Public Policy

  • December 18, 2025

    Hilton's $70M Tax Value Cut Appealed To Minn. Supreme Court

    Drops in the tax valuations of a Hilton hotel and convention center in Minneapolis, including a $70 million cut during one year, were wrongly ordered by the Minnesota Tax Court, the local assessor said, urging the state Supreme Court to review the case.

  • December 18, 2025

    Bad River Band Sues Army Corps Over Pipeline Reroute

    A Wisconsin tribe is seeking to void a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit for the construction of a new 41-mile section of Enbridge Inc.'s Line 5 oil pipeline that will encircle its reservation, alleging that the agency failed to conduct required environmental reviews.

  • December 18, 2025

    Calif. AG, Bar Officials Fight Bid To Stop ABS Fee-Sharing Ban

    Both the California attorney general and the California State Bar are opposing a California attorney's attempt to block a new law preventing fee-sharing with out-of-state law firms owned by nonlawyers set to go into effect on Jan. 1.

  • December 18, 2025

    NFL's Bears Dangle Ind. Move As Ill. Stadium Plans Stall

    The Chicago Bears will consider locations for a proposed new stadium outside the city, including in Indiana, because Illinois lawmakers have not supported their plan for suburban Arlington Heights, team President Kevin Warren said.

  • December 18, 2025

    HHS Proposes Hospital Ban On Gender Care For Minors

    The Trump administration moved to block all hospitals that receive federal funding from providing gender-affirming care to minors and issued warning letters to a dozen companies Thursday as part of a sweeping push to halt the care nationwide, even in states with legal protections in place.

  • December 18, 2025

    Dems Offer Bill To Shine Light On High Court 'Shadow Docket'

    Democratic lawmakers have introduced a bill that would require the U.S. Supreme Court to explain its "shadow docket" rulings, criticizing the high court for issuing "harmful, backwards decisions" that "impact millions of Americans' lives" but are often unaccompanied by a formal opinion.

  • December 18, 2025

    NC Construction Exec Admits To $6M Bid-Rigging Scheme

    A North Carolina construction company executive pled guilty to a conspiracy to rig bids for maintenance and repair on U.S. military installations, according to a Wednesday press release from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Public Affairs.

  • December 18, 2025

    OMB Slammed With Suit Over Federal Watchdog Defunding

    A group of nonprofits sued the federal Office of Management and Budget this week to secure permanent funding for the independent agency for federal watchdogs, saying the office overstepped its authority in choosing to defund the organization.

  • December 18, 2025

    Ariz. Bill Would Bar Local Taxes On Residential Sales

    Arizona would retroactively bar local taxes on the sales of certain residential properties under legislation proposed in the state Senate.

  • December 18, 2025

    Judge Wants More Info On 1976 Memo In Philly Cops' OT Suit

    A Pennsylvania federal judge Thursday held off on deciding whether to send an overtime lawsuit against the city of Philadelphia, its police department and some of the department's leaders to trial, saying he needs additional details, including about a decades-old memorandum amending a civil service regulation.

  • December 18, 2025

    Compliance Chiefs' Enforcement Risks Didn't Ease Up In 2025

    The landscape for chief compliance officers' liability might relax a bit in the coming years as experts anticipate the Trump administration will rely less on a "failure to supervise" theory of liability that financial regulators used to target one chief compliance officer this year.

  • December 18, 2025

    Trump Orders Loosening Of Federal Restrictions On Marijuana

    President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that his administration would instruct federal agencies to loosen restrictions on cannabis via executive order, a historic acknowledgment from the executive branch that the drug has recognized medical uses.

  • December 18, 2025

    Pot Co. Says NY's 'Seed To Sale' Program Raises Costs

    A maker of cannabis products is suing New York's cannabis regulators, alleging that new 'seed-to-sale' tracking system will exponentially raise prices and is an unconstitutional overreach by the agency.

  • December 17, 2025

    Senate Sends $900B Defense Bill To Trump's Desk

    The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed a $900.6 billion defense policy and budget bill for 2026, which includes a provision aimed at putting pressure on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to release unedited video of boat strikes carried out in international waters near Venezuela. 

