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Public Policy
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September 03, 2025
Feds Move To Sink Mass. Offshore Wind Farm Approval
The federal government said Wednesday it will yank approval for a Massachusetts offshore wind farm 20 miles south of Martha's Vineyard, the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration to stymie U.S. offshore wind development.
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September 03, 2025
Bondi Raises Bar For Private-Violence, Family Asylum Claims
Attorney General Pam Bondi has issued two new decisions reversing Biden-era attorney general precedents, raising the bar for asylum claims based on nonstate violence and tightening requirements for families to count as eligible social groups.
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September 03, 2025
Authority For Emergency Tariffs Poses Puzzle For Justices
The U.S. Supreme Court faces a provocative puzzle over President Donald Trump's worldwide tariff regime that the Federal Circuit has found illegal, as the judges' positions didn't follow the usual political lines, leaving wide open how the high court may rule on the president's tariff powers.
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September 03, 2025
Enviro Groups Urge 11th Circ. To Keep Detention Center Shut
Seven environmental groups filed an amicus brief Tuesday in the appeal of an order shutting down an Everglades immigration detention center, arguing that the district court was right to enjoin the center because the federal government failed to fulfill its obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act.
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September 03, 2025
Denver Sheriff Sergeant Urges Trial In Sex Bias Promotion Suit
A man who claims the Denver Sheriff Department violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by promoting three women to captain over him as part of a self-imposed quota for female officers has asked a Colorado federal judge to deny the sheriff's department summary judgment.
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September 03, 2025
9th Circ. Upholds Ruling Against Wash. Tribe's Fishing Claims
A Ninth Circuit panel Wednesday affirmed a lower court's ruling that determined a Washington tribe fell short of its evidentiary burden to establish that a 19th century treaty included its customary fishing grounds near the Puget Sound after vacating the dispute for further review last year.
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September 03, 2025
4th Circ. Says Md. Immunity Doesn't Apply In Tugboat Case
The Fourth Circuit said Wednesday that a tugboat owner's petition seeking to limit its liability over a 2015 accident involving Maryland's Nanticoke River Memorial Bridge does not infringe on the state's sovereign immunity, so it can proceed in the district court.
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September 03, 2025
Mich. Atty Tells Appeals Court He's Worth $1,500 Per Hour
A Michigan attorney told an appellate panel Wednesday that his track record and experience warrant the $1,500 hourly rate awarded by a trial court which found a city's breach-of-contract suit against his client, a former councilor, was frivolous.
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September 03, 2025
Lumen's Bid To Move $1.4B Pension Suit Out Of Colo. Blocked
A Colorado federal judge on Wednesday rejected Lumen Technologies' request to move to Louisiana a proposed class action alleging it wrongly transferred obligations for a $1.4 billion pension fund to a private equity-controlled insurance company, with the judge finding the venue provision in the pension plan does not apply.
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September 03, 2025
Texas Judge Asks Feds How Boeing Deal Serves Public
A Texas federal judge pressed the U.S. government to explain why he should accept a nonprosecution agreement with Boeing that would let the company escape a criminal case for its role in deadly 737 Max 8 crashes, asking Wednesday how the deal serves the public.
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September 03, 2025
Military To Blame For Maine Mass Shooting, Victims Allege
Victims and relatives of those who died in a 2023 mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday accused the U.S. government of failing to stop the Army reservist who opened fire, alleging the military was aware the gunman posed a threat but misled others about his danger.
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September 03, 2025
1st Circ. Doubts Eateries' Suit Over Outdoor Dining Limits
The First Circuit appeared unlikely on Wednesday to revive a suit on behalf of restaurant owners in Boston's North End over the city's restrictions on outdoor dining, repeatedly questioning the basis for the plaintiffs' retaliation claims.
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September 03, 2025
Ga. County Board Will Face Black Voter Disenfranchisement Suit
A Georgia federal judge has refused to dismiss a suit alleging Houston County's at-large method of electing its board of commissioners dilutes Black voting strength in violation of the Voting Rights Act, disagreeing with the board's interpretation of the VRA's rules allowing such suits, among other issues.
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September 03, 2025
7th Circ. Judge Probes FDIC's In-House Enforcement Powers
A Seventh Circuit judge on Wednesday pushed counsel for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to address whether an Illinois community bank's ex-chairman alleging the agency's in-house proceedings are unconstitutional waived his Seventh Amendment right to trial by jury by virtue of working at an institution that participates in the FDIC's insurance program.
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September 03, 2025
Fla. Surgeon General Pushes To End State's Vaccine Mandates
Florida's surgeon general on Wednesday said he intends to work toward undoing all of the state's vaccine mandates, including for schoolchildren.
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September 03, 2025
Judge Backs Harvard In Suit Over Trump's $2B Fund Freeze
The Trump administration illegally froze more than $2 billion in grants earmarked for Harvard University when it failed to offer an explanation as to how cutting the funds addressed the government's stated goal of ending antisemitism on campus, a Massachusetts federal judge ruled Wednesday.
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September 03, 2025
Honda Fights FCC Adding Car Technologies To Security List
Honda has told the Federal Communications Commission that adding certain vehicle technologies to the government's "covered list" of banned devices made in foreign adversary countries would duplicate efforts already being carried out by the U.S. Commerce Department.
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September 03, 2025
Hartford Beats State Rep.'s Police Bias Suit, For Now
The city of Hartford will not have to face a lawsuit alleging the police mishandled a state representative's sexual assault report, for the time being, with a Connecticut federal judge saying the claims are "conclusory and simply state a legal conclusion" that the department customarily mistreats women and Muslims.
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September 03, 2025
FCC Chief Aims To End Disputed School Wi-Fi Programs
The head of the Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday he's looking to overturn two controversial Biden-era FCC programs to fund providing Wi-Fi on school buses and hot spots for students' and library patrons' off-campus use.
