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Public Policy

  • 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.

  • September 23, 2025

    NC Legislature Passes Bill To Eliminate Cashless Bail

    In the wake of the murder of a Ukrainian refugee on public transit allegedly by a man recently arrested and freed on a promise to appear, North Carolina's General Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill to eliminate cashless bail and make it easier to execute people in the state.

  • September 23, 2025

    FCC Demands Boomerang, Others Repay $1.1M For Contracts

    The Federal Communications Commission said it is owed more than $1.1 million for spending more on computer tablets than was needed by two wireless companies during pandemic-era assistance programs.

  • September 23, 2025

    CFTC Seeks Feedback On The Use Of Crypto Collateral

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission launched an initiative on Tuesday to enable the use of certain crypto assets as collateral in derivatives markets, soliciting industry suggestions on potential pilot programs, amendments to regulations and relevant issues.

  • September 23, 2025

    Hedge Funds Call For CFTC To End Dual Registration

    A group representing the hedge fund industry is calling on the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission to drop the need for industry participants to submit to agency oversight in cases where fund managers are already registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, calling the dual registration requirement "costly" and "inefficient."

  • September 23, 2025

    ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ Frees Apple, US Bank From Biden-Era Consent Orders

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has lifted two more enforcement orders issued during the Biden administration, this time granting both Apple Inc. and U.S. Bank NA an early release from ongoing monitoring years ahead of schedule.

  • September 23, 2025

    New Illinois Law Opens The Door To More Toxic Tort Litigation

    A new Illinois law expanding the state's jurisdictional reach in toxic tort cases has drawn mixed reactions from attorneys, with some praising the law as an added accountability measure for toxic exposure and others decrying it as an open invitation for forum shopping that could clog the state's dockets.

  • September 23, 2025

    ACLU Says ICE Won't Provide Records On Colo. Expansion

    The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Colorado claimed in federal court on Tuesday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is refusing to comply with a request for information on plans to expand operations in the state.

  • September 23, 2025

    Professor Says New West Point Policy Stifles Free Speech

    The longest-serving law professor at West Point has accused the school of violating the free speech rights of its civilian instructors with a new policy that requires professors to obtain permission before participating in or publishing papers tied to their position at the school.

  • September 23, 2025

    Alaska Tribe Fights State's Bid To Revive Gaming Case

    An Alaskan Native Village is fighting a request by the state to reopen a dispute that rejected the tribe's bid to secure the right to open a bingo hall, telling a D.C. federal court there's nothing to enforce in the matter.

  • September 23, 2025

    Enviro Orgs. Ask 5th Circ. To Review Delfin LNG Project License

    Environmental groups on Monday asked the Fifth Circuit to find that the U.S. Department of Transportation violated federal law when it issued a license for the construction and operation of the Delfin LNG LLC deepwater liquefied natural gas project.

  • September 23, 2025

    11th Circ. Affirms Toss Of Ga. Strip Club's Ordinance Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by Atlanta-area strip club Follies against the city of Chamblee, alleging the city passed a series of unconstitutional ordinances related to the sale of alcohol at adult establishments that forced it to close its doors.

  • September 23, 2025

    DHS Floats H-1B Rule To Prioritize Higher-Paid Workers

    The Trump administration proposed a rule on Tuesday to change the H-1B lottery process to one that gives priority to higher-skilled workers at companies offering better pay, according to a Federal Register notice.

  • September 23, 2025

    Trump Tariffs Are Constitutional, President's Allies Tell Justices

    Two Republican lawmakers and two allied nonprofit groups told the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday that it should allow President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs authorized under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

  • September 23, 2025

    Tribe Fights Mont. County's Bid To Delay Voting Rights Case

    An Indigenous tribe is fighting a county's bid to pause its voting rights lawsuit in Montana federal court, arguing that a dilutive map illegally supports an "at large" election system that has resulted in a failure to meet the needs of tribal citizens.

