Public Policy

  • February 14, 2025

    Judge Leaves Curbs On DOGE Treasury Access After Hearing

    A Manhattan federal judge left in place temporary curbs on sweeping powers handed by President Donald Trump to Elon Musk's government-slashing U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization, after 19 states challenged the organization's access to U.S. Treasury payment systems.

  • February 13, 2025

    House Dems Push Against GOP's Proposed Tax Cuts

    House Budget Committee Republicans on Thursday passed a resolution that would allow for the passage of up to $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and the repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act.

  • February 13, 2025

    More CFPB Employees Axed As Union Presses For Injunction

    The Trump administration moved late Thursday to slash more of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's workforce, initiating another round of layoffs shortly after lawyers for the agency's union petitioned a D.C. federal court for an emergency injunction to prevent it.

  • February 13, 2025

    9th Circ. Panel Doubts SEC's 'Gag Rule' Violates Free Speech

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Thursday appeared to doubt a First Amendment challenge to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's "gag rule" that settling parties cannot deny allegations against them, as each judge noted that the agreements are voluntary.

  • February 13, 2025

    DeepSeek's Rapid Rise Adds Fuel To AI Policy Push

    Chinese startup DeepSeek has made waves globally with an artificial intelligence chatbot app that it claims to have made more efficiently than its competitors, but experts say its quick ascent is likely to accelerate efforts to broadly regulate data privacy and national security risks presented by the emerging technology. 

  • February 13, 2025

    Fed. Unions' New Suit Fights Layoffs, Resignation Incentive

    A second group of unions representing federal workers has challenged the Trump administration's attempt to shrink the federal workforce through layoffs and a resignation incentive program, telling a D.C. federal judge that the executive branch's actions violate separation-of-powers principles because Congress largely controls federal agencies.

  • February 13, 2025

    DOD Says Injunction Isn't Needed In Transgender Ban Suit

    The U.S. Department of Defense has urged a D.C. federal judge to deny a preliminary injunction in a challenge to an executive order effectively barring transgender troops from serving in the military, saying the motion is premature and unlikely to succeed.

  • February 13, 2025

    Wash. Justices Wary Of Pay Transparency Law Stances

    Washington's highest court grilled attorneys on both sides of a debate over state pay transparency law on Thursday, with some justices suggesting the employer's stance put too much onus on workers while another expressed doubt the protections should extend to people who apply for jobs they have no chance to get.

  • February 13, 2025

    Bus Co. Sues NYC For 'Frivolous' Migrant Busing Suit

    Roadrunner Charters told the Southern District of New York that New York City's complaint seeking $708 million from it and 16 other charter bus companies for transporting migrants from Texas to New York was "unprecedented and frivolous," and violated its constitutional rights. 

  • February 13, 2025

    Apple Pushes DC Circ. To Intervene In Google Remedies Case

    Apple has urged the D.C. Circuit to undo a district court order barring the company from intervening in the U.S. Justice Department's remedies case against Google, arguing it moved with all speed to step in when it saw a government proposal "designed to force Apple to develop its own general search engine."

  • February 13, 2025

    Tax Atty's Firing Not Due To Husband's Testimony, Judge Says

    A man failed to prove that his testimony against a Connecticut Department of Revenue Services official during a state legislative hearing cost his high-level tax attorney wife her job, a federal judge has ruled, issuing a win to two agency leaders.

  • February 13, 2025

    Senate Dems Say FCC Looking To 'Punish' Broadcasters

    A trio of Senate Democrats wrote to Republican leaders on the Federal Communications Commission questioning recent agency decisions they said "appear politically motivated and designed to punish, censor or intimidate" broadcasters.

  • February 13, 2025

    Ga. Sheriff Must Face $11M Excessive Force Suit, Judge Says

    A Georgia federal judge on Thursday refused to dismiss a suit against a county sheriff accused of using excessive force against a man who says he was wrongly arrested for groping the lawman's wife, finding qualified immunity does not apply.

