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Public Policy
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July 18, 2025
USPTO Calls On Fed. Circ. To Reject Fight Over Fintiv Policy
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office urged the Federal Circuit on Friday to reject allegations that its handling of policies governing Fintiv-based discretionary denials violates due process, claiming SAP America Inc. is just upset that its Patent Trial and Appeal Board challenges were rejected.
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July 18, 2025
Calif. Sues Trump Admin Over $4B High-Speed Rail Fund Cuts
California's High-Speed Rail Authority hit the Trump administration with an Administrative Procedure Act lawsuit in California federal court Friday, claiming the Federal Railroad Administration's abrupt termination of $4 billion in grants to the electric rail project was arbitrary, politically motivated and based on Trump's "extreme antipathy toward California."
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July 18, 2025
FCC Seeks To Change How It Handles Broadband Report
The Federal Communications Commission got the ball rolling Friday on its annual inquiry into how available advanced telecommunications are to everyone in the country, only a few weeks before it will vote to change the way it evaluates how well broadband is being deployed.
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July 18, 2025
As Trump Signs Stablecoin Bill, Attorneys Talk Compliance
President Donald Trump on Friday signed into law a bill to regulate stablecoins, known as the Genius Act, and practitioners are now turning their attention to helping firms comply with both the provisions of the statute and the coming rulemakings from regulators.
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July 18, 2025
Trade Legal Matters To Watch: Midyear Report
Aggressive, sweeping tariff actions have defined the first six months of President Donald Trump's second term, altering the global trade environment in attempts to return manufacturing to the U.S. and reset trading deficits, but legal challenges to certain duties may obstruct Trump's long-term trade strategy in ongoing negotiations later this year.
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July 18, 2025
EPA To Lay Off Science Office Workers Amid Reorganization
Scientists performing independent research that often supports regulations intended to protect human health and the environment are set to lose their jobs as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency eliminates its Office of Research and Development.
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July 18, 2025
Feds Fight Bid To Block Pacific Monument Fishing Permits
The federal government is fighting a bid by conservation groups to vacate a letter by the Trump administration that they say gave the go-ahead for permit holders to commercially fish in a Pacific Coast national monument, arguing it wasn't an agency decision that has any legal rights or obligations.
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July 18, 2025
Interior Process Tweaks Will Further Stymie Wind And Solar
The wind and solar energy industries, already stressed by Trump administration and congressional regulatory and financial restraints, face a new roadblock as the Department of the Interior will increasingly involve its political leadership in project approval process details.
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July 18, 2025
Judge Says She'd Block Birthright Order For Nationwide Class
A Maryland federal judge has said she can't rule on a bid to block President Donald Trump's birthright citizenship executive order for a proposed nationwide class since another preliminary injunction is on appeal, but that she would grant the request if the Fourth Circuit remanded to let her do so.
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July 18, 2025
California Courts Set AI Rules Allowing Flexibility For Judges
The Judicial Council of California approved a policy Friday for rules and standards on the use of generative artificial intelligence for judges and court staff, with the chair of the council's AI task force saying the policy provides flexibility by allowing courts to either adopt the technology or ban it.
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July 18, 2025
Wash. Judge Halts Clergy Abuse Mandatory Reporter Law
A Washington federal judge on Friday blocked the state from enforcing a new state law that would make Roman Catholic priests mandatory reporters of suspected child abuse, saying the law likely infringes on their religious freedom rights by forcing them to disclose information shared in sacred confession.
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July 18, 2025
Stewart Issues Discretion Decisions For 56 More Petitions
Acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart issued 25 more orders on requests for discretionary denial, deciding a total of 56 cases, while the results of earlier proceedings she let move forward have started to roll out.
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July 18, 2025
Oxford Shooting Victim's Estate Can Sue Cops, Court Finds
A Michigan appellate panel reopened a lawsuit from the father of a student killed in the Oxford High School shooting alleging state police failed to act on tips about the threat of an attack, finding a provision designed to extend filing deadlines for estates applies to claims against the state.
