Public Policy

  • July 10, 2026

    Ga. Sheriff Says Call Rate Cap Waiver Needed For Rural Jails

    A sheriff from Georgia is asking the Federal Communications Commission to grant the waiver that one of the country's largest prison phone service providers seeks, which would allow it to charge incarcerated people more for audio and video calls than the agency cap.

  • July 10, 2026

    Amazon Deal Would Let Casino App Users Pursue Developers

    Amazon.com Inc. has reached a tentative deal in a proposed class action accusing the e-commerce giant of promoting "social casino" mobile apps that constitute illegal gambling, agreeing to pay $2.5 million upfront and leverage indemnity rights that would allow the putative class to recover money from the app developers.

  • July 10, 2026

    House Duo Push Agencies To Tackle AI-Related Election Risks

    A bipartisan pair of members of the U.S. House of Representatives is calling on several federal agencies to coordinate efforts to ensure technologies fueled by artificial intelligence aren't operating in a way that undermines voters' ability to access "accurate, neutral and reliable" information about the upcoming midterm elections.

  • July 10, 2026

    Hospitals, Housing Targeted In 2026 As Fed Antitrust Wanes

    The U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division and Federal Trade Commission are confronting claims that federal antitrust enforcement is petering out even as the agencies' dockets in 2026 include actions against hospital systems' demands on insurers, rental home listings, protein industry data and criminal prosecutions.

  • July 10, 2026

    Top 5 Enviro Cases To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2026

    The second half of 2026 could see courts delivering important rulings that will determine whether municipalities can set their own building emissions laws, the extent of California's authority to regulate pollution and citizens' power to enforce the Clean Air Act. Here, Law360 takes a look at five environmental cases that could be resolved before the end of the year.

  • July 10, 2026

    Esco Bar Maker, FDA End Vape Suit Without Prejudice

    The manufacturer behind the popular vape brand Esco Bar has agreed to end its lawsuit accusing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of unfairly rejecting its $7 million application seeking permission to sell more than 100 vape products, with a federal judge sitting by designation in Texas accepting a stipulated dismissal.

  • July 10, 2026

    Chemours Says NC Resident's PFAS 'Equity Action' Must Fail

    DuPont entity and spinoff Chemours Inc. has told a North Carolina federal court it shouldn't have to face a PFAS contamination suit from a state resident, saying in her early-stage court filings, she's conceded that her "equity action" is doomed to fail.

  • July 10, 2026

    Groups Say Verizon's Defense Of Spectrum Deal Falls Short

    Three groups told the Federal Communications Commission that Verizon failed to address shortcomings in the agency's decision to approve its $1 billion takeover of onetime rival UScellular's spectrum in a June filing.

  • July 10, 2026

    Del. Justices Nix $16M Fee Award In SpaceX Investment Fight

    The Delaware Supreme Court on Friday erased a $16 million fee award stemming from a dispute over a fund manager's handling of a failed $50 million SpaceX investment, concluding that although the fund manager committed a limited breach of a "duty of candor," shifting all litigation expenses to him was unwarranted.

  • July 10, 2026

    5th Circ. Backs Block On Texas Dream Act Defense

    A split Fifth Circuit panel said a federal judge was right to block a challenge to an agreement Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Trump administration struck to end Texas law provisions allowing some unauthorized immigrants to pay in-state college tuition.

  • July 10, 2026

    Tulsa DA Tells 10th Circ. He Can Try Indians On Creek Land

    Oklahoma's Tulsa County district attorney has asked the Tenth Circuit to deny the Muscogee (Creek) Nation's attempts to block him from exercising criminal jurisdiction on its reservation, arguing that he has the authority to prosecute nonmember Indians for nonmajor crimes.

  • July 10, 2026

    MassDOT, Contractors Ignored Environmental Rules, AG Says

    The Massachusetts Department of Transportation and a group of private contractors working on a nearly complete bridge project just outside Boston have violated multiple state environmental laws and regulations, exposing workers and nearby residents to asbestos and other hazardous materials, the state's attorney general alleged in a lawsuit launched Friday.

  • July 10, 2026

    Judge Shields Anti-Abortion Groups From New Mich. Bias Law

    A federal judge ruled Friday that two anti-abortion organizations do not have to comply with a Michigan law that prevents employers from discriminating against workers who have had an abortion, stating they're likely to succeed on their claims that the statute illegally infringes on their missions and free speech.

