Public Policy

  • April 15, 2025

    Colo. Gov. Ignored Ex-Official's Race Bias Concerns, Suit Says

    A former commissioner of Colorado's Behavioral Health Administration filed a race discrimination lawsuit on Tuesday accusing Gov. Jared Polis and his former chief of staff of ignoring reports that she was treated worse than peers because she is African American and then firing her for complaining.

  • April 15, 2025

    Trump Orders Overhaul Of Federal Contracting Rules

    President Donald Trump issued orders Tuesday aimed at simplifying and reducing the costs of federal contracting for both government and contractors, directing agencies to pare back the Federal Acquisition Regulation to only "essential" requirements and to prioritize commercial item purchases.

  • April 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Told Oregon Hospital Merger Law Flouts Due Process

    A hospital trade group urged the Ninth Circuit on Monday to block an Oregon law allowing the Oregon Health Authority to review proposed healthcare business consolidations, arguing the law is "unconstitutionally vague" and bestows unlimited power on the agency to block healthcare transactions in the state.

  • April 15, 2025

    OCC Pledges Transparency Amid 'Ongoing' Breach Review

    Following a "major" breach of its email system, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said it is still figuring out what sensitive information was accessed and will let banks know individually if material on them or their customers was included.

  • April 15, 2025

    Ga. Justices Wary Of Precedent In Gun Carry Age Limit Case

    Georgia's justices on Tuesday questioned whether they would have to overturn more than a century's worth of precedent to revive a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Peach State's statutory prohibition on adults under the age of 21 carrying handguns in public.

  • April 15, 2025

    Ill. Senator Takes Stand To Defend Self On Bribery Charges

    An Illinois senator accused of agreeing to take a bribe from a red-light camera executive testified Tuesday that passing bills is "a numbers game" at the state Capitol, and it requires sorting through some dishonest organizations and lobbyists to obtain the information necessary to vote on them.

  • April 15, 2025

    Fired NLRB, MSPB Members Tell Justices Not To Rush Ruling

    A pair of fired independent regulators implored the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to reject President Donald Trump's bid to keep them unemployed while they challenge his authority to fire them without cause, arguing his new attack on a century-old precedent doesn't qualify as an emergency that the high court must address.

  • April 15, 2025

    DC Asks Judge To Narrow Nursing Home Ruling

    The District of Columbia urged a D.C. federal judge on Tuesday to narrow an injunction requiring it to do more to help disabled nursing home residents transition into the community, arguing the order reaches beyond the class of plaintiffs and is too vague.

  • April 15, 2025

    DC Circ. Again Nixes Challenge To $44B Alaska LNG Project

    The D.C. Circuit rejected a challenge by conservation groups against the U.S. Department of Energy's reapproval of a $44 billion liquefied natural gas project in Alaska, ruling Tuesday the department's conclusion regarding uncertainty over the project's effects on greenhouse gases was supported by "overwhelming evidence" in its environmental impact statements.

  • April 15, 2025

    Cops At Insurrection Ask Justices To Let Them Stay Incognito

    Four current and former Seattle police officers who attended the 2021 Jan. 6 "Stop the Steal" insurrection in D.C. have made an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to stay a ruling by Washington state's high court that barred the officers from litigating their state court privacy claims using John Doe pseudonyms.

  • April 15, 2025

    Japan Orders Google To Stop Android Licensing Practice

    Japan's competition enforcer became the latest global authority to take on Google's Android licensing practices Tuesday, ordering the search giant to stop requiring phone manufacturers and mobile carriers to preinstall its apps on their devices.

  • April 15, 2025

    3 USPTO Updates You Should Know About

    Probationary patent examiners and trademark examining attorneys within 50 miles of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Virginia offices will have to start working from those facilities, one of three recent changes at the agency. Here's what you need to know.

  • April 15, 2025

    SpaceX Blasts GE Healthcare Effort To 'Slow Roll' Spectrum

    GE Healthcare Technologies has asked the Federal Communications Commission to hold off on issuing authorizations for space launch operations in a certain slice of spectrum used by the healthcare industry, and SpaceX is steaming mad about it.

