Public Policy

  • May 08, 2026

    Mass. Board Says Not Enough Evidence To Drop Home Value

    The owners of a Massachusetts home did not provide enough evidence in their analyses of comparable properties to lower the home's valuation for property tax purposes, the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board said.

  • May 08, 2026

    DOL Benefits Chief Warns Of 'Bad Faith' Focus On ESG, DEI

    The top official for the U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits subagency said at a trade association conference Friday that agency investigations will focus on benefit plan managers' loyalty conflicts, including disloyal pursuits of socially conscious investing or diversity goals.

  • May 07, 2026

    Judiciary Panel Punts AI Rules, Mulls Judges' Survey Results

    Buckle up: Efforts to modernize evidentiary rules amid artificial intelligence fears are getting bumpy, as judiciary advisers Thursday agreed to dramatically delay action while digesting an AI survey of nearly 1,000 judges and organizing a symposium of litigators and tech pros.

  • May 07, 2026

    OpenAI CEO Altman Fueled 'Toxic Culture Of Lying,' Jury Told

    California federal jurors weighing Elon Musk's challenge to OpenAI's for-profit conversion on Thursday watched prerecorded testimony from a former OpenAI board member who voted to oust CEO Sam Altman in 2023 over concerns his pattern of lies and deception fostered a "toxic culture of lying."  

  • May 07, 2026

    Proposed Meta Age Reforms Echo Europe Efforts, Judge Told

    An online safety expert testified Thursday that Meta would not be unduly burdened by age-verification reforms New Mexico's attorney general is seeking in a $3.7 billion bench trial over harm to teen users of its social media platforms, given that European regulators in recent weeks announced nearly identical demands.

  • May 07, 2026

    Agri Stats Reaches Meat Price-Fixing Deal With States, DOJ

    Agri Stats has agreed to stop putting together certain sales reports for broiler chicken processors to resolve the U.S. Department of Justice's allegations that those reports enabled price-fixing by meat processors, according to an announcement made Thursday.

  • May 07, 2026

    Judges Clash On Whether Kelly Urged Order Disobedience

    A D.C. Circuit panel appeared to be headed for a split decision on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's appeal of a district court order stopping him from dropping Sen. Mark Kelly's U.S. Navy rank, with judges clashing over whether Kelly ever told service members to disobey lawful orders.

  • May 07, 2026

    Incarcerated Woman Sues DOJ Over Transgender Policy Shift

    A transgender woman currently in federal prison has sued the U.S. Department of Justice, alleging a December memo issued by the agency illegally excludes transgender people from a major federal anti-sexual assault law designed to protect incarcerated people.

  • May 07, 2026

    Blue States Say Trump Admin Can't Duck Energy Order Suit

    Blue states have urged a federal judge to keep alive their lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's declaration of a national energy emergency, saying every action that's been taken by federal agencies to fast-track nonemergency energy activities flows from that order.

  • May 07, 2026

    Trump Campaign Exits Sex Assault Suit, Manager Appeals

    Days after President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign settled negligence claims in a former aide's sexual assault lawsuit, an ex-campaign manager accused of rape faced doubts from New York state appellate judges that he could escape the case with their help.

  • May 07, 2026

    6th Circ. Tosses Ohio's Out-Of-State Wine Limits

    The Sixth Circuit has struck down as unconstitutional Ohio's restrictions on out-of-state retailers' ability to sell wine directly to consumers in the Buckeye State.

  • May 07, 2026

    Father 'Blacked Out' While Killing Baby, Civil Court Hears

    A father convicted of murdering his 7-month-old by throwing the infant into a river from a 90-foot-high bridge in 2015 "blacked out" most of the details, he testified Thursday in a mother's wrongful death lawsuit against a Connecticut child protection agency.

  • May 07, 2026

    DOJ Antitrust Head Tells Merging Firms: No Games

    Combating "gamesmanship" remains top of mind for the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division as it reviews mergers, according to a New York speech Thursday from acting head Omeed A. Assefi warning parties against "altering" merger notification material or trying to "play games with documents and data."

