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Public Policy

  • July 23, 2025

    Paramount, Skydance Defend Merger Plan At FCC

    Paramount Global and Skydance Media continued to lobby the Federal Communications Commission for approval of their proposed $8 billion merger last week, telling the agency not to side with commenters calling for additional regulation as a condition.

  • July 23, 2025

    8th Circ. Wipes Out Pot-Smoking Gun Owner's Conviction

    The Eighth Circuit has vacated a man's conviction for possessing a firearm as an unlawful drug user, saying the trial court failed to determine that his use of cannabis made him dangerous to others or pose a credible threat with the firearm.

  • July 23, 2025

    Spurning Outsiders, Trump Expands Role In Picking Judges

    President Donald Trump is tightly controlling judicial nominations in his second term, eschewing guidance from mainstream groups and instead relying on close advisers and vetting candidates himself.

  • July 23, 2025

    Senate Confirms Roth To Lead Federal Spectrum Agency

    The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Arielle Roth as the next chief of the U.S. Department of Commerce agency that manages federal use of the airwaves.

  • July 23, 2025

    Trump Admin To Probe Harvard's Student Visa Program

    The State Department said Wednesday it is opening an investigation into Harvard University's eligibility to host international students and professors on visas, the Trump administration's latest salvo in its legal battle with the elite school.

  • July 22, 2025

    9th Circ. OKs Toss Of U-Visa Holder's Status Adjustment Suit

    Federal district courts can't review discretionary denials of nonimmigrant visa holders' bids to adjust to lawful permanent resident status, the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday in a published opinion refusing to revive a Mexican woman's lawsuit that challenged her green card denial.

  • July 22, 2025

    Trump's NCUA Board Member Firings Were Illegal, Judge Says

    A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday held that President Donald Trump broke the law when he fired two Democratic credit union regulators, finding that the members must remain on the National Credit Union Administration's board and can only be removed before their terms are up for cause.

  • July 22, 2025

    Trump Says US Has Reached 'Exciting' Trade Deal With Japan

    President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the United States has entered into a "massive" trade deal with Japan under which Japan will "open their country to trade, including cars and trucks, rice and certain other agricultural products" and pay a 15% tariff.

  • July 22, 2025

    DC Circ. Denies AP's Bid To Rehear White House Press Ban

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday refused to reconsider a split panel's decision reinstating a White House directive banning the Associated Press from the Oval Office and other restricted spaces, with one circuit judge explaining that the requirements for an en banc review were not met.

  • July 22, 2025

    Bipartisan Bill Aims To Protect Judges From Rising Threats

    Representatives Lucy McBath, D-Ga., and Michael McCaul, R-Texas, on Tuesday reintroduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to better protect state and local judges from threats and violence that are "becoming increasingly more common" against the judiciary.

  • July 22, 2025

    Basel Exit Could Hurt US Influence, Experts Warn At Fed Event

    Banking industry experts warned Tuesday that the U.S. risks undermining its global influence and keeping bank capital costs elevated if it doesn't implement some form of the so-called Basel III endgame, with one former Federal Reserve official likening the prospect of such a retreat to the "Peanuts" gag of Lucy yanking the football from Charlie Brown.

  • July 22, 2025

    5th Circ. Asks If Fishery Council Guidance Was Ratified

    A Fifth Circuit panel pushed multiple commercial fisheries to explain how the adoption of fishing limit recommendations from a council would not count as a ratification and clear constitutional hurdles, saying during oral arguments on Tuesday that the council in question seemingly made a "bottom up data recommendation."

  • July 22, 2025

    GOP Senators Float Crypto Market Structure Discussion Draft

    Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday circulated a discussion draft of their bill to regulate crypto markets building on the House's Clarity Act, which passed the lower chamber last week.

  • July 22, 2025

    OCC Defends Ex-Wells Fargo Exec's $10M Fake Accounts Fine

    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has urged the Eighth Circuit to uphold a $10 million penalty and industry ban against a former Wells Fargo risk executive for her role in the bank's fake accounts scandal, arguing her post-Jarkesy claims rest on a "fundamental misconception" of the Constitution.

  • July 22, 2025

    After 8th Circ. Ruling, Hemp Co. Drops Suit Against SD Ban

    A South Dakota hemp retailer has moved to voluntarily dismiss its federal lawsuit challenging the state's ban on the processing of hemp derivatives into intoxicating products, days after the Eighth Circuit upheld a similar Arkansas law.

