Public Policy

  • December 06, 2024

    Billionaires Show New Interest In Texas' Intermediate Courts

    Billionaire-backed funding in Texas helped push a wave of Republican judges who swept races for intermediate appellate courts across the state, representing a new level of corporate spending in judicial races often marked by underfunded campaigns and low voter awareness.

  • December 06, 2024

    Wash. City Says Tribe's ER Shelter Sidesteps Safety Concerns

    The city of Toppenish has told a Washington federal judge that the Yakama Nation has no right to use a local property within reservation boundaries to operate a 24-hour emergency cold weather shelter, arguing that building health and safety issues can't be sidestepped.

  • December 06, 2024

    Neb. Tribe Asks US High Court To Undo Tobacco Sales Ruling

    A Nebraska tribe's tobacco companies are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn an Eighth Circuit ruling that held the state can regulate a tribally owned manufacturer's sales of cigarettes to Indigenous-owned distributors, arguing that Native American nations' ability to conduct their own affairs within their own borders is at stake.

  • December 06, 2024

    US Ukrainian Group Wants FCC SpaceX Approvals Halted

    The FCC needs to put any decisions related to SpaceX on ice until an ethics committee can decide how to handle them now that the company's billionaire owner Elon Musk has been tapped for an oversight role in the upcoming Trump administration, the agency has been told.

  • December 06, 2024

    How Paul Atkins' Last SEC Term Might Shape Agency's Future

    President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission next year is no stranger to the agency, and Paul Atkins' past speeches, statements and actions as a commissioner may offer a road map for how he would lead the agency in areas such as private funds, shareholder activism and multibillion-dollar enforcement sweeps.

  • December 06, 2024

    High Court To Weigh $47M TM Award Liability For Non-Parties

    A trademark case before the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday will delve into whether corporate affiliates of a real estate development company should be liable for an infringement judgment of nearly $47 million, even though they were not named defendants in the litigation.

  • December 06, 2024

    GEO Tells 9th Circ. Recent Ruling Backs It In Wage Fight

    Private prison contractor The GEO Group Inc. told the Ninth Circuit on Friday that a recent ruling in the same court underscores its assertion that only the federal government can say whether a minimum wage must be paid to detained immigrants participating in a voluntary work program in Tacoma, Washington. 

  • December 06, 2024

    Mich. Pot Cos. Get A Shot At Undoing Rivals' Licenses

    Two Detroit-area companies that largely lost their bids challenging a municipality's award of marijuana retail licenses to competing enterprises will get an opportunity to invalidate those permits in court, a Michigan state appeals court has ruled, finding the city violated the state's open meetings law.

  • December 06, 2024

    5th Circ. Judge Notes Inconsistencies In Medicare Rate Policy

    A Fifth Circuit judge called out inconsistencies in a new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services policy, asking the government to explain apparent discrepancies that four Texas anesthesia practices say will cost them $4 million in reduced reimbursements.

  • December 06, 2024

    DC Circ. Mulls If EPA Can Set Rules Based On Predicted Tech

    At least one member of the D.C. Circuit did not seem to be picking up what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was putting down in defense of a rule that would give coal-fired power plants until 2032 to meet certain emissions standards that critics claim are impossible.

  • December 06, 2024

    Calif. Judge Revives H-1B Application For Biz With Pot Ties

    A California federal judge has revived a software company's application for a foreign employee's H-1B visa amendment, ruling the government was not justified in denying the application because of the company's clientele in the cannabis industry.

  • December 06, 2024

    Justices To Decide If Terror Victim Law Violates Due Process

    The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide whether a 2019 law gives courts jurisdiction over the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization or conflicts with the Fifth Amendment's due process clause.

  • December 06, 2024

    Neb. Judge Nixes Bid To Revisit Challenge To Medical Pot

    A Nebraska state judge has refused to reopen the secretary of state's challenge to medical marijuana legalization ballot initiatives, calling the motions largely "futile" in her order — teeing up a potential appeal before the state's highest court.

