Public Policy

  • February 10, 2025

    Trump Stops Enforcement Of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

    President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday that puts a "pause" on enforcement of the federal Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, saying the law against U.S. companies bribing foreign officials to win business in other countries has made American companies less competitive.

  • February 10, 2025

    Gov't Defends Approval Of CP-KCS Rail Merger To DC Circ.

    The federal government told the D.C. Circuit a coalition of Illinois towns is challenging the approval of Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.'s $31 billion merger with Kansas City Southern Railway Co. over the deal's potential effect on just 23 miles of a combined rail network that spans more than 20,000 miles.

  • February 10, 2025

    FTC Can't Get Cap On Meta's Up To 86 Antitrust Trial Witnesses

    A D.C. federal judge refused Monday to limit the number of witnesses in the Federal Trade Commission's monopolization lawsuit against Meta Platforms, rejecting agency assertions that plans by the Facebook parent company for up to 86 witnesses are "unreasonable."

  • February 10, 2025

    DOJ Brass Want Bribery Charges Against NYC Mayor Dropped

    The U.S. Department of Justice has moved to drop public corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, an extraordinary development in the wake of a public courtship between the embattled mayor and President Donald Trump.

  • February 10, 2025

    Calif. Tribe Says DOI Gives It No Protection In Casino Row

    The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria told a California federal judge that the U.S. Department of the Interior filed an incomplete status report about how it will monitor another tribe's project plans for the construction of a casino, saying the report fails to protect FIGR.

  • February 10, 2025

    DC Judge Questions Abrupt Removal Of Public Health Info

    A D.C. federal judge said he was wrestling with some "circular" arguments offered by the government on Monday as he weighed whether to order the restoration of public health web pages and datasets that had been taken down by the Trump administration.

  • February 10, 2025

    5th Circ. Urged To Reject Crypto Exec's Privacy Law Claim

    The IRS complied with a financial privacy law to summon third-party bank records belonging to a cryptocurrency executive under investigation, the U.S. government told the Fifth Circuit on Monday in the businessman's appeal to overturn a lower court decision that rejected his bid to quash the summonses.

  • February 10, 2025

    Ala. Sen. Files Bill To Ban THC In Hemp Products

    Alabama Republican Sen. Tim Melson has filed a bill that would ban products that contain delta-8, delta-9 and delta-10 — which it identifies as psychoactive substances — from sale in the state.

  • February 10, 2025

    Nevada Lithium Mine Violates Indigenous' Rights, Report Says

    The federal government's approval of an 18,000-acre open-pit lithium mine in northern Nevada is a violation of Indigenous' rights, according to a recent report, which says at least six tribes have ties to the site where they've experienced violations against their religion, culture and ancestral lands.

  • February 10, 2025

    Feds Says Religious Groups Can't Show Harm From ICE Raids

    The Trump administration has urged a Maryland federal judge to reject religious groups' attempt to stop a new policy allowing immigration raids in places of worship, saying they have failed to show how they will be harmed by the policy change.

  • February 10, 2025

    Trump Sets Across-The-Board 25% Tariff On Steel And Aluminum

    President Donald Trump teed up a 25% tariff on all imported steel and aluminum Monday evening, continuing a trend of sweeping, aggressive trade actions that have defined his first three weeks in office.

  • February 10, 2025

    Apple Pushes DC Circ. To Pause Google Search Case

    Apple told the D.C. Circuit on Monday it did not become clear that it needs to intervene in the government's search monopolization case against Google until enforcers proposed remedies that affected Apple's conduct too.

  • February 10, 2025

    FCC Ready To Lower The 'Boom' On Raucous Commercials

    The nation's telecommunications regulator will consider this month whether new rules are needed to cut the volume on blaring commercials that upset the relative calm of TV shows they accompany, according to a recent notice of proposed rulemaking.

