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Public Policy

  • September 08, 2025

    Chief Justice Pauses FTC Commissioner's Reinstatement

    Chief Justice John Roberts issued an order Monday temporarily staying the reinstatement of Democratic Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter while the Trump administration fights to bring a case challenging her removal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • September 08, 2025

    Trump Loses 2nd Circ. Appeal Of $83M Carroll Verdict

    A Second Circuit panel on Monday upheld an $83.3 million award against President Donald Trump for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll in 2019 in the wake of her sexual assault allegations, rejecting his claims of presidential immunity.

  • September 07, 2025

    Stewart Says New Patent Policies Aim To Bring Stability

    Acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart said Sunday that new patent review policies the office has implemented are aimed at making the patent system more stable, saying that in her view, repeated patent challenges can result in "the antithesis of stability."

  • September 05, 2025

    SEC Lost Year's Worth Of Gary Gensler Texts, Watchdog Says

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission made "avoidable errors" that caused the agency to lose all text messages sent and received by former chair Gary Gensler for nearly a year of his tenure, some of which haven't been recovered, according to a report from the SEC's Office of Inspector General.

  • September 05, 2025

    DC Circ. Won't Halt Order Releasing Billions In Foreign Aid

    Both a divided D.C. Circuit panel and a district court judge Friday refused to hit pause on the judge's recent order requiring the Trump administration to release billions of dollars in frozen foreign aid.

  • September 05, 2025

    Feds Say Supreme Court Trumps 9th Circ.'s UC Grant Ruling

    The Trump administration has urged the Ninth Circuit to reconsider a panel decision that upheld an order to reinstate University of California research grants terminated by the White House, saying the U.S. Supreme Court subsequently contradicted the panel's holding in a "materially identical" case.

  • September 05, 2025

    Stewart Tackles Markets, Injunctions In Newest PTAB Reviews

    Acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart released 14 institution decisions in the last week, providing more insight on the scope of settled expectations and the impact of a district court preliminary injunction.

  • September 05, 2025

    Trump Admin Says Enviro Groups Can't Block GHG Report

    The Trump administration has told a Massachusetts federal judge that a lawsuit challenging its formation of a climate change science advisory panel is a misguided ploy to undermine the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's impending reconsideration of the harms of greenhouse gases.

  • September 05, 2025

    Temu Hit With $2M Penalty In FTC's 1st INFORM Act Case

    The operator of Chinese e-commerce platform Temu has agreed to pay $2 million to resolve the Federal Trade Commission's inaugural enforcement action under the INFORM Consumers Act, which requires online marketplaces to provide customers with certain information and tools to combat counterfeit goods offered by high-volume third-party sellers. 

  • September 05, 2025

    Trump Plan For Nat'l Guard In Chicago Sparks Legal Concerns

    President Donald Trump's plan to send the National Guard to Chicago over the objections of Illinois' governor could face similar legal hurdles as his use of the military in Los Angeles to quell protests over immigration raids, with some experts and local officials suggesting he may try to use an impending immigration crackdown in the city to justify a similar deployment.

  • September 05, 2025

    Democrat Slaughter Asks Justices To Let Her Stay On FTC

    Democratic Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday not to pause her reinstatement while the Trump administration challenges lower court decisions holding that her firing was illegal, saying those decisions were plainly correct and she's in no danger of sowing "chaos."

  • September 05, 2025

    SEC, CFTC Set Sights On Crypto In Regulatory Collab

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission said Friday they are moving forward with a broad regulatory harmonization effort that they hope will encourage innovation in growing markets, and lawyers tell Law360 they expect the focus to be writing rules governing the crypto sector.

  • September 05, 2025

    Calif. Judge Preserves TPS For Venezuelans, Haitians

    A California federal judge on Friday set aside the Trump administration's swift attempt to unwind temporary protected status for Venezuela and Haiti, finding the executive branch exceeded its authority by vacating Biden-era TPS extensions and faulting it for rushing to terminate designations.