  • April 15, 2025

    Massive Calif. Fire Assessment Pass-Through Sparks Suit

    Public interest nonprofit Consumer Watchdog sued California's insurance chief in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday to stop him from allowing insurance companies to offset hundreds of millions of dollars in assessment costs as surcharges onto policyholders, claiming the decision was made without any public input, in violation of the state's Administrative Procedure Act. 

  • April 15, 2025

    Dems Back Ex-FTC Commissioners In Firing Suit

    Most of the sitting Democrats in Congress have thrown their support behind a lawsuit challenging the president's recent firing of two Federal Trade Commission members, telling a D.C. federal court the commission is meant to be an independent bipartisan agency.

  • April 15, 2025

    Colo., Ala. Lawmakers Tussle Over Space Command Findings

    The U.S. Department of Defense's watchdog released on Tuesday its much-anticipated report on the selection process for the new U.S. Space Command headquarters, and lawmakers who represent the contending states — Alabama and Colorado — both are claiming victory.

  • April 15, 2025

    Avoid 'Prescriptive' Pole Upgrade Rules, Telecoms Say

    An industry group warned the Federal Communications Commission that it would be a bad idea to impose broad new rules to expedite broadband upgrades to utility poles at a time when the FCC is looking to cut the number of telecom regulations.

  • April 15, 2025

    F-1 Students 'Packing Their Bags' Want Court To Bar Removal

    An attorney for international students who allege the government improperly terminated their F-1 student status without explanation urged a Michigan federal judge Tuesday to bar the government from detaining or deporting the students, who were "packing their bags" out of fear they may be forced out of the country.

  • April 15, 2025

    Students Get Reprieve While Suing Over Revoked Visa Status

    Two foreign-born Carnegie Mellon University students will get more time to challenge the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's deletion of the records they need to legally remain in the country, but a Pennsylvania federal judge stopped short of restoring their legal status Tuesday.

  • April 15, 2025

    Carriers Seek High Court Clarity On Universal Service

    The trade group for regional and rural wireless service providers warned members Tuesday that they can't count on federal support for telecom deployment following last month's U.S. Supreme Court arguments over the federal government's program for subsidizing build-outs in high-cost and underserved areas.

  • April 15, 2025

    Journalists, Unions Fight VOA Shutdown In DC Federal Court

    A coalition of journalists, unions and a reporter advocacy group asked a D.C. federal judge not to disturb a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from dismantling the agency that oversees Voice of America, arguing the district court has jurisdiction to weigh in on the case.

  • April 15, 2025

    39 AGs Urge Congress To Ban PBM Pharmacy Ownership

    A bipartisan coalition of attorneys general have urged congressional leadership to pass legislation banning pharmacy benefit managers, their parent companies and affiliates from owning and operating pharmacies in order to boost competition and fairness.

  • April 15, 2025

    Judge Orders Discovery On Actions In Abrego Garcia Case

    A Maryland federal judge ordered two weeks of discovery and depositions of at least four Trump administration officials into whether it's complying with her order to get back a Maryland man sent to a Salvadoran megaprison, saying that the updates she's gotten so far have shown that "nothing has been done."

  • April 15, 2025

    Calif. Residents Sue Feds Over Tribe's Federal Status, Casino

    Three Plymouth, California, residents and a civil rights nonprofit have alleged in a suit that the federal government conspired to approve federal recognition, fee-to-trust and gaming applications for the Ione Band of Miwok Indians, questioning the constitutionality of the trust relationship between the U.S. and Indigenous nations.

  • April 15, 2025

    NCAA Transfer Player Seeking Extra Season Denied By Judge

    A West Virginia federal judge on Tuesday backed the NCAA and the consent decree that overturned the restrictions on athletes transferring schools, denying a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction for a college basketball player who wants to play one more season next year.

Expert Analysis

  • How Fla. Is Floating A Raft Of Bills To Stem Insurance Woes

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    Proposed reforms that follow a report skewering Florida's insurance industry offer a step in the right direction in providing relief for property owners, despite some limitations, say attorneys at Farah & Farah.