  • July 10, 2026

    CFPB, Union Seek Pause On Review Of Layoff Plan

    The Trump administration and a federal labor union that represents staffers at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have jointly asked a D.C. federal court to pause weighing a response to the administration's plan to lay off about half of the agency's remaining workforce, arguing the president's nominee to head the agency should be given the chance to review the plan if he is confirmed.

  • July 10, 2026

    Full 5th Circ. To Reconsider 90-Day Bond Hearing Limit

    The full Fifth Circuit on Friday vacated a roughly week-old split panel decision holding that the Trump administration can't hold noncitizens for more than 90 days without a bond hearing, and said it will rehear the matter.

  • July 10, 2026

    Kalshi Fights 'Extraordinary' Bid To Halt Wash. Operations

    Counsel for Kalshi pressed a Washington state court Friday to reject the state's request for a court order blocking the prediction market from operating in Washington, arguing its attorney general's office is seeking an injunction "far broader" than orders issued in similar litigation in Nevada and Michigan courts.

  • July 10, 2026

    DOJ Appeals Order Shielding Trans Youth Medical Records

    The U.S. Department of Justice asked the Ninth Circuit to review a California federal court's order blocking the government from trying to identify individuals who received gender-affirming care from a Stanford Medicine hospital as minors.

  • July 10, 2026

    4 Benefits Policy Issues To Watch In 2026's 2nd Half

    The U.S. Department of Labor's work to finalize a 401(k) investment selection safe harbor and plans for a new mental health parity rule are among the top employee benefits policy issues that attorneys are watching for in the latter half of 2026. Here, Law360 looks at four that practitioners say they're keeping an eye on.

  • July 10, 2026

    Judge Says GEO, Not ICE, Controls Detention Center Access

    A Washington federal judge rejected claims from GEO Group that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement controls access to an ICE detention center in the state and ordered GEO to allow state inspectors into portions of the center it controls.

  • July 10, 2026

    Top 6 Immigration Policies To Track In The Latter Half Of 2026

    After a cascade of unpredictable immigration policies in the first half of the year, immigration attorneys are bracing for more uncertainty through the year's end regarding final rules fixing the admission period for students, increasing prevailing wage rates and more. Here, Law360 looks at six policy issues that could feature prominently in the second half of 2026.

  • July 10, 2026

    Judge Tosses Free Speech Suit Against Flint City Council

    A Texas man failed to plausibly claim that Flint officials and police removed him from a city council meeting because of his political views, a Michigan federal judge ruled at a hearing Friday, finding the individual defendants were protected by qualified immunity.

  • July 10, 2026

    Calif. Judge Blocks Grant Conditions Over DEI, Immigration

    A California federal judge blocked the Trump administration from imposing grant funding conditions on California and Oregon municipalities concerning immigration enforcement and its opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, finding the conditions likely encroach on Congress' spending powers.

  • July 10, 2026

    7th Circ. Revives BIPA Suit Over Virtual Try-On Tool

    The Seventh Circuit on Friday revived a proposed class action against an eyewear company accused of violating Illinois' biometric privacy law with its online "virtual try-on" tool, saying a lower court dismissed the case too early and more evidence is needed to see if the law's exemption for data collected for health care purposes bars the claims.

  • July 10, 2026

    FCC Floats $200K In Fines Over 'Covered List' Probes

    The Federal Communications Commission proposed fines Friday against eight companies for allegedly failing to answer letters inquiring about whether they sought to market devices in the U.S. that are restricted for national security reasons.

  • July 10, 2026

    Over 2,600 Attys, Professionals Urge Blocking Blanche As AG

    More than 2,600 lawyers and legal professionals on Friday urged lawmakers to oppose the nomination of Todd Blanche for attorney general, saying Blanche's dismissal of the idea that the U.S. Department of Justice should be independent from the White House and his record as interim attorney general make him unfit for the role.