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September 03, 2025
Wash. Court Pressed To Immediately End EV Funding Freeze
Clean energy advocates have urged a Washington federal judge to wipe out the Trump administration's decision to freeze funding for new electric-vehicle charging infrastructure, saying the government can't be allowed to drag its feet on a pledge to restore funding.
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September 03, 2025
Northwestern Mutual Seeks $23M Tax Refund For Free Meals
Northwestern Mutual is seeking a refund of $23 million in taxes for on-campus lunches it provided to employees, telling a Wisconsin federal court that the IRS improperly denied the company an exclusion on taxable income for the meals.
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September 03, 2025
US Steel Wants Federal Court To Take Clairton Blast Suits
U.S. Steel claims that litigation by workers injured in an explosion at its Clairton Coke Works facility last month should be handled by a federal court, because federal investigators are overseeing the evidence being demanded by the plaintiffs.
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September 03, 2025
Referee Blows Whistle On NBA's Partial Win In Vaccine Fight
A fired referee suing the NBA for religious discrimination asked a New York federal court to reconsider its ruling that denied him front and back pay, arguing the judge overlooked controlling case law that makes the decision "inappropriate."
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September 03, 2025
ND Tribes Ask Supreme Court To Protect Voting Rights Act
Two North Dakota tribes are asking the Supreme Court to undo an Eighth Circuit decision that prohibits lawsuits against states for violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, arguing that if not overturned, the ruling would kneecap the main federal protection against racial discrimination in voting.
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September 03, 2025
Tech, Small Biz Groups Push Against Value-Based Patent Fees
An array of groups representing tech companies, small businesses and more wrote a letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, urging them to oppose the Trump administration's reported plan to charge patent owners a new fee based on the value of their patents.
Expert Analysis
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A Look At Trump 2.0 Antitrust Enforcement So Far
The first six months of President Donald Trump's second administration were marked by aggressive antitrust enforcement tempered by traditional structural remedies for mergers, but other unprecedented actions, like the firing of Federal Trade Commission Democrats, will likely stoke heated discussion ahead, says Richard Dagen at Axinn.
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Reform Partly Modernizes Small Biz Stock Gains Exclusion
Changes to the Internal Revenue Code in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act update the qualified small business stock gains exclusion to reflect inflation, but the regime would be more in line with current business realities if Congress had also made the exemption available to additional business structures, says Mark Parthemer at Glenmede.
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Breaking Down Novel Va. Social Media Law For Minors
While a Virginia bill passed in May is notable for setting a one-hour daily limit on minors' use of social media, other provisions create compliance burdens for social media operators and app store providers, and increase privacy and security risks associated with the collection of sensitive information to prove identity, says Jenna Rode at Hunton.
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Lessons From Crackdown On Mexican Banks With Cartel Ties
Recent U.S. Treasury Department orders excluding three major Mexican financial institutions from the U.S. banking system for laundering drug cartel money and processing payments for fentanyl precursor chemicals offer guidance for companies in reviewing their procedures and controls to ensure they are not the next targets, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.
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Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss
Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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Tips For Cos. From California Climate Reporting FAQ
New guidance from the California Air Resources Board on how businesses must implement the state's sweeping climate reporting requirements should help companies assess their exposure, understand their disclosure obligations and begin documenting good-faith compliance efforts, says Thierry Montoya at Frost Brown.
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FDA's Hasty Policymaking Approach Faces APA Challenges
Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has abandoned its usual notice-and-comment process for implementing new regulatory initiatives, two recent district court decisions make clear that these programs are still susceptible to Administrative Procedure Act challenges, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.
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DOJ Crypto Enforcement Is Shifting To Target Willfulness
Three pending criminal prosecutions could be an indication of how the U.S. Department of Justice's recent digital assets memo is shaping enforcement of the area, and show a growing focus on executives who knowingly allow their platforms to be used for criminal conduct involving sanctions offenses, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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Legal Considerations Around Ibogaine As Addiction Therapy
Recent funding approval in Texas pertaining to the use of ibogaine for the potential treatment of substance use disorders signals a growing openness to innovative addiction treatments, but also underscores the need for rigorous compliance with state and federal requirements and ethical research standards, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.
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Unpacking DOJ's Suit Against Maryland Federal Bench
Political hoopla aside, the Trump administration’s suit naming the Maryland federal district court and all of its judges, which challenges a standing order that delays deportation upon the filing of a habeas petition, raises valid questions about both the validity of the order and the DOJ’s approach, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
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What Calif. Insurance Ruling Means For Smoke Damage Limits
As California continues to grapple with an increasing number of wildfire claims, a state court's recent Aliff v. California FAIR Plan decision serves as a clear directive to insurers that policy language that narrows the scope of fire coverage below the California Insurance Code's minimum standards is impermissible, say attorneys at Wood Smith.
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Wash. Law Highlights Debate Over Unemployment For Strikers
A new Washington state law that will allow strikers to receive unemployment benefits during work stoppages raises questions about whether such laws subsidize disruptions to the economy or whether they are preempted by federal labor law, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O'Connor.
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Why SEC Abandoned Microcap Convertible Debt Crackdown
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has recently dismissed several cases targeting microcap convertible debt lenders, a significant disavowal of what was a controversial enforcement initiative under the Biden administration and a message that the new administration will focus on clear fraud, say attorneys at O'Melveny.
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Justices' Resentencing Ruling Fortifies First Step Act Tools
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Hewitt v. U.S. ruling clarifies that resentencing after vacatur must reflect the law in effect at the time of the new sentencing, ultimately strengthening the strategic tools available to defense attorneys under the First Step Act, says Benson Varghese at Varghese Summersett.
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The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine
The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.