  • December 06, 2024

    FTC Dems Tout Impact of Handbag Merger Win

    The Federal Trade Commission's leader said a recent court ruling that led the owners of Coach and Michael Kors to abandon their planned $8.5 billion tie-up should make it easier to prove mergers hurt competition without needing to rely on expensive economic experts.

  • December 06, 2024

    Wash. Justices OK Pilot To Relax Regs For Non-Lawyers

    Washington's high court has approved a pilot program that will allow the Evergreen State to loosen rules on who can practice law, with the aim of empowering businesses and organizations not run by lawyers to innovate on providing legal services, and perhaps make them more affordable.

  • December 06, 2024

    ​​​​​​​Top Groups Lobbying The FCC

    The Federal Communications Commission heard from advocates more than 80 times in November as they sought to sway the FCC on new rules for hyper-local FM broadcasts, making it easier to attach broadband gear to utility poles, revamping the 6 gigahertz band and more.

  • December 06, 2024

    Feds Want Full DC Circ. To Reverse Panel's NEPA Regs Ruling

    Two D.C. Circuit judges who ruled a White House agency lacks authority to issue regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act violated a cornerstone legal tenet and must be overturned, according to the federal government.

  • December 06, 2024

    New EU Antitrust Head Leaves Google Breakup 'On The Table'

    A potential breakup of Google, particularly its advertising placement technology business, remains on the table on both sides of the Atlantic, based on comments from the European Union's brand new antitrust chief.

  • December 06, 2024

    Google's Payments Unit Sues Over CFPB Supervision Order

    Google on Friday sued the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in D.C. federal court almost immediately after the regulator said it ordered formal supervision for the tech giant's payments arm based on potential risks to consumers, a designation to which Google previously objected.

  • December 06, 2024

    Nat'l Spectrum Strategy Advances With Move On 37 GHZ

    The Biden administration made a late push to advance its National Spectrum Strategy by floating a plan in recent days to open the lower 37 gigahertz band for shared federal and commercial use, but experts say there's still much work ahead on the proposal.

  • December 06, 2024

    Trump DOJ Antitrust Pick Means 'Google Should Be Nervous'

    President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division signaled the aggressive push against major technology giants is likely to continue, but may also suggest a somewhat friendlier reception for mergers.

  • December 06, 2024

    CFTC Tells DC Circ. Election Bets Turned Kalshi Into 'Casino'

    The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has told the D.C. Circuit that trading platform KalshiEx LLC "promptly turned its futures exchange into an online casino" when courts gave it the green light to list election contracts, urging the appeals court to overturn a lower court decision that the contracts don't involve unlawful gaming.

  • December 06, 2024

    Axon Gets FCC Waiver On Contentious Surveillance Devices

    Body-camera maker Axon Enterprise Inc. will be allowed to market three new contentious surveillance devices after it was granted a waiver by the Federal Communication Commission of two sections of the agency's rules, according to an order issued by the commission.

  • December 06, 2024

    House Poised To Take Up JUDGES Act As Some Dems Balk

    A bipartisan bill to create more federal judgeships to meet increasing caseloads is on the House's schedule for next week, but its support from some Democrats appears to be waning.

  • December 06, 2024

    Ex-Conn. Utility Execs May Get Reprieve From 2nd Indictment

    Two former Connecticut utility company executives who are weeks away from beginning federal prison sentences entered pretrial diversion agreements with the government on Friday that would allow them to escape a second raft of charges alleging that they conspired to misuse public money.

