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Public Policy

  • June 02, 2025

    Monthly Merger Review Snapshot

    The Federal Trade Commission finally dropped its long-pending challenge of Microsoft's purchase of video game developer Activision Blizzard, as enforcers pushed monopolization cases seeking to break up Google, Meta and Live Nation, while also pursuing several traditional merger cases. Here, Law360 looks at the major merger review developments from May.

  • June 02, 2025

    Nursing Exec Says DOJ Misapplied SC Ruling In Wage Case

    A Nevada nursing home executive convicted of wage-fixing and wire fraud has told a Nevada federal judge that a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a fraud case doesn't preclude his motion for a new trial, contrary to what the U.S. Department of Justice has argued.

  • June 02, 2025

    DOJ Deal OKs $1.5B Keysight-Spirent Network Testing Merger

    The U.S. Department of Justice cut its first merger clearance deal of the Trump administration, and nearly its first settlement since a Biden-era hardline stance against most agreements, with a consent decree Monday allowing Keysight Technologies Inc. to proceed with its planned $1.5 billion acquisition of Spirent Communications PLC.

  • June 02, 2025

    Ill. Budget Increases Taxes On Tobacco, Online Sports Books

    Illinois' Democratic-controlled General Assembly passed a $55 billion budget for fiscal 2026, including about $800 million in targeted tax hikes on tobacco, vaping and online sports betting.

  • June 02, 2025

    Texas Bill Aimed At Curbing Juries' Injury Verdicts Fails

    A controversial bill that would have limited jury awards for injured Texans died Sunday after the two branches of the Texas Legislature couldn't hash out differences in the bill's language.

  • June 02, 2025

    8th Circ. OKs Nix Of Suit On Iowa's Quitting Of COVID Benefits

    The Eighth Circuit backed the dismissal of a proposed class action claiming Iowa violated workers' rights by prematurely pulling out of federal pandemic unemployment assistance programs, ruling Monday that the benefits they sought weren't protected by the U.S. Constitution.

  • June 02, 2025

    Dominion Opposes Cable Plan To Ease Utility Pole Fixes

    Dominion Energy is again criticizing a telecom industry proposal meant to expedite the process for putting communications attachments on utility poles, saying the telecom trade association behind the push is conflating simpler work lower on poles and more dangerous work above the space on poles where communications lines typically go.

  • June 02, 2025

    ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ, Banks Move In For Kill Of Biden-Era Open Banking Rule

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and a coalition of banking trade groups have separately pushed to toss the agency's Biden-era open banking rule, with the ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ now contending the data-sharing mandate exceeded its legal authority and the banks calling the regime burdensome, irrational and unlawfully vague.

  • June 02, 2025

    Justices' Rail Order Irrelevant To Merger Row, DC Circ. Told

    Chicago suburbs challenging federal approval of Canadian Pacific's merger with Kansas City Southern urged the D.C. Circuit on Monday to pay no heed to the U.S. Supreme Court decision restricting government environmental reviews, arguing their own case challenges "other" deficiencies in addition to a failed consideration of broader climate impacts.

  • June 02, 2025

    Justices Urged To Reject Bid Disputing IRS Crypto Summons

    The U.S. Supreme Court should not take up the case of a bitcoin investor who claimed the IRS violated his privacy when it seized his records from the cryptocurrency exchange, the government argued, saying the case is a poor vehicle for addressing concerns about digital-era transactions.

  • June 02, 2025

    Mass. AG Fines Restaurant $1.8M For Illegal Tip Pool

    A Japanese restaurant will pay more than $1.8 million to resolve an investigation into its requirement that service workers share their tips with managerial employees, the Massachusetts attorney general announced Monday.

  • June 02, 2025

    Feds To Face Discovery, Trial In Free-Speech Removals Case

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Monday denied the Trump administration's bid to foreclose discovery and a July 7 bench trial in a free-speech lawsuit by academic organizations challenging deportations of some of their members apparently based on their pro-Palestinian views.

  • June 02, 2025

    Third Round Of Fixes Sought In Botched Calif. Bar Exam

    The California state bar's committee of bar examiners has approved two additional remedies in an effort to help applicants who failed the troubled February exam, including asking the state Supreme Court to approve a further scoring adjustment that would bring the passing rate up to about 63%.

