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Public Policy

  • September 24, 2025

    Mobile Cos. Claim Chilling Effect From Local Permitting

    Wireless industry players are having problems with local permitting that would be fixed by the Federal Communications Commission's new proposal, which would use federal preemption to help companies clear permitting hurdles, according to a major trade group.

  • September 24, 2025

    Let States Use Leftover BEAD Funds, Sen. Wicker Says

    States should be able to use money left over from federal grants aimed at broadband deployment for other projects to boost high-tech growth, a Republican senator said.

  • September 24, 2025

    Ga. Panel Reverses Trial Court's Same-Sex Motherhood Ruling

    The Georgia Court of Appeals Wednesday reversed a trial court order that refused to recognize the legitimacy of a woman's parental relationship to a child conceived by artificial insemination during her marriage to another woman.

  • September 24, 2025

    ITC's IP Cases Mainly Target Computer And Telecom Products

    New data from the U.S. International Trade Commission has shown that intellectual property activity at the agency in 2024 remained relatively the same, with investigations primarily looking into computer and telecommunications products.

  • September 24, 2025

    American Airlines, US Gov't Sued Over Potomac Crash

    A new wrongful death complaint brought by the wife of an American Eagle Flight 5342 victim names both American Airlines and the United States government as liable in the "wholly avoidable tragedy" that killed 67 people on the Potomac River in January.

  • September 24, 2025

    Dems Probing Skadden, Kirkland, Paul Weiss' Work For Trump

    Top Democratic legislators are investigating whether pro bono work reportedly being performed by Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP, Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP for the U.S. Department of Commerce is in violation of federal law, according to letters the lawmakers sent the firms Wednesday.

  • September 24, 2025

    HHS Allocates $1.5B To States, Tribes To Combat Opioid Crisis

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has allocated more than $1.5 billion to states and tribal communities that the agency says will provide critical resources in addressing the country's opioid overdose crisis.

  • September 24, 2025

    Tribal Groups Back 9th Circ. Bid To Block Ariz. Land Transfer

    Two tribal advocacy groups are backing a Ninth Circuit bid to block a 2,400-acre federal land exchange in Arizona to make way for a billion-dollar copper mining project they say will destroy an ancient worship site, arguing that federal policies are systematically stripping Indigenous nations of their homelands.

  • September 24, 2025

    States Say Ed Dept. Must Face Suit Over Mental Health Cuts

    A group of 16 states led by Washington has asked a federal judge not to let the U.S. Department of Education escape the states' claims that the agency violated federal law by discontinuing mental health grants given to public schools to help students cope with school shootings.

  • September 24, 2025

    Rikers Detainees File Class Action Over Solitary Confinement

    A group of detainees are accusing the New York City Department of Correction of systematically violating the state's landmark law restricting solitary confinement, saying in a state court in a proposed class complaint they have been locked in their cells for up to 24 hours a day at Rikers Island despite the ban, a lawyer told Law360 on Wednesday.

  • September 24, 2025

    Md. County Backs Landowners In 4th Circ. Power Line Dispute

    A county board of commissioners in Maryland told the Fourth Circuit that a Public Service Energy Group unit trying to build a 67-mile transmission line has no right to conduct testing on private landowners' properties, saying a lower court erred in granting the company access.

  • September 24, 2025

    5th Circ. Tosses Takings Claim Over Texas Bridge Contract

    The Fifth Circuit has ruled local governments can act like any other party to a contract after the city of Mesquite, Texas, refused to extend a development agreement and shut down an attempt by a group of real estate owners to claim a refund on costs for building a multipurpose bridge.

  • September 24, 2025

    NYC Housing Bribe Case Winding Down As Another Trial Set

    A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday teed up a trial for a Bronx assistant public housing superintendent accused of taking $14,000 in bribes, as an anti-corruption sweep targeting 70 workers at the New York City Housing Authority inched toward an end.

  • September 24, 2025

    Sen. Ossoff Pushes Fed. Courts To Uphold Access To Counsel

    Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., has urged the Judicial Conference to take further action to ensure that all defendants, particularly low-income ones, have access to counsel for their initial appearance in federal court.

