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Public Policy

  • July 15, 2025

    Small Carriers Caught Off Guard By Demand-Free T-Mobile OK

    Rural wireless carriers appeared stunned by the feds' recent decision to let T-Mobile absorb most of UScellular without setting new requirements meant to protect their service areas, but they aren't the only ones dismayed by the turn of events.

  • July 15, 2025

    UnitedHealth, Optum Accused Of Pregnancy Discrimination

    Optum Care Inc. and parent company UnitedHealth Group fired a care team supervisor while she was on maternity leave without a tangible reason, according to a suit lodged in California state court.

  • July 14, 2025

    4th Circ. Halts End To Afghan Protected Status Amid Appeal

    The Fourth Circuit has agreed to temporarily block the Trump administration from ending temporary protected status for Afghans while immigrant rights advocates appeal a lower court's order denying summary judgment in their favor, according to an order issued Monday.

  • July 14, 2025

    FCC Greenlights Bell Canada's $3.65B Ziply Fiber Deal

    The Federal Communications Commission on Monday granted its approval to Canadian communications company BCE Inc.'s planned acquisition of U.S. internet provider Ziply Fiber for about CA$5 billion ($3.65 billion).

  • July 14, 2025

    Regulators Outline Crypto 'Safekeeping' Guidelines For Banks

    Federal regulators said Monday that banks are free to offer cryptocurrency "safekeeping" services but should be mindful of the risks involved, stressing the need for strong cybersecurity and clear customer agreements, among other considerations.

  • July 14, 2025

    States Blast Trump Admin Over $6.8B Education Fund Freeze

    A coalition of states sued the Trump administration Monday over its decision to freeze $6.8 billion in congressionally appropriated educational program funding, leaving schools scrambling ahead of the new school year, the same day the U.S. Supreme Court allowed mass U.S. Department of Education layoffs to move forward.

  • July 14, 2025

    Top Data Privacy & AI Developments Of 2025: Midyear Report

    The rise and rapid fall of a federal proposal to ban states from regulating artificial intelligence for a decade and an uptick in activity from data privacy enforcers in states across the country dominated headlines in the first half of 2025, and attorneys are expecting these areas to continue to grab attention in the coming months. 

  • July 14, 2025

    Groups Renew Push For Everglades Detention Center Ruling

    Environmental advocacy groups have renewed their push for an order against an immigrant detention facility in the Everglades, telling a Florida federal court that the center is holding detainees in inhumane conditions and damaging surrounding protected land.

  • July 14, 2025

    Vape Groups Urge 4th Circ. To Stall NC E-Cigarette Law

    Vape interests are urging the Fourth Circuit to temporarily stop North Carolina officials from enforcing a law that could prevent the sale of many types of e-cigarettes in the state, claiming the statute was pushed by "Big Tobacco" company Reynolds American Inc. and targets products that help people quit smoking.

  • July 14, 2025

    NY Judge Snuffs Counties' Bid To Derail Congestion Pricing

    A New York federal judge on Monday tossed claims from two local counties alleging Manhattan's discriminatory congestion pricing tolls trampled on motorists' right to travel, saying inconvenient tolls for certain commuters don't amount to a constitutional violation.

  • July 14, 2025

    ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ Deal To Put Medical Debt Back On Reports OK'd

    A Texas federal court has reversed a Biden-era rule that kept an estimated $49 billion in medical debt from credit reports after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and lender trade groups struck a deal to axe the rule.

  • July 14, 2025

    Judge Halts DHS' Diversion Of Migrant Shelter Funds

    An Illinois federal judge temporarily barred the Trump administration from clawing back funds to shelter and assist new migrants after Chicago, Denver and an Arizona county said the government had plans to transfer their funds to Florida for the so-called Alligator Alcatraz detention facility.

  • July 14, 2025

    Texas AG Says Several Officials Indicted For Ballot Collection

    The Texas Office of the Attorney General released a statement Monday announcing indictments and arrests for nine people for an allegedly ongoing ballot collection scheme in Frio County, adding to a growing list of state officials facing charges for participation in the alleged scheme.

  • July 14, 2025

    DOJ Drops Vax Card Case Against Plastic Surgeon Mid-Trial

    The Justice Department dismissed charges against a Utah plastic surgeon accused of leading a conspiracy to forge COVID-19 vaccination cards for over 1,500 people, ending the case less than a week after trial began in Salt Lake City federal court.

