Public Policy

  • August 17, 2026

    NC Court Won't Revisit Pot-Smell Basis For Car Search

    The North Carolina Supreme Court has again affirmed that the smell of cannabis can serve as the basis of a police search, noting that the court had already weighed in on the issue in a similar case earlier this year.

  • August 17, 2026

    Broadband Co. Says It's Catching Up After Rural Fund Delays

    Broadband provider Brightspeed told the Federal Communications Commission that it is on track to meet its obligations under a rural development fund despite ongoing delays.

  • August 17, 2026

    2nd Circ. Says Public Can Film Police And Their Stations

    The Second Circuit said Monday it has joined "a growing chorus of our sister circuits" in finding a constitutional right to record law enforcement activity in public, as well as police buildings, but still turned away a self-described First Amendment auditor's lawsuit over his arrest while filming the exterior of a Connecticut police station.

  • August 17, 2026

    Latest Squires Patent Review Order Grants 1, Denies 3

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires granted one petition for an America Invents Act patent review and rejected three others in his latest order on institution decisions.

  • August 17, 2026

    Calif. Tribe Challenges Feds' Gaming Approval Reversal

    A California tribe is asking a federal judge in Washington, D.C., to block the U.S. Department of the Interior's decision last month to undo its approval of the tribe's 160-acre gaming facility project, arguing the latest order was independently unlawful because the government did not give a reasoned explanation for the reversal.

  • August 17, 2026

    Miami Atty Says Judge's Defamation Suit Attacks Free Speech

    An attorney who's challenging a Miami-Dade County judge for her seat urged a Florida state court to toss the judge's suit alleging the attorney defamed her by claiming she tried to block the Donald Trump Presidential Library, saying monetary penalties should also be awarded because the complaint attacks free speech.

  • August 17, 2026

    Young Athletes Are Wising Up, But Attys Say They're Still Kids

    As the name, image and likeness industry grows and billions of dollars pour into college sports, attorneys who represent student-athletes say that while they're not as green as their youth suggests, they're still vulnerable to bad actors and need to clear business decisions with mom and dad.

  • August 17, 2026

    Justices Won't Reconsider Verizon's $47M FCC Fine

    The U.S. Supreme Court is not interested in reconsidering how it worded its June opinion upholding the Federal Communications Commission's authority to issue monetary penalties, despite Verizon arguing that the ruling left it between a rock and a hard place concerning the $47 million fine it already paid.

  • August 17, 2026

    Mass. Judge Vacates ACA Gender-Affirming Care Restriction

    A Massachusetts federal judge handed a coalition of 21 states a win on their claim that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services unlawfully issued Affordable Care Act reforms barring marketplace plans from requiring coverage for medical procedures used in gender-affirming care.

  • August 17, 2026

    FTC Gets $725M Liquid Nails Deal Blocked

    A New York federal court has sided with the Federal Trade Commission and blocked Loctite maker Henkel's planned $725 million acquisition of fellow construction adhesive brand Liquid Nails, following a bench trial in Manhattan last month.

  • August 17, 2026

    Biz Pushes Class Cert. As Solution To IEEPA Refund Issues

    The U.S. Court of International Trade should grant class certification to companies seeking refunds of duties paid under the invalidated global tariff regime, the company serving as a test case for the refunds said in arguments mirroring those recently made in the underlying dispute.

  • August 17, 2026

    4th Circ. Says Waiver Applicants Aren't Shielded From ICE

    Federal immigration regulations do not prevent the government from deporting an unlawfully present noncitizen who is married to a U.S. citizen and is seeking to avoid being statutorily barred from reentering the country amid the green card process, the Fourth Circuit ruled.

  • August 17, 2026

    NC Gov. Nixes GOP Bill To Let Chief Justice Suspend Judges

    North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein on Monday vetoed a bill that would allow the chief justice to suspend trial court judges under investigation by the Tar Heel State's judicial watchdog, criticizing lawmakers as "playing politics" with the judiciary.

