Public Policy

  • March 20, 2025

    9th Circ. Judge Takes Aim At Calif. Gun Ruling On YouTube

    A Ninth Circuit judge on Thursday took to YouTube to issue a dissent over the court's decision to ban in California all high-capacity magazines for weapons, a move that several of his fellow judges lamented as "wildly improper" and said they needed to address "lest the genre proliferate."

  • March 20, 2025

    SEC Steps Back From Crypto Mining In Staff Statement

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Division of Corporation Finance said Thursday that certain crypto mining activities are beyond the agency's purview, but the commission's lone Democrat warned against interpreting the statement as a "wholesale exemption for mining."

  • March 20, 2025

    NTSB Says Maryland Didn't Track Risks Of Key Bridge Collapse

    The National Transportation Safety Board recommended Thursday that 68 bridges in 19 states be evaluated for risk of collapse in the event of a vessel strike, and found that Maryland officials failed to adequately calculate vulnerabilities in Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge well before its collapse last year.

  • March 20, 2025

    LA Hit With Sanctions Request In Encampment Sweep Lawsuit

    Homeless residents accused the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office of hiding documents they requested in their suit challenging the constitutionality of encampment sweeps, asking a California federal court for case-ending sanctions for the second time in two weeks.

  • March 20, 2025

    Colo. Judge Tells School To Return Banned Books To Shelves

    A Colorado federal judge has ordered a rural school district to return 19 books to school library shelves and temporarily barred it from removing more titles, finding the district was motivated by a "blatantly unconstitutional" desire to ban books it disagrees with.

  • March 20, 2025

    FTC Asks 8th Circ. To Nix Click-To-Cancel Rule Challenges

    The Trump administration's Federal Trade Commission isn't planning an about-face on the "click-to-cancel" rule debuted last year under the Biden administration, at least according to a recent filing asking the Eighth Circuit to dismiss a petition challenging the rule.

  • March 20, 2025

    Industry Groups Criticize Withdrawal Of PTAB Denial Memo

    Groups representing major industries have written to the White House expressing "grave concern" about the patent office's withdrawal of a guidance memo limiting when patent challenges can be denied, and large tech companies told a court the office's move bolsters their case against such denials.

  • March 20, 2025

    'Skill Games' Don't Define One's Character, Court Says

    Pennsylvania regulators can't judge owners and operators of so-called skill games terminals as lacking "good character" solely because the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has concerns about the legality and effects of the games, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

  • March 20, 2025

    Utah High Court Leaves Youth Climate Claims Down For Now

    The Utah Supreme Court on Thursday found that a group of youths hasn't shown it has grounds to pursue a lawsuit against the state over its energy policies that allegedly contribute to climate change.

  • March 20, 2025

    Ore. City Can License Channels For Public Safety System

    A small town nestled in the northwestern part of Oregon will be allowed to license four business channels for public safety and first responder communications, the Federal Communications Commission has said.

  • March 20, 2025

    No Coal Plant Rescue Plans On The Table, FERC Chair Says

    President Donald Trump's recent call for his administration to encourage more coal-fired power use hasn't resulted in any order to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to craft policies to prop up coal plants, Chairman Mark Christie said Thursday.

  • March 20, 2025

    Conn. Murder Exoneree Seeks Extra $2M From Cop's Estate

    A Connecticut felony murder exoneree on Thursday asked a judge to heap an extra $2 million onto a $5.7 million federal jury verdict issued Wednesday against the estate of a now-deceased town police officer who failed to raise red flags about a key witness's interview.

  • March 20, 2025

    DOJ Drops Biden-Era Suit Over Texas Migrant Arrest Law

    The U.S. Department of Justice has asked a federal judge to dismiss its challenge to a Texas law that allows state officials to arrest people suspected of crossing the border unlawfully and empowers state judges to order their removal.

