Public Policy

  • June 24, 2025

    Colo. Justices Order Fraud Retrial Over Legal Advice Hearsay

    Colorado's highest court granted a new securities fraud trial Monday to a man whose testimony in his own defense about advice of counsel was curtailed by a judge, saying legal advice is unquestionably relevant in mounting a defense around "willfulness."

  • June 24, 2025

    Wash. Judge Blocks Trump Admin's EV Charging Funds Freeze

    A Seattle federal judge Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from withholding funds for electric vehicle charging infrastructure projects in 14 states, but stopped short of applying it to two other states and Washington, D.C., and stayed the order to give the administration time to appeal.

  • June 24, 2025

    FTC Commish Says Enforcement Is The Way, Not Regulation

    The newest member of the Federal Trade Commission was preaching less regulation and increased enforcement as the path toward a more just and competitive business landscape in the United States at a Senate antitrust subcommittee hearing Tuesday afternoon.

  • June 24, 2025

    Anthropic Copyright Ruling May Spur More AI Licensing Deals

    The first federal court decision on the fairness of taking copyrighted material to train generative artificial intelligence is a mixed outcome for tech companies and content creators that could prompt both parties to seek coexistence, according to attorneys, with the judge concluding that while the technology is "spectacularly" transformative, using pirated material is inexcusable.

  • June 24, 2025

    Powell Says Leverage Rule Revamp Won't Exclude Treasuries

    Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told House lawmakers Tuesday that a forthcoming plan to revamp big-bank leverage limits won't exempt U.S. Treasuries from their calculation, a potential disappointment for financial-sector lobbies that hope to resurrect the pandemic-era carveout. 

  • June 24, 2025

    Colo. Gov.'s Enforcement Of ICE Subpoena Called A 'Disaster'

    The state director who sued Colorado Gov. Jared Polis over an order to comply with a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement subpoena said Tuesday in Colorado state court that the testimony given the day prior by a Polis appointee was not fully accurate.

  • June 24, 2025

    NJ Bank, DOJ Push To End Redlining Deal Amid Opposition

    Lakeland Bank and the U.S. Department of Justice urged a New Jersey federal judge to reject a brief from three fair housing groups opposing the early termination of the bank's $13 million redlining settlement, arguing the groups' call for housing discrimination accountability is irrelevant to the settlement's termination.

  • June 24, 2025

    2nd Circ. Tells Feds To 'Facilitate' Another Deportee's Return

    The Trump administration must "facilitate the return" to the U.S. of a man deported to El Salvador in violation of an order blocking his removal, the Second Circuit ruled Tuesday, citing a U.S. Supreme Court decision backing the return of a Maryland man improperly deported to a Salvadoran prison.

  • June 24, 2025

    Arkansas Insurance Dept. Fights Teamsters Plan's ERISA Suit

    The Arkansas Insurance Department is looking to sink a challenge to a state insurance regulation filed by a Teamsters healthcare plan, telling an Illinois federal judge that the regulation isn't preempted by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and, besides, the plan can't sue the department.

  • June 24, 2025

    State AGs Sue Trump Admin To Stop Billions In Grant Cuts

    A coalition of 21 states and the District of Columbia filed suit Tuesday in Massachusetts federal court, accusing the Trump administration of unlawfully using a single clause "buried in federal regulations" to nix billions of dollars in federal grant funding to the states.

  • June 24, 2025

    E-Verify Restrictions Are Not Preempted, Illinois Argues

    The federal court handling the U.S. government's lawsuit targeting a recent Illinois statute restricting the use of electronic employment verification systems on prospective hires should reject the government's injunction request and dismiss the case instead, because the statute steers clear of federal immigration law, the state asserted.

  • June 24, 2025

    Ex-Inmate's Debit Fee Class Action Cleared For Trial

    A jury should decide if a former jail inmate was forced to accept a prepaid debit card and pay related fees when his money was returned to him upon release, a Washington federal magistrate judge said on Tuesday, advancing a class action against Central Bank of Kansas City.

  • June 24, 2025

    Mich. Pot Shops Cut Constitutional Claims In License Fee Suit

    A group of pot shops agreed Monday to drop their constitutional claims alleging Grand Rapids' marijuana licensure program imposes illegal fees, a few days after a Michigan federal judge said the case belongs in her court because the pot companies' claims had federal interest.

  • June 24, 2025

    5th Circ. Says EPA Ignored Cos. To Push Efficiency Testing Rule

    The Fifth Circuit has thrown out part of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule for determining measures for fuel efficiency, finding Tuesday that the agency used a faulty methodology to justify tightening standards and outright ignored comments when creating the rule.

  • June 24, 2025

    GOP Senators Unveil Crypto Market Framework Principles

    Senate Republicans on Tuesday morning released a set of principles to guide the development of digital asset market structure legislation, their latest push toward regulating the cryptocurrency space following their passage of stablecoin legislation last week.

  • June 24, 2025

    AST Seeks FCC OK For Big Expansion Of Satellite Fleet

    AST SpaceMobile is seeking permission to launch hundreds of low-earth orbit satellites by the end of July to roll out its space-based cellular broadband network, which it says will eliminate coverage gaps and connect to standard smartphones across the country.