  • May 07, 2026

    DC Judge Says ICE Guidance Violates Immigrant Arrest Order

    A D.C. federal judge said Thursday that the Trump administration violated her order banning warrantless civil immigration arrests in Washington, D.C., without officers first determining if an individual would likely escape before a warrant is secured, blaming agency guidance.

  • May 07, 2026

    Crypto Bill Could Get Senate Banking Markup Next Week

    A bill to regulate crypto markets known as the Clarity Act could be marked up by the Senate Banking Committee as soon as next week, but lawmakers are still finalizing key provisions that could make or break the voting process, policymakers told attendees of the crypto conference Consensus.

  • May 07, 2026

    How Litigation Funding Disclosure Could Affect ITC Cases

    The U.S. International Trade Commission's proposed rule to require disclosure of litigation funding in intellectual property cases could bring more transparency to disputes and promote settlements, but it could also discourage some suits if it's not carefully tailored, attorneys say.

  • May 07, 2026

    NAACP Urges Miss. Judge To Turn Off XAI Gas Turbines

    The NAACP has asked a Mississippi federal judge to block X.AI Corp. from operating a battery of polluting gas turbines in the community of Southaven, asserting it has continued to add turbines to power a nearby data center rather than address permitting violations.

  • May 07, 2026

    'If It Quacks': Judge Hints Kalshi's Biz Is Sports Gambling

    Fourth Circuit judges appeared dubious Thursday as counsel for Kalshi explained why its "sports event contracts" can only be regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission rather than state gambling laws, with one judge remarking, "If it quacks, you know, it's a duck. Right? It's gambling isn't it?"

  • May 07, 2026

    La. Says Mailed Abortion Pills Harm State Budget, Sovereignty

    The state of Louisiana on Thursday defended its standing to challenge telehealth access to the abortion medication mifepristone, telling the U.S. Supreme Court that it has suffered financial and other injuries as mail-order pills flood the state.

  • May 07, 2026

    Dems Press Big 3 Bureaus On BNPL Credit Reporting Gaps

    Democratic U.S. senators are calling on the "Big Three" credit bureaus to explain how they're adapting their consumer credit scoring and reporting to account for buy-now-pay-later products, citing concerns about inconsistent tracking of a fast-growing source of everyday purchase financing.

  • May 07, 2026

    Insurer 'Arbitrarily' Cut NC Farmers' Coverage, Court Told

    A crop insurance provider owes two farmers for the cost of arbitration proceedings and other damages they suffered after the insurer tried to halve their recovery for a tobacco crop-related loss, according to a complaint filed in North Carolina federal court.

  • May 07, 2026

    Warren Asks Meta About Reported Stablecoin Payment Plans

    The top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee has called on Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to provide more information about the company's reported plans to introduce stablecoin-based payment features for its users, accusing it of a "deeply troubling" lack of transparency about the project.

  • May 07, 2026

    Pentagon Defends Anthropic Security Risk Label At DC Circ.

    The U.S. Department of Defense told the D.C. Circuit on Wednesday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acted well within his statutory discretion when he labeled Anthropic PBC a supply-chain risk to U.S. national security, rejecting Anthropic's claims of retaliation.

  • May 07, 2026

    Colo. Panel Says Insurance Affidavit Didn't Make Marriage

    A Colorado Court of Appeals panel interpreted a Colorado Supreme Court case outlining common law marriage Thursday, finding that an affidavit signed to obtain health insurance isn't alone enough to show the existence of a common law marriage.

  • May 07, 2026

    Netlist Backs DOJ Stance On Essential IP In Samsung Case

    The U.S. Department of Justice is correct that having a patent included in a standard does not necessarily give the patentholder market power, Netlist said in defending itself against Samsung's lawsuit accusing it of exploiting a standard-setting process.

Expert Analysis

  • What New Fla. Citizens Bill Means For Surplus Lines Insurers

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    A Florida bill recently passed by the Legislature as part of a continued effort to depopulate Citizens Property Insurance, the state's insurer of last resort, creates an additional pathway for commercial policies to be written by surplus lines insurers, but also presents concerns of unnecessary regulation, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • What Voluntary Calif. Carbon Reports Show About Compliance

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    While the enforcement of California's S.B. 261 is currently paused due to a Ninth Circuit injunction, more than 130 companies have nonetheless chosen to voluntarily publish climate-related financial risk disclosures, providing a useful snapshot of how the market is interpreting the law's requirements in practice, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • PTAB Memo Recenters Discretion On US Manufacturing

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    Read alongside recent Federal Circuit decisions, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires' memo on patent denial considerations emphasizes domestic manufacturing in a way that the International Trade Commission does not require, says Brandon Theiss at Volpe Koenig.