  • February 13, 2025

    Exec Cops To Conspiring To Overbill Gov't In Station Project

    A former executive for a masonry contractor involved in the multimillion-dollar restoration of Philadelphia's historic 30th Street Station has admitted to a scheme that involved bribing an Amtrak employee to overcharge the federal government $2 million for the project, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Philadelphia said Thursday.

  • February 13, 2025

    Madigan Verdict Caps Stunning Fall For Powerful Chicago Pol

    Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's conviction Wednesday on bribery and wire fraud charges marked a stunning fall from grace for a man who was the longest-serving legislative leader in the country and who wielded considerable influence in the state and the city of Chicago for decades.

  • February 13, 2025

    USAID Workers Sue Over Legitimacy Of Musk, DOGE Actions

    More than two dozen U.S. Agency for International Development workers sued billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his Department of Governmental Efficiency on Thursday, arguing that their actions taking control of various federal agencies are unconstitutional. 

  • February 13, 2025

    Wash. Justices Say Cops At Jan. 6 Riot Can't Stay Incognito

    The Washington State Supreme Court on Thursday said four Seattle police officers who attended the Jan. 6 "Stop the Steal" mayhem in D.C. can't litigate their privacy claims under John Doe pseudonyms as the justices rejected their claim that their identities should be shielded under the state's public records law.

  • February 13, 2025

    GOP Lawmakers Seek To Vacate CFPB Overdraft Rule

    Top U.S. House and Senate Republicans introduced legislation on Thursday to repeal the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's $5 overdraft fee rule, a move that could help ensure big banks retain more regulatory flexibility to charge higher amounts.

  • February 13, 2025

    Boeing, DOJ Want More Time To Rework 737 Max Plea Deal

    The U.S. Department of Justice and The Boeing Co. told a Texas federal judge on Thursday that they need another month to rework a plea agreement in the American aerospace giant's 737 Max criminal conspiracy case, saying new senior DOJ officials are still being briefed on a potential new deal.

  • February 13, 2025

    Walmart Says CFPB Suit Should Wait Amid Agency Chaos

    Walmart and fintech company Branch Messenger Inc. asked a Minnesota federal judge to stay the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's enforcement case over allegedly mandatory deposit accounts for delivery drivers until policymakers untangle the agency's role under the Trump administration.

  • February 13, 2025

    Judge Extends Restraining Order On USAID Gutting

    A D.C. federal judge extended his temporary restraining order barring USAID from placing thousands of employees on administrative leave for another week on Thursday, saying he needed more time to rule on the plaintiff employees unions' preliminary injunction request to stop the agency's overhaul while the case proceeds.

  • February 13, 2025

    SafeMoon CEO's Trial Not Delayed By Crypto Policy Shifts

    A Brooklyn federal judge has declined to delay the late March start to a trial for the CEO of bankrupt cryptocurrency asset company SafeMoon LLC despite the executive's arguments that recent crypto policy shifts could cut the securities fraud charge from the counts against him.

  • February 13, 2025

    Ore. Cannabis Labor Pact Law Is Unconstitutional, Cos. Say

    An Oregon state law requiring businesses to have labor peace agreements with unions in order to obtain a license is preempted by federal labor law and violates the 14th Amendment, two cannabis companies argued as they urged a federal court to block enforcement of the law.

  • February 13, 2025

    Packaging Co. To Pay $6.25M Over Shuttered NC Paper Mill

    Food and beverage packaging company Pactiv Evergreen has agreed to pay $6.25 million to settle the state of North Carolina's lawsuit seeking to recoup $12 million in financial incentives to keep a local mill operating in the town of Canton, after suddenly closing its facility in 2023.

  • February 13, 2025

    Trump Ally Seeks To Limit Judges' Sway Over White House

    A conservative legal group run by an ally of President Donald Trump is working on legislation to restrain judges that it deems politicized, in the wake of rulings against the Trump administration's actions.

Expert Analysis

  • A Compliance Update For Credit Card Reward Partnerships

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    While the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's interest in credit card rewards programs could fade under the new administration, a recent circular focusing on both issuers and their merchant partners means that co-brand credit card partnerships with banks could be subject to increased scrutiny ahead, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • Will 4th Time Be A Charm For NY's 21st Century Antitrust Act?

