Public Policy

  • January 10, 2025

    NJ Says Existing Anti-Discrimination Law Applies To Using AI

    New Jersey's attorney general issued guidance clarifying that the Garden State's discrimination law applies to "algorithmic discrimination," or discrimination and bias-based harassment stemming from the use of artificial intelligence and other similar technologies.

  • January 10, 2025

    FAR Council Pulls Proposed GHG Emissions Disclosure Rule

    The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council on Friday withdrew a pending rule that aimed to require "major" federal contractors to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and to set emissions reduction targets, saying the Biden administration lacks sufficient time to finalize the proposal.

  • January 10, 2025

    FWS Rejects Bids To Strip Protections From Grizzly Bears

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has rejected petitions from Montana and Wyoming to strip federal Endangered Species Act protections of grizzly bears in the Northern Rocky Mountains, saying it will instead look to shrink the geographic areas where they are protected.

  • January 10, 2025

    Sen. Durbin Questions Trump AG Nominee's Lobbying

    Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, pressed federal agencies Friday to provide information on President-elect Donald Trump's attorney general nominee's past role as a foreign lobbyist ahead of her confirmation hearings next week due concerns about possible conflicts of interest.

  • January 10, 2025

    Feds Want 16 Mos. For Oath Keepers' Atty In Jan. 6 Case

    A former attorney for the far-right Oath Keepers group should be sentenced to 16 months in prison for her participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, prosecutors have told a D.C. federal judge, saying her conduct and lack of remorse warrants a significant sentence.

  • January 10, 2025

    BREAKING: Justices To Review Block On Expanded Student Loan Benefits

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to review the Fifth Circuit's block on expanded benefits under a federal program that forgives student loans for borrowers defrauded by higher education institutes.

  • January 10, 2025

    Faster Permits Needed For Next G's, Wireless Cos. Say

    Wireless infrastructure builders are hoping for a more inviting regulatory environment at the federal and state levels as technology progresses and have put broadband permitting reform at the top of their legislative wish list for 2025.

  • January 10, 2025

    Kiewit's Seattle Marine Yard Runoff Violates CWA, Suit Says

    Kiewit Corp. is the target of a citizen Clean Water Act suit accusing the construction company of violating environmental permits by failing to prevent polluted stormwater from its Seattle marine yard from running into a river and bay.

  • January 10, 2025

    Minn. Tribal Casino Execs Look To Nix Class III Gaming Fight

    Executives of two Minnesota tribal casinos are urging a federal district court to toss a challenge by a commercial casino and horse racetrack operator that claims they're illegally fighting to dominate the state's gambling industry through Class III gaming, arguing that a recent Ninth Circuit decision weighs in their favor.

  • January 10, 2025

    Ga. Law Firm Latest To Fight Corp. Transparency Act

    A federal law designed to combat money laundering violates the U.S. Constitution by forcing lawyers to disregard attorney-client privilege, a Georgia lawyer told a federal court, joining a chorus seeking legal action to stop the law.

  • January 10, 2025

    7th Circ. Halts FDIC Enforcement Order Against Ex-Bank Chair

    The Seventh Circuit on Friday granted a request from an Illinois community bank's onetime chairman for an emergency stay of professional sanctions the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. ordered as part of an in-house proceeding the executive has alleged was unconstitutional.

  • January 10, 2025

    FDA Tells Justices RJ Reynolds Challenge Belongs In DC Circ.

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to send a suit by R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. and two retailers challenging the denial of a marketing application from the Fifth Circuit to the D.C. Circuit, saying federal law doesn't allow a manufacturer to forum shop by bringing a retailer into its challenge.

  • January 10, 2025

    4th Circ. Accelerates Appeal In Contested NC High Court Race

    The Fourth Circuit on Friday agreed to speed up briefing in an appeal centered on which court should hear a Republican judge's ballot challenge in his race for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court, squeezing the case in for argument before the first session of the new year.