  • March 20, 2025

    Parolees Say DHS Parole Program Cuts Causing Broad Injury

    Eighteen noncitizen parolees and U.S.-based sponsors suing the Department of Homeland Security are urging a Massachusetts federal judge to block the termination of Biden-era parole programs for Afghanistan, Ukraine, Cuba and other countries, arguing a block is necessary to "prevent deep and broadening irreparable injury."

  • March 20, 2025

    State AGs Want 11th Circ. Redo Of FCC Robocall Reg Ruling

    Attorneys general from more than half the states and Washington, D.C., are urging the full Eleventh Circuit to reverse a panel decision that nixed a federal rule restricting the use of comparison shopping sites to generate robocall leads.

  • March 20, 2025

    Oil And Gas Cos. Say DC 'Greenwashing' Claims Are Too Vague

    A D.C. Superior Court judge pressed both sides in the district's consumer protection suit against four major oil and gas companies Thursday to say whether the city's claims that the companies misled consumers through systematic "greenwashing" campaigns fall within the scope of what she called a "very broad" statute.

  • March 20, 2025

    8th Circ. Won't Pause FTC's Insulin Pricing Case

    The Eighth Circuit refused Thursday to pause the Federal Trade Commission's in-house case accusing Caremark Rx, Express Scripts and OptumRx of artificially inflating insulin prices while the pharmacy benefit managers challenge the constitutionality of the proceedings.

  • March 20, 2025

    MiMedx Challenges FDA Classification Of Wound Care Powder

    Biomedical company MiMedx Group urged a Georgia federal judge on Thursday to overturn the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's classification of a wound care treatment as a biological product, arguing the agency misapplied its own regulations.

  • March 20, 2025

    Texas Senators Approve Bill Banning THC Consumables

    The Texas state Senate has approved a bill that would broadly ban consumable products with hemp-derived cannabinoids, such as delta-8 THC, sending the legislation to the state House of Representatives.

  • March 20, 2025

    Feds Say Crypto Lobbyist Can't Delay FTX-Tied Case

    New York federal prosecutors Thursday opposed a request from attorney and crypto lobbyist Michelle Bond to extend filing deadlines for pre-trial motions in her criminal case until June, saying Bond's inability to access her assets due to bankruptcy proceedings involving her FTX-affiliated husband is not enough to warrant a delay.

  • March 20, 2025

    Senate Panel To Weigh NTIA Nom Next Week

    A U.S. Senate panel next week will consider President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Commerce branch that oversees federal spectrum policy.

  • March 20, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Renew Consumers' Amazon 'Buy Box' Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel has declined to revive a consumer antitrust suit against Amazon, ruling on Thursday the plaintiffs have failed to show they were injured by the e-commerce company's practices incentivizing third-party sellers to use its logistics services with the "Buy Box" feature.

  • March 20, 2025

    Feds Ask High Court To Nix Mich. Tribal Land Trust Row

    A Michigan tribe's analysis of a law governing the state's Indigenous land claims would allow it to purchase property anywhere and then compel the U.S. to take it into trust for its benefit, the Interior Department has told the Supreme Court, arguing the interpretation would render a bizarre result.

  • March 20, 2025

    Colo. Court Says No Corp. Damages Cap In Some Death Suits

    A Colorado Court of Appeals panel on Thursday held that there is no cap on damages for corporations facing wrongful death lawsuits for "felonious killings," sending a case back to a trial court to consider how much of a $15 million verdict Xcel Energy should pay.

  • March 20, 2025

    DHS Says There's No Evidence Parole Is Being Categorically Denied

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security urged a D.C. federal judge on Thursday to reject asylum-seekers' attempt to renegotiate an agreement to release them from detention on a case-by-case basis, saying they've offered no evidence that parole is being categorically denied.

Expert Analysis

  • 4 Ways Women Attorneys Can Build A Legal Legacy

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    This Women’s History Month, women attorneys should consider what small, day-to-day actions they can take to help leave a lasting impact for future generations, even if it means mentoring one person or taking 10 minutes to make a plan, says Jackie Prester, a former shareholder at Baker Donelson.