  • July 22, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Urged To Nix Motorola Fintiv Memo Withdrawal Fight

    Stellar Inc. has urged the Federal Circuit to ignore Motorola's challenge to a decision by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's acting leader that shut down its attempt to invalidate various Stellar patents at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

  • July 22, 2025

    DC Circ. Puts Fired FTC Dem's Restoration On Ice, For Now

    One of the Federal Trade Commission Democrats who was removed from the agency before her term was up by the Trump administration will not be returning to her seat just yet after the D.C. Circuit agreed to put the order mandating her return to work on hold.

  • July 22, 2025

    Bid Protest Experts Push For Focus On Data, Debriefings

    Bid protest experts told lawmakers Tuesday that they should focus on collecting more data on the federal procurement process and expanding the use of enhanced post-award debriefing procedures to civilian agencies, rather than penalizing companies that file frivolous bid protests.

  • July 22, 2025

    US Olympic Officials Ban Trans Women, Comply With Trump

    The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee has banned transgender women from competition in Olympic women's sports, adding a clause to its policy that otherwise protects athletes from abuse but now also complies with President Donald Trump's executive order.

  • July 22, 2025

    Fair Use Carveout Applies To Med Device Repairs, Judge Says

    A D.C. federal judge has shot down two industry groups' challenge to a rule that placed medical device diagnostic procedures and repairs under fair use copyright exceptions, saying all of their challenges under the Administrative Procedure Act were unpersuasive.

  • July 22, 2025

    Power Cos., PJM Back FERC Auction Rerun Decision

    Power producers and PJM Interconnection LLC told the D.C. Circuit Monday the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was right to let PJM rerun an electricity capacity auction with an inflated reliability requirement after the Third Circuit ruled changes to it were retroactive ratemaking.

  • July 22, 2025

    Pa. High Court Says Expunged DUI Still Counts As An Offense

    Pennsylvania's highest court ruled Tuesday that the state can count a charge for driving under the influence that was expunged following a diversion program as a prior offense for the purpose of suspending a man's driver's license after he committed another DUI offense.

  • July 22, 2025

    Feds Tell 9th Circ. That Judge Misread Trump's Sanctuary Orders

    The U.S. Department of Justice told the Ninth Circuit on Monday that a district court's injunction blocking the Trump administration from withholding federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions like San Francisco rests on the court's misunderstanding of President Donald Trump's executive orders.

  • July 22, 2025

    Divided 3rd Circ. Backs ICE Detention Contracts In NJ

    A split Third Circuit panel on Tuesday backed a lower court's decision invalidating a New Jersey state law barring detention centers from contracting with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ruling that the law directly regulates the federal government.

  • July 22, 2025

    ND Fights Tribes' High Court Bid To Stay Voting Rights Order

    North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe urged U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh to deny a bid by two North Dakota tribes to pause an Eighth Circuit decision that vacated their challenge to two state voting laws, arguing the tribes have not established a likelihood of reversal.

Expert Analysis

  • Justices' NRC Ruling Raises New Regulatory Questions

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    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.

  • 3 Judicial Approaches To Applying Loper Bright, 1 Year Later

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    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.

  • Navigating Antitrust Risks When Responding To Tariffs

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    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.

  • Breaking Down Part 3 Of The Copyright Office's AI Report

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    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.

  • 8 Insurer Takeaways From Sweeping Georgia Tort Reform

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    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.

  • Bill Leaves Renewable Cos. In Dark On Farmland Reporting

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    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.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

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    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.

  • Opinion

    FCPA Shift Is A Good Start, But There's More DOJ Should Do

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    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.

  • Opinion

    IRS Should Work With Industry On Microcaptive Regs

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    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.

  • How Providers Can Brace For Drug Pricing Policy Changes

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    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.

  • Comparing New Neural Data Privacy Laws In 4 States

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    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.

  • 2025's First Half Brings Regulatory Detours For Fintechs

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    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.

  • Debunking 4 Misconceptions Around Texas' IV Therapy Law

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    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.

  • A Pattern Emerges In Justices' Evaluation Of Veteran Statute

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    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.

  • Opinion

    Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

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    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.

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