  • Include State And Local Enforcers In Cartel Risk Evaluations

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    Any reassessment of enforcement risk following the federal designation of drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations should include applicable state and local enforcement authorities, which have powerful tools, such as grand jury subpoenas and search warrants, that businesses would be wise to consider, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From Fed. Prosecutor To BigLaw

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    Making the jump from government to private practice is no small feat, but, based on my experience transitioning to a business-driven environment after 15 years as an assistant U.S. attorney, it can be incredibly rewarding and help you become a more versatile lawyer, says Michael Beckwith at Dickinson Wright.

  • How Del. Supreme Court, Legislature Have Clarified 'Control'

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    The Delaware Supreme Court's January decision in In re: Oracle and the General Assembly's passage of amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law this week, when taken together, help make the controlling-stockholder analysis clearer and more predictable for companies with large stockholders, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • Service By Token Is Transforming Crypto Litigation Landscape

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    As the Trump administration advocates a new course of cryptocurrency regulation, courts in the U.S. and abroad are authorizing innovative methods of process service, including via nonfungible tokens and blockchain messaging, offering practical solutions for litigators grappling with the anonymity of cyber defendants, says Jose Ceide at Salazar Law.

  • What To Expect For Stem Cell Regulation Under Trump Admin

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    The new administration's push for deregulation, plus the post-Chevron legal landscape, and momentum from key political and industry players to facilitate stem cell innovation may create an opportune backdrop for a significant reduction in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's regulatory framework for stem cells, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Rebuttal

    6 Reasons Why Arbitration Offers Equitable Resolutions

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    Contrary to a recent Law360 guest article, arbitration provides numerous benefits to employees, consumers and businesses alike, ensuring fair and efficient dispute resolution without the excessive fees, costs and delays associated with traditional litigation, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Executive Orders Paving Way For New Era Of Crypto Banking

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    Recent executive orders have already significantly affected the day-to-day operations of financial institutions that have an interest in engaging with digital assets, and creating informed strategies now can support institutions as the crypto gates continue to open to the banking industry, say attorneys at Spencer Fane.

  • Opinion

    After Fires, Calif. Must Streamline Enviro Reviews For Housing

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    Recent waivers to the California Environmental Quality Act and other laws granted by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to expedite reconstruction of residential property damaged in the Los Angeles wildfires are laudable — but given the state's widespread housing shortage, policymakers should extend the same benefits to other communities, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • How Calif. Algorithmic Pricing Bills Could Affect Consumers

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    California's legislative efforts to regulate algorithmic pricing may address antitrust and fairness concerns, but could stop retailers from providing consumer discounts, says Alyssa Sones at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Jurisdiction Argument In USAID Dissent Is Up For Debate

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    A dissent refuting the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent order directing the U.S. Agency for International Development to pay $2 billion in frozen foreign aid argued that claims relating to already-completed government contract work belong in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims – answering an important question, but with a debatable conclusion, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.

  • How Importers Can Minimize FCA Risks Of Tariff Mitigation

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    False Claims Act risks are inherent in many tariff mitigation strategies, making it important for importers to implement best practices to identify and report potential violations of import regulations before they escalate, says Samuel Finkelstein at LMD Trade Law.

  • Explaining CFPB's Legal Duties Under The Dodd-Frank Act

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    While only Congress can actually eradicate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Trump administration has sought to significantly alter the agency's operations, so it's an apt time to review the minimum baseline of activities that Congress requires of the CFPB in Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act, say attorneys at Bradley Arant.

  • State Securities Enforcers May Fill A Federal Enforcement Gap

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission appears poised to take a lighter touch under the new administration, but state enforcement efforts are likely to continue unabated, and potentially even increase, particularly with regard to digital assets and ESG disclosures, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Firms Still Have Lateral Market Advantage, But Risks Persist

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    Partner and associate mobility data from the fourth quarter of 2024 shows that we’re in a new, stable era of lateral hiring where firms have the edge, but leaders should proceed cautiously, looking beyond expected revenue and compensation analyses for potential risks, say Julie Henson and Greg Hamman at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

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