Public Policy

  • March 06, 2025

    Trump's Value-Added Tax Focus In Tariff Plan Stirs Angst

    President Donald Trump's call to target value-added taxes in his reciprocal tariff plan could distort global supply chains and create additional burdens for U.S. companies, contrary to his stated goals of lowering prices for consumers and boosting business, experts told Law360.

  • March 06, 2025

    Retiring Mich. Chief Judge Helped Mediate Detroit Bankruptcy

    U.S. District Judge Sean F. Cox, the Eastern District of Michigan's chief judge, has informed President Donald Trump he will retire on July 27, according to an update posted on the federal judiciary's website on Thursday.

  • March 06, 2025

    Trump's Labor Secretary Pick Clears Senate Hurdle

    The U.S. Senate agreed Thursday to end debate and move to a vote on President Donald Trump's nominee for labor secretary.

  • March 06, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Nixes Portion Of VA Rule Authorizing Inspections

    A Federal Circuit panel on Thursday axed part of a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs rule that allowed it to inspect computer hardware and software and even the physical locations that people use to remotely access its electronic benefit management systems.

  • March 06, 2025

    Dems Intro Their Own Version Of The JUDGES Act

    Top Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee reintroduced a version of the JUDGES Act on Thursday that would not take effect until after the next president is elected, unlike a version from their Republican counterparts that would take effect this year.

  • March 06, 2025

    FDA Nominee Hedges On Job Cuts, Abortion Drug In Hearing

    The nominee to lead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Marty Makary, repeatedly hedged about whether he would reconvene a flu vaccine committee, maintain access to the abortion drug mifepristone or control future job cuts during his confirmation hearing in front of a Senate panel on Thursday. 

  • March 06, 2025

    Minn. Tax Court Upholds $1.2M Lake House Value

    A Minnesota homeowner's action to lower the $1.2 million tax valuation of his home was rejected by the state tax court, which said he failed to overcome the presumed validity of the assessment.

  • March 06, 2025

    Senate Panel Backs McKernan For CFPB, 3 Other Trump Picks

    A U.S. Senate panel on Thursday advanced President Donald Trump's nomination of Jonathan McKernan to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, setting him up for likely confirmation to the beleaguered agency.

  • March 06, 2025

    DC Judge Won't Block USAID From Firing Contractors

    A D.C. federal judge on Thursday declined to temporarily block the termination of personal services contractors working for the U.S. Agency for International Development, concluding their challenge to the dismantling of the agency is likely ill-suited for federal court.

  • March 06, 2025

    Trump Administration Ordered To Release Funds To States

    A Rhode Island judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to stop withholding funds from states, saying an executive order freezing federal grants, loans and other payments approved by Congress "fundamentally undermines" the separation of powers and is causing irreparable harm.

  • March 06, 2025

    Senate Panel Advances Trump's Pick For DOL Deputy

    A U.S. Senate committee advanced President Donald Trump's nominee for deputy labor secretary Thursday despite concerns from Democrats about U.S. Department of Labor layoffs.

  • March 05, 2025

    DOGE Firings, Agency Cuts Targeted In New Sierra Club Suit

    The Sierra Club and Union of Concerned Scientists were among several groups that lobbed a new suit against Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency on Wednesday, slamming the billionaire and DOGE for the "lawless" slashing of funds and federal workers.

  • March 05, 2025

    Utah Poised To Be 1st To Require App Stores To Verify Ages

    Utah lawmakers on Wednesday sent to the governor's desk first-of-its-kind legislation that would require app stores such as the ones operated by Apple and Google to verify users' ages and block those who are under 18 from downloading apps or making in-app purchases without parental consent. 

  • March 05, 2025

    DC Circ. Lets Trump Remove Watchdog Chief As Feds Appeal

    The D.C. Circuit on Wednesday issued a stay that allows President Donald Trump to fire the head of the Office of Special Counsel while the government appeals a district court order that permanently reinstalled the federal employment watchdog.

