Public Policy

  • September 10, 2026

    RJ Reynolds Wants In On Suit Over FDA Vape Review Rule

    Vape and nicotine pouch subsidiaries owned by Altria and R.J. Reynolds are looking to upend the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's premarket authorization rule, claiming the agency is breaking the law by dragging out product reviews well past the statutory deadline, which delays their goods by years while illegal Chinese products flood the market.

  • September 10, 2026

    Regulators Expand Examination Cycle For More Banks

    Nearly 200 banks may receive some relief from annual regulatory exams under a new interagency rule published Thursday that amends the eligibility requirements for an 18-month on-site examination cycle, instead of 12 months.

  • September 10, 2026

    Feds' Cut To NY Funding In CDL Fight Justified, 2nd Circ. Told

    The Trump administration has told the Second Circuit that it's well within its rights to penalize New York by withholding $74 million in highway funds over the state's failure to revoke commercial driver's licenses that were issued to ineligible foreign drivers.

  • September 10, 2026

    OpenAI Faces Senate Probe Into Hugging Face Breach

    Members of a U.S. Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs subcommittee Wednesday sent letters to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman seeking answers about the company's artificial intelligence models breaching Hugging Face's security. 

  • September 10, 2026

    DC Circ. Upholds SEC Denial Of Whistleblower Award

    The D.C. Circuit ruled Wednesday that a man who tipped off a journalist about a possible foreign bribery scheme is not entitled to a whistleblower award because he waited until a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation was well under way to present the same information to the agency.

  • September 10, 2026

    Mich. Tribes, Enviro Groups Challenge Line 5 Tunnel Permits

    Four Michigan Tribal Nations and four environmental groups on Thursday separately challenged state permits for Enbridge Energy LP's proposed Line 5 tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac, seeking to overturn approvals facing renewed scrutiny after a Michigan Supreme Court ruling required broader environmental review of the project.

  • September 10, 2026

    6 Major Insurance Bills On Newsom's Desk In Calif. 

    California lawmakers approved significant insurance bills in recent weeks, including legislation designed to establish standards for insurers handling smoke damage claims, increase claims handling transparency, and penalize insurers for untimely payments. Here, Law360 overviews six of the biggest insurance-related bills this session.

  • September 10, 2026

    6th Circ. Nixes $31.8M Pot Farm Judgment Against Curaleaf

    The Sixth Circuit on Thursday reversed a $31.8 million jury judgment against cannabis giant Curaleaf, saying the federal illegality of cannabis precluded federal courts from enforcing contracts that require parties to commit federal crimes.

  • September 10, 2026

    DOJ Says Records Act Chills 'Candid' White House Advice

    The Justice Department urged the D.C. Circuit to vacate a lower court's order requiring the White House to comply with the Presidential Records Act, arguing in a new brief that the 1978 statute intrudes on executive power by requiring preservation of a wide range of documents.

  • September 10, 2026

    Latest Crypto Bill Draft Updates DeFi Rules But Not Ethics

    Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., on Thursday shared an updated draft of the Clarity Act that tweaked the crypto market structure bill's provisions around decentralized finance but left unaltered ethics language critical to winning Democrat support ahead of next week's cloture vote.

  • September 10, 2026

    Fed Colluded With Wall Street On New Capital Rules, Suit Says

    The Federal Reserve Board and its vice chair for supervision, Michelle Bowman, were sued on Thursday by Wall Street reform group Better Markets Inc., which alleges Bowman secretly met with the heads of Wall Street giants to manipulate the newly proposed U.S. bank capital rules.

  • September 10, 2026

    4th Circ. Calls No-Bond Detention Policy 'Stain' On Nation

    The Fourth Circuit on Thursday became the ninth appellate court to declare illegal the Trump administration's detention of immigrants without bond, calling the mass detention a "stain" on the nation and comparing it to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

  • September 10, 2026

    SEC Must Police Some Event Contracts: Citadel Securities

    Citadel Securities told federal derivatives and securities regulators that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission should take the lead on oversight of event contracts and other wagers when they're linked to public companies or equities.