  • June 02, 2025

    Feds Want 12½ Years For Ex-Ill. Speaker Convicted Of Bribery

    Prosecutors are urging an Illinois federal judge to sentence former state House Speaker Michael Madigan to prison for 12½ years for bribery, conspiracy and fraud, saying his conduct adds "another sordid chapter to Illinois' storied reputation of corruption" while Madigan, armed with more than 200 letters of support, seeks only probation.

  • June 02, 2025

    Justices Want Gov't View On Duke Energy Monopoly Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court asked the Solicitor General on Monday to provide the government's view on a ruling that revived antitrust claims accusing Duke Energy of squeezing a rival out of the power market in North Carolina.

  • June 02, 2025

    Conn. Hospital's $8.3M Bonus Claims Fail, State Says

    Connecticut Children's Medical Center Inc. has not provided a sufficient legal basis to pursue two of three claims in a lawsuit alleging that it should have received an $8.3 million performance-based bonus for 2022, the state Department of Social Services said in a motion seeking to nix the counts.

  • June 02, 2025

    Retired Judges Call Wis. Judge's Prosecution 'Dangerous'

    The Trump administration's prosecution of a Wisconsin state judge who refused to help federal agents arrest an immigrant is an "extraordinary and direct assault on the independence of the entire judicial system," according to a bipartisan group of 138 former state and federal judges.

  • June 02, 2025

    FERC 'Never' Considered Costs Of NW Pipeline, 5th Circ. Told

    The state of Washington told a Fifth Circuit panel Monday that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission " never rationally considered what the true costs" were for a TC Energy Corp. pipeline expansion project in the Pacific Northwest.

  • June 02, 2025

    Feds Want National Security Atty's Clearance Suit Tossed

    The White House told a D.C. federal judge that granting and revoking security clearances is up to the executive branch alone, urging the court to toss national security lawyer Mark S. Zaid's challenge to the stripping of his clearance.

  • June 02, 2025

    DHS To Waive Environmental Laws For Border Wall In Arizona

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Monday said it will waive a slew of environmental laws to facilitate border wall construction near Yuma, Arizona, an area the government says has a high amount of border crossing and drug trafficking.

  • June 02, 2025

    Nebraska Tax Commission Upholds Farm's $1.89M Valuation

    A Nebraska farm valued at $1.89 million was accurately assessed in line with other agricultural property, the state's Tax Equalization and Review Commission found, rejecting claims by the property owner that it was over-assessed.

  • June 02, 2025

    Defamation Litigation Roundup: Cheetos, NASCAR, OpenAI

    In this month's review of ongoing defamation fights, Law360 looks back on developments in a man's case against Frito-Lay Inc. over what he called the company's defamatory statements disputing his role in the invention of a flavor of Cheetos.

  • June 02, 2025

    Justices Take Ill. Rep.'s Case Over Extended Ballot Count

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to review a split Seventh Circuit panel's decision upholding the dismissal of an Illinois congressman's suit challenging the state's policy of counting ballots for up to 14 days after an election as long as they were postmarked or certified by Election Day.

  • June 02, 2025

    Immunity Shields Mich. AG From Flint Water Prosecution Suit

    A Michigan federal judge has dismissed a wrongful prosecution lawsuit brought by a former aide to ex-Gov. Rick Snyder against the Michigan attorney general and Wayne County prosecutors, ruling that immunity shields the prosecutors from liability over their handling of charges against officials in the aftermath of the Flint water crisis.

  • June 02, 2025

    Schumer Pledges To Fight GOP's Limits On Court Power

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has vowed to challenge a provision in House Republicans' budget reconciliation package that would curtail courts' ability to issue contempt citations.

Expert Analysis

  • Neb.'s Cannabis Regulatory Void Poses Operational Risks

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    With the Nebraska Legislature recently declining to advance any cannabis legislation, leaving the state without a regulatory framework for voter-passed initiatives, the risks of operating without clear rules will likely affect patients, providers and caregivers, says John Cartier at Omnus Law.