Expert Analysis

  • What To Expect From State AGs As Federal Control Changes

    Author Photo

    Under the next Trump administration, Democratic attorneys general are poised to strengthen enforcement in certain areas as Republican attorneys general continue their efforts with stronger federal support — resulting in a confusing patchwork of policies that create unintended liabilities for businesses operating in multiple jurisdictions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

    Author Photo

    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • A Look At Similarities Between SOX And SEC's Cyber Rule

    Author Photo

    Just as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act paved the way for greater transparency and accountability in financial reporting, the SEC's cybersecurity rule is doing much the same for cybersecurity, ensuring that companies are resilient in the face of growing cyber threats, says Padraic O'Reilly at CyberSaint.

  • Opinion

    Efficiency Dept. Should Consolidate Antitrust Enforcement

    Author Photo

    President-elect Donald Trump's planned Department of Government Efficiency should transfer the authority of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Competition into the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, because there is no justification for two federal entities to enforce antitrust and competition laws, says retired judge Susan Braden.

  • What To Expect Next From Federal Health Tech Regulation

    Author Photo

    Healthcare organizations should pay close attention to federal health information technology regulators' recent guidance concerning barriers to accessing electronic health information, which signals that more enforcement in this area is likely forthcoming, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • In SF Water Case, Justices Signal How Loper May Be Applied

    Author Photo

    Skeptical questions from U.S. Supreme Court justices during oral argument in San Francisco v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offer hints of how the court intends to apply limits on agency regulatory autonomy established last term in Loper Bright, says Karen Cullinane at Goldberg Segalla.

  • Trump Rollback Of Biden Enviro Policies: What To Expect

    Author Photo

    Donald Trump's upcoming second presidential term will usher significant shifts in U.S. environmental and natural resource law and policy — and while the Biden administration is racing to secure its legacy, the incoming Trump administration is making plans to dramatically roll back most, if not all, of Biden's environmental initiatives, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • 5 Areas Congress May Investigate After GOP Election Wins

    Author Photo

    With Republicans poised to take control of Congress in addition to the executive branch next year, private companies can expect an unprecedented uptick in congressional investigations focused on five key areas, including cryptocurrency and healthcare, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.

  • US Intellectual Property-Based Sanctions Could Be Imminent

    Author Photo

    A recent presidential delegation suggests that regulators may be ready to wield the sanctions authority found in the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act, which has been unutilized for the first 22 months of its life, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Philly's Algorithmic Rent Ban Furthers Antitrust Policy Trends

    Author Photo

    A Philadelphia bill banning the use of algorithmic software to set rent prices and manage occupancy rates is indicative of growing scrutiny of this technology, and reflects broader policy trends of adapting traditional antitrust principles to respond to new technology, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • Takeaways From State Votes On Abortion In The 2024 Election

    Author Photo

    Attorneys at Epstein Becker discuss how 10 states voted on ballot initiatives to either protect or restrict access to abortion in the 2024 general election, and analyze overarching trends.

  • Trump's 2nd Term May Be A Boost To Banking Industry

    Author Photo

    President-elect Donald Trump's personnel appointments could be instrumental in reshaping the financial regulatory landscape during his second administration, likely allowing for greater merger activity and halting or undoing some of the Biden administration's more restrictive financial services policies, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Loper Bright Offers New Materiality Defense To FCA Liability

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Loper Bight Enterprises v. Raimondo, ending Chevron deference, may have created a new defense to False Claims Act liability by providing the opportunity to argue that a given regulation is not material to the government's payment decision, says Tanner Cook at Husch Blackwell.

  • A Look At 2024 NIL Rights And Economies In College Sports

    Author Photo

    Permutations in the arena of name, image and likeness affecting collegiate athletics have continued unabated this year, and practitioners and industry representatives should anticipate significant activity at schools and continuing legal changes at the state level, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • How Expanded Birth Control Coverage May Affect Employers

    Author Photo

    Employers should consider the potential impact of recently proposed regulations that would expand group health plans' required coverage of preventive services and contraceptives, including questions about how the agencies would implement their plans to eliminate the prescription requirement and alter the exceptions process, says Jennifer Rigterink at Proskauer.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Public Policy archive.
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!