  • February 10, 2025

    SpaceX Says It Has Been Harmed By Coastal Commission

    SpaceX has argued it should be allowed to move forward with its suit alleging the California Coastal Commission wrongly tried to block the company's rocket launches, saying it had been harmed by the commission's allegedly unconstitutional actions.

  • February 10, 2025

    EPA Asks 5th Circ. To Uphold Asbestos Ban Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is defending a Biden-era rule strengthening its restrictions on the use of the most prevalent variety of asbestos, which are being challenged by industry, worker and green groups.

  • February 10, 2025

    Dallas Loses Bid To Reinstate Short-Term Rental Ban 

    A Texas appeals court has ruled that two Dallas ordinances criticized for effectively banning short-term rentals don't gel with property rights enshrined in the state's constitution, siding with landlords who do business on Airbnb and Vrbo. 

  • February 10, 2025

    NY Chief Judge: 'Our Criminal Justice System Isn't Working'

    New York State Chief Judge Rowan Wilson harshly criticized incarceration rates in the court system he oversees during his annual address Monday, suggested new laws are needed, and even invited people convicted of murder to join him at the podium and speak on the issue.

  • February 10, 2025

    Prison Phone Co. Tells FCC Rate Cap Rules Cost Too Much

    Prison phone company NCIC Correctional Services thinks the Federal Communications Commission messed up by preempting state and local laws to ban "site commissions," service provider-to-prison payments that critics call kickbacks.

  • February 10, 2025

    Harvard Immunity For Body Part Thefts 'Gnaws' At Justice

    A judge on Massachusetts' highest court said Monday it's "problematic" that a state law could shield Harvard Medical School from liability in a suit by family members of people whose remains were allegedly sold off in parts by a rogue mortician.

  • February 10, 2025

    UnitedHealth Unit Inks $20M Deal To End DOL Claims Row

    A UnitedHealth subsidiary will pay more than $20 million to settle the U.S. Department of Labor's suit claiming it violated federal benefits law and employer health plans' own policies when it summarily rejected claims for emergency room services and drug tests, according to filings in Wisconsin federal court.

  • February 10, 2025

    SEC Grants Short-Selling Disclosure Reprieve, CAT Relief

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is providing a temporary exemption in order to allow investment managers more time to comply with new rules requiring increased disclosure on short selling, and separately said it will no longer require certain personally identifiable information to be reported to the market database known as the Consolidated Audit Trail.

  • February 10, 2025

    Ill. House Bill Seeks Study Of Eliminating Property Tax System

    Illinois would direct its Department of Revenue and the governor's Office and Management and Budget to determine the possibility of eliminating the state's property tax system and replacing the revenue with income tax receipts under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.

  • February 10, 2025

    Gun Owners Look To Revive Suit Over DC Metro Gun Law

    A group of D.C. and Virginia gun owners are asking the D.C. Circuit to revive their suit challenging a ban on guns in the region's Metro system, saying that the district judge who dismissed the case required that they get caught carrying on board to have standing.

  • February 10, 2025

    Experts Sound Alarm After Musk, Vance Float Ignoring Judges

    Attorneys and constitutional experts say the warning lights "are blinking red" after Vice President JD Vance and Trump confidante Elon Musk took to social media to attack the independence of the judiciary over the weekend.

  • February 10, 2025

    NM Judge Won't Let Feds Send 4 Venezuelans To Guantánamo

    A New Mexico federal judge barred the Trump administration from sending four Venezuelans being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to Guantánamo after the detainees said they feared imminent transfer.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    How Congress Can Stem Consumer Finance Law Uncertainty

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    In the face of rising uncertainty about consumer finance laws that are based largely on fluctuating administrative rules, Congress should cement certain existing laws into statute and clarify federal agencies' delegations of authority, say attorneys at Bradley Arant.

