Public Policy

  • April 24, 2025

    Longest-Serving Federal Judge To Take Senior Status

    U.S. District Judge Ricardo Hinojosa of the Southern District of Texas, the longest-serving active federal judge, will take semi-retired status next month.

  • April 24, 2025

    Think Tank Says Tariffs Hit Lower-Income Workers Hardest

    President Donald Trump's tariffs currently being collected disproportionately harm lower- and middle-income earners in the U.S., according to an updated study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

  • April 24, 2025

    'Here We Are Again': Trump Can't Block Sanctuary City Funds

    A California federal judge on Thursday preliminarily blocked the Trump administration from withholding federal funding to "sanctuary jurisdictions" while litigation over the policy is pending, noting that he granted a similar request during the first Trump administration and opining that "here we are again."

  • April 24, 2025

    ABA Sues DOJ For Ending Domestic, Sexual Violence Grants

    The American Bar Association sued the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday for terminating its grants to the Bar's Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence, one of several federal funding cuts the ABA says are compelling it to lay off more than 300 people.

  • April 24, 2025

    Ex-Riverfront CFO Gets 19 Years For 'Vulgar' $44M Fraud

    A former chief financial officer for the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy who pled guilty to stealing more than $40 million from the nonprofit was sentenced in Michigan federal court on Thursday to 19 years in prison, the length of time he worked for the organization, and ordered to pay $48 million in restitution.

  • April 24, 2025

    Judge Orders Another Asylum-Seeker's Return From El Salvador

    A Baltimore federal judge has directed the Trump administration to bring back a 20-year-old Venezuelan asylum-seeker sent to an El Salvador prison last month, marking the second time the government has been ordered to "facilitate" the return of an individual deported under the Alien Enemies Act.

  • April 24, 2025

    Harvard Seeks To Move 'Swiftly' In $2B Fund Freeze Suit

    Harvard University is seeking to move as quickly as possible to get to the merits of its suit challenging the Trump administration's $2.2 billion funding freeze, asking a Massachusetts federal judge to expedite discovery and briefing.

  • April 24, 2025

    4th Circ. Won't Rehear Health Data Access Order Challenge

    The Fourth Circuit has declined an electronic medical records firm's request for the appellate court to rethink a panel's decision to dismiss its appeal of an order forcing the company to let a nursing data business access its patient information.

  • April 24, 2025

    Tax Cos. Head To 9th Circ. Over IRS Worker Credit Denials

    Two tax assistance companies are appealing to the Ninth Circuit an Arizona federal court ruling denying their request to stop the IRS from issuing batch denials of thousands of pandemic-era worker credit claims, including those filed by their clients.

  • April 24, 2025

    Verdict Upheld For Security Co. Accused In Teen's Drowning

    A Connecticut judge has declined to set aside a jury verdict in favor of a security company that beat product liability and recklessness claims in the death of a teenager who drowned after sneaking into a Hartford park pool, rejecting arguments from the boy's mother that two evidence rulings tainted the outcome of her case.

  • April 24, 2025

    US Must Pay ND $28M Over Dakota Access Pipeline Protest

    The United States must pay the state of North Dakota $28 million in damages for its failure to control Dakota Access pipeline protesters, a federal judge determined, saying the judgment is a reminder to the federal government of its role in the larger picture of ensuring peace.

  • April 23, 2025

    Trump Order Directs Feds To Disregard Disparate Impact

    President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday instructing federal agencies to stop treating disparate impact as a viable theory of liability in discrimination matters, staying in line with his quest to eliminate the philosophy of diversity, equity and inclusion, and echoing policy suggestions floated in the conservative Heritage Foundation's Project 2025.

  • April 23, 2025

    Trump Admin's Border Cash Reporting Order Halted

    A California federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's order singling out cash-moving businesses along the southwest border for heightened anti-money laundering reporting, saying that, among other things, the plaintiffs have sufficiently pled that the order is arbitrary and capricious.

