Public Policy

  • August 14, 2026

    Apple Says No To Rethink Of Fed Phone Buying Subpoena

    Apple does not think a special master should reconsider a mandate giving the tech titan a peek into how the Pentagon, CIA, State Department, and other federal agencies buy smartphones as part of a suit the federal government has filed accusing Apple of monopolization.

  • August 14, 2026

    Data Center Backlash Fogs Finance Picture For New Projects

    How is the backlash against data centers — from public protests in red towns and blue cities to moratoriums on large projects to primary wins for anti-data center candidates — affecting lenders' approach? Here, Law360 takes a close look.

  • August 14, 2026

    Conn. Opposes Kalshi's Bid To Keep Running Pending Appeal

    Connecticut officials on Friday asked a federal judge to deny KalshiEX's bid to keep offering sports contracts as it mounts a "long-shot appeal" of an injunction, arguing there is no basis to restrain state regulators from enforcing state wagering law given the contracts' "clear illegality." 

  • August 14, 2026

    Hemp Cos. Ask 6th Circ. To Keep Ohio Law On Pause

    Hemp manufacturers and sellers have asked the Sixth Circuit to uphold a lower court's ruling that paused the enforcement of an Ohio law that reclassified their products as marijuana.

  • August 14, 2026

    Mexico OK Leaves AGs, WGA Last Paramount Deal Obstacle

    Paramount Skydance Corp. celebrated Mexican antitrust approval Friday of its planned $110 billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery as the final government sign-off needed globally, leaving only the California federal court challenge from a group of attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America.

  • August 14, 2026

    Mich. Panel Keeps District Judge Off Ballot Over False Filing

    A western Michigan district judge will remain off the November ballot after a state appeals court ruled that her affidavit of identity contained a false statement about unpaid campaign finance fees, requiring state election officials to reject her candidacy. 

  • August 14, 2026

    Colo. Resident Says Energy Panel Dodged Open Meeting Law

    An advisory group created by the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission is barring the public from attending meetings and refusing to turn over public records, a Denver resident has claimed in Colorado state court.

  • August 14, 2026

    Dem Says FCC Ignores Affordability In New Broadband Report

    In the latest turn in a yearslong debate at the Federal Communications Commission, the agency's lone Democrat on Friday criticized a report spearheaded by the GOP majority touting robust broadband deployment, saying the Republicans gave short shrift to affordability issues.

  • August 14, 2026

    ICE Says FOIA Redactions Protect Ankle Monitor Protocols

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has urged a North Carolina federal judge to end a lawsuit brought by two immigrant legal groups seeking records about a reported directive requiring ankle monitoring, arguing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has produced every nonexempt document and properly applied redactions.

  • August 14, 2026

    NY AG Says 2nd Circ. Ruling Doesn't Back Pricing Law Case

    The New York Attorney General's Office has pushed back after RealPage Inc. told a New York federal court that a recent Second Circuit ruling supports the company's challenge to a state law prohibiting landlords from using software to share information and set residential rental rates.

  • August 14, 2026

    9th Circ. Denies Ex-Cop's Asylum Bid, But Calls For Better Test

    A Ninth Circuit panel affirmed the denial of asylum for a former El Salvador police officer targeted by the MS-13 gang, but urged the full court to revisit precedent that directed it to only consider mistreatment incurred after the man left the force.

  • August 14, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Overrules Precedent On Veteran Hiring Protections

    The Federal Circuit on Friday revived a disabled veteran's challenge to the U.S. Navy's handling of his promotion application, which the agency rejected after mistakenly finding he didn't submit certain documents, and then reviewed only after giving the job to someone else. 

  • August 14, 2026

    Charter-Cox Tie-Up Gets Last Needed OK With Calif. Approval

    California regulators have approved the $34.5 billion merger of major cable providers Charter and Cox, providing the last needed regulatory green light but also imposing conditions meant to help consumers.