  • January 10, 2025

    Defunct Nursing School Inks $5M Deal To End Consumer Suits

    The operators of Stone Academy, a defunct private, for-profit nursing school in Connecticut, have agreed to a $5 million settlement to end two student-led lawsuits and another suit by the state, Attorney General William M. Tong said Friday.

  • January 10, 2025

    Treasury, IRS Plan Rules For Clean Transportation Fuel Credit

    Treasury and the IRS released guidance Friday for producers of transportation fuel hoping to qualify for the newly available clean fuels production tax credit, saying they plan to release rules clarifying which entities qualify for the credit and how producers can determine allowable emissions levels.

  • January 10, 2025

    1st Circ. Questions Reach Of Anti-Torture Law In Civil Cases

    The First Circuit on Friday hinted it may be considering limits on the jurisdiction of the Torture Victims Protection Act, during a hearing where former Justice Stephen Breyer recalled concerns he first raised on the Supreme Court that an overly broad reading could pave the way for other nations to arrest Americans for incidents on U.S. soil.

  • January 10, 2025

    Off The Bench: Venu Deal Off, Fox Suit, Gender Rules Wobble

    In this week's Off The Bench, a last-minute merger ends litigation over the new sports streaming service Venu, only for its backers to mothball the project entirely, Fox Sports is rocked by lurid sexual harassment claims, and a federal judge knocks down an attempt to expand transgender discrimination protections.

  • January 10, 2025

    Fani Willis Seeks Return To Trump Election Interference Case

    Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has asked the Georgia Supreme Court to reinstate her in the election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump, arguing she was the first Georgia DA to be ejected from a case "without the existence of an actual conflict of interest."

  • January 10, 2025

    NJ Watchdog's New Chief Resigns Amid Residence Questions

    The new chief executive of the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation resigned Friday after questions were raised in a news report about her residency and a second full-time job she holds out of state.

  • January 10, 2025

    IRS Proposes Rules For Roth Catch-Up Contributions

    The Internal Revenue Service floated rules Friday for catch-up contributions made possible by the 2022 retirement law known as Secure 2.0, including the requirement that contributions made by certain participants be designated Roth contributions.

  • January 10, 2025

    Feds To Return $55M In Fees For Axed Immigration Program

    U.S. immigration officials will refund some $55 million in fees tens of thousands of unauthorized immigrants in the country paid to apply for relief through a parole-in-place process that courts struck down.

  • January 10, 2025

    US Hits Russia With Extensive Energy-Related Sanctions

    The Biden administration on Friday announced an extensive round of new sanctions, including blocking two major Russian oil producers, with the goal of reducing Russian revenues from energy in the midst of its war on Ukraine, a move that comes as the U.S. has been amping up sanctions on its foreign rival.

  • January 10, 2025

    NJ Mayor Cops To Using Town Employees to Run Private Biz

    A longtime New Jersey mayor is barred from ever holding public office or employment again after he admitted Friday to using township employees to help run a private business out of his mayoral office, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced.

  • January 10, 2025

    Illinois Adds 4 Conditions To Medical Pot Eligibility List

    The Illinois Department of Public Health has issued an order adding four conditions to the list of medical issues eligible for treatment with medical cannabis.

  • January 10, 2025

    Tougher 911 Outage Report Regs Needed, Responders Say

    First responder groups are urging the Federal Communications Commission to toughen up on network outage reporting requirements impacting 911 services, saying gaps in the current system don't fully meet the needs of emergency communications centers.

Expert Analysis

  • Updated HIPAA Rule Is A Necessary Step For Data Protection

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' updated rules addressing cybersecurity threats in healthcare will necessitate significant investment in technology, training and compliance infrastructure, but are an essential evolution in safeguarding data in an increasingly digital world, say attorneys at Clark Hill.