  • Why MDLs Slow Down — And How To Speed Them Up

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    Multidistrict litigation has become central to mass tort practice, but as MDLs grow in size and complexity, so do delays and costs — so tools like the new federal rule governing MDLs, targeted use of special masters and strategically deployed Lone Pine orders are more essential than ever, say attorneys at Ice Miller.

  • What A Court Doc Audit Reveals About Erroneous Filings

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    My audit of 1,522 court documents from last month found that over 95% contained at least one verifiable error, with fewer than 1% showing clear indicators of artificial intelligence use — highlighting above all else that lawyers may want to focus most on strengthening their review processes, says Elliott Ash at ETH Zurich.

  • Regulators' Basel Pitch May Bring Banks Capital Relief

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    The prudential banking agencies' new proposals to implement the so-called Basel III endgame rules — which would modify the approach to risk-based capital, among other notable changes — represent a fundamental directional shift in bank capital requirements aimed at increasing lending capacity, says Chen Xu at Debevoise.

  • How SEC And CFTC Are Attempting To End Their 'Turf War'

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    Through coordinated examinations and a shared aim to end duplicative regulation, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recent memorandum of understanding could represent a significant shift in the regulatory landscape for market participants subject to the jurisdiction of both agencies, say attorneys at Jenner.

  • FTC Focus: Growing Emphasis On Competition In AI

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    The Federal Trade Commission's leadership has continued to highlight that competitive risks in artificial intelligence markets may arise at multiple levels simultaneously, considering not only who controls the resources necessary to build AI systems, but also how those systems function and yield outputs, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • What's Missing From Latest Gov't Claims Against Harvard

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    The most interesting thing about the Trump administration’s recent civil rights enforcement efforts targeting Harvard University is its decision not to assert violations of the False Claims Act when given the opportunity, despite signals that its enforcement efforts will include use of the federal FCA, say attorneys at Bass Berry.

  • How Cos. Can Prepare For 'Made In America' Ad Scrutiny

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    The Trump administration's executive order to combat fraudulent "Made in America" claims in consumer-facing advertising, along with actions by the Federal Trade Commission, suggest a potential increased focus on consumer protection and pricing-related matters, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Opinion

    FTC Case Risks Redefining Price Discrimination

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    Federal Trade Commission v. Southern Glazer puts a spotlight on the blurry line between illegal price discrimination and ordinary competition, and could potentially set a precedent that puts nearly any manufacturer at risk of Robinson-Patman Act enforcement, says Jeremy Sandford at Econic Partners.

  • Parsing Rule 12(c) Motion Overuse In Securities Class Actions

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    Defendants in securities class actions have more frequently been filing motions for judgment on the pleadings following the denial of motions to dismiss, but courts have recently demonstrated an increasing willingness to reject these previously rare motions, finding them transparent attempts to relitigate already-decided issues, say attorneys at Labaton Keller.

  • Preparing For New Calif. Pay Data Reporting Requirements

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    California's S.B. 464 overhauls the state's pay data reporting framework by requiring employers to use job categories that are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, increasing both the potential visibility of pay disparities and the complexity of compliance, say attorneys at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • Series

    Mich. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    Michigan's financial services sector saw several significant developments in 2026's first quarter, including the state Department of Insurance and Financial Services' issuance of a bulletin on the use of artificial intelligence and the Michigan House's introduction of a bill based on the Model Money Transmission Modernization Act, say attorneys at Dykema.

  • Justices' Ruling Stresses Quick Action Against Absconders

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    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent holding in Rico v. U.S. that a supervised release term is not automatically extended when a defendant absconds, probation officers and prosecutors risk being unable to address later violations if they don't act promptly to secure warrants, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

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