  • December 17, 2025

    Trump Admin Asks Fed Whether It's Back In The Black

    The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday asked the Federal Reserve to confirm whether it has returned to profitability, a potential opening for the Trump administration to draw new funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau after insisting none is available.

  • December 17, 2025

    9th Circ. Affirms DHS Officers' Fast-Track Removal Authority

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Wednesday upheld the denial of a Mexican citizen's bid to toss illegal reentry charges, rejecting arguments that a U.S. Department of Homeland Security "deciding service officer" unconstitutionally ordered his removal, while also clarifying that such officers who issue fast-track removal orders aren't subject to the U.S. Constitution's appointments clause.

  • December 17, 2025

    NJ Gov. Says Clemency Grants Exceed 300 Since Exec Order

    New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday announced that his office has surpassed 300 grants of clemency since he launched an effort last year to increase the legal relief provided to incarcerated and convicted people in the state.

  • December 17, 2025

    States, Groups Urge DC Circ. To Preserve EPA Soot Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's request that the D.C. Circuit vacate a Biden-era soot rule is legally untenable and should be rejected, Democrat-led states and cities, along with health and environmental groups, told the court.

  • December 17, 2025

    5th Circ. Overturns 20-Year Sentence For Illegal Reentry

    A Fifth Circuit panel vacated a 20-year sentence imposed on a Mexican national for unlawful reentry, ruling Wednesday that prosecutors broke an informal agreement to support far lower sentencing guidelines if the man entered a guilty plea with no formal deal.

  • December 17, 2025

    Lawmakers Raise Concerns Over Nexstar's $6.2B Tegna Deal

    A group of Democratic lawmakers has urged federal enforcers to closely scrutinize Nexstar Media Group Inc.'s planned $6.2 billion purchase of rival broadcast company Tegna Inc. and to block the deal if they find it violates the law.

  • December 17, 2025

    DC Circ. Grants En Banc Hearing On CFPB Layoff Plan

    Additional D.C. Circuit judges will get to weigh in on the Trump administration's bid to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau through mass layoffs, after the appeals court granted the agency's employees' union an en banc rehearing on a lower court's injunction stopping the firings.

  • December 17, 2025

    Senate Dems, FCC Tangle Over Agency's 'Independent' Status

    The Federal Communications Commission's Republican chair faced off Wednesday against Senate Democrats, who accused him of trying to muffle dissenting political views and gutting the telecommunications regulator's longstanding independence.

  • December 17, 2025

    Halt Of Alien Enemies Contempt Probe To Test Judicial Power

    The D.C. Circuit's second halt of U.S. District Judge James Boasberg's contempt inquiry into the Trump administration's Alien Enemies Act deportations has set up a high-stakes fight over how far judges can go when the executive branch defies their orders.

  • December 17, 2025

    Shutdown Deal Bars Federal Firings Until Feb., Judge Says

    A California federal judge said Wednesday she'll grant a preliminary injunction barring layoffs of federal workers from several agencies before Jan. 30, saying legislation that ended the government shutdown prohibits the layoffs, but she added she might pause her order while the government appeals.

  • December 17, 2025

    20 States Back 10th Circ. Rehearing In Colo. Interest Rate Row

    Utah has led a group of 20 states in backing a push by banking groups for a full Tenth Circuit rehearing of their challenge to a Colorado law intended to curb high-cost lending in the state, saying a recent panel decision upholding the law harms states' interests.

Expert Analysis

  • Breaking Down Article 12 Of The Uniform Commercial Code

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    Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia have enacted Article 12 of the Uniform Commercial Code, providing the alternative to perfection by control of assets like cryptocurrency and nonfungible tokens, but before accepting these assets as collateral, lenders and creditors should consider how to best maintain priority, say attorneys at Miller Nash.

  • Why Foreign Cos. Should Prep For Increased SEC Oversight

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    With the recent trading suspensions of 10 foreign-based issuers listed on the Nasdaq, an enforcement action against a U.K. security-based swap dealer and the announcement of a cross-border task force, it's clear that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will expand oversight on foreign companies participating in the U.S. capital markets, says Tejal Shah at Cooley.

