Public Policy

  • May 29, 2025

    Texas Bars Some Property Tax Hikes Above Voter-OK'd Rates

    Texas will prohibit school districts from adopting property tax rates above voter-approved thresholds in response to a natural disaster if voters previously rejected a similar proposed rate increase under a bill signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.

  • May 29, 2025

    DOJ Sidelines ABA From Vetting Trump's Judicial Picks

    The Justice Department plans to direct judicial nominees away from a long-standing vetting process by the American Bar Association, labeling it an "activist organization," according to a Thursday letter by Attorney General Pamela Bondi.

  • May 29, 2025

    'Keyboard Terrorism' Against Officials Gets Colo. Man 3 Years

    A Colorado federal judge Thursday sentenced a man to just over three years in prison for social media posts threatening to kill a state judge, the state's top election official and federal law enforcement, citing the seriousness of his "keyboard terrorism" in denying a plea for leniency.

  • May 29, 2025

    Mich. Judge Faces Watchdog Complaint For Disparaging Boss

    A Michigan state judge made profane, disparaging comments about his chief judge during livestreamed proceedings and via emails to court employees and improperly used his position to help a judicial candidate, the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission said in a new complaint Wednesday.

  • May 29, 2025

    Justices Won't Undo Pa.'s Ability To Pull Voting Machines

    Pennsylvania's Supreme Court won't undo a lower court's ruling that allowed the secretary of the commonwealth — the state's highest election official — to "decertify" voting equipment that was subjected to unauthorized third-party inspections during investigations of the 2020 election.

  • May 29, 2025

    3 Takeaways From The Judgments On Trump's Law Firm EOs

    Three federal judges have now weighed in on President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting law firms, with each ruling in favor of the firms and deeming the orders unconstitutional. Here are three takeaways from the combined 227 pages of those judges’ conclusions.

  • May 29, 2025

    Judge Keeps Block On Trump's Harvard Foreign Student Ban

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Thursday said she will issue a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from ending Harvard University's ability to accept international students, even as the government moved to withdraw its original notice of termination and called the case "moot."

  • May 29, 2025

    Senate Committee Sets June Hearing For Trump's EBSA Pick

    The Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing in early June on President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, according to a news release Thursday. 

  • May 29, 2025

    High Court Restores Federal Approval Of Utah Oil Railway

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the federal government's approval of a rail project intended to haul crude oil out of Utah's Uinta Basin.

  • May 29, 2025

    ICE Lost Benefit Of The Doubt In SEVIS Fights, Attys Say

    The Trump administration's inability to explain why numerous foreign students' visa records were terminated has landed the federal government multiple losses in courtrooms across the country, with federal judges unwilling to presume the government had a good reason for the cancellations.

  • May 28, 2025

    International Trade Court Strikes Down Trump's Tariffs

    The International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not give the president the "unbounded authority" to impose tariffs on goods from nearly every country in the world, the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled Wednesday, handing a win to small businesses and states challenging some of President Donald Trump's steep tariffs.

  • May 28, 2025

    Use Of Law To Detain Khalil Found Likely Unconstitutional

    A New Jersey federal judge on Wednesday ruled that the Trump administration's use of a section of immigration law to detain Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil is likely unconstitutional, citing several "strikes" against the law's application for Khalil's detainment.

  • May 28, 2025

    16 States Sue Trump Admin Over Cuts To Science Grants

    A coalition of 16 state attorneys general have sued the Trump administration in New York federal court on Wednesday to stop it from cutting millions of dollars in grant funds from the National Science Foundation for scientific research and programs aimed at enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion in STEM fields and environmental justice.

  • May 28, 2025

    Fintech Group Warns Remittance Tax Will Hurt Consumers

    The American Fintech Council sent a letter to members of Congress asking them to reconsider a proposed tax on remittances that is a part of the $3.8 trillion bill to extend and make permanent the Republican Party's 2017 tax overhaul law, also known as The One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

  • May 28, 2025

    Elon Musk Is Leaving White House Role, Trump Admin Says

    Billionaire Elon Musk is ending his work with President Donald Trump and the federal Department of Government Efficiency, a White House official confirmed Wednesday evening.