  • August 17, 2026

    Georgia DA Wants A Say In Trump Election Case Fee Battle

    Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is urging a Georgia appellate court to undo an order blocking her from intervening in a bid by President Donald Trump and others to recoup $16 million in legal fees in a dismissed election interference case, saying her office has a significant financial interest at stake.

  • August 17, 2026

    Mich. Homeowner Qualifies For Exemption, Court Rules

    A Michigan homeowner who lived in the state while her husband lived in Washington state is eligible for a principal residence exemption despite filing a nonresident return for one year, a panel of the Michigan Appeals Court ruled. 

  • August 17, 2026

    'Act Now' To Save FCC School Subsidy, Group Urges Public

    School and library broadband advocates are urging communities that depend on the E-Rate subsidy that supports high-speed connectivity in learning environments to file public comments in support amid a push by the Federal Communications Commission to dismantle it.

  • August 17, 2026

    Trump Monument Cuts Spur Disputed Utah Mining Claims

    Tribal nations and environmental groups are urging the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to reject mining claims on two Utah national monuments, arguing that operations can't begin until 60 days after the president removed federal protections for more than 90% of the monuments' lands.

  • August 17, 2026

    Justices Again Deny Review Of $5M Carroll Verdict

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied President Donald Trump's request to rehear his challenge to a $5 million verdict finding he sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll.

  • August 14, 2026

    Stewart Taking Over IP Advocacy Group After Leaving USPTO

    Former Deputy U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart has been named CEO and president of the Council for Innovation Promotion, the advocacy group announced Monday.

  • August 14, 2026

    AstraZeneca Joins States Aiming To Block Ill. 340B Drug Law

    AstraZeneca on Friday joined some other large pharmaceutical companies in urging an Illinois federal court to block a new state law that prohibits drugmakers from restricting the types or number of pharmacies healthcare providers can contract with to provide medications under a federal discount drug program.

  • August 14, 2026

    HUD Grant Conditions Void For Failing APA, Judge Rules

    A Rhode Island federal judge Friday vacated new conditions for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grants that nonprofit grantees said unlawfully targeted diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, among other things, saying the government failed to sufficiently explain why the conditions were needed.

  • August 14, 2026

    In First, 2nd Circ. Allows DNA Warrant Without Match Sample

    The Second Circuit has ruled that a man cannot suppress a court-ordered DNA sample in his murder case even though police had not identified a viable comparison sample from the crime scene, becoming the first federal circuit court to address the question.

  • August 14, 2026

    Chicago Deputy Corp. Counsel Accused Of Disability Bias

    A deputy corporation counsel in Chicago's legal department has been hit with discrimination claims for allegedly treating a supervising attorney's physical disability and workplace accommodation with "open hostility" before summoning her to a baseless disciplinary meeting in retaliation against her internal complaint.

  • August 14, 2026

    Mass. Judge Lets Feds Strip TPS Protections For Somalis

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Friday allowed the Trump administration to end temporary protected status for Somali nationals living in the U.S., the latest judge to grapple with the effect of a recent high court decision on challenges to the curtailment of the TPS program. 

  • August 14, 2026

    9th Circ. Says DOJ Subpoenas Can Support Trump Agenda

    A split Ninth Circuit panel on Friday held that President Donald Trump has the authority to direct the U.S. Department of Justice to issue politically motivated subpoenas that align with his broader policy goals, reversing a lower court's ruling quashing a subpoena issued to a gender-affirming medical care provider.

Expert Analysis

  • What NYC Bridge Crash Signals About Micromobility Liability

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    A recent fatal crash between a cyclist and a man riding a high-powered electric scooter on New York City's Queensboro Bridge highlights how litigation over accidents involving micromobility devices may increasingly shift away from ordinary negligence and toward product liability, says Jeff Korek at Gersowitz Libo.

  • 3 Ways Tokenization Is Moving To Traditional Finance

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    Recent initiatives reflect efforts to integrate distributed ledger technology into existing regulatory frameworks for securities, banking and payments settlements while preserving the underlying rights and obligations of market participants, say attorneys at Hughes Hubbard.