  • June 24, 2025

    Submarine Cable Cos. Seek Cautious FCC Reg Approach

    Companies that run undersea telecommunications cables said they're worried the Federal Communications Commission might burden them with even more regulation than they already have to deal with, urging the agency to have a light touch when regulating the industry.

  • June 24, 2025

    4th Circ. Tosses Trans Man's Appeal Over Canceled Surgery

    The Fourth Circuit declined to revive a transgender man's constitutional claims against a religious hospital run by the University of Maryland Medical System over a canceled hysterectomy for gender dysphoria, concluding Tuesday that it couldn't grant further relief, and refused to consider a "late-breaking" argument for emotional distress damages.

  • June 24, 2025

    Motorola Fights Fintiv Memo Withdrawal At Fed. Circ.

    Motorola is urging the Federal Circuit to reverse the decision of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's acting leader to not have the Patent Trial and Appeal Board review the company's challenges to a series of Stellar Inc. patents on glasses equipped with cameras.

  • June 24, 2025

    NC Senate Backs $700M Boost For Hurricane Helene Recovery

    The North Carolina Senate has signed off on a proposal to allocate another $700 million to the state's Hurricane Helene Disaster Recovery Fund, including $75 million for road and bridge repairs and $70 million to meet Federal Emergency Management Agency's state matching requirements.

  • June 24, 2025

    8th Circ. Rolls Back Block On Arkansas Hemp Law

    An Eighth Circuit panel on Tuesday overturned a lower district judge's decision blocking enforcement of a new Arkansas policy restricting hemp-derived intoxicating products, delivering a blow to the hemp industry's campaign to challenge state-led efforts to rein in its wares.

  • June 24, 2025

    NTSB Flags Boeing Failures In 737 Max 9 Door Plug Blowout

    Poor training and persistent quality control lapses on Boeing's manufacturing and assembly lines, along with the Federal Aviation Administration's ineffective oversight of the plane-maker, led to the January 2024 door-plug blowout aboard a 737 Max 9 jet operated by Alaska Airlines, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.

  • June 24, 2025

    Connecticut AG Seeks $7.7M Penalty For Ghost Gun Supplier

    A supplier of ghost gun parts that promised customers "extreme discretion" should pay nearly $7.7 million in penalties to Connecticut for continuous violations of the state's unfair trade practices law, the attorney general's office told a state court Tuesday.

  • June 24, 2025

    Key House Republican Calls For Telecom Law Reforms

    A top House Republican called Tuesday for reform of the 1992 Cable Act and for loosening the Federal Communications Commission's limits on broadcast media ownership, which he says would help modernize telecommunications law.

  • June 24, 2025

    NY Denies School District's Bid To Delay Mascot Ban

    The New York State Education Department denied a deadline extension request by a Long Island school district to comply with the state's ban on the use of Indigenous mascots, telling the district's superintendent that the district has shown no good cause toward the law's compliance.

Expert Analysis

  • Tariff Strategies For The US Renewable Energy Sector

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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.

  • As Tariffs Hit The Radar, PE Counsel Should Review Strategies

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    As tariffs compound existing challenges in the private equity sector, counsel should consider existing headwinds such as interest rates and industry-specific impacts like supply chains and pricing power, which may help mitigate risks and capture opportunity, says Nathan Viehl at Thompson Coburn.

  • Trump Rule Would Upend Endangered Species Status Quo

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    The Trump administration's recent proposal to rescind the regulatory definition of "harm" in the Endangered Species Act would be a tectonic shift away from years of established regulatory practice, with major implications for both species protection and larger-scale conservation efforts, says David Smith at Manatt.

  • DOJ Memo Raises Bar For Imposition Of Corporate Monitors

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    A recently released U.S. Department of Justice memo, outlining guidance on the imposition of compliance monitors in corporate criminal cases, reflects DOJ leadership’s concerns about scope creep and business costs, but the strategies for companies to avoid a monitorship haven't changed much compared to the Biden era, says James Koukios at MoFo.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Becoming A Firmwide MVP

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    Though lawyers don't have a neat metric like baseball players for measuring the value they contribute to their organizations, the sooner new attorneys learn skills frequently skipped in law school — like networking, marketing, client development and case evaluation — the more valuable, and less replaceable, they will be, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.

  • How NY's FAIR Act Mirrors CFPB State Recommendations

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    New York's proposed FAIR Business Practices Act, which targets predatory lending and junk fees, reflects the Rohit Chopra-era Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recommendations to states in a number of ways, including by defining "abusive" conduct and adding a new right to file class actions, says Christian Hancock at Bradley Arant.

  • Expect Eyes On Electronic Devices At US Entry Points

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    Electronic device searches are becoming common at U.S. border inspections, making it imperative for companies to familiarize themselves with what's allowed, and mandate specific precautions for employees to protect their privacy and sensitive information during international travel, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Big Tech M&A Risk Under Trump May Resemble Biden Era

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    Merger review under the Trump administration may not differ substantially from merger review under the Biden administration, particularly in the Big Tech arena, in which case dealmakers and investors should shift the antitrust discount on M&A deals upward, says Jonathan Barnett at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

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