  • May 28, 2025

    EchoStar Says FCC Should Not Question Buildout Extension

    Echostar Corp. says the FCC has created a "dark cloud of uncertainty" by opening the door to comments about whether the agency should have given the company an extension on its deadline for building a broadband service using spectrum it acquired for its open RAN network plan.

  • May 28, 2025

    DOI Faces Energy Co. Suit Over Fort Berthold Oil Lease

    A Colorado energy company has sued the federal government over what it says is an approved 60-year-old oil and gas lease, saying that it was suddenly told in April that it never actually owned an interest in the lease on an Indian reservation in North Dakota.

  • May 28, 2025

    Pulitzer Board Can't Pause Trump Defamation Suit In Florida

    A Florida state appellate court on Wednesday denied a bid by the Pulitzer Prize Board to pause a defamation lawsuit brought by Donald Trump after claiming the litigation would interfere with his presidential duties, ruling that temporarily halting the case is "solely in his prerogative."

  • May 28, 2025

    Justices Told Del. Expert Law Doesn't Apply In Federal Court

    A retired attorney who claims he was negligently injured by healthcare providers urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to hold that a Delaware federal court need not apply a state statute requiring an expert affidavit for all medical malpractice suits.

  • May 28, 2025

    NRC Has No Defense For New License Rules, DC Circ. Told

    Two anti-nuclear power groups are contending before the D.C. Circuit that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is offering inconsistent arguments in defense of updated regulations for renewing nuclear power plant operating licenses.

  • May 28, 2025

    Feds Ask SC Judge To Toss Suit Over Frozen Grant Funding

    The Trump administration urged a South Carolina federal judge to dismiss a complaint challenging its authority to freeze and terminate grant funding for lack of jurisdiction, as it also appeals an order directing it to restore several dozen grants funded by Congress.

  • May 28, 2025

    Feds Tell Justices 9th Circ. Wrongly OK'd CWA Citizen Suit

    The federal government is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to sink an environmental group's Clean Water Act citizen suit seeking to enforce the terms of a Washington state-issued pollutant-discharge permit that is stricter than the law requires.

  • May 28, 2025

    Execs Smuggled Billions In Goods To Skirt Duties, Feds Say

    Two California shipping company executives have been charged with smuggling billions of dollars' worth of goods from the United States into Mexico — avoiding millions of dollars in duties to Mexico — using bogus documents, shell companies, bribes to public officials and kickbacks to drug cartels.

  • May 28, 2025

    Judge Shields NY Congestion Pricing From Feds' Threats

    New York's congestion pricing program can keep running at least through the fall, after a federal judge on Wednesday signaled that the U.S. Department of Transportation likely overstepped its authority by purportedly terminating a federal agreement that gave congestion pricing the green light.

  • May 28, 2025

    FCC Urged To Reject Waiver For Alaska Plan Mapping

    The Federal Communications Commission ought not lower its standards for telecoms hoping to receive federal dollars in order to bring high-speed internet to Alaska, according to a trade group, who is arguing the end result would simply be worse service for Alaskans.

Expert Analysis

  • What's At Stake As Trump Admin Targets Carbon Markets

    Author Photo

    Trading in greenhouse gas emissions and reductions has long been touted as a way to leverage market forces to tackle climate change cost-effectively, and that theory may be put to the test amid momentous progress and fresh challenges, particularly as the Trump administration takes aim at climate initiatives, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • What To Know About New Wash. Community Association Law

    Author Photo

    A series of recent legislative updates that greatly expand application of the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act pose significant challenges to the volunteer board members who administer and operate condos and homeowners associations, but there are ways to lessen the newly imposed administrative burden, says Tim Feth at VF Law.

