Public Policy

  • June 25, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Farmworkers' Attys Deserve Higher Fee

    The Ninth Circuit has ordered a Washington federal court to increase an attorney fee award for farmworkers who successfully challenged the federal government's agricultural wage survey methodology, finding the lower court's explanation for slashing the award by 75% was insufficient.

  • June 25, 2026

    FCC Floats Rules To Preempt States On Wireline Approvals

    The Federal Communications Commission moved ahead Thursday on a proposal to preempt reviews of wireline deployments if the agency finds that state and local authorities are unfairly delaying or denying permits.

  • June 25, 2026

    Verizon Buy Shows Need For FCC Support, Trade Org. Says

    Rural telecom carriers are going to keep disappearing if the Federal Communications Commission doesn't step in and provide more support for companies operating in rural areas, a trade group has said in the wake of Verizon's purchase of Carolina West.

  • June 25, 2026

    Wash. Therapist Seeks Bar On 'Conversion Therapy' Ban

    A Washington therapist has urged a federal court to bar the state from enforcing its ban on what is commonly known as conversion therapy, arguing that a U.S. Supreme Court decision this year has "vindicated" his right to provide counseling targeted by the ban.

  • June 25, 2026

    Conn. Justices Say Local Rent Board Can Enter Eviction Fight

    The Connecticut Supreme Court on Thursday allowed a municipal fair rent commission to get involved in a landlord-tenant eviction action in state court, finding the local body clearly has an interest in advocating for its statutory right to adjudicate complaints and enforce its own orders.

  • June 25, 2026

    Anti-Pot Advocates Preview Arguments In DEA Hearings

    The anti-cannabis parties participating in upcoming U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration hearings on a proposal to change marijuana's Schedule I status will argue that the drug poses too many public health and safety risks for the government to loosen restrictions on it.

  • June 25, 2026

    5th Circ. Backs FDA's Block On Vape Marketing

    The Fifth Circuit affirmed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decision to block two vape companies from marketing their menthol-flavored e-cigarette products after finding the benefits to adult smokers didn't outweigh the risk to minors.

  • June 25, 2026

    Pa. River Group Sues Mineral Facility Over Water Pollution

    A Pennsylvania environmental nonprofit has sued a mineral processing company in federal court, alleging it has for years illegally discharged polluted stormwater from its Montgomery County facility into waterways that ultimately feed the Delaware River, in violation of the Clean Water Act.

  • June 25, 2026

    No Immunity In Idaho THC Child Abuse Registry Suit

    An Idaho federal judge won't throw out a class action alleging Idaho violates constitutional rights by placing women on the state's Child Protection Central Registry for using THC during pregnancy, finding the director of the state's Department of Health and Welfare doesn't have immunity against the claims.

  • June 25, 2026

    Mich. Panel Says Detroit Schools Can't Use Tax For Bond Debt

    The Detroit Public Schools Community District and its predecessor have lost a bid to continue collecting an operating tax after an emergency loan is paid off, with an appellate court panel finding state law does not allow the tax to be levied to pay off other long-term debts. 

  • June 25, 2026

    NJ Judge Says Flaw Dooms DOJ Sanctuary Policy Suit

    A New Jersey federal judge has tossed a Trump administration suit challenging the sanctuary policies in four Garden State cities, ruling that most of the government's grievances against them actually stemmed from a statewide directive it unsuccessfully challenged previously.

  • June 25, 2026

    Trump ITC Commissioner Pick Aims To Accelerate IP Rulings

    One of President Donald Trump's picks to serve as a commissioner for the U.S. International Trade Commission said during a U.S. Senate hearing Thursday that a goal of his would be to work toward a faster timeline for intellectual property rulings.

  • June 25, 2026

    NYC Seeks To Shut Down Delivery App Over Wage Violations

    New York City has moved to bar a food delivery app from operating in the city unless it begins paying its workers the legally required minimum wage, after the company's own reports showed it paid workers as little as $1.82 per hour.

