Public Policy

  • May 04, 2026

    DOJ Apology For Hidden Warrant Not Satisfying For Judge

    A Rhode Island federal judge, whom the U.S. Department of Homeland Security criticized for releasing a noncitizen with an alleged overseas warrant for homicide, was dissatisfied with an assistant U.S. attorney's apology for not disclosing the warrant to the court beforehand.

  • May 04, 2026

    Calif. District OKs Civil Court Audio Feeds Including Musk Trial

    The Northern District of California modified local court rules late Friday to allow judges to stream audio for civil jury trials in the district, accompanying its announcement with a separate notice that the high-profile Elon Musk v. Sam Altman trial over OpenAI's for-profit conversion is available to access via audio stream.

  • May 04, 2026

    FTC Swears Off Media Matters' Boycott Probe, Forever

    Media Matters for America announced a "legally binding settlement" Monday resolving its retaliation claims against the Federal Trade Commission, securing a promise by the agency "to forgo ever reissuing or issuing a substantially similar" administrative subpoena to the left-leaning watchdog in the search for censorship of conservatives.

  • May 04, 2026

    Calif. Tribes Back Stay In Kalshi Case Before 9th Circ. Rules

    Three California tribes have asked a federal judge to stay their litigation seeking to stop prediction market platforms from conducting what they say is illegal gambling on their lands, saying they can wait until the Ninth Circuit rules on their appeal challenging a denied preliminary injunction.

  • May 04, 2026

    FCC Says Crackdown Killed 3M Listings For Risky Devices

    The Federal Communications Commission says its effort to stop e-commerce platforms from selling devices that pose "dangerous" security risks has stamped out more than three million retail listings in six months.

  • May 04, 2026

    Feds Say Minn.'s State Suit Usurps Climate Regulator Role

    The federal government moved to halt Minnesota's state court lawsuit accusing Exxon Mobil Corp. and others of lying to the public about fossil fuels' effects on climate, alleging in a new lawsuit on Monday that the state is usurping federal authority.

  • May 04, 2026

    Greer Doubles Down On Threat To Hike Tariffs On EU Vehicles

    U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Monday reasserted President Donald Trump's plan to increase tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union as the bloc continues to delay implementing a trade deal reached last July.

  • May 04, 2026

    Colo. Justices Back Water Entity's Eminent Domain Rights

    The Colorado Supreme Court unanimously ruled Monday that a water activity enterprise can use eminent domain to condemn private property, ruling against a private landowner in Weld County seeking to prevent the construction of a water pipeline on its property.

  • May 04, 2026

    Calif. Seeks To Halt Trump Admin's Coastal Pipeline Restart

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta has urged a California federal court to block a Trump administration order that invoked emergency powers under the Defense Production Act to restart a Santa Barbara oil pipeline on the state's coast.

  • May 04, 2026

    Feds Say Challenge To Drilling Near SD Worship Site Baseless

    The U.S. Forest Service is fighting three Indigenous rights and conservation nonprofits' bid to undo its streamlined approval of exploratory drilling within Black Hills National Forest that they say will harm a sacred worship site, arguing to a South Dakota federal court that the groups' allegations are just speculation.

  • May 04, 2026

    Meatpacking Probe Continues, Agri Stats Deal Expected

    Federal officials said Monday an investigation into potential collusion and foreign ownership in the cattle meatpacking industry is continuing, as the Justice Department separately nears a settlement with Agri Stats over claims that it helped processors exchange sensitive information.

  • May 04, 2026

    Justices Skip Wait To Remand Louisiana Election Map Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to remand to Louisiana district court a fight over the state's election map, which the justices just deemed an "unconstitutional racial gerrymander," bypassing the typical waiting period to allow state lawmakers to draw up a new map ahead of midterms. 

  • May 04, 2026

    Fla. Cites Petty Defense Of Social Media Law, Groups Say

    Tech groups urged a Florida federal court to deny an attempt to end a lawsuit challenging a state law that punishes social media websites for banning accounts of political candidates' based on viewpoint, calling officials' defense of the legislation "borderline frivolous."

