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Public Policy

  • August 04, 2025

    5th Circ. Pushes FERC To Justify Keeping Pipeline Rate Cap

    A Fifth Circuit panel on Monday challenged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's position that two pipeline owners have monopolistic power, suggesting that's not the case if customers have other routes for distributing oil.

  • August 04, 2025

    UT Austin Denies Threatening Prof Who Criticized Leaders

    The University of Texas at Austin denied threatening a professor who publicly criticized its leadership, telling the Fifth Circuit that its employee has remained on staff three years after his speech was allegedly chilled and "refuses to take 'yes' for an answer."

  • August 04, 2025

    DOJ Investigates FlixBus, Greyhound Over ADA Complaints

    Greyhound and Flixbus are being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations that they are discriminating against riders with disabilities by denying them reasonable accommodations, including failing to properly maintain lifts on buses, not helping riders use the lifts and refusing to allow service animals to be with riders. 

  • August 04, 2025

    Frontier, Verizon To Invest $8M In Rural Arizona Broadband Fix

    Arizona is waiting for its corporation commission to green-light a settlement with Frontier and Verizon that includes an $8 million investment from the telecommunications companies to expand and enhance rural broadband in Navajo and Apache counties.

  • August 04, 2025

    Top Groups Lobbying The FCC

    Lobbying heated up in July as the Federal Communications Commission heard from advocates close to 200 times on issues ranging from spectrum deals to regulatory cuts, spacecraft licensing, undersea cable security, broadband deployment hurdles and more.

  • August 04, 2025

    DC Circ. Lets Trump Border Asylum Ban Continue, With Limits

    The D.C. Circuit has allowed the Trump administration to continue enforcing a policy that largely bars asylum at the southern border for now, but said it can't deport noncitizens without honoring legal protections for those who fear torture or persecution.

  • August 04, 2025

    Chamber Wants FTC's Merger Notice Overhaul Nixed

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has urged a Texas federal judge to upend a dramatic overhaul of merger filing requirements that it argued exceeded Federal Trade Commission authority, was made without a proper cost-benefit analysis and amounts to a solution in search of a problem.

  • August 04, 2025

    GTCR Says Buyer In Place For Potential FTC Divestiture Deal

    Private equity firm GTCR BC Holdings told an Illinois federal court it has a signed agreement with a buyer for a deal that should fix the concerns raised by the Federal Trade Commission over its planned $627 million purchase of a medical device coatings company.

  • August 04, 2025

    Nurse Agrees To Repay $614K For False Claims In Conn.

    A nurse who owned a medication management business and two Connecticut residential care homes agreed on Monday to settle state and federal False Claims Act allegations for $614,000, ending allegations that he billed Medicare and Medicaid impossible daily hours and for clients that were hospitalized or dead.

  • August 04, 2025

    9th Circ. Rejects Most Of Sodexo's ERISA Arbitration Push

    The Ninth Circuit said Monday that employers can't unilaterally change Employee Retirement Income Security Act-governed plans to require arbitration, backing the bulk of a trial court ruling that refused to throw out of court a nicotine fee lawsuit against food service company Sodexo.

  • August 04, 2025

    Enbridge Asks Judge To Block Mich. Pipeline Shutdown Order

    Energy infrastructure firm Enbridge has told a federal court that Michigan's efforts to shut down a U.S.-Canada pipeline are preempted by federal law, while the state urged the court to drop or stay the case because of a parallel state court action that is teed up for U.S. Supreme Court review. 

  • August 04, 2025

    Hemp Org. Applauds Removal Of Ban From Spending Bill

    A national hemp industry trade organization on Monday said it was grateful for the removal of language from a Senate appropriations bill that would have banned consumable hemp-derived products with psychoactive THC.

  • August 04, 2025

    EU Postpones Tariffs To Finalize US Trade Agreement

    The European Union will delay planned trade countermeasures for the next six months, including tariffs on over €93 billion ($107.6 billion) of U.S. goods entering the bloc, as the EU and U.S. work toward implementing the framework trade deal agreed to last week, a spokesperson for the European Commission said Monday.

  • August 04, 2025

    Google Says Term Limits Only Needed For Some Search Fixes

    Google told the D.C. federal court overseeing the government search monopolization case that there is no need to put a one-year term limit on its default search agreements with Android device manufacturers and wireless carriers because they are not exclusive.

  • August 04, 2025

    Chemical Group Says Fluoride Judge Got It Wrong

    The American Chemistry Council told the Ninth Circuit that a California federal judge who ruled that current limits on fluoride in drinking water aren't protective enough misinterpreted the Toxic Substances Control Act and urged reversal of his decision.

  • August 04, 2025

    DOJ Defends IRS-ICE Data Sharing Pact In DC Circ.

    The D.C. Circuit should reject four immigrant advocacy groups' push to prevent the IRS from disclosing confidential tax return information to immigration enforcement authorities, the government said Monday, arguing there's no concrete evidence that the information sharing will harm the groups' members.

  • August 04, 2025

    Trump Admin To Test $15K Visa Bond For Some Visitors

    The U.S. Department of State on Monday unveiled a 12-month pilot program that will require noncitizens seeking tourist or business visas from countries with high rates of visa overstays to post a bond of up to $15,000 to obtain a visa.

  • August 04, 2025

    Fla. Tribe Joins Suit Over 'Alligator Alcatraz' In Everglades

    A Florida tribe has joined green groups in hitting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and state officials with environmental claims that the immigration detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz" constructed in the Everglades violates a slew of federal statutes.