  • April 23, 2025

    DOJ, Legal Groups Spar Over Migrant Kids Counsel Funding

    Attorneys representing groups that provide legal representation to unaccompanied immigrant children and a government attorney sparred Wednesday over whether the government is legally obligated to fund such legal counsel during a hearing on the groups' motion for preliminary injunction in California federal court.

  • April 23, 2025

    CFPB Walks Away From Horizon Credit Card Suit

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Wednesday dropped another Biden-era enforcement action, this time pulling the plug on a Pennsylvania federal court lawsuit over what the agency had previously alleged was a deceptive and abusive membership credit card program that took in tens of millions of dollars in consumer fees.

  • April 23, 2025

    Ex-Rep Should Pay $25K For 'Sham' Lawsuit, Fla. Judge Told

    A real estate holding company owner told a Florida state court judge Wednesday that he's owed about $25,000 in legal fees for defending against a "sham" contract breach lawsuit alleging he assisted officials investigating possible foreign agent crimes against a former congressman, saying the agreements at issue were declared invalid.

  • April 23, 2025

    California Bar Says It Used AI To Craft Some Exam Questions

    The State Bar of California used artificial intelligence to develop certain multiple-choice questions that were included in the February exam, a revelation that left one law school assistant dean "shocked" and a move that the state bar said was "not clearly communicated" to its own leadership.

  • April 23, 2025

    Sanctuary Cities Near Block Of Trump Plan To Withhold Funds

    A California federal judge said Wednesday that he's inclined to block a Trump administration plan to withhold federal funding to "sanctuary jurisdictions," saying the cities and counties who sued have demonstrated a "well-founded fear" that the president's executive order and an attorney general directive will deprive them of critical funding.

  • April 23, 2025

    Latest CFPB Layoffs Need Court's Scrutiny, DC Circ. Told

    The National Treasury Employees Union has hit back at a Trump administration bid to resume mass layoffs of nearly all the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's workforce, urging the D.C. Circuit to leave a federal judge's temporary restraining order in place.

  • April 23, 2025

    NY, 11 Other States Sue Trump Administration To Block Tariffs

    A dozen states are seeking to block tariffs the Trump administration imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, claiming in a lawsuit Wednesday the tariffs illegally constitute unprecedented tax hikes on Americans and violate constitutional separations of powers

  • April 23, 2025

    CEOs Urge SEC To Ban Political Activists' Proxy Proposals

    The Business Roundtable on Wednesday urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Congress to quickly reform the shareholder proposal process for public companies, including by banning activists' proposals relating to environmental, social and political issues, saying proxy statements have become "battlegrounds for political debates."

  • April 23, 2025

    Fla. AG Tells Cops TRO Blocking Migrant Law Is Unlawful

    Florida's Attorney General on Wednesday informed law enforcement agencies of a federal judge's extension of a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of a law criminalizing the entry of unauthorized migrants but told them he could not stop them from enforcing the law because "no lawful, legitimate order" prevents them from doing so.

  • April 23, 2025

    Judge's Same-Sex Wedding Ban Legal In Texas, Justices Hear

    A Texas appeals panel balked at a state judge's argument that refusing to officiate same-sex marriages keeps with Texas law during oral arguments Wednesday, saying the discussion had gotten "far afield" of the issues before the court.

  • April 23, 2025

    Trump Admin Gives States More Time To Finalize BEAD Plans

    The U.S. Department of Commerce branch in charge of disbursing $42.5 billion in broadband deployment aid gave states an extra 90 days to finalize their plans due to federal changes underway that could impact how states spend the money.

  • April 23, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Revive Minority Farmer COVID Debt Relief Suit

    The Federal Circuit declined to revive claims by socially disadvantaged farmers who said the government owes them millions of dollars after repealing a coronavirus pandemic-era debt relief program, ruling Tuesday the farmers failed to show the government had a mutual intent to enter a binding contract.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Lawsuits Shouldn't Be Shadow Assets For Foreign Capital

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    Third-party litigation financing amplifies inefficiencies from litigation and facilitates national exposure to foreign influence in the U.S. justice system, so full disclosure of financing arrangements should be required as a matter of institutional integrity, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • 2 Del. Rulings Reinforce Proof Needed For Records Demands

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    Two recent Delaware Court of Chancery decisions involving Amazon and Paramount Global illustrate the significance of the credible basis standard on books and records requests, underscoring that stockholders seeking to investigate wrongdoing must come forward with actual evidence of misconduct — not mere allegations, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • How To Accelerate Your Post-Attorney Career Transition

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    Professionals seeking to transition to nonattorney careers may encounter skepticism as nontraditional candidates, but there are opportunities for thought leadership and to leverage speaking and writing to accelerate a post-attorney career transition, say Janet Falk at Falk Communications and Evgeny Efremkin at Toronto Metropolitan University.