  • July 14, 2025

    Nev. Says Crypto.com Twisted Fed Law For Sports Betting Biz

    The Nevada Gaming Control Board urged a federal court to stay out of its way as it takes action to block Crypto.com from offering sports events contracts, arguing that its moves aren't preempted by federal regulation of the commodity futures market.

  • July 14, 2025

    TD Bank Defends $3 Monthly Paper Statement Fee

    TD Bank has urged a New York federal judge to end a proposed class action alleging it illegally charges customers a $3 fee if they receive checking account paper statements every month, arguing Monday it has the authority under the National Bank Act to levy non-interest charges and fees.

  • July 14, 2025

    Noem Seeks Win In Suit Over SD Ban On Intoxicating Hemp

    South Dakota's former governor, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and current attorney general urged a federal judge on Monday to deliver a quick win to officials in a dispute over a law banning the processing of hemp derivatives into intoxicating products

  • July 14, 2025

    Judge Probes Bid To Block Wash. Clergy Abuse Reporter Law

    A Washington federal judge appeared receptive Monday to Catholic officials' argument that a new state law requiring priests to report suspected child abuse amounts to a free exercise violation, while also expressing uncertainty about how far the court can go in blocking the statute's enactment.

  • July 14, 2025

    Group Urges 11th Circ. To Ditch 'Radioactive' Mosaic Road

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should not have approved The Mosaic Co.'s request to use radioactive phosphogypsum in road construction at a Florida fertilizer facility, the Center for Biological Diversity told the Eleventh Circuit.

  • July 14, 2025

    Split 2nd Circ. Denies Rehearing In Fox Threats Case

    A split Second Circuit on Monday declined to grant an en banc rehearing to a man convicted of sending threatening messages to two Fox News hosts and two members of Congress, saying the 11-member jury that found him guilty did not violate his constitutional rights.

  • July 14, 2025

    House Committee Proposes Commerce, Science Cuts

    A House Appropriations Committee bill released Monday would provide $76.8 billion in funding to agencies including the U.S. Department of Commerce and its subsidiary agencies, representing a 2.8% decrease from the previous fiscal year's budget.

  • July 14, 2025

    Media Matters Wants FTC Probe Paused Pending Suit

    Media Matters for America asked a D.C. federal court Monday for a preliminary injunction to block what it calls a retaliatory investigation by the Federal Trade Commission, saying the agency has been weaponized against the organization for simply exercising its First Amendment rights.

  • July 14, 2025

    USPTO Acting Director Spurns 'Traditional Knowledge' Treaty

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's acting director has come out against an international treaty that could require patent applicants to report if an invention uses the traditional knowledge of indigenous people, suggesting in remarks that such a rule would undermine the global patent system's effectiveness.

  • July 14, 2025

    OCC Drops 'Disparate Impact' From Fair Lending Oversight

    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said Monday that it will stop checking to see whether banks' lending practices are causing potentially unintended discrimination, scrubbing so-called disparate-impact liability from its examination policies.

  • July 14, 2025

    GAO Report Looks At FAA Use Of Fee Waivers In Settlements

    The Federal Aviation Administration has required pilots and other certificate holders to waive their rights to seek attorney fees and other costs under the Equal Access to Justice Act in order to settle enforcement actions initiated against them, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report released Monday.

Expert Analysis

  • Assessing New Changes To Texas Officer Exculpation Law

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    Consistent with Texas' recent modernization of its corporate law, the recently passed S.B. 2411 allows officer exculpation, streamlines certificate of formation amendments, authorizes representatives to act on shareholders' behalf in mergers and makes other changes aimed toward companies seeking a more codified, statutory model of corporate governance, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • How Ending OFCCP Will Affect Affirmative Action Obligations

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    As President Donald Trump's administration plans to eliminate the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which enforces federal contractor antidiscrimination compliance and affirmative action program obligations, contractors should consider the best compliance approaches available to them, especially given the False Claims Act implications, say attorneys at Ogletree.

  • Rising Enforcement Stakes For Pharma Telehealth Platforms

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    Two pieces of legislation recently introduced in Congress could transform the structure and promotion of telehealth arrangements as legislators increasingly scrutinize direct-to-consumer advertising platforms, potentially paving the way for a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration policy with bipartisan support, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

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    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

  • One Year On, Davidson Holds Lessons On 'Health Halo' Claims

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    A year after the Ninth Circuit's Davidson v. Sprout Foods decision — which raised the bar for so-called health halo claims — food and beverage companies can draw insights from its finding, subsequently expanded on by other courts, that plaintiffs must be specific when alleging fraud in healthfulness marketing, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • 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.

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