  • September 05, 2025

    Judge Doubts DOE Stance On Ending Mental Health Grants

    A Seattle federal judge hinted on Friday that 16 states have valid claims against the U.S. Department of Education for arbitrarily discontinuing mental health funding for public schools, expressing frustration with the federal government's argument that it could terminate grant funding the same way it could fire a landscaper under contract.  

  • September 05, 2025

    FTC Drops Appeal For Rule Banning Noncompetes

    The Federal Trade Commission officially abandoned its appeal Friday in a case that set aside a Biden administration rule banning the use of most employee noncompete clauses, but the agency said it plans to bring enforcement actions on a case-by-case basis instead.

  • September 05, 2025

    NJ Court Won't Push Affordable Housing Project Through

    A New Jersey state appeals court affirmed Friday that a developer can't bypass a municipality's zoning rules and obtain approvals for an affordable housing project, even though the development is part of the municipality's plan to meet its affordable housing obligations.

  • September 05, 2025

    9th Circ. Deems COVID Jobless Pay Constitutionally Protected

    A Ninth Circuit panel has ruled a Washington state resident has standing to bring a proposed class action against the Washington State Employment Security Department for allegedly underpaying COVID-era benefits, declaring the plaintiff's property interest in the benefits is constitutionally protected.

  • September 05, 2025

    Top Groups Lobbying The FCC

    Lobbying slowed toward the end of the dog days, but the Federal Communications Commission heard from advocates nearly 100 times in August on issues like next-generation TV, satellite spectrum rules and 900 megahertz broadband.

  • September 05, 2025

    Judge Grills Gov't On Details Of IRS-ICE Info-Sharing Deal

    A D.C. senior judge pressed a government attorney Friday over the specifics of the IRS' disclosure of tax return information to immigration enforcement agencies, saying the details were crucial to weighing a coalition of organizations' bid to block the practice.

  • September 05, 2025

    FDA Explains Rejection Of MDMA Therapy For Treating PTSD

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected a historic new drug application to treat post-traumatic stress disorder with the psychedelic MDMA due to concerns with the drug's safety and effectiveness and with the design of the clinical trials behind the bid, according to an agency letter made public Thursday.

  • September 05, 2025

    DOJ Defends Expert Who Says Agri Stats Helps Hike Prices

    The U.S. Department of Justice pushed back on Agri Stats' efforts to strike key testimony from an economist backing Minnesota federal court allegations that turkey, chicken and pork producers "use Agri Stats information to raise prices on customers," arguing the company made "fundamental mistakes" about the analysis.

  • September 05, 2025

    3rd Circ. Affirms Feds' Primacy Over Pa. Grid Project

    The Third Circuit ruled in a precedential decision on Friday that the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission's blocking of a transmission line project in the state was unconstitutional because it hampered federal objectives, affirming a lower court's ruling that the commission lacked the authority to halt construction.

  • September 05, 2025

    Miner Must Show Why Chuckwalla Suit Belongs In Mich.

    A Michigan federal judge has ordered a Michigan resident challenging the Chuckwalla National Monument's protected status to show why the lawsuit should remain in the Great Lakes State, suggesting that the case seems to fit better in California where the vast desert acreage is located.

  • September 05, 2025

    Former Boston Pol Gets 1 Month For Kickback Scheme

    A former Boston city councilor was sentenced on Friday to a month in prison for a public corruption scheme in which she demanded a $7,000 kickback from an employee bonus at a time she was facing a state ethics commission fine.

  • September 05, 2025

    Ex-Ill. Speaker Asks 7th Circ. To Stay Prison Term For Appeal

    Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has asked the Seventh Circuit to stay his impending surrender to serve a seven-year prison sentence for bribery and wire fraud as he appeals that conviction to the appellate court, saying his appeal is likely to succeed. 

Expert Analysis

  • What FDIC's Asset Threshold Raise Would Mean For Banking

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    If the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. goes through with its plan to raise asset thresholds that determine regulatory intensity, it could free billions in compliance costs and bolster regional and community banks, but risk of oversight gaps are making this a contested area in banking policy, says Jessica Groza at Kohr Jackson.