  • September 24, 2025

    Ohio House Bill Seeks Approval Rule For Some Property Tax

    Ohio would require some political subdivisions to obtain approval from their member governing bodies before imposing property tax above a statutory limit under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.

  • September 23, 2025

    UC Researchers Win Expanded Injunction Against Grant Cuts

    A California federal judge Monday issued another preliminary injunction ordering the Trump administration to reinstate grants awarded to University of California researchers, this time resurrecting grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Institutes of Health.

  • September 23, 2025

    Judiciary Dems Demand Feds Explain 'Border Czar' Probe

    Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee announced Tuesday they are looking into the Trump administration's alleged closure of a U.S. Department of Justice bribery investigation of White House "border czar" Thomas Homan, following recent news reports that he accepted $50,000 from an undercover FBI agent.

  • September 23, 2025

    Industry Witnesses In Google Ad Tech Case Not 'That Helpful'

    A Virginia federal judge tightened the leash Tuesday on the U.S. Department of Justice and Google fight over the company's advertising placement technology business, expressing dissatisfaction with non-technical industry witnesses testifying about the benefits and costs of a government breakup proposal.

  • September 23, 2025

    Ad Groups Urge Newsom To Veto Calif. Opt-Out Tool Bill

    Four major ad industry groups are asking California Gov. Gavin Newsom to veto a bill that would require browser developers to offer a digital tool enabling consumers to more easily opt out of online behavioral advertising throughout the web.

  • September 23, 2025

    5th Circ. Won't Disturb EPA's Denial Of Texas Ozone Plan

    The Fifth Circuit on Monday refused to upend a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency decision denying Texas' Clean Air Act implementation plans, finding that the EPA's procedure complied with the law and its reasoning for denying the plans "was sound."

  • September 23, 2025

    DC Circ. Says FMC's Late-Fee Rule Makes No Sense

    The Federal Maritime Commission's "demurrage and detention" fees rule does not make sense, the D.C. Circuit has ruled, partially striking down the rule after finding that the agency had not given a good reason for allowing some entities to be fined for shipping delays while blocking others.

  • September 23, 2025

    Towing Cos. Can Bill For Special Rigs, Conn. Justices Say

    Upending three lower decisions to the contrary, the Connecticut Supreme Court on Tuesday said tow truck operators can charge extra fees on top of hourly labor rates when using specialized equipment to clear highway wrecks, saying a limited interpretation of a state motor vehicle regulation could hinder accident cleanup efforts.

  • September 23, 2025

    Sandisk Gets Support In 'Settled Expectations' Challenge

    Industry groups, professors and Unified Patents are backing Sandisk Technologies Inc.'s Federal Circuit challenge to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's policy of denying review of patents based on the owner's "settled expectations," saying it flouts the law and undermines the patent review system.

  • September 23, 2025

    Amazon Prime Trapped Consumers, FTC Tells Seattle Jury

    Amazon knew for years that millions of people were inadvertently enrolling in its Prime subscription program because of its design choices but prioritized boosting membership counts over fixing the problem, the Federal Trade Commission told a Seattle federal jury on Tuesday, kicking off a long-awaited consumer protection trial against the e-commerce giant.

  • September 23, 2025

    Banks Urge SEC To Hold Crypto Custody To Same Standards

    Financial services trade groups have cautioned the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission against broadly permitting investment advisers and state-chartered trust companies to safeguard customer's cryptocurrency assets, urging the agency to maintain equal standards for all financial custodians amid planned crypto rulemaking.

Expert Analysis

  • How 2nd Circ. Cannabis Ruling Upends NY Licensing

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    A recent Second Circuit decision in Variscite NY Four v. New York, holding that New York's extra-priority cannabis licensing preference for applicants with in-state marijuana convictions violates the dormant commerce clause, underscores that state-legal cannabis markets remain subject to the same constitutional constraints as other economic markets, say attorneys at Harris Beach.