  • September 10, 2026

    Catholic Charity Fights Bid To Toss Funding Cut Suit

    A Catholic charity said its opposition to abortion and contraception led Michigan to unconstitutionally terminate its decade-long role as a state-designated service provider for women suffering from substance abuse, and it urged a federal judge to reject the state's request to dismiss a civil rights suit filed by the organization.

  • September 10, 2026

    Biosimilars Boast Big Savings But Face IP Risks, Report Says

    There are no biosimilar drugs in development for 90% of biologic products set to lose their patent exclusivity by 2034, according to a report released Thursday by the Association for Accessible Medicines, which warned that current patent policy threatens generic-drug development. 

  • September 10, 2026

    DHS Aims To End 60-Day Grace Period For Certain Work Visas

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security floated a new rule Thursday that would eliminate a 60-day grace period for holders of H-1B and certain other employment-based visas to remain in the U.S. if they lose their jobs, citing "administrative burden."

  • September 10, 2026

    Squires Grants 10 Patent Reviews, Rejects None

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has instituted 10 more Patent Trial and Appeal Board petitions, largely in the pharmaceutical space.

  • September 10, 2026

    Kansas Immigration Tuition Law Can't Overcome Fed. Statute

    A Kansas federal judge has ruled that a federal statute preempts a two-decade-old Kansas law allowing people without lawful immigration status to pay in-state college tuition rates, granting a push from the Trump administration and Kansas' attorney general to strike it down.

  • September 10, 2026

    11th Circ. Says Concealed Gun Alone Can't Justify Fla. Stop

    The Eleventh Circuit has vacated a felon's gun-possession conviction, saying police lacked reasonable suspicion to search him after noticing a gun protruding from his hoodie pocket because Florida law treats concealed carry as presumptively legal.

  • September 10, 2026

    Judge Finds No Standing To Block Ill. Aid-In-Dying Law

    An Illinois federal judge on Thursday refused to block a new law from taking effect that allows patients with terminal illnesses to seek a doctor's assistance in ending their lives, ruling that a challenge brought by disability rights advocates relied on speculative fears rather than imminent legal harm.

  • September 10, 2026

    Pittsburgh Schools Say Commission Can't Decide Tax Suit

    The Pittsburgh public school district urged a court to reject a bid from the city water utility to toss the district's lawsuit calling the utility's stormwater fees illegal taxes, saying that the motion is based on a mischaracterization that a public utility commission, and not the court, has jurisdiction.

  • September 10, 2026

    Wash. High Court Takes Up Yakama Nation Fuel Tax Dispute

    The Washington State Supreme Court has granted a Yakama Nation fuel distributor's bid for direct review in a case challenging the state Department of Licensing's attempt to collect on a state fuel tax assessment.

  • September 10, 2026

    9th Circ. Seeks Calif. Justices' Input On USAA Rate Bias Row

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday sought the California Supreme Court's input on a class action claiming that USAA discriminated against service members, certifying a question about whether the state insurance code prohibits insurers from charging lower-ranking military members who qualify as good drivers more than higher-ranking members who also qualify.

  • September 10, 2026

    Ex-Immigration Judge Sues Over Retaliatory Termination

    A former immigration judge in California has sued Attorney General Todd Blanche, claiming she was fired after raising concerns about a spring 2025 directive ordering her and her colleagues to grant every motion to change venue filed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement trial attorneys.

  • September 10, 2026

    States Press Court To Block DOT's CDL Data Request

    A Virginia federal judge on Thursday questioned the Trump administration's claim that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's chief counsel wasn't speaking for the agency itself when she told a nationwide commercial driver database operator to either hand over millions of driver files or see its federal funding slashed.

Expert Analysis

  • OpenAI Deal Highlights AI Hiring Risks In PERM Process

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent settlement of allegations that OpenAI discriminated against U.S. applicants for positions connected to the permanent labor certification process underscores that employers providing or using artificial intelligence must align their recruitment practices with their overlapping compliance obligations, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

  • 5 Practice Tips After DOJ's Healthcare Fraud Declination

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    In light of the U.S. Department of Justice's decision to not prosecute Campus Eye Management under the agency's new corporate enforcement and voluntary self-disclosure policy, healthcare companies should keep several considerations in mind when weighing their risk and self-disclosure strategy, including the distinctions between reporting to the DOJ versus other government agencies, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • What Bulk-Power Gear Import EO Means For US Energy Cos.

