially given the False Claims Act implications, say attorneys at Ogletree.

  • Rising Enforcement Stakes For Pharma Telehealth Platforms

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    Two pieces of legislation recently introduced in Congress could transform the structure and promotion of telehealth arrangements as legislators increasingly scrutinize direct-to-consumer advertising platforms, potentially paving the way for a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration policy with bipartisan support, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

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    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

  • One Year On, Davidson Holds Lessons On 'Health Halo' Claims

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    A year after the Ninth Circuit's Davidson v. Sprout Foods decision — which raised the bar for so-called health halo claims — food and beverage companies can draw insights from its finding, subsequently expanded on by other courts, that plaintiffs must be specific when alleging fraud in healthfulness marketing, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Justices' NRC Ruling Raises New Regulatory Questions

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    In Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court avoided ruling on the NRC's authority to license private, temporary nuclear waste storage facilities — and this failure to reach the merits question creates new regulatory uncertainty where none had existed for decades, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

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