  • Fla. Bill May Curb Suits Over Late-Night Collections Emails

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    A recently passed Florida bill exempting email communications from the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act's quiet hours ban may significantly reduce frivolous lawsuits aimed at creditors and debt collectors who use email communications to collect outstanding balances from consumers, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • State Tort Claims May Help Deter Bribes During FCPA Pause

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    As the U.S. pauses Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement, companies that lose business due to competitors' bribery should consider using state tortious interference suits to expose corruption, deter illegal practices and obtain compensation for commercial losses, says Jason Manning at Levy Firestone.

  • 4 States' Enforcement Actions Illustrate Data Privacy Priorities

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    Attorneys at Wilson Elser examine recent enforcement actions based on new consumer data privacy laws by regulators in California, Connecticut, Oregon and Texas, centered around key themes, including crackdowns on dark patterns, misuse of sensitive data and failure to honor consumer rights.

  • Google Ad Tech Ruling Creates Antitrust Uncertainty

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    A Virginia federal court’s recent decision in the Justice Department’s ad tech antitrust case against Google includes two unusual aspects in that it narrowly construed U.S. Supreme Court precedent when rejecting Google's two-sided market argument, and it found the company liable for unlawful tying, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • Series

    Brazilian Jiujitsu Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Competing in Brazilian jiujitsu – often against opponents who are much larger and younger than me – has allowed me to develop a handful of useful skills that foster the resilience and adaptability necessary for a successful legal career, says Tina Dorr of Barnes & Thornburg.

  • Key Steps For Traversing Federal Grant Terminations

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    For grantees, the Trump administration’s unexpected termination or alteration of billions of dollars in federal grants across multiple agencies necessitates a thorough understanding of the legal rights and obligations involved, either in challenging such terminations or engaging in grant termination settlements and closeout procedures, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Challenges For Fiduciaries Adding Crypto To 401(k) Plans

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    As cryptocurrencies gain popularity and their restrictions loosen, investors may become interested in adding crypto options to their retirement plans, but fiduciaries should consider how to balance the increased demand and their obligations under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Birthright Ruling Could Alter Consumer Financial Litigation

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming decision about the validity of the nationwide injunctions in the birthright citizenship cases, argued on May 15, could make it much harder for trade associations to obtain nationwide relief from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's enforcement of invalid regulations, says Alan Kaplinsky at Ballard Spahr.

  • FDA Commissioner Speech Suggests New Vision For Agency

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    In his first public remarks as U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner, Marty Makary outlined an ambitious framework for change centered around cultural restoration, scientific integrity, regulatory flexibility and selective modernization, and substantial enforcement shifts for the food and tobacco sectors, say attorneys at Arnall Golden.

  • Opportunities And Challenges For The Texas Stock Exchange

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    While the new Texas Stock Exchange could be an interesting alternative to the NYSE and the Nasdaq due to the state’s robust economy and the TXSE’s high-profile leadership and publicity opportunities for listings, its success as a national securities exchange may hinge on resolving questions about its regulatory and cost advantages, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Pace Of Early Terminations Suggests Greater M&A Scrutiny

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    The nascent return of early termination under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act shows a more limited use than before its 2021 suspension under the Biden administration's Federal Trade Commission, suggesting deeper scrutiny of mergers and acquisitions across the board, says Michael Wise at Squire Patton.

  • DOJ Export Declination Highlights Self-Reporting Benefits

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent decision not to prosecute a NASA contractor, despite a former employee pleading guilty to facilitating unlicensed exports, underscores the advantages available to companies that self-report sanctions violations, cooperate with investigations and implement timely remediation, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Review Risk Is Increasing For Foreign Real Estate Developers

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    Federal and state government efforts have been expanding oversight of foreign investment in U.S. real estate, necessitating careful assessment of risk and of the benefits of notifying the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Energy Order Brings Risks For Lenders And Borrowers Alike

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    A recent executive order directing the attorney general to submit a report next month with recommendations for halting enforcement of state laws the administration says are hampering energy resources presents risks for lenders and borrowers using state-generated carbon credits, but proactive steps now can help insulate against adverse consequences, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

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