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July 18, 2025
Ohio State, NCAA, Big Ten Beat Ex-QB's NIL Suit
Ohio State University, the NCAA, the Big Ten Conference Inc. and a media rights licensing company have dodged an antitrust suit from former Buckeye star quarterback Terrelle Pryor alleging they monopolized profits on athletes' names, images and likenesses while denying them compensation.
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July 18, 2025
Hearing Set In Phoenix For Oak Flat Copper Mine Lawsuits
An Arizona federal judge has set an August hearing date to consider injunction bids by the San Carlos Apache Tribe and environmental groups in their lawsuits seeking to block Resolution Copper Co.'s mining project on Oak Flat, an ancient tribal worship site.
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July 18, 2025
Judge Questions Basis For Planned Parenthood Funding Cuts
A Massachusetts federal judge on Friday pressed the government for any plausible rationale, besides retaliation, for a provision in Congress' budget reconciliation that will prevent Planned Parenthood and its affiliates from receiving Medicaid reimbursements if any one of them offers abortion services.
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July 18, 2025
EU Says Vivendi Controlled Lagardère During Deal Review
European enforcers have accused French media conglomerate Vivendi of exercising control over Lagardère's editorial operations and personnel decisions before and during a review of its acquisition.
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July 18, 2025
T-Mobile Wants Wash. AG's Data Breach Claims Tossed
T-Mobile is calling its promises to protect its subscribers' privacy "puffery" in a bid to get out of a Washington state lawsuit over a 2021 cyberattack, saying its commitments to "safeguards" and to "do the right thing" with users' data couldn't have misled consumers because they were completely unspecific.
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July 18, 2025
Mass. Advocates Pitch Doubling Real Estate Transfer Fee
Massachusetts would double its real estate transfer fee to raise an estimated $300 million annually for affordable housing and climate mitigation efforts under legislation pitched to a state legislative panel by housing and environmental advocates.
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July 18, 2025
FTC Nixes Exxon-Pioneer, Chevron-Hess Board Ban Deals
The Biden-era Federal Trade Commission settlements clearing Exxon's purchase of Pioneer and Chevron's acquisition of Hess are no more, after the now Republican-controlled agency said there was no need to condition acquisition approvals on banning the CEOs of Pioneer and Hess from the boards of the combined companies.
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July 18, 2025
Miami Official Loses Appeal To Toss $63.5M Judgment
The Eleventh Circuit has dismissed Miami City Commissioner Joe Carollo's appeal of the $63.5 million judgment against him for targeting a pair of business owners after they supported a political opponent, finding that he prematurely filed the appeal and then failed to amend it.
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July 18, 2025
Crypto Firms' OCC Charter Bids Draw Bank Industry Scrutiny
Major banking industry groups are warning the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency that approving pending bank charter bids from crypto-linked firms like Ripple could "represent a fundamental departure" from long-standing policy, urging the agency to delay action until more information about their plans is made public.
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July 18, 2025
Texas Court Tosses Cities' Challenge To 'Death Star' Bill
A state appeals court tossed three Texas cities' challenge to a bill nicknamed the "Death Star," writing that they hadn't properly shown they'd be injured by the bill's mandate that state law preempt local ordinances.
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July 18, 2025
Trump Flexes Air Law Power To Delay Compliance Deadlines
President Donald Trump has postponed deadlines to comply with air pollution standards for companies in the coal power, chemical manufacturing, medical sterilization and iron ore industries, relying on special presidential power contained in the Clean Air Act.
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July 18, 2025
Tread Carefully On Truth-In-Billing Rules, FCC Told
The Federal Communications Commission says its slamming and truth-in-billing rules are outdated and has targeted them for cuts, but consumer and civil rights groups are urging the agency to be cautious in order to "ensure these changes do not come at the expense of core consumer protections."
Expert Analysis
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Fla. Condo Law Fix Clarifies Control Of Common Areas
Florida's repeal of a controversial statutory provision that permitted developers of mixed-use condominium properties to retroactively assert control over common facilities marks a critical shift in legal protections for unit owners and associations, promoting fairness, transparency and accountability, say attorneys at Pardo Jackson.
