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Public Policy
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July 23, 2025
North Carolina AG Defends Power To Pursue PFAS Suit
North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson on Wednesday urged a state court judge not to dismiss his long-running lawsuit against DuPont spinoffs over groundwater contamination from forever chemicals, saying lawmakers have not revoked his power to continue pursuing the case.
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July 23, 2025
Pa. Justices Will Weigh Rollover For Other States' Pensions
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will weigh whether a teacher's years of service in another state can count toward her Pennsylvania retirement benefits after she had already cashed out her retirement account from her previous state.
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July 23, 2025
Ex-Copyright Chief Suggests Trump Fired Her Over AI Report
An attorney for the fired leader of the U.S. Copyright Office suggested Wednesday that President Donald Trump "sought to sideline her" to stop her from advising Congress on issues related to the use of copyrighted material for training artificial intelligence models, noting her dismissal occurred shortly after she released a pivotal report on the subject.
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July 23, 2025
ICJ Puts Reparations On The Table In Climate Change Case
The International Court of Justice on Wednesday delivered its long-awaited advisory opinion on governments' obligations with respect to climate change, issuing a rare, unanimous decision that opens the door for nations harmed by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions to seek reparations.
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July 23, 2025
8th Circ. Tosses FCC Dems' Local Media Ownership Rule
The Eighth Circuit on Wednesday threw out local media ownership rules passed a year and a half ago by Democrats on a split Federal Communications Commission vote.
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July 23, 2025
Trump Wins 9th Circ. Block On Order Providing Reorg Plans
The Ninth Circuit greenlighted the Trump administration's request to pause a lower court ruling requiring the government to turn over its layoff and reorganization plans in the case disputing whether the president can lawfully reshape federal agencies without congressional approval.
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July 23, 2025
False Ad Ruling Expanded Patent Law, Crocs Tells Justices
Shoemaker Crocs Inc. has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to look at a Federal Circuit decision reviving false advertising claims that its shoes were made with "patented, proprietary, and exclusive" materials that weren't actually patented, arguing that the ruling would allow an "end run" around Congress' limitations on false marking suits.
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July 23, 2025
6th Circ. Questions Officials On Search: 'Pretty Darn Obvious'
Sixth Circuit judges on Wednesday grilled Michigan zoning and building officials seeking immunity from an improper-search lawsuit, repeatedly suggesting it was "obvious" the officials should have known they were crossing property lines to look at dwellings and areas protected by the Fourth Amendment.
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July 23, 2025
FWS Wrongly Approved Bird-Harming Pesticide, Judge Says
A North Carolina judge on Wednesday revoked the federal government's approval of a pesticide that is toxic to birds for use as an algal bloom control measure at a lake in a wildlife refuge, saying regulators bungled the environmental review.
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July 23, 2025
Creek High Court Grants Freedmen Descendants Citizenship
The (Muscogee) Creek Nation Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a lower court's decision to give citizenship to two descendants of those once enslaved by the tribe, saying a 19th century treaty that required the Five Civilized Tribes to abolish slavery should have applied to their applications seven years ago.
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July 23, 2025
11th Circ. Throws Cold Water On Ga. County's Spaceport Suit
An Eleventh Circuit panel signaled Wednesday that it was not buying a Georgia county's claims that it should be able to claw back $2.6 million it put down on a property where it intended to construct a commercial spaceport after the county's voters repealed authorization for the project in a referendum.
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July 23, 2025
SEC Asks 8th Circ. To Rule On Abandoned Climate Regs
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission asked the Eighth Circuit on Wednesday to decide the fate of Biden-era climate disclosure rules that the agency has said it will no longer defend against challenges brought by Republican-led states and business interests.
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July 23, 2025
Feds Seek 15 Months For Lobbyist Over Madigan Scheme
Federal prosecutors have urged an Illinois federal judge to sentence ex-ComEd lobbyist Jay Doherty to one year and three months in prison for his "critical role" in a scheme to bribe former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, whose associates were paid as "subcontractors" under Doherty's lobbying contract with the utility even though they did little to no work.
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July 23, 2025
Senate Confirms Another Missouri Judge
The Senate voted 49-47 on Wednesday evening to confirm assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone to serve on the Eastern District of Missouri.
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July 23, 2025
UK Eyes Google, Apple Mandates For App Ranking, Payments
United Kingdom antitrust authorities on Wednesday formally proposed singling out Apple's and Google's mobile platforms for extra regulatory attention and specific mandates, proposing road maps for the Play Store and App Store that could try to stop the companies from boosting their own apps and commission-based payment systems.
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July 23, 2025
Wash. Counties Can Sue State Over Public Defense Funding
A Washington state appeals court has ruled that a coalition of counties has standing to sue the state to force it to provide adequate funding for indigent defense services, saying the coalition had shown that it had been harmed by the current funding system.
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July 23, 2025
Ore. Tax Court Upholds Farm Value Over Owner's Claim
An Oregon farm owner failed to show that his property was overvalued by a local assessor, the state tax court said, rejecting the owner's argument that the assessor misclassified the soil on the land.
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July 23, 2025
Judge Bars Man's Deportation Amid Claims ICE Flouted Deal
The owner of a small Massachusetts construction business who is being held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody may not be moved out of the state while a federal judge considers if the government is violating a January settlement by trying to deport him, according to a Wednesday court order.
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July 23, 2025
Split Conn. High Court OKs Eyewitness ID In Armed Robbery
Connecticut's Supreme Court has narrowly ruled that in the case of a masked armed robbery at a Smashburger, though a victim may have been scared, high, not wearing glasses and directed toward a suspect, her identification of the perpetrator was reliable.