  • August 14, 2026

    Feds Seek To Undo ADA Win In Fla. After DOJ Guidance Shift

    The federal government asked the Eleventh Circuit on Thursday to vacate a recent ruling upholding an injunction that found Florida's institutionalization of children with complex medical conditions violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, in light of a change in directives from the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • August 14, 2026

    Court Clears RI Pot Licensing After Law Drops Residency Rule

    A Rhode Island federal judge on Friday dissolved a court order blocking the state's social equity and adult-use cannabis licensing program, saying recent changes to state law mooted the reasons for enjoining the program in the first place.

  • August 14, 2026

    4th Circ. Altria Decision Spotlights Risks From ERISA Docs

    A recent Fourth Circuit decision in a retirement plan dispute between tobacco giant Altria and an ex-worker underscored how service provider contracts can introduce snags in litigation, with benefits attorneys warning that employers may want to review documents with the potential for disclosure in mind.

  • August 14, 2026

    Trump Aims To Rebuild US Maritime Industrial Base

    President Donald Trump signed a memorandum aimed at addressing backlogs in U.S. Navy shipbuilding by directing the Pentagon to pursue direct investments in the U.S. maritime industrial base from foreign suppliers to boost competition. 

  • August 14, 2026

    Trump-Backed Crypto Co. Gets Initial OK For Bank Charter

    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Friday preliminarily approved a closely watched charter application from World Liberty Financial, moving the Trump family-tied cryptocurrency venture closer to launching a federally regulated trust bank.

  • August 14, 2026

    4 Questions On Excess Manufacturing Capacity Tariffs

    Stakeholders anticipate new tariffs on key trading partners stemming from allegations that excess manufacturing capacity is causing harm to U.S. businesses, but several open questions remain about the extent to which duty burdens will increase and whether countries will retaliate in response. Here, Law360 considers four such questions.

  • August 14, 2026

    6th Circ. Says Cops Forcing Man To Pee In His Yard Unlawful

    A Michigan man who was forced to urinate on his front lawn because police, who were conducting a search of his home, would not allow him to use his own bathroom had his Fourth Amendment rights violated, a Sixth Circuit panel determined on Thursday.

  • August 14, 2026

    Mich. Panel Gives Dog New Chance In Euthanasia Fight

    A Michigan appeals court has overturned an order requiring a Port Huron woman to euthanize her dog after he bit off a guest's nose, ruling that a lower court applied the wrong standard when deciding whether the guest provoked the dog by putting her face inches away from the dog's face.

  • August 14, 2026

    10th Circ. Backs $5M Verdict In Fight Over Toll Lanes Contract

    The Tenth Circuit on Friday unanimously upheld a Denver federal jury's award of $5.25 million to construction design firm Aecom, wholly rejecting a contractor's request for a new trial in a contract dispute over a Colorado toll lanes project.

  • August 14, 2026

    Conn. City Settles Wrongful Conviction Suits For $30.5M

    After the mayor of New Haven, Connecticut, publicly announced a $30.5 million settlement, a federal judge dismissed two lawsuits accusing the city of civil rights violations tied to two wrongful murder convictions, for which each plaintiff spent nearly 20 years in prison.

  • August 14, 2026

    SEC Staff Halt Responses To Proxy Proposal Exclusion Bids

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Friday made permanent a previous decision to step back from responding to companies' bids to exclude shareholder proposals from their ballots, following comments from the agency's chairman that the most recent proxy season saw none of the "dire predictions" some had forecast after the retreat.

  • August 14, 2026

    Idaho Abortion Ban Needs Health Exceptions, Judge Finds

    An Idaho federal judge barred the state from criminalizing abortions in cases where continuing a pregnancy puts a patient at risk of lasting harm or death via self-harm, finding that the 14th Amendment establishes a fundamental right to health- and life-preserving abortion care.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Justices' Parole Ruling Degrades Green Card Holders' Rights

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Blanche v. Lau, holding that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers can parole a returning lawful permanent resident without clear and convincing evidence of a crime, weakens the statutory and practical protections Congress intended, say attorneys at Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners.