  • 2nd Circ. Ruling Gives Banks Shield From Terrorism Liability

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    A recent Second Circuit dismissal strengthens the position of international banks facing claims they indirectly helped terrorist organizations and provides clearer guidance on the boundaries of secondary liability, but doesn't provide absolute immunity, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Calif. Board's Financial-Grade Climate Standards Raise Stakes

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    After the California Air Resources Board's recent workshop, it is clear that the state's climate disclosure laws will be enforced with standards comparable to financial reporting — so companies should act now to implement assurance-grade systems, formalize governance responsibilities and coordinate reporting across their organizations, says Thierry Montoya at Frost Brown.

  • Series

    Coaching Cheerleading Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    At first glance, cheerleading and litigation may seem like worlds apart, but both require precision, adaptability, leadership and the ability to stay composed under pressure — all of which have sharpened how I approach my work in the emotionally complex world of mass torts and personal injury, says Rashanda Bruce at Robins Kaplan.

  • Unpacking The BIS Guidance On Chinese AI Chip Use

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    In response to May guidance from the Bureau of Industry and Security, which indicates the agency considers a wide but somewhat unclear range of activities involving Chinese integrated circuits to be in violation of its General Prohibition 10, companies should consider adopting enhanced due diligence to determine how firm counterparties may be using the affected chips, says Peter Lichtenbaum at Covington.

  • How To Address Tariff-Related Risks In Commercial Contracts

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    Companies' commercial agreements may not clearly prescribe which party bears the risks and consequences of tariff-related fallout, but cases addressing common-law defenses and force majeure have one key takeaway, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • How New Texas Law Targets ESG Proxy Advice

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    A recently enacted Texas law represents a major shift in how proxy advisory services are regulated in Texas, particularly when recommendations are based on nonfinancial factors like ESG and DEI, but legal challenges underscore the statute’s broader constitutional and statutory implications, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • 8 Compliance Team Strategies To Support Business Agility

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    Amid new regulatory requirements across the globe, compliance functions must design thoughtful guardrails that help business leaders achieve their commercial objectives lawfully — from repurposing existing tools to using technology thoughtfully — instead of defaulting to cumbersome protocols that hinder legitimate business, says Theodore Edelman at GCE Advisors.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Make A Deal

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    Preparing lawyers for the nuances of a transactional practice is not a strong suit for most law schools, but, in practice, there are six principles that can help young M&A lawyers become seasoned, trusted deal advisers, says Chuck Morton at Venable.

  • Annual Report Shows CFIUS Extending Its Reach In 2024

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    The recently released 2024 annual report from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States reveals record civil penalties and enhanced internal capabilities, illustrating expanding jurisdiction and an increasing appetite for enforcement actions, says Nathan Fisher at StoneTurn.

  • Trump Tax Law's Most Impactful Corp. And Individual Changes

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    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act built on and reshaped elements of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including business interest deductions, bonus depreciation and personal income relief, delivering substantial changes to both corporate and individual tax policy, say attorneys at Weil.

  • From Clerkship To Law Firm: 5 Transition Tips For Associates

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    Transitioning from a judicial clerkship to an associate position at a law firm may seem daunting, but by using knowledge gained while clerking, being mindful of key differences and taking advantage of professional development opportunities, these attorneys can flourish in private practice, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Opinion

    Fla. Misses Opportunity To Rectify Wrongful Death Damages

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    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' recent veto of a bill that would have removed certain arbitrary and unfair prohibitions on noneconomic wrongful death damages in medical negligence cases highlights the urgent need for reforms to current state law, say attorneys at Farah & Farah.

  • Cybersecurity Risks Can Lurk In Gov't Contractor Acquisitions

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    The Justice Department’s recent False Claims Act enforcement activity against Raytheon and Nightwing-related defense contractors demonstrates the importance of identifying and mitigating potential cybersecurity compliance risks when acquiring a company that contracts with the federal government, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Budget Act Should Boost Focus On Trade Compliance

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    Passage of the One Big Beautiful Budget Act, coupled with recent U.S. Department of Justice statements that it will use the False Claims Act aggressively to pursue trade, tariff and customs fraud, marks a sharp increase in trade-related enforcement risk, say attorneys at Debevoise.

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