  • How Litigating Antitrust Fix Helped GTCR Prevail In Court

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    An Illinois federal judge's recent denial of the Federal Trade Commission's injunction request in the GTCR acquisition of Surmodics joins a developing series of cases in which deal parties have prevailed against government antitrust challenges by proposing a post-complaint fix and litigating the as-amended deal, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • What Narrower FinCEN Reporting Spells For Industry

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    As compliance costs soar, the potential slimming down of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism regime is welcome news for banks, and would allow a shift in resources to ever-evolving cybercrime threats, say attorneys at Quarles & Brady.

  • Revisiting Jury Trial Right May Upend State Regulatory Power

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    Justice Neil Gorsuch’s recent use of a denial of certiorari to call for the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit whether the Seventh Amendment jury trial right extends to states, building off last year's Jarkesy ruling, could foretell a profound change in state regulators' ability to enforce penalties against regulated companies, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • How Nasdaq, SEC Proposals May Transform Listing Standards

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    Both Nasdaq and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission have increasingly focused their recent regulatory efforts on small and foreign issuers, particularly those from China, reflecting an intention to strengthen the overall quality of companies accessing U.S. markets, but also potentially introducing a chilling effect on certain issuers, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • New NCAA Betting Policy Fits Trend Of Eased Restrictions

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    Allowing NCAA student-athletes to bet on professional sports fits into a decade-long trend of treating college athletes more like adults in a commercial system, but decreasing player restrictions translates to increased compliance burdens for schools, say attorneys at Robins Kaplan.

  • Series

    Building With Lego Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Building with Lego has taught me to follow directions and adapt to unexpected challenges, and in pairing discipline with imagination, allows me to stay grounded while finding new ways to make complex deals come together, says Paul Levin at Venable.

  • How Banks Can Safely Handle Payments For Gambling Biz

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    As the betting market continues to expand, it's crucial for banks and fintechs to track historical developments in wagering and ongoing prediction markets litigation that can factor into a risk analysis for payment processing with respect to gambling operators, says Laura D'Angelo at Jones Walker.

  • Wading Into NY Wetland Regs' 2025 Changes And Challenges

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    Solar developers in New York should keep a weather eye on litigation challenging the New York Department of Environmental Conservation’s recently expanded authority to regulate wetlands and waterways, which could erode the impact of a new permitting process meant to streamline solar development on protected wetlands, say attorneys at Foley Hoag.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Networking 101

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    Cultivating a network isn't part of the law school curriculum, but learning the soft skills needed to do so may be the key to establishing a solid professional reputation, nurturing client relationships and building business, says Sharon Crane at Practising Law Institute.

  • Defeating Estoppel-Based Claims In Legal Malpractice Actions

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    State supreme court cases from recent years have addressed whether positions taken by attorneys in an underlying lawsuit can be used against them in a subsequent legal malpractice action, providing a foundation to defeat ex-clients’ estoppel claims, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.

  • Takeaways As Justices Let 5th Circ. Pollution Ruling Stand

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent certiorari denial leaves intact a Fifth Circuit ruling that environmental justice organizations have standing to pursue a civil rights challenge to a parish's land-use practice, underscoring the importance of local governments proactively engaging with communities to address cumulative impacts of development, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • AI's Role In Google Antitrust Suit May Reshape Tech Markets

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    The evolution of AI in retail has reshaped the U.S.' antitrust case against Google, which could both benefit small business innovators and consumers, and fundamentally alter future antitrust cases, including the Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit against Amazon, says Graham Dufault at ACT.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: How It Works In Massachusetts

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    Since its founding in 2000, the Massachusetts Business Litigation Session's expertise, procedural flexibility and litigant-friendly case management practices have contributed to the development of a robust body of commercial jurisprudence, say James Donnelly at Mirick O’Connell, Felicia Ellsworth at WilmerHale and Lisa Wood at Foley Hoag.

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