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July 23, 2025
PTAB Ends Remote Hearings Beginning Sept. 1
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is mandating that all Patent Trial and Appeal Board proceedings take place in person, starting Sept. 1.
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July 23, 2025
NLRB Precedent Shifts Still Far Away Despite Nominees
The freeze that has gripped the National Labor Relations Board during the first six months of the year showed signs of thawing last week as nominees took key steps forward, but experts said there are still major hurdles they must clear before the board can return to normal function.
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July 23, 2025
Democratic Lawmaker Reintroduces Cannabis Shipping Bill
A Democratic member of Congress has reintroduced a federal bill that would allow small cannabis farms to mail their products directly to customers in other states with legalized cannabis if and when federal marijuana prohibition ends.
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July 23, 2025
Sen. Collins Opposes Bove For 3rd Circ. Over Bias Concerns
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, will oppose the confirmation of Emil Bove to the Third Circuit, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has also indicated her likely opposition.
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July 23, 2025
Ex-Real Estate Finance Pro Tapped For OCC Chief Of Staff
President Donald Trump's top national bank regulator has hired a new chief of staff, bringing on a former federal housing finance official from the private sector to help steer policy coordination and internal operations at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the agency said Wednesday.
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July 23, 2025
NJ Comptroller Flags $34M Hole, Targets Lifeguard Pensions
The New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller recommended Wednesday that the state legislature scrap a law mandating a handful of shore towns provide pensions to lifeguards after it found some municipalities underfunded the plans and face deficits of more than $34 million.
Expert Analysis
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Justices' NRC Ruling Raises New Regulatory Questions
In Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court avoided ruling on the NRC's authority to license private, temporary nuclear waste storage facilities — and this failure to reach the merits question creates new regulatory uncertainty where none had existed for decades, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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3 Judicial Approaches To Applying Loper Bright, 1 Year Later
In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Chevron deference in its Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision, a few patterns have emerged in lower courts’ application of the precedent to determine whether agency actions are lawful, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.
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Navigating Antitrust Risks When Responding To Tariffs
Companies should assess competitive perils, implement compliance safeguards and document independent decision-making as they consider their responses to recent tariff pressures, say attorneys at White & Case.
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Breaking Down Part 3 Of The Copyright Office's AI Report
On May 9, the U.S. Copyright Office published a prepublication version of the third and final part of its three-part report on artificial intelligence, offering key insights on the unauthorized use of copyrighted material by AI systems, says Courtney Sarnow at CM Law.
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8 Insurer Takeaways From Sweeping Georgia Tort Reform
Insurers should take note of several critical components of Georgia's tort litigation overhaul — including limitations on damages anchoring, procedural rules governing dismissals, and liability standards in negligent security cases — and adapt claims-handling strategies to reduce litigation risk, says Lucy Aquino at Cozen O'Connor.
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Bill Leaves Renewable Cos. In Dark On Farmland Reporting
A U.S. Senate bill to update disclosure requirements for foreign control of U.S. farmland does not provide much-needed guidance on how to report renewable energy development on agricultural property, leaving significant compliance risks for project developers, say attorneys at Hodgson Russ.
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Series
Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm
My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.
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Opinion
FCPA Shift Is A Good Start, But There's More DOJ Should Do
The U.S. Department of Justice’s new Foreign Corrupt Practices Act guidelines bring a needed course correction amid overexpansive enforcement, but there’s more the DOJ can do to provide additional clarity and predictability for global companies, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
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Opinion
IRS Should Work With Industry On Microcaptive Regs
The IRS should engage with microcaptive insurance owners to develop better regulations on these arrangements or risk the emergence of common law guidance as taxpayers with legitimate programs seek relief in the federal courts, says Dustin Carlson at SRA 831(b) Admin.
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How Providers Can Brace For Drug Pricing Policy Changes
Though it's uncertain which provisions of the Trump administration's executive order aimed at addressing prescription drug costs will eventually be implemented, stakeholders can reduce potential negative outcomes by understanding pathways that could be used to effectuate the order's directives, say attorneys at McDermott.
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Comparing New Neural Data Privacy Laws In 4 States
Although no federal law yet addresses neural privacy comprehensively, the combined effect of recent state laws in Colorado, California, Montana and Connecticut is already shaping the regulatory future, but a multistate compliance strategy has quickly become a gating item for those experimenting with neuro-enabled workplace tools, says Kristen Mathews at Cooley.
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2025's First Half Brings Regulatory Detours For Fintechs
The first half of the year has resulted in a bifurcated regulatory environment for fintechs, featuring narrowed enforcement in some areas, heightened scrutiny in others and a policy window that, with proper compliance, offers meaningful opportunities for innovation, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
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Debunking 4 Misconceptions Around Texas' IV Therapy Law
Despite industry confusion, an IV therapy law enacted in Texas last week may actually be the most business-friendly regulatory development the medical spa industry has seen in recent years, says Keith Lefkowitz at Hendershot Cowart.
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A Pattern Emerges In Justices' Evaluation Of Veteran Statute
The recent Soto v. U.S. decision that the statute of limitations for certain military-related claims does not apply to combat-related special compensation exemplifies the U.S. Supreme Court's view, emerging in two other recent opinions, that it is a reviewing court's obligation to determine the best interpretation of the language used by Congress, says attorney Kenneth Carpenter.
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Opinion
Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System
The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.