  • June 25, 2026

    Swiss Approve Aligning EU Tax Info Swaps With OECD Rules

    Switzerland's agreement to automatically exchange information between tax authorities in the European Union is poised to come under updated OECD standards after the government's executive branch recommended that lawmakers adopt amendments.

  • June 25, 2026

    US, Australia Sign Customs Enforcement Info Sharing Pledge

    The United States and Australia signed a bilateral agreement Thursday to strengthen coordination on customs enforcement through enhanced information sharing, according to a news release published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

  • June 25, 2026

    EU Implements US Trade Deal, With Safeguards

    The European Union granted final approval Thursday to its modified version of a trade deal with the U.S. that will cut tariff rates on U.S. goods, albeit with guardrails.

  • June 25, 2026

    8th Circ. Backs Immunity In DAPL Protest Injury Dispute

    A panel of the Eighth Circuit has upheld a decision to dismiss a challenge by an environmentalist who was severely injured by North Dakota law enforcement during a protest over the Dakota Access pipeline, finding the officers are entitled to immunity and her claims of 14th Amendment violations do not meet a "shocks the conscience" threshold.

  • June 25, 2026

    Del. Shields Kroger Lawyers' Brainstorming In Albertsons Suit

    The Delaware Chancery Court on Thursday denied Albertsons Cos. Inc.'s bid to force The Kroger Co. to submit additional internal law firm communications in litigation over the companies' failed $24.6 billion merger, ruling that Kroger's waiver of attorney-client privilege does not extend to lawyers' brainstorming that was never communicated to the client.

  • June 25, 2026

    Senate Confirming Judges Faster Than In Trump's 1st Term

    The Senate has confirmed 45 judges in the second Trump term, outpacing the rate of his first administration, Senate Republicans announced on Thursday.

  • June 25, 2026

    SpaceX Wants In On Suit Challenging Texas Land Swap Deal

    SpaceX has urged a federal court in Washington to let it intervene in a lawsuit from environmental groups opposing the company's south Texas land exchange deal with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, noting its property interests are directly at stake.

  • June 25, 2026

    7th Circ. Won't Reinstate Trans Bus Driver's Bias Suit

    The Seventh Circuit declined to revive a transgender bus driver's suit claiming the Chicago Transit Authority fired him due to his gender identity, ruling he failed to show the decision was driven by prejudice rather than claims that he took medical leave that wasn't approved.

  • June 25, 2026

    High Court Strikes Down Hawaii Gun Restrictions

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a Hawaii law banning people from bringing firearms onto private property open to the public without express permission from the owner violates the Second and 14th amendments.

  • June 25, 2026

    Justices Let Trump End Temporary Status For Haiti, Syria

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday gave the green light to the Trump administration to move forward with ending temporary protected status for Haitians and Syrians, ruling that courts are barred from reviewing such determinations.

  • June 25, 2026

    Justices Say Asylum Rights Begin On US Soil

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that federal immigration officials can turn away noncitizens without valid travel documents who haven't physically crossed the southern border when U.S. ports of entry are at capacity.

  • June 24, 2026

    NY Judge Halts DOJ Bid For Trans Youth Medical Records

    A New York federal judge Wednesday barred the U.S. Department of Justice from seeking medical records of transgender patients who received gender-affirming care as minors in the wake of a grand jury subpoena to NYU Langone Health System, saying the government's investigation doesn't outweigh the patients' privacy interests.

Expert Analysis

  • Big Issues Linger After Senate Prediction Market Trading Ban

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    Whether the Senate can — or should — extend prediction market trading restrictions beyond itself will test not only the boundaries of insider trading law, but also the structural limits of legislative power in an era where information itself has become a tradable asset, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lesson: Diagnose Before Arguing

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    Law school often skips over explicitly teaching students how to determine what kind of problem a case presents before they commit to a particular doctrinal path, which risks building arguments that are internally coherent but externally misaligned, says Melanie Oxhorn at Kobre & Kim.