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Trade In Limbo: The Legal Storm Reshaping Trump's Tariffs
In the final days of May, decisions in two significant court actions upended the tariff and trade landscape, so until the U.S. Supreme Court rules, businesses and supply chains should expect tariffs to remain in place, and for the Trump administration to continue pursuing and enforcing all available trade policies, say attorneys at Ice Miller.
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Shareholder Takeaways From NY Internal Affairs Doctrine Suit
A May New York Court of Appeals decision in Ezrasons v. Rudd involving Barclays — affirming the state's "firmly entrenched" internal affairs doctrine — is a win for all corporate stakeholders seeking stability in resolving disputes between shareholders and directors and officers, say attorneys at Sadis & Goldberg.
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The Legal Fallout Of The Open Model AI Ecosystem
The spread of open-weight and open-source artificial intelligence models is introducing potential harms across the supply chain, but new frameworks will allow for the growth and development of AI technologies without sacrificing the safety of end users, says Harshita Ganesh at CMBG3 Law.
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Move Beyond Surface-Level Edits To Master Legal Writing
Recent instances in which attorneys filed briefs containing artificial intelligence hallucinations offer a stark reminder that effective revision isn’t just about superficial details like grammar — it requires attorneys to critically engage with their writing and analyze their rhetorical choices, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.
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3 Rulings May Reveal Next Frontier Of Gov't Contract Cases
Several U.S. Supreme Court decisions over the past year — involving wire fraud, gratuities and obstruction — offer wide-ranging and arguably conflicting takeaways for government contractors that are especially relevant given the Trump administration’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, say attorneys at Rogers Joseph.
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How Ore. Law Puts New Confines On Corp. Health Ownership
A newly enacted law in Oregon strengthens the state’s restrictions on corporate ownership of healthcare practices, with new limitations on overlapping control, permissible services, restrictive covenants and more making it necessary for practices to review decades-old physician practice arrangements, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Early Trends In Proxy Exclusion After SEC Relaxes Guidance
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent guidance broadening shareholder proposal exclusion under Rule 14a-8 has been undoubtedly useful to issuers this proxy season, but it does not guarantee exclusion, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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How New Texas Law Revamps Electric Grid To Meet Demand
A new Texas law enacted in response to the burdens that data centers, crypto mining and other large-scale users are placing on the state's electric grid means that stakeholders must review updated requirements around grid interconnection, disclosure of development plans and operational flexibility during tight conditions, say attorneys at Jackson Walker.
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Best Practices For State Banks Eyeing Federal Conversions
Amid a notable uptick — fueled by ongoing regulatory upheaval — in state-chartered banks exploring conversion to national bank charters, banks contemplating the decision should weigh the benefits, like uniform supervision, and potential impediments, like costly exam fees, say attorneys at Skadden.
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DOJ May Rethink Banning Firearms For Marijuana Users
In light of various federal circuit court decisions and an executive order from President Donald Trump, U.S. Department of Justice enforcement policy now may be on the verge of changing decidedly in favor of marijuana users' gun rights, and could foreshadow additional marijuana-friendly reforms, says Jacob Raver at Dentons.
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EDNY Ruling May Limit Some FARA Conspiracy Charges
Though the Eastern District of New York’s recent U.S. v. Sun decision upheld Foreign Agents Registration Act charges against a former aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, its recognition of an affirmative legislative policy to exempt some officials may help defendants charged with related conspiracies, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
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9th Circ. Has Muddied Waters Of Article III Pleading Standard
District courts in the Ninth Circuit continue to apply a defunct and especially forgiving pleading standard to questions of Article III standing, and the circuit court itself has only perpetuated this confusion — making it an attractive forum for disputes that have no rightful place in federal court, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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Future Of Enviro Crimes Under Trump's Federal Regs Order
President Donald Trump's recent executive order about fighting overcriminalization in federal regulations creates new advocacy opportunities for defense counsel to argue that particular environmental crime investigations and matters ought to be limited or declined based on the policy priorities reflected in the order, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Trump Antitrust Shift Eases Pressure On Private Equity Deals
Enforcement actions and statements by Trump administration antitrust officials forecast a shift away from specifically targeting private equity activity, which should be welcome news to dealmakers, but firms shouldn't expect to escape traditional antitrust scrutiny, says Nathaniel Bronstein at Fried Frank.