  • Key Insurance Coverage Considerations For AI Data Centers

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    The burgeoning artificial intelligence industry has sparked a surge in data center projects — a trend likely to be accelerated by the White House's AI Action Plan — but with these complex facilities come equally complex risks, engendering important insurance coverage considerations, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Parenting Skills That Can Help Lawyers Thrive Professionally

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    As kids head back to school, the time is ripe for lawyers who are parents to consider how they can incorporate their parenting skills to build a deep, meaningful and sustainable legal practice, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Unpacking The New Opportunity Zone Tax Incentive Program

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    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act brought several improvements to the opportunity zone tax incentive program that should boost investments in qualified funds, including making it permanent, increasing federal income tax benefits in rural areas, redesignating the qualified zones, and requiring more in-depth reporting, says Marc Schultz at Snell & Wilmer.

  • Series

    Teaching Trial Advocacy Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    Teaching trial advocacy skills to other lawyers makes us better litigators because it makes us question our default methods, connect to young attorneys with new perspectives and focus on the needs of the real people at the heart of every trial, say Reuben Guttman, Veronica Finkelstein and Joleen Youngers.

  • What New Ƶ Oversight Limits Would Mean For 4 Markets

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    As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau continues to centralize its resources, proposals to alter the definition of larger market participants in the automobile financing, international money transfer, consumer reporting and consumer debt collection markets would reduce the scope of the bureau's oversight, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • MIT Bros.' Crypto Charges Provide Fraud Test Case For Gov't

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    As U.S. v. Peraire-Bueno, involving cryptocurrency fraud charges against brothers who graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, moves forward after surviving a motion to dismiss, the case provides an early example of how the government might use the federal fraud statutes to regulate decentralized networks, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Navigating Brazil's Regulations, Incentives For Green Projects

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    Brazil's evolving environmental regulatory framework and ongoing moves to attract international capital for climate-focused projects may appeal to U.S.-based companies and investors interested in sustainable development — but taking advantage of these opportunities requires careful planning and meaningful stakeholder engagement, says Milena Angulo at Guimarães.

  • Federal AI Action Plan Marks A Shift For Health And Bio Fields

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    The Trump administration's recent artificial intelligence action plan significantly expands federal commitments across biomedical agencies, defining a pivotal moment for attorneys and others involved in research collaborations, managing regulatory compliance and AI-related intellectual property, says Mehrin Masud-Elias at Arnold & Porter.

  • Potential Paths To Modernizing The Bank Secrecy Act

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    The Bank Secrecy Act's analog design has become increasingly incompatible with today's digital financial ecosystem, but legislative reforms, coupled with regulatory adjustments including updated thresholds, feedback mechanisms and innovation sandboxes, would help adjust the act to the unique challenges of modern technology, says Matthew Biben at King & Spalding.

  • Definitions Of 'Waters Of The United States' Ebb And Flow

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    The issue of defining whether "waters of the United States" include streams and channels that sometimes have water and sometimes do not has been fraught since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2006 Rapanos decision, but a possible new rule may help property owners stay out of court, says Neal McAliley at Carlton Fields.

  • Trump Tax Law's Most Impactful Energy Changes

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    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act's deferral of begin-construction deadlines and the phaseout of certain energy tax credits will provide emerging technologies with welcome breathing room, though other changes, like the increased credit rate for sustainable aviation fuel, create challenges for developers, say attorneys at Weil.

  • Texas Property Law Complicates Financing And Development

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    A new Texas law imposing expansive state-level restrictions on properties owned by entities from designated countries creates a major obstacle for some lenders, developers and other stakeholders, as well as new diligence requirements for foreign companies, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From Texas AUSA To BigLaw

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    As I learned when I transitioned from an assistant U.S. attorney to a BigLaw partner, the move from government to private practice is not without its hurdles, but it offers immense potential for growth and the opportunity to use highly transferable skills developed in public service, says Jeffery Vaden at Bracewell.

  • Lessons From Liberty Mutual FCPA Declination

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    Liberty Mutual’s recent Foreign Corrupt Practices Act resolution with the U.S. Department of Justice signals that the Trump administration is once again considering such declinations after an enforcement pause, offering some assurances for companies regarding the benefits of voluntary self-disclosure, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

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