  • August 04, 2025

    Mississippi Judge Won't Explain TRO Errors In Suit Over DEI

    A Mississippi federal judge won't explain how his decision pausing enforcement of a state law barring diversity, equity and inclusion in public schools contained nonexistent allegations, wrongly identified plaintiffs and defendants and quoted terms that don't appear in the legislative text, ruling that the court isn't obligated to do so.

  • August 04, 2025

    FinCEN Urges Industry To Stay 'Vigilant' On Crypto ATM Fraud

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network on Monday cautioned about rising fraud involving crypto ATMs, saying criminals are increasingly using the kiosks to launder money and scam vulnerable consumers, especially seniors.

  • August 04, 2025

    DC Circ. Upholds FCC's Foreign Sponsorship Rule

    The D.C. Circuit upheld the Federal Communications Commission's 2024 foreign sponsorship disclosure rule for broadcasters Friday, rejecting arguments that the rule violated First Amendment speech protections and even reprimanding the premature leaking of nonpublic rulemaking details to broadcasters, calling the process a "new low" of industry capture.

  • August 04, 2025

    DOJ Fights Md. Judges' Bid To Ax Suit Over Habeas Orders

    The Department of Justice is standing by its lawsuit challenging a standing order in the District of Maryland that temporarily blocks the deportation of detained noncitizens who file habeas petitions, saying a recent dismissal bid misses the mark because "even a small delay" is "irreparable harm to sovereign interests."

  • August 04, 2025

    Moderna Seeks To Be Cleared In $5B COVID Vax Patent Case

    Moderna has urged a Delaware federal judge to clear it in a rival mRNA developer's $5 billion patent suit over the company's COVID-19 vaccines, saying it is shielded because it made them for the federal government.

  • August 04, 2025

    Conn. Justices Block Rehab Center's Bid To Halt Rival Permit

    A northwestern Connecticut drug rehabilitation facility lacks standing to challenge the state Department of Public Health's approval of a small-town rival's permit, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Monday, holding that a statute does not require regulators to consider effects on local competition when OK'ing new healthcare facilities.

  • August 04, 2025

    EU Court To Hear Digital Nomad Case Against VAT Rules

    A European Union court will hear the case of an online short-term rental company against the bloc's deemed supplier rules for value-added tax on the grounds that the provisions disadvantage the industry, according to a notice issued Monday.

Expert Analysis

  • FTC Staff Cuts Unlikely To Curb Antitrust Enforcement Agenda

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    While Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson's recent commitment to reducing agency staff may seem at odds with the Trump administration's commitment to antitrust enforcement, a closer analysis shows that such reductions have little chance of derailing the president's efforts, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • Diversity, Equity, Indictment? Contractor Risks After Kousisis

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Kousisis v. U.S. decision, holding that economic loss is not required to sustain wire fraud charges related to fraudulent inducement, may extend criminal liability to government contractors that make false diversity, equity and inclusion certifications, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • What To Expect As UK, US Gov'ts Develop Stablecoin Policies

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    While the U.K. and U.S. governments’ policies both suggest that fiat-backed stablecoins can improve efficiency and safety in payments systems, a perception that crypto-assets remain high risk means consumers are unlikely to use them in significant volume anytime soon, say lawyers at Cadwalader.

  • Series

    Texas Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    In the second quarter of 2025, the Texas Business Court's newly expanded jurisdiction set the stage for rising caseloads, while the state Legislature narrowed an exception to state bank control requirements and closed a cryptocurrency dividends payments loophole, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • Lawsuit, Exec Orders Should Boost Small Modular Reactors

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    A lawsuit in Texas federal court and a set of new executive orders from the White House may finally push the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to allow for accelerated deployment of small modular reactors — a technology that could change the country's energy future, says Aleksey Shtivelman at Shutts & Bowen.

  • Opinion

    4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding

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    As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • Congress Crypto Movement Could Bring CFTC 'Clarity' At Last

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    The Clarity Act's arrival at the House floor during "Crypto Week" in Congress demonstrates enduring bipartisan support for legislation addressing digital assets and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's important role in a future regulatory structure, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • What Employers Can Learn From Axed Mo. Sick Leave Law

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    Missouri's recent passage and brisk repeal of Proposition A, which would have created a paid sick time benefit for employees, serves as a case study for employers, highlighting the steps they can take to adapt as paid sick leave laws are increasingly debated across the country, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Preparing For Trump Pushback Against State Climate Laws

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    An April executive order from President Donald Trump mandated a report from the U.S. attorney general on countering so-called state overreach in climate policy, and while that report has yet to appear, companies can expect that it will likely call for using litigation, legislation and funding to actively reshape energy policy, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • Practical Implications Of SEC's New Crypto Staking Guidance

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent staff guidance that protocol staking does not constitute securities offerings provides a workable compliance blueprint for crypto developers, validators and custodial platforms willing to keep staking strictly limited to protocol-driven rewards, say attorneys at Cahill.

  • Stablecoin Bills Present Opportunities, Challenges For Banks

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    Stablecoin legislation that Congress is expected to adopt in the coming weeks — the GENIUS and STABLE Acts — would create openings for banks to engage in digital asset activities, but it also creates a platform for certain tech-savvy nonbanks to directly compete, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery

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    E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.

  • New FCPA Guidance May Flip The Whistleblowing Script

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s updated Foreign Corrupt Practices Act guidelines lay out a new incentive structure that may put multinational U.S.-based companies in an unusual offensive whistleblowing position, potentially spurring them to conduct external investigations of their foreign rivals, says Markus Funk at Perkins Coie.

  • Opinion

    GENIUS Act Could Muck Up Insolvency Proceedings

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    While some of the so-called GENIUS Act's insolvency provisions are straightforward, others run the risk of jeopardizing the success of stablecoin issuers' insolvency proceedings and warrant another look from Congress, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

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