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    Though President Donald Trump's recent executive order restricting imports of foreign-produced bulk-power system electrical equipment imposes no immediate obligations on private parties, stakeholders can take near-term steps to mitigate supply chain and contractual risks, as much of the order's ultimate impact will depend on implementing regulations, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • Assessing The Early Days Of Woodcock's SEC Tenure

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    Since David Woodcock took over the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Division of Enforcement four months ago, the division has pursued a scaled-back caseload centered on fraud and manipulative conduct, largely following the enforcement outlook that emerged under SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, say attorneys at Akerman.

  • AI And AML: Rulemakings Lean Into Responsible Innovation

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    Recent federal rulemaking increasingly supports deployment of artificial intelligence tools for anti-money laundering compliance purposes, and institutions that build clear use and governance frameworks will be best positioned to defend programs when AI systems err, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • Series

    Juggling And Unicycling Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Because I juggle (sometimes with fire) and ride the unicycle, friends and family used to joke that I should join the circus, but I pursued the practice of law instead and learned that my hobbies benefit my profession in several important ways, says Morgan Eddy at Smith Currie.

  • Unpacking Texas' New Grid Reliability Rules For Data Centers

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    The Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ recently effective technical and compliance obligations, designed to prevent data centers and other large energy customers from causing cascading outages when they go offline, will challenge facilities to develop equipment and protocols to help protect the grid, says Casey Bell at Balch & Bingham.

  • Opinion

    Md. Court Got Ad Tax Similarity Analysis Wrong

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    Decisions striking Maryland’s digital advertising tax are fundamentally flawed because the Maryland Tax Court found similarity between digital ads and other ads without considering deep market distinctions, says Darien Shanske at UC Davis School of Law.

  • Opinion

    NC Litigation Funding Ban Sets Model For Other States

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    States worried about rising liability costs and the commercialization of their courts should treat North Carolina's recently enacted litigation funding ban as a model because a prohibition adequately addresses the distortion that disclosure only documents, say attorneys at McAngus Goudelock.

  • The Future Of DOL Judge Removal Challenges After Slaughter

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Trump v. Slaughter calls into question whether U.S. Department of Labor administrative law judges exercising significant governmental authority remain insulated from presidential removal, but the answer depends on the governing statute, its severability provisions and other factors, says Mark Ishu at Conn Maciel.

  • DOJ Executive Privilege Opinion Portends 3rd-Party Dilemmas

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    The recent opinion from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel concluding that executive privilege can shield the president's communications with private advisers may lead to interbranch disputes, and companies must come up with a response plan now before they’re caught in the middle, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Planning For The Impact Of FinCEN's CTA Rollback

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    The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's recent rollback of Corporate Transparency Act reporting obligations should reduce compliance costs, but its plans to revisit customer due diligence rules should prompt companies and financial institutions to reassess state beneficial ownership programs, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • How 'Swap' Fight Underpins Prediction Market Enforcement

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    As courts around the country grapple with whether, and under what circumstances, event contracts qualify as swaps, federal enforcement authority hangs in the balance, with implications for companies that need to manage compliance risks during this period of legal uncertainty, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • EPA Guidance May Simplify On-Site Power For Data Centers

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    At a moment when wait times to connect large loads to the electric grid can stretch into years, two recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidance documents seek to make it easier for data center developers to set up on-site power generation — but much will depend on how quickly states and localities update their own rules, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Fed's Capital Rule Proposal Could Help Banks Stay Mutual

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    The Federal Reserve Board's recent proposal to comprehensively rewrite its capital rule and reduce procedural requirements for mutual holding companies would support community banking by allowing mutual institutions new ways to fund growth without converting to stock form, say attorneys at Nutter.

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