  • Anticipating The Maritime Sector's Future Under Trump 2.0

    Author Photo

    With the Republicans taking control of a governance trifecta, the maritime sector should brace for both familiar leadership and new change that could significantly shift shipping and defense priorities, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Penn State Brand Case Leaves Ornamentality Unresolved

    Author Photo

    While the recent jury verdict in Penn State University v. Vintage Brand was a win for the college and brands, legal practitioners should expect plenty of litigation around unaddressed ornamentality issues of whether marks that are not yet incontestable can be canceled for being used solely in decorative, non-source-identifying ways, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • 2024 Was A Banner Year For Shareholder Activism

    Author Photo

    Shareholder activism campaigns in 2024 continued at an elevated pace globally, with activist investors exploiting valuation gaps and pushing aggressively for corporate governance reforms, including the ouster of many companies' chief executives, a trend that could continue once President-elect Donald Trump takes office, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Expect A Big Shake Up At The EEOC Under 2nd Trump Admin

    Author Photo

    During President-elect Donald Trump’s second term, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is likely to significantly shift its focus and priorities, especially where workplace DEI initiatives, immigration enforcement, LGBTQ+ rights and pregnancy protections are concerned, say attorneys at Stoel Rives.

  • Series

    Illinois Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q4

    Author Photo

    While the last quarter of 2024 didn't bring any notable state financial legislation, Illinois banks did see developments in the challenge to the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act, and received some awaited guidance on credit line disclosures and bank-fintech relationships, say attorneys at Dykema.

  • 7 Ways 2nd Trump Administration May Affect Partner Hiring

    Author Photo

    President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House will likely have a number of downstream effects on partner hiring in the legal industry, from accelerated hiring timelines to increased vetting of prospective employees, say recruiters at Macrae.

  • How Trump 2.0 May Change Business In Latin America

    Author Photo

    Companies in Latin America should expect to face more trade restrictions, tighter economic sanctions and enhanced corruption risks, as the incoming administration shifts focus to certain non-U.S. actors, most notably China, says Matteson Ellis at Miller & Chevalier.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Custodian Selection

    Author Photo

    Several recent rulings make clear that the proportionality of additional proposed custodians will depend on whether the custodians have unique relevant documents, and producing parties should consider whether information already in the record will show that they have relevant documents that otherwise might not be produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Opinion

    Section 230 Debates Will Continue, With Or Without TikTok

    Author Photo

    Regardless of whether TikTok is forced to shut down in the U.S. in the coming weeks, legal disputes will continue over social media platforms' responsibility under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act for harms allegedly caused by content shared on their apps, says Carla Varriale-Barker at Segal McCambridge.

  • Impact Of Successful Challenges To SEC's Rulemaking Ability

    Author Photo

    In 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission faced significant legal challenges to its aggressive rulemaking agenda as several of its rules were vacated by the Fifth Circuit, which could hinder the SEC's ability to enact rules extending beyond express statutory authority in the future, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Takeaways From DOJ, FTC End To Collaboration Guidelines

    Author Photo

    The Federal Trade Commission's and U.S. Department of Justice's recent decision to withdraw the guidelines for collaborations among competitors may reflect a desire for clearer parameters by emphasizing case law on specific ventures, but it also carries the potential to chill some future collaboration, say attorneys at Patterson Belknap.

  • 5 Transition Tools Trump Could Use To Implement His Agenda

    Author Photo

    President-elect Donald Trump will have several tools available to him to halt or otherwise claw back federal regulations promulgated during the Biden administration, including reconciliation, executive orders and memoranda, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • 5 Privacy Law Trends That Will Continue In 2025

    Author Photo

    While preparing privacy programs for the year, companies should keep in mind several developments from 2024 that will carry over — namely, in the realm of artificial intelligence, passive data collection, combining data from multiple sources, privacy program expectations and managing vendors, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Justices Seem Focused On NEPA's Limits In Utah Rail Case

    Author Photo

    After last month's oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado, the court appears poised to forcefully reiterate that the National Environmental Policy Act requires federal agencies to review only those environmental impacts within their control, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!