  • Key Takeaways From The 2025 Spring Antitrust Meeting

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    Leadership changes, shifting priorities and evolving enforcement tools dominated the conversation at the recent American Bar Association Spring Antitrust Meeting, as panelists explored competition policy under a second Trump administration, agency discretion under the 2023 merger guidelines and new frontiers in conduct enforcement, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • 3 Action Items For Innovators Amid Fintech Regulatory Pivot

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    As the federal banking agencies seek to smooth the way for banks to engage in crypto-related activities, banks and technology companies should take note of this new chapter in payments services, especially as leadership in digital financial technology becomes a national priority, says Jess Cheng at Wilson Sonsini.

  • What PFAS-Treated Clothing Tariff Bill Would Mean For Cos.

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    In keeping with a nationwide trend of greater restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, legislation pending in the U.S. House of Representatives would remove tariff advantages for PFAS-treated clothing — so businesses would be wise to proactively adapt their supply chains and review contracts to mitigate liability, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • How Tariffs May Affect Proxy Contests This Season

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    While global tariffs imposed by the Trump administration will certainly chill at least some activity this proxy season, and make defending contests significantly easier, there will likely be many new activist investments once there is more economic certainty, meaning more proxy fights this fall, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Running A Compliant DEI Program After EEOC, DOJ Guidance

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    Following recent guidance from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice that operationalized the Trump administration's focus on ending so-called illegal DEI, employers don't need to eliminate DEI programs, but they must ensure that protected characteristics are not considered in employment decisions, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • A Closer Look At New NYSE, Nasdaq Listing Rule Changes

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has recently approved changes to the New York Stock Exchange's and the Nasdaq's listing rules on reverse stock splits, minimum share price requirements and required liquidity for initial listings, meaning listed companies facing delisting will have fewer means to regain compliance, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.

  • Opinion

    GENIUS Act Can Bring Harmony To Crypto-Banking Discord

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    ​​​​​​​By embracing crypto innovation while establishing appropriate guardrails, the so-called GENIUS Act charts a path forward that promotes financial inclusion and technological advancement without compromising stability or constitutional rights, says J.W. Verret at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School.

  • Opinion

    US Reassessment Of OECD Tax Deal Is Right Move

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    The wholesale U.S. reevaluation of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's global tax deal ordered by President Donald Trump is a positive step that could ultimately create a more durable international tax system, says Anne Gordon at the National Foreign Trade Council.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Be An Indispensable Associate

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    While law school teaches you to research, write and think critically, it often overlooks the professional skills you will need to make yourself an essential team player when transitioning from a summer to full-time associate, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • The Path Forward For Construction Cos. After Calif. Wildfires

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    The increasing frequency of disastrous wildfires, like those that recently occurred in California, presents a set of complex challenges for the construction industry, including regulatory hurdles and supply chain disruptions that can complicate rebuilding efforts, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • What 2nd Trump Admin Means For Ship Pollution Compliance

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    As the second Trump administration's civil and criminal enforcement policies take shape, the maritime industry must ensure it complies with both national and international obligations to prevent oil pollution from seagoing vessels — with preventive efforts and voluntary disclosures being some of the best options for mitigating risk, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Know The Rules And Costs Of New Fla. Condo Inspection Law

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    Following the first report deadline for a structural integrity law meant to prevent disasters like the 2021 Surfside collapse, Florida condominium associations and unit owners should understand the process of conducting compliant inspections and anticipate new assessments to fund required maintenance, say attorneys at Ball Janik.

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