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    New York's recently introduced 21st Century Antitrust Act would change the landscape of antitrust enforcement in the state and probably result in a sharp increase in claims — but first, the bill needs to gain traction after three aborted attempts, says Tyler Ross at Shinder Cantor.

  • Perspectives

    Accountant-Owned Law Firms Could Blur Ethical Lines

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    KPMG’s recent application to open a legal practice in Arizona represents the first overture by an accounting firm to take advantage of the state’s relaxed law firm ownership rules, but enforcing and supervising the practice of law by nonattorneys could prove particularly challenging, says Seth Laver at Goldberg Segalla.

  • Foreign Trade Zones Can Help Cos. With Tariff Exposure

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    Companies navigating shifts in global trade — like the Trump administration’s newly levied tariffs on Chinese goods — should consider whether the U.S. Department of Commerce's poorly understood foreign trade zone program could help reduce their import costs, says James Grogan at FTI Consulting.

  • How FTC Consumer Protection May Fare Under Reg Freeze

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    Attorneys at Crowell & Moring consider how President Donald Trump's executive order directing agencies to freeze all pending rulemaking activity may frustrate any Federal Trade Commission efforts to change or eliminate rules that made it across the finish line before the inauguration.

  • Critical Steps For Navigating Intensified OFAC Enforcement

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    The largely overlooked SkyGeek settlement from the end of 2024 heralds the arrival of the Office of Foreign Assets Control's long anticipated enhanced enforcement posture and clearly demonstrates the sanctions-compliance benefits of immediately responding to blocked payments, says Jeremy Paner at Hughes Hubbard.

  • Unpacking HHS' Proposal To Amend HIPAA Security Rule

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    While the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' proposal to amend the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's security rule could face scrutiny under the Trump administration, it reflects a clear concern over health data security and could push entities to implement operational changes, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Expect Scrutiny Of Banks To Persist, Even Under Trump

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    Although the change in administrations brings some measure of uncertainty as to the nature of bank compliance oversight, if regulators in Washington, D.C., attempt to dilute the vigilance of federal superintendence, the states are waiting in the wings to fill the void, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • Reg Waiver Eases Calif. Rebuilding, But Proceed With Care

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    California Gov. Gavin Newsom's executive order suspending some environmental review and permitting requirements for the reconstruction of homes and businesses damaged by recent wildfires may streamline rebuilding efforts, but will require careful navigation of the evolving regulatory landscape, says Gregory Berlin at Alston & Bird.

  • The Post-Macquarie Securities Fraud-By-Omission Landscape

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 opinion in Macquarie v. Moab distinguished inactionable "pure omissions" from actionable "half-truths," the line between the two concepts in practice is still unclear, presenting challenges for lower courts parsing statements that often fall within the gray area of "misleading by omission," say attorneys at Katten.

  • Trump's Energy Plans: Climate, Data Centers, LNG And More

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    With a host of executive orders addressing climate and emissions policies, expanded energy development, offshore and onshore projects, liquefied natural gas and more, the second Trump administration has already given energy companies much to consider, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • AI Will Soon Transform The E-Discovery Industrial Complex

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    Todd Itami at Covington discusses how generative artificial intelligence will reshape the current e-discovery paradigm, replacing the blunt instrument of data handling with a laser scalpel of fully integrated enterprise solutions — after first making e-discovery processes technically and legally harder.

  • What To Do When ICE Shows Up At The Hospital

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    In light of recent executive orders and changes to enforcement directives permitting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to enter sensitive locations like hospitals, healthcare providers should understand how to balance compliance with existing health laws and patient care obligations, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Unpacking The Legal Foundation Of Trump's New Trade War

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    President Donald Trump's recent executive orders and proclamations regarding emergencies at the U.S. border are based on statutory powers enabling a president to address extraordinary external threats — and could be used to fend off legal challenges to the tariffs levied on Mexican and Canadian goods, says Chris Zona at Mandelbaum Barrett.

  • A View Of The Shifting Insurance Regulatory Landscape

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    Attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland explore how the Federal Insurance Office's climate report, the new presidential administration and the California wildfires might affect the insurance regulatory landscape.

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