  • March 05, 2025

    NYC Can't Recoup $80M In FEMA Funds From Trump, For Now

    A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday refused to order the Trump administration to immediately return over $80.4 million in funds allocated to New York City to defray the costs of sheltering migrants, after the Biden-era money was clawed back without notice.

  • March 05, 2025

    Jury Mulling Judge's Murder Trial Hears More Arguments

    With jury deliberations in the murder trial of a California judge who fatally shot his wife stretching into their sixth day Wednesday, the presiding judge allowed the prosecution and defense to make additional arguments addressing the jury's question about the willfulness requirement for second-degree murder.

  • March 05, 2025

    PTAB Bar Urges Congress, Lutnick To Protect USPTO Workers

    The PTAB Bar Association is calling on intellectual property leaders in Congress, along with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, to spare the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office from Trump administration initiatives to freeze hiring and require in-person work.

  • March 05, 2025

    Army To Disinter 19 Students From Boarding School Cemetery

    The Office of Army Cemeteries says it will honor the requests of three Oklahoma tribes and disinter the remains of 19 Indigenous children from a cemetery at the site of the former Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania.

  • March 05, 2025

    Big City Mayors Testify Sanctuary Policies Keep Citizens Safe

    The mayors of Boston, Chicago, Denver and New York City were grilled by the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday during a daylong, oft-contentious hearing in which the city leaders were repeatedly interrupted by Republicans as they defended their cities' policies towards immigrants.

  • March 05, 2025

    MSPB Temporarily Reinstates Fired Agriculture Dept. Workers

    The Merit Systems Protection Board stayed the firings of over 5,600 probationary employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday, ordering the employees back to work while the U.S. Office of the Special Counsel continues investigating whether the dismissals were a prohibited personnel practice.

  • March 05, 2025

    Arizona's 15-Week Abortion Ban Blocked As Unconstitutional

    An Arizona state judge on Wednesday ruled that the state's abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy is "unconstitutional" and cannot be enforced.

  • March 05, 2025

    Los Angeles County Sues SoCal Edison Over Eaton Fire

    Los Angeles County joined the many dozens suing Southern California Edison over the devastating Eaton Fire on Wednesday, as the most populous county in the United States alleges in its lawsuit that the utility's faulty equipment caused the destructive blaze.

  • March 05, 2025

    Contractors Claim Constitutional Injury In USAID Cuts

    A group representing U.S. citizen personal services contractors working for the U.S. Agency for International Development insisted before a D.C. federal judge on Wednesday that their challenge to the Trump administration's dismantling of the humanitarian agency differs from another brought by workers employed directly by USAID.

  • March 05, 2025

    Agri Stats Wants Another Shot At DOJ Specifics

    Agri Stats is continuing to ask a Minnesota federal court to force the U.S. Department of Justice to identify specific data fields in the company's industry reports that allegedly allow chicken, pork and turkey producers to exchange competitively sensitive information.

  • March 05, 2025

    'Hot Damn' To FCC Taking On Pole Cost Fixes, Cable Biz Says

    A Republican on the Federal Communications Commission told cable leaders Wednesday it should be a key FCC priority to reform cost sharing rules for upgrading utility poles to accommodate broadband equipment.

Expert Analysis

  • Imagine The Possibilities Of Openly Autistic Lawyering

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    Andi Mazingo at Lumen Law, who was diagnosed with autism about midway through her career, discusses how the legal profession can create inclusive workplaces that empower openly autistic lawyers and enhance innovation, and how neurodivergent attorneys can navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with disclosing one’s diagnosis.