  • September 23, 2025

    Ex-Provost Says UNC Hired Belichick After Unlawful Meeting

    A former provost is suing the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's board of trustees in state court, alleging the board conducted last-minute hiring deliberations over a multimillion-dollar contract for legendary football coach Bill Belichick in an unlawfully secret meeting.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Closing The Chemical Safety Board Is A Mistake

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    The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, which investigates the root causes of major chemical incidents, provides an essential component of worker and community safety and should not be defunded, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • The Evolving Legal Landscape For THC-Infused Beverages

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    A recent Eighth Circuit ruling, holding that states may restrict the sale of intoxicating hemp-derived products without violating federal law, combined with ongoing regulatory uncertainty at both the federal and state levels, could alter the trajectory of the THC-infused beverage market, say attorneys at Pashman Stein.

  • New NY Residential Real Estate Rules May Be Overbroad

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    New legislation imposing a 90-day-waiting period and tax deduction restrictions on certain New York real estate investors may have broad effects and unintended consequences, creating impediments for a wide range of corporate and other transactions, says Libin Zhang at Fried Frank.

  • Cos. Must Tailor Due Diligence As Trafficking Risks Increase

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    As legislators, prosecutors and plaintiffs attorneys increasingly focus on labor and sex trafficking throughout the U.S., companies must tailor their due diligence strategies to protect against forced labor trafficking risks in their supply chains, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • Series

    Creating Botanical Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Pressing and framing plants that I grow has shown me that pursuing an endeavor that brings you joy can lead to surprising benefits for a legal career, including mental clarity, perspective and even a bit of humility, says Douglas Selph at Morris Manning.

  • Opinion

    PFAS Reg Reversal Defies Water Statute, Increasing Risks

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent moves delaying the deadlines to comply with PFAS drinking water limits, and rolling back other chemical regulations, violate the Safe Drinking Water Act, and increase the likelihood that these toxins could become permanent fixtures of the water supply, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.

  • New Federal Worker Religious Protections Test All Employers

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    A recent Trump administration memorandum expanding federal employees' religious protections raises tough questions for all employers and signals a larger trend toward significantly expanding religious rights in the workplace, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • FTC Focus: Surprising Ways Meador And Khan Sound Alike

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    Since becoming a commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission, Mark Meador's public comments, speeches and writings reveal a surprising degree of continuity with former Chair Lina Khan's approach, in an indication that differing philosophies might have comparable practical effects, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Supreme Court's Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review

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    Though the U.S. Supreme Court’s criminal law decisions in its recently concluded term proved underwhelming by many measures, their opinions revealed trends in how the justices approach criminal cases and offered reminders for practitioners, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Compliance Is A New Competitive Edge For Mortgage Lenders

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    So far, 2025 has introduced state and federal regulatory turbulence that is pressuring mortgage lenders to reevaluate the balance between competitive and compliant employee and customer recruiting practices, necessitating a compliance recalibration that prioritizes five key strategies, say attorneys at Mitchell Sandler.

  • Noncompete Forecast Shows Tough Weather For Employers

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    Several new state noncompete laws signal rough conditions for employers, particularly in the healthcare sector, so employers must account for employees' geographic circumstances as they cannot rely solely on choice-of-law clauses, say lawyers at McDermott.

  • Opinion

    Privacy Bill Must Be Amended To Protect Small Businesses

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    While a bill recently passed by the California Senate would exempt a company's use of legally compliant website advertising and tracking technologies from the California Invasion of Privacy Act, it must be amended to adequately protect small businesses, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Opinion

    Budget Act's Deduction Limit Penalizes Losing Gamblers

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    A provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that reduces the deduction for gambling losses is unfair to professional and recreational players, risks driving online activity to offshore sites, and will set back efforts to legalize and regulate the industry, says Walter Bourdaghs at Kang Haggerty.

  • Even As States Step Up, They Can't Fully Fill ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ's Shoes

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    The Trump administration's efforts to scale down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have prompted calls for state regulators to pick up the slack, but there are also important limitations on states' ability to fill the gap left by a mostly dormant ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Opinion

    The Legal Education Status Quo Is No Longer Tenable

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    As underscored by the fallout from California’s February bar exam, legal education and licensure are tethered to outdated systems, and the industry must implement several key reforms to remain relevant and responsive to 21st century legal needs, says Matthew Nehmer at The Colleges of Law.

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