  • May 04, 2026

    10th Circ. Upholds CBP Officer's Conviction Sans Video

    A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer sentenced to over 1.5 years in prison for depriving a man of his rights at a New Mexico port of entry and falsifying a report about the incident cannot have his conviction overturned, a Tenth Circuit panel said on Monday.

  • May 04, 2026

    Mass. Justices Uneasy Over Judge's Handling Of ICE Incident

    Massachusetts' top court on Monday appeared concerned that a state district court judge in 2018 offered to detain a defendant sought by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, as the justices considered a public reprimand.

  • May 04, 2026

    Mass. Justices Hint Tax Cut Measure Summary Is Confusing

    Massachusetts' highest court on Monday was critical of the summary for a ballot proposal to reduce the state income tax during a trio of oral arguments on voter initiatives, including separate measures to repeal recreational marijuana legalization and to eliminate one-party primary elections.

  • May 04, 2026

    Fintech Cos., States Split On Scope Of Prediction Market Regs

    Fintech platforms have told the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission that few events should be off-limits for trading as the agency crafts rules for prediction markets, while tribes, consumer groups and states are calling on the agency to ban sports markets altogether as off-label gambling.

  • May 04, 2026

    Philly DA Touts Violent Crime Reduction In $60M Budget Pitch

    Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner asked City Council on Monday to approve a $60 million proposed budget for his office for fiscal year 2027, pointing to what he called a "historic" reduction in gun violence and homicides as indicators of his office's success.

  • May 04, 2026

    Groups Say Feds Neglected Whale Habitat Revision Petition

    Conservation groups told a D.C. federal court Monday that the federal government failed to respond to a petition to revise a whale species' critical habitat designation under the Endangered Species Act, noting more than a year has elapsed.

  • May 04, 2026

    Mich. Pot Regulators Ask Judge To Toss Whistleblower Suit

    Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency officials have asked a federal judge to toss a whistleblower suit filed by a former dispensary employee, arguing they have qualified immunity through the Eleventh Amendment.

  • May 04, 2026

    Trump Broadens Sanctions On Cuban Government

    President Donald Trump has expanded his sanctions regime against Cuba, issuing an executive order targeting Cuban government officials while also implementing second-order sanctions against financial institutions that carry out transactions with sanctioned individuals.

  • May 04, 2026

    NC Dems Propose Ballot Measure To Decriminalize Marijuana

    Three Democrats in the North Carolina Senate introduced legislation Monday that proposes putting the decriminalization of both recreational and medical marijuana on the ballot come the November elections.

  • May 04, 2026

    Pilots' Union Seeks FCC Focus On Safety In Drone Boost

    The Federal Communications Commission must ensure that its drive to spur the drone industry's growth does not jeopardize air travel safety, the country's largest airline pilots' union has told the agency.

  • May 04, 2026

    Noncitizens Sue Texas Over Arrest Law After 5th Circ. Ruling

    Two noncitizens filed a proposed class action Monday in federal court seeking to block parts of Texas' migrant arrest law from taking effect, less than two weeks after the full Fifth Circuit ruled that immigrant-rights groups and a Texas county lacked standing to challenge the law.

  • May 04, 2026

    1st Circ. Skeptical Of Challenge To CDC Puppy Import Ban

    A panel of First Circuit judges on Monday seemed dubious of a challenge to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ban on the import of dogs younger than 6 months old, saying the agency seems to have multiple bases for the new rule.

Expert Analysis

  • FDA Guidance May Move Goalposts For Form 483 Responses

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    New draft guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides formal insight on how drug manufacturers are expected to respond to Form 483s, raising some concerns about the agency's timelines and expectations, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Understanding The SEC's Consequential Crypto Guidance

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent interpretive release — its most comprehensive statement ever on the application of the federal securities laws to crypto-assets — reimagines the Howey test to resolve long-standing questions over what is a security, but leaves many issues unresolved, say attorneys at Cahill.