  • Top 10 Healthcare And Life Sciences Issues To Watch In 2025

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    Under the new Trump administration, this coming year may benefit some healthcare and life sciences stakeholders, while creating new challenges for others amid an increasingly complex regulatory environment, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Birthright Order Denies 14th Amendment's Purpose, Origin

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    President Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship invokes logic explicitly rejected by the framers of the 14th Amendment, demonstrating the administration's fundamental misunderstanding of the citizenship clauses' origins, jurisprudence, and impact on how Americans understand equality and national belonging, says Mauni Jalali at Quinn Emanuel.

  • A Look At Order Ending Federal Contractor Affirmative Action

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    To comply with President Donald Trump's executive order revoking affirmative action requirements in the next 90 days, federal contractors should focus on identification of protected groups, responsibilities of "diversity officer" positions and annual compliance reviews, says Jeremy Burkhart at Holland & Knight.

  • Parsing 3rd Circ. Ruling On Cannabis, Employee Private Suits

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    The Third Circuit recently upheld a decision that individuals don't have a private right of action for alleged violations of New Jersey's Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance and Marketplace Modernization Act, but employers should stay informed as the court encouraged the state Legislature to amend the law, say attorneys at Mandelbaum Barrett.

  • Why Trump's FTC May Not U-Turn On Robinson-Patman

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent revival of Robinson-Patman Act enforcement may well be here to stay under the Trump administration — albeit with some important caveats for businesses caught in the government's crosshairs, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • 4 Keys To Litigating In An Active Regulatory Environment

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    For companies facing litigation influenced by government regulatory action — a recent trend that a politically charged atmosphere will exacerbate — there are a few principles that can help to align litigation strategy with broader public positioning in the regulatory and oversight context, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Perspectives

    How High Court May Rule In First Step Act Resentencing Case

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    U.S. Supreme Court justices grappled with verb tenses and statutory intent in recent oral arguments in Hewitt v. U.S., a case involving an anomalous resentencing issue under the First Step Act, and though they may hold that the statute is unambiguous, they could also decide the case on narrow, practical grounds, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • Series

    Documentary Filmmaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Becoming a documentary filmmaker has allowed me to merge my legal expertise with my passion for storytelling, and has helped me to hone negotiation, critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are important to both endeavors, says Robert Darwell at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Litigation Funding Disclosure Debate: Strategy Considerations

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    In the ongoing debate over whether courts should require disclosure of litigation funding, funders and plaintiffs tend to argue against such mandates, but voluntarily disclosing limited details about a funding arrangement can actually confer certain benefits to plaintiffs in some scenarios, say Andrew Stulce and Marc Cavan at Longford Capital.

  • Illuminating The Trend Of Florida's Unpaid Hurricane Claims

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    The sheer number of insurance claims closed without payment for damage caused by Hurricanes Milton and Helene reveals a systemic problem within Florida's insurance industry exacerbated by complex issues, including climate change and state regulators' resource limitations, say attorneys at Farah & Farah.

  • 2025 May Be A Breakout Year For The Cannabis Industry

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    The cannabis industry faced a slow and frustrating 2024, but consumer trends continue to shift in favor of cannabis, and the new administration may provide the catalyst that the industry needs, says Lynn Gefen at TerrAscend.

  • Mass. Law Shows Patchwork Money Transfer Rules Persist

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    Though Massachusetts' recently passed law governing domestic money transfers means 26 states now have a version of the Model Money Transmission Modernization Act on the books, the national framework remains a patchwork that will continue to force industry players to pay sharp attention to state variations, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • Opinion

    Firing Of Jack Smith's Team Is A Threat To Rule Of Law

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    The acting attorney general’s justifications for firing prosecutors who worked on the criminal cases against President Donald Trump rest on a mischaracterization of legal norms, and this likely illegal move augurs poorly for the rule of law, say Bruce Green at Fordham University and Rebecca Roiphe at New York Law School.

  • FDA's Red No. 3 Ban Reshapes Food Safety Legal Landscape

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent ban on Red No. 3 represents more than the end of a controversial dye — it signals a shift in regulatory priorities, consumer expectations, intellectual property strategy, compliance considerations and litigation risk, says Dino Haloulos at Foley Mansfield.

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