  • Series

    Power To The Paralegals: An Untapped Source For Biz Roles

    Author Photo

    Law firms looking to recruit legal business talent should consider turning to paralegals, who practice several key skills every day that prepare them to thrive in marketing and client development roles, says Vanessa Torres at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Fledgling Crypto ATM Regs May Be Due For A Growth Spurt

    Author Photo

    As cryptocurrency ATM use and availability become more prevalent within the U.S. financial services ecosystem, states — only a few of which currently have a crypto ATM framework — may need to consider expanding legislation and regulation to accelerate consumer fraud protection practices, says Jason Noto at Polsinelli.

  • The Legal Risks Of US Restrictions On Investments In China

    Author Photo

    The second Trump administration has continued to embrace a more restrictive economic policy toward China, including an ongoing review of further restrictions on the flow of U.S. capital to China, so early planning and enhanced diligence can reduce exposure to the challenges resulting from further restrictions, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • How Trucking Cos. Can Keep Rolling Under Tariff Burdens

    Author Photo

    Recent Trump administration tariffs present major challenges for the transportation and logistics sector — and, in particular, trucking — but providers who focus on operational efficiency, cost control, customer relationships, creative contract structures and unique offerings will stand out from the competition, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • UK May Play Major Role In Corporate Misconduct Regulation

    Author Photo

    In light of the U.S.' pause in Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement, the U.K. Serious Fraud Office has released new guidance showing it may seize the opportunity to play a heightened role in regulating corporate misconduct by U.S. companies with a global presence, particularly over the next few years, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Tariff Strategies For The US Renewable Energy Sector

    Author Photo

    The Trump administration's tariff actions over the last few months are challenging for the renewable energy industry — but there are strategies for contending with the uncertainty, including diversifying supply chains, seeking certification about equipment origins, and adding tariff-related language to supply contracts and offtake agreements, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Series

    Playing Poker Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Poker is a master class in psychology, risk management and strategic thinking, and I’m a better attorney because it has taught me to read my opponents, adapt when I’m dealt the unexpected and stay patient until I'm ready to reveal my hand, says Casey Kingsley at McCreadyLaw.

  • Opinion

    Why It's Time To Retire The Efficient Market Hypothesis

    Author Photo

    As agentic artificial intelligence systems increasingly affect financial markets, the efficient market hypothesis no longer offers a viable foundation for legal and regulatory engagement, and a new theoretical foundation is needed, say Zachary Brenner, a student at California Western School of Law, and attorney Gary Brenner.

  • Avoiding The Risk Of Continued AI-Washing Enforcement

    Author Photo

    A recent action brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Justice, alleging a software developer defrauded investors by lying about his app’s artificial intelligence capabilities, suggests this administration will continue to target AI washing, so companies should adopt practices to mitigate enforcement risk, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • 4 Ways Slater Is Priming DOJ For Continued Antitrust Success

    Author Photo

    Just as Jonathan Kanter did during his recent tenure leading the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater is following the effective blueprint set by Thurman Arnold when he modernized the division more than 80 years ago, says Perry Apelbaum at Kressin Powers.

  • 3 Tax Issues Manufacturers Should Watch In 2025 Budget Bill

    Author Photo

    As Congress works toward a budget reconciliation bill, manufacturing companies should keep a keen eye on proposals to change bonus depreciation, the qualified business income deduction and energy tax credits, which could have a significant impact on capital-intensive industries, say attorneys at Frost Brown Todd.

  • Key Aspects Of FDIC's Resolution Planning FAQ

    Author Photo

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s recent FAQ on changes to its resolution plan rule ease burdensome requirements for some large institutions and exempt others from discussion of franchise components, making it easier for banks to finalize submissions before the July 1 deadline, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Why Texas Should Slow Down On Healthcare Merger Bills

    Author Photo

    More time is needed to study three Texas bills aimed at considering the effects of healthcare consolidation to increase affordability and access to healthcare, which could have the opposite effect, say John Saran and Harshita Rathore at Holland & Knight and Robbie Allen at U.S. Heart and Vascular.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Public Policy archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!