  • NEPA Reforms Can Fix Permitting Without Weakening Review

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    Recent National Environmental Policy Act reforms, in tandem with a Senate bill proposing faster permitting reviews and greater agency coordination, mark a long overdue move toward more efficient energy and infrastructure permitting that does not sacrifice environmental assessment, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • 2 Microsoft Matters Could Help Shape AI Antitrust Outlook

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    A pending federal court case and investigation focusing on Microsoft's allegedly anticompetitive conduct in the deployment of artificial intelligence tools are testing whether antitrust law can distinguish ordinary competition to supply the AI ecosystem from conduct that distorts how that competition unfolds, says Kylie Kim at Massey & Gail.

  • Preparing For Next Congress With Eye On Investigation Risk

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    Rod Rosenstein, Brian Whisler and Bruce Linskens at Baker McKenzie offer advice for organizations seeking to build a proactive response plan to potential congressional oversight as the election looms.

  • Asylum Ruling Signals Larger Separation Of Powers Battle

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Mullin v. Al Otro Lado that border officials may turn away asylum-seekers without inspection is part of a broader conversation about the reach of institutional safeguards that subject governmental authority to legal constraint, says Dree Collopy at American University's Washington College of Law.

  • Solar's Momentum At Mid-2026 Will Help It Overcome Snags

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    The rapid expansion of U.S. solar development in the first half of 2026 is likely to continue its pace, even amid ongoing shifts in federal trade policy and supply chain regulations, obstacles to permitting reform, and an increasing divide between states enacting policies to encourage or stymie project development, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • The Debanking Minefield: Navigating Fair Access In 2026

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    Federal regulators' recent elimination of reputational risk from bank supervision, alongside a growing patchwork of state fair access laws, is reshaping how banks make account and service decisions and ushering in a new compliance era requiring individualized, objective and risk-based access determinations, say attorneys at Spencer Fane.

  • Carbon Health Settlement Highlights Why Evidence Is Key

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    The California Attorney General's Office's first-of-its-kind settlement with Carbon Health, imposing penalties for alleged corporate practice of medicine violations, shows that friendly professional corporation challenges usually hinge not on the parties' management services agreement, but on whether the operational record matches it, says Ben Dubin at VC Expert Services.

  • What PE Practitioners Need To Know About New Del. ABC Act

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    Delaware's new Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors statute represents a structural shift in how companies backed by private equity can be wound down and provides a more streamlined tool for managing sponsor liability without the public visibility of a bankruptcy proceeding, says Evelyn Meltzer at Troutman Pepper.

  • How To Brace For A Potential Democratic Oversight Push

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    With the possibility of a shift in congressional control after the November midterm elections, companies and their general counsel should prepare now by mapping oversight exposure, reviewing government interactions, preserving records and developing coordinated communications strategies, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • Opinion

    Labor Contract Bill Would Introduce Sweeping Risks For Cos.

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    The House-approved Faster Labor Contracts Act would force rapid first-contract bargaining, subject businesses to binding arbitration over key workplace terms, and create major uncertainty for nonunion companies, making it crucial for employers to assess their exposure and mitigate the risks now, say attorneys at FBT Gibbons.

  • Fed Autonomy Rests On Narrow Exception After Justices Rule

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions in Trump v. Cook and Trump v. Slaughter expand presidential removal power while temporarily preserving the Federal Reserve’s independence, but there is uncertainty about which of the Fed’s authorities fall within the court’s narrow monetary-policy exception, says Keith Bradley at Squire Patton.

  • Assessing New Risks After The End Of The SEC's Gag Rule

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent rescission of its long-standing no‑deny gag rule marks a transition from a regime of enforced silence to one of strategic communication, meaning the question is no longer simply whether to settle, but how to manage the narrative that follows, say attorneys at Nelson Mullins.

  • New Pipeline Repair Rules Shift Burden To Engineer Judgment

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    A proposal from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to allow operators more flexibility to make analysis-informed repair choices, rather than hew to long-standing prescriptive criteria, could make documenting the engineer’s decision-making process as important to compliance as the ultimate repair performed, says Ahuva Battams at Beatty & Wozniak.

  • Series

    Being A Magician Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I've developed as a lifelong magician have translated directly into tangible benefits in the courtroom because performing magic and trying cases both live at the intersection of psychology, storytelling, timing and disciplined rehearsal, says Mark Dombroff at Fox Rothschild.

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