  • Trump's Psychedelics EO Creates A Regulatory Collision

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    Sponsors pursuing U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for psychedelic drug access must tackle how to generate regulatory-grade safety and efficacy data in controlled trials when President Donald Trump's recent executive order on psychedelics mandates uncontrolled access through Right to Try, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Odette Hauke at Odette Alina.

  • What Model Risk Guidance Update Means For Banks

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    Federal prudential regulators recently issued new model risk management guidance for banks that is designed to reduce prescriptive supervisory expectations and instead focus more on material financial risk, so banking organizations should reassess their model inventories, apply the new materiality framework and update their internal policies, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • Recent Benchmarking Suits Highlight DOJ Enforcement Risks

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent settlements with RealPage and Agri Stats inform the level of antitrust risk surrounding the use of benchmarking services and suggest an aggressive enforcement approach, particularly with respect to granular data and nonprice data reporting, say attorneys at Axinn.

  • Becoming The Biz-Savvy GC That Portfolio Companies Need

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    Candidates for general counsel roles at private equity-backed portfolio companies should prioritize proving their sector-specific experience, commercial judgment and ease with uncertainty — and attorneys hoping to be candidates in five to 10 years should start working on those skills now, says Dimitri Mastrocola at Major Lindsey.

  • Operational AI Washing: The Section 220 Information Strategy

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    Plaintiffs filing AI washing claims will likely use Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law to obtain internal board records, but 2025 amendments have fundamentally changed the landscape of presuit shareholder document demands in ways that create both risk and opportunity for companies, say attorneys at Akerman.

  • What New PFAS Rule Means For Tracking And Disclosure

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    In the wake of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's publication of its rule adding PFHxS-Na to the Toxics Release Inventory, companies should identify this substance in their facilities and supply chains, and prepare for disclosures to both regulators and the public, says Ayodeji Ayolola at Gordon Rees.

  • Ch. 11 Ruling Raises Bar For Avoiding Default Interest

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    Following a New York bankruptcy court's recent decision in 33 Mako, solvent debtors may find it significantly harder to avoid paying contractual default interest to oversecured lenders under Section 506(b) of the Bankruptcy Code, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Survive The Tech Revolution

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    Colorado Supreme Court Justice Maria Berkenkotter and Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Lino Lipinsky de Orlov discuss how artificial intelligence has already fundamentally altered the legal system and offer tips for courts navigating deepfakes, hallucinations and a gap in access to AI tools.

  • 'Skinny Label' Arguments Spotlight Induced Infringement Risk

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    Recent oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in Hikma Pharmaceuticals v. Amarin Pharma highlight the uncertain boundary between lawful generic competition through so-called skinny labels and induced patent infringement, with potential implications for patent holders’ communication, enforcement and causation strategies across industries, says Anton Hopen at Trenam.

  • What Jury Holdouts Can Teach Trial Lawyers About Strategy

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    Though a hung jury can be a disappointment, a psychological understanding of jury holdouts can help trial lawyers shape their damages arguments and understand leadership and group composition as a function of jury selection, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation.

  • 'Mobile' Sources For On-Site Generation May Be A Risky Bet

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering treating large on-site generators used at data centers as mobile rather than stationary sources under the Clean Air Act, a significant policy change that would leave developers that adopt this solution at risk of regulatory reversals, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • AI Investment Advice May Fail Investor Protection Rules

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    Based on an ongoing study of artificial intelligence platforms' investment advice given to retail investors, direct access to AI may not yield recommendations for typical households that are suitable under relevant securities rules, raising new and important issues in the regulation of financial markets, says Bruce Carlin at Rice University.

  • Startup Founder Disputes Increasingly Turn On Governance

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    Recent Delaware developments suggest that as courts place increasing emphasis on board process, independence and oversight in founder-led startups, the growing intersection of governance, technology risk and investor oversight is accelerating both the emergence and escalation of founder disputes, says mediator Frank Burke.

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