  • Navigating The Growing Thicket Of 'Right To Repair' Laws

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    An emerging patchwork of state laws on the right to repair creates tensions with traditional intellectual property and competition principles, so manufacturers should plan proactively for legal disputes and minimize potential for rival third-party repairs to weaponize state laws, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • A Judge's Pointers For Adding Spice To Dry Legal Writing

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    U.S. District Judge Fred Biery shares a few key lessons about how to go against the grain of the legal writing tradition by adding color to bland judicial opinions, such as by telling a human story and injecting literary devices where possible.

  • Implementation, Constitutional Issues With Birthright Order

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    President Donald Trump's executive order reinterpreting the 14th Amendment's birthright citizenship clause presents unavoidable administrative problems and raises serious constitutional concerns about the validity of many existing federal laws and regulations, says Eric Schnapper at the University of Washington School of Law.

  • A Closer Look At Money Laundering Sentencing Issues

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    Federal money laundering cases are on the rise, often involving lengthy prison sentences for defendants who have little to no criminal history, but a closer look at the statistics and case law reveal some potentially valuable arguments that defense attorneys should keep in their arsenal, says Sarah Sulkowski at Gelber & Santillo.

  • What Advisory On Alcohol And Cancer May Mean For Cos.

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    While the federal government has yet to take concrete steps in response to a January advisory from the outgoing U.S. surgeon general on links between alcohol consumption and cancer, the statement has opened the door to potential regulatory, legislative and litigation challenges for the alcoholic beverage industry, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • Why NY May Want To Reconsider Its LLC Transparency Law

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    Against the backdrop of the myriad challenges to the federal Corporate Transparency Act, it may be prudent for New York to reconsider its adoption of the LLC Transparency Act, since it's unclear whether the Empire State's "baby-CTA" statute is still necessary or was passed prematurely, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Expectations For SEC Exams As Private Credit Market Grows

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission may rely heavily on its Division of Examinations for regulating private credit markets amid their expansion into the retail investor space, so investment advisers should be prepared to address several likely areas of focus when confronted with an exam, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • AG Watch: Texas Is Entering New Privacy Enforcement Era

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    The state of Texas' recent suit against Allstate is the culmination of a long-standing commitment to vigorously enforcing privacy laws in the state, and while still in the early stages, it offers several important insights for companies and privacy practitioners, says Paul Singer at Kelley Drye.

  • IRS Scrutiny May Underlie Move Away From NIL Collectives

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    The University of Colorado's January announcement that it was severing its partnership with a name, image and likeness collective is part of universities' recent push to move NIL activities in-house, seemingly motivated by tax implications and increased scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service, say attorneys at Buchanan Ingersoll.

  • What's At Stake In High Court Transgender Care Suit

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    The outcome of U.S. v. Skrmetti will have critical implications for the rights of transgender youth and their access to gender-affirming care, and will likely affect other areas of law and policy involving transgender individuals, including education, employment, healthcare and civil rights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • 5 Merger Deal Considerations In Light Of The New HSR Rules

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    Now that the new Hart-Scott-Rodino Act rules are in effect, current priorities include earlier preparation for merging parties, certain confidentiality covenants, and key elements of letters of intent and term sheets, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Considerations As Trump Admin Continues To Curtail CFPB

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    Recent sweeping moves from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's new leadership have signaled a major shift in the agency's trajectory, and regulated entities should prepare for broader implications in both the near and long term, say attorneys at Pryor Cashman.

  • 6th Circ. Ruling Paves Path Out Of Loper Bright 'Twilight Zone'

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright ruling created a twilight zone between express statutory delegations that trigger agency deference and implicit ones that do not, but the Sixth Circuit’s recent ruling in Moctezuma-Reyes v. Garland crafted a two-part test for resolving cases within this gray area, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • NCAA Rulings Signal Game Change For Athlete Classification

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    A Tennessee federal court's recent decision in Pavia v. NCAA adds to a growing call to consider classifying college athletes as employees under federal law, a change that would have unexpected, potentially prohibitive costs for schools, says J.R. Webster Cucovatz at Gilson Daub.

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