  • Ohio Case Reflects States' Aggressive Criminal Antitrust Turn

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    The Ohio Attorney General's Office’s recent bid-rigging indictment of an online auctioneer is the latest signal that states, through attorneys general pursuing more kickback cases and legislators expanding the reach of antitrust laws, are shedding their historical reluctance to wield their criminal antitrust enforcement powers, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Justices' Geofence Ruling May Test 4th Amendment's Future

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    When the U.S. Supreme Court decides in Chatrie v. U.S. whether law enforcement may use geofence warrants to compel Google to disclose location history data, the ruling is likely to become an important statement about the future of Fourth Amendment law in data-driven investigations, says Duncan Levin at Levin & Associates.

  • Series

    NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    In the first quarter of 2026, New York's banking developments were headlined by initiatives to expand oversight of financial institutions and strengthen consumer protection laws, including a new framework for buy now, pay later lenders, a sweeping debt collection rule and a revised corporate self-disclosure program for financial crimes, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Seeking A Policy Fix As Merger Reporting Fight Continues

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    A recently announced request by the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice for public comment on the Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger reporting requirements, as litigation challenging the commission's updated requirements continues, suggests the government's willingness to address how best to support modern merger enforcement without unduly burdening filing parties, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • What New Fla. Citizens Bill Means For Surplus Lines Insurers

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    A Florida bill recently passed by the Legislature as part of a continued effort to depopulate Citizens Property Insurance, the state's insurer of last resort, creates an additional pathway for commercial policies to be written by surplus lines insurers, but also presents concerns of unnecessary regulation, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • What Voluntary Calif. Carbon Reports Show About Compliance

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    While the enforcement of California's S.B. 261 is currently paused due to a Ninth Circuit injunction, more than 130 companies have nonetheless chosen to voluntarily publish climate-related financial risk disclosures, providing a useful snapshot of how the market is interpreting the law's requirements in practice, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • PTAB Memo Recenters Discretion On US Manufacturing

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    Read alongside recent Federal Circuit decisions, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires' memo on patent denial considerations emphasizes domestic manufacturing in a way that the International Trade Commission does not require, says Brandon Theiss at Volpe Koenig.

  • Why MDLs Slow Down — And How To Speed Them Up

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    Multidistrict litigation has become central to mass tort practice, but as MDLs grow in size and complexity, so do delays and costs — so tools like the new federal rule governing MDLs, targeted use of special masters and strategically deployed Lone Pine orders are more essential than ever, say attorneys at Ice Miller.

  • What A Court Doc Audit Reveals About Erroneous Filings

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    My audit of 1,522 court documents from last month found that over 95% contained at least one verifiable error, with fewer than 1% showing clear indicators of artificial intelligence use — highlighting above all else that lawyers may want to focus most on strengthening their review processes, says Elliott Ash at ETH Zurich.

  • Regulators' Basel Pitch May Bring Banks Capital Relief

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    The prudential banking agencies' new proposals to implement the so-called Basel III endgame rules — which would modify the approach to risk-based capital, among other notable changes — represent a fundamental directional shift in bank capital requirements aimed at increasing lending capacity, says Chen Xu at Debevoise.

  • How SEC And CFTC Are Attempting To End Their 'Turf War'

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    Through coordinated examinations and a shared aim to end duplicative regulation, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recent memorandum of understanding could represent a significant shift in the regulatory landscape for market participants subject to the jurisdiction of both agencies, say attorneys at Jenner.

  • FTC Focus: Growing Emphasis On Competition In AI

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    The Federal Trade Commission's leadership has continued to highlight that competitive risks in artificial intelligence markets may arise at multiple levels simultaneously, considering not only who controls the resources necessary to build AI systems, but also how those systems function and yield outputs, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • What's Missing From Latest Gov't Claims Against Harvard

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    The most interesting thing about the Trump administration’s recent civil rights enforcement efforts targeting Harvard University is its decision not to assert violations of the False Claims Act when given the opportunity, despite signals that its enforcement efforts will include use of the federal FCA, say attorneys at Bass Berry.

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