  • A Halftime Analysis Of DOJ's Compensation Pilot Program

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    The U.S. Department of Justice appears to consider the first half of its three-year pilot program on compensation incentives and clawbacks to be proceeding successfully, so companies should expect prosecutors to emphasize the program and other compliance-related considerations early in investigations, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Opinion

    How Congress Can Stem Consumer Finance Law Uncertainty

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    In the face of rising uncertainty about consumer finance laws that are based largely on fluctuating administrative rules, Congress should cement certain existing laws into statute and clarify federal agencies' delegations of authority, say attorneys at Bradley Arant.

  • Top 10 Healthcare And Life Sciences Issues To Watch In 2025

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    Under the new Trump administration, this coming year may benefit some healthcare and life sciences stakeholders, while creating new challenges for others amid an increasingly complex regulatory environment, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Birthright Order Denies 14th Amendment's Purpose, Origin

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    President Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship invokes logic explicitly rejected by the framers of the 14th Amendment, demonstrating the administration's fundamental misunderstanding of the citizenship clauses' origins, jurisprudence, and impact on how Americans understand equality and national belonging, says Mauni Jalali at Quinn Emanuel.

  • A Look At Order Ending Federal Contractor Affirmative Action

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    To comply with President Donald Trump's executive order revoking affirmative action requirements in the next 90 days, federal contractors should focus on identification of protected groups, responsibilities of "diversity officer" positions and annual compliance reviews, says Jeremy Burkhart at Holland & Knight.

  • Parsing 3rd Circ. Ruling On Cannabis, Employee Private Suits

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    The Third Circuit recently upheld a decision that individuals don't have a private right of action for alleged violations of New Jersey's Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance and Marketplace Modernization Act, but employers should stay informed as the court encouraged the state Legislature to amend the law, say attorneys at Mandelbaum Barrett.

  • Why Trump's FTC May Not U-Turn On Robinson-Patman

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent revival of Robinson-Patman Act enforcement may well be here to stay under the Trump administration — albeit with some important caveats for businesses caught in the government's crosshairs, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • 4 Keys To Litigating In An Active Regulatory Environment

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    For companies facing litigation influenced by government regulatory action — a recent trend that a politically charged atmosphere will exacerbate — there are a few principles that can help to align litigation strategy with broader public positioning in the regulatory and oversight context, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Perspectives

    How High Court May Rule In First Step Act Resentencing Case

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    U.S. Supreme Court justices grappled with verb tenses and statutory intent in recent oral arguments in Hewitt v. U.S., a case involving an anomalous resentencing issue under the First Step Act, and though they may hold that the statute is unambiguous, they could also decide the case on narrow, practical grounds, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • Series

    Documentary Filmmaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Becoming a documentary filmmaker has allowed me to merge my legal expertise with my passion for storytelling, and has helped me to hone negotiation, critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are important to both endeavors, says Robert Darwell at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Litigation Funding Disclosure Debate: Strategy Considerations

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    In the ongoing debate over whether courts should require disclosure of litigation funding, funders and plaintiffs tend to argue against such mandates, but voluntarily disclosing limited details about a funding arrangement can actually confer certain benefits to plaintiffs in some scenarios, say Andrew Stulce and Marc Cavan at Longford Capital.

  • Illuminating The Trend Of Florida's Unpaid Hurricane Claims

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    The sheer number of insurance claims closed without payment for damage caused by Hurricanes Milton and Helene reveals a systemic problem within Florida's insurance industry exacerbated by complex issues, including climate change and state regulators' resource limitations, say attorneys at Farah & Farah.

  • 2025 May Be A Breakout Year For The Cannabis Industry

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    The cannabis industry faced a slow and frustrating 2024, but consumer trends continue to shift in favor of cannabis, and the new administration may provide the catalyst that the industry needs, says Lynn Gefen at TerrAscend.

  • Mass. Law Shows Patchwork Money Transfer Rules Persist

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    Though Massachusetts' recently passed law governing domestic money transfers means 26 states now have a version of the Model Money Transmission Modernization Act on the books, the national framework remains a patchwork that will continue to force industry players to pay sharp attention to state variations, say attorneys at Manatt.

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