Expert Analysis

  • Ch. 11 Ruling Raises Bar For Avoiding Default Interest

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    Following a New York bankruptcy court's recent decision in 33 Mako, solvent debtors may find it significantly harder to avoid paying contractual default interest to oversecured lenders under Section 506(b) of the Bankruptcy Code, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Survive The Tech Revolution

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    Colorado Supreme Court Justice Maria Berkenkotter and Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Lino Lipinsky de Orlov discuss how artificial intelligence has already fundamentally altered the legal system and offer tips for courts navigating deepfakes, hallucinations and a gap in access to AI tools.

  • 'Skinny Label' Arguments Spotlight Induced Infringement Risk

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    Recent oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in Hikma Pharmaceuticals v. Amarin Pharma highlight the uncertain boundary between lawful generic competition through so-called skinny labels and induced patent infringement, with potential implications for patent holders’ communication, enforcement and causation strategies across industries, says Anton Hopen at Trenam.

  • What Jury Holdouts Can Teach Trial Lawyers About Strategy

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    Though a hung jury can be a disappointment, a psychological understanding of jury holdouts can help trial lawyers shape their damages arguments and understand leadership and group composition as a function of jury selection, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation.

  • 'Mobile' Sources For On-Site Generation May Be A Risky Bet

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering treating large on-site generators used at data centers as mobile rather than stationary sources under the Clean Air Act, a significant policy change that would leave developers that adopt this solution at risk of regulatory reversals, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • AI Investment Advice May Fail Investor Protection Rules

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    Based on an ongoing study of artificial intelligence platforms' investment advice given to retail investors, direct access to AI may not yield recommendations for typical households that are suitable under relevant securities rules, raising new and important issues in the regulation of financial markets, says Bruce Carlin at Rice University.

  • Startup Founder Disputes Increasingly Turn On Governance

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    Recent Delaware developments suggest that as courts place increasing emphasis on board process, independence and oversight in founder-led startups, the growing intersection of governance, technology risk and investor oversight is accelerating both the emergence and escalation of founder disputes, says mediator Frank Burke.

  • 3 AI Adoption Mistakes GCs Should Avoid

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    The pressure in-house legal teams face to quickly adopt artificial intelligence tools, combined with budget constraints and the need to evaluate a crowded market of options, sets the stage for implementation mistakes that are often difficult to undo, says former 23andMe general counsel Guy Chayoun.

  • Series

    Playing Basketball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My grandfather used to say "I wear your jersey" as shorthand for wholly committing to support someone with loyalty and integrity — ideals that have shaped my life on the basketball court and in legal practice, says Tracy Schimelfenig at Schimelfenig Legal.

  • AG Watch: Reconciling 2 Maryland Data Privacy Statutes

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    In-house counsel should map the interplay between the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act's strictly necessary standard to deliver a requested service, and the Protection From Predatory Pricing Act's exemption of consent-based pricing within loyalty programs, before the state attorney general begins enforcement on the latter in October, says Erek Barron at Mintz.

  • EPA Listing Signals New Scrutiny Of Drugs In Drinking Water

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    The recent publication of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's latest draft drinking water contaminant list highlights pharmaceuticals as a category of concern, marking the start of a process that could shape future research priorities, monitoring requirements, and federal and state actions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • New Cuba Sanctions Raise Risks For Foreign Banks, Cos.

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    President Donald Trump's bold move leveling secondary sanctions against Cuba expands enforcement risk for foreign banks and companies with no U.S. nexus, signaling that non-U.S. businesses should reassess related transactions, counterparties and exposure as regulators test this broader authority, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • SEC Clarifies 'Baby Shelf' Restrictions For Small Cos.

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    For smaller public companies looking to access the capital markets, the so-called baby shelf requirements can be a significant limitation, but recent guidance from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission helps to alleviate the effect of subsequent baby shelf restrictions on an at-the-market facility, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Nexstar Offers A Cautionary Tale On State-Level Deal Scrutiny

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    State-enforcement challenges to the $6.2 billion Nexstar-Tegna merger remind legal practitioners that federal approval isn't always sufficient to deliver certainty on closing, integration and timetable assumptions, says Brett Story at Britehorn Securities.

  • How 'Bundling' Enforcement Is Parsing Efficiency, Access

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    Recent antitrust enforcement actions have taken a selective view of companies' bundling of products or services — challenging it when it shuts out rivals, but tolerating it when it creates efficient scale — making the real test now less about lower prices than about whether competition is being blocked, says attorney Alan Kusinitz.

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