  • At The Intersection Of Right-To-Repair Laws And IP Rights

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    Right-to-repair legislation passing through Congress highlights a broad tension between manufacturers' security measures and consumer autonomy, with important repercussions for the automotive industry's intellectual property rights, says Keith Noe at Lando & Anastasi. 

  • Opinion

    States Should Reconsider Forced PBM Divestiture Laws

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    State legislatures are attempting to enact policies intended to force pharmacy benefit managers to divest from pharmacies, but these laws would have the practical effect of reducing patient access and competition, potentially violating the U.S. Constitution in the process, says former Utah Attorney General John Swallow.

  • HSR Deals Proceed More Steadily Than Narratives Suggest

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    The most recent Hart-Scott-Rodino Act data show that transaction volume remained relatively stable, transaction values continued to increase and enforcement activity remained low, suggesting that enforcement rates have been relatively consistent across presidential administrations despite widely differing public rhetoric regarding merger enforcement, says Amanda Wait at Michael Best.

  • Assessing The Benefits Of Fla.'s Newest Business Structure

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    As of July 1, Florida business owners can create protected series LLCs to shield assets from liability while avoiding increased costs and wasted time, but burdensome recordkeeping obligations are crucial to maintaining the very protection that makes them attractive in the first place, says Gregory Ritter at Moritt Hock.

  • Key Post-Proposal Shifts Likely In CFPB Loss Mitigation Rule

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    Mortgage servicers, borrowers and consumer advocates should prepare for a likely narrowed version of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's loss mitigation rule, which is likely to permit sequential reviews, defer to investor guidelines, extend compliance timelines and preempt conflicting state standards, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • Series

    Teaching SEC Investigations Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Instructing a law school course on U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigations has made me a more thoughtful, deliberate practitioner because it requires me to continually reassess and challenge what I know about securities law enforcement, how I know it and how best to explain it, says David Chase at Miami Law.

  • Noncompete Laws Show States Focusing On Bans, Healthcare

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    The first half of 2026 confirms that state legislatures are driving the most consequential changes in noncompete law, including a few state bans and several healthcare-specific laws, making a one-size-fits-all approach increasingly untenable for multistate employers, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • What's Inside Proposed, Expanded NY Stablecoin Regulations

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    New York's recently proposed regulations for payment stablecoin issuers would, if adopted, increase the regulatory burdens of a state license, and midsize issuers considering a conversion to a federal charter should weigh the associated costs of both options, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Justices' Tax Sale Ruling Tees Up Auction Fairness Battles

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Pung v. Isabella County, Michigan, that taxpayers are not entitled to fair market value of real property seized to satisfy a tax debt shifts attention to the fairness of state and local auction procedures, and whether taxpayers claiming surplus proceeds face unwarranted hurdles, say attorneys at Miller Canfield.

  • What Corporate Counsel Can Learn From OpenAI Test Breach

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    The significance of the recent artificial intelligence testing breach involving OpenAI and Hugging Face lies in what it reveals about the path of AI’s evolution, because legal professionals must translate that trajectory into actionable governance, contractual and advisory frameworks, says Jason Mueller at Vorys.

  • Patent Eligibility Reforms Keep Chasing The Wrong Fixes

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    Repeated efforts to create a consistent, predictable patent eligibility standard under Section 101 have centered on replacing judge-made exceptions with new statutory language, but the better fix is to align examination standards with how courts actually apply eligibility doctrine, says former Patent Trial and Appeal Board judge Amee Shah.

  • Opinion

    Qualified Immunity Bill's Reach Goes Beyond Federal Officers

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    The federal Qualified Immunity Abolition Act, introduced earlier this year and described by the bill sponsors as a federal-officer measure, would in actuality reach the entire universe of Section 1983 defendants, a distinction that matters as much to defense counsel as to plaintiffs, says attorney V. James DeSimone.

  • State Of Insurance: Q2 Notes From Pennsylvania

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    Todd Leon at Marshall Dennehey highlights notable second-quarter insurance developments in Pennsylvania, including federal court opinions providing guidance on first-party and third-party insurance coverage principles, and a pending bill seeking to regulate health insurers' use of artificial intelligence.

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