Public Policy

  • March 07, 2025

    NY's Crackdown On Illicit Pot Is Unconstitutional, Club Says

    A self-described cannabis club has launched a legal challenge to New York policies aimed at combating unregulated marijuana sales, saying authorities' raids unconstitutionally shut down its businesses.

  • March 07, 2025

    GOP Rep Wants Legislative Redo Of Broadband Program

    A key House Republican has filed legislation to overhaul the U.S. Commerce Department's multibillion-dollar broadband deployment program to remove some regulations tied to federal funding.

  • March 07, 2025

    Conn. Justice Questions Fairness Of Water Rate Hike Rebuff

    Connecticut's utility regulator may have treated an Eversource subsidiary unfairly when it told the company it could not increase consumers' water rates to make up for $42 million in capital expenditures, a state Supreme Court justice said Friday.

  • March 07, 2025

    DOJ Cites SDNY Prosecutors' Texts In Bid To End Adams Case

    President Donald Trump's Justice Department doubled down Friday on its bid to toss the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, citing newly released internal correspondence showing "troubling conduct" by Southern District of New York prosecutors the agency criticized as "careerist" and insubordinate.

  • March 07, 2025

    Judicial Impeachment Calls Could Drive Anger At Bench

    Twenty-nine years ago, then-U.S. Chief Justice William Rehnquist laid out a cautionary tale on impeachments of judges.

  • March 07, 2025

    Judge Slams 'Unreasonable' Atty Fee Request in FOIA Case

    A D.C. federal judge rejected an asylum-seeker's request for more than $130,000 in attorney fees in a successful Freedom of Information Act case against the federal government, saying "serious deficiencies" in her attorney's billing practices render the request "patently unreasonable."

  • March 07, 2025

    Budtenders Say Curaleaf's Tips Policy Violates Federal Law

    A proposed class of budtenders for Curaleaf Inc.'s Maryland dispensaries are suing the company, saying it violates the Fair Labor Standards Act with its policy of paying out tips to managers.

  • March 07, 2025

    Judge Upholds Denial Of Class Cert. For 'Bridgegate' Drivers

    A New Jersey federal judge has refused to disturb his 2023 denial of class certification for George Washington Bridge travelers who claimed the infamous "Bridgegate" traffic jam violated their constitutional rights, ruling that the plaintiffs' arguments were already considered and found to be immaterial to the case.

  • March 07, 2025

    EPA To Drop Enforcement Suit Against La. Neoprene Maker

    The Trump administration is dropping a lawsuit alleging that a neoprene manufacturer's air emissions pose a health threat to the surrounding community, saying the action is part of its effort to "end radical DEI programs" and "eliminate ideological overreach."

  • March 07, 2025

    California Bar Orders Investigation Of Flawed Exam

    The State Bar of California is bringing on an independent investigator to look into the problem-plagued administration of the February bar exam, which left scores of test-takers feeling cheated.

  • March 07, 2025

    Mass. Housing Law Called Unfunded Mandate In Latest Suit

    A controversial Massachusetts housing law requiring multifamily zoning near Boston-area transit facilities is facing a new legal challenge after the town of Wrentham argued in a Thursday state court suit that it's an unfunded mandate on localities.

  • March 07, 2025

    NC High Court Hopeful Fights Judge's Recusal Over Donation

    A Republican judge challenging ballots cast in the North Carolina Supreme Court race he lost by 734 votes said his colleague on the state Court of Appeals shouldn't be recused from hearing his case because he contributed to the GOP jurist's campaign, noting the panel hasn't even been selected yet.

  • March 07, 2025

    DC Judge Declines To Block DOGE From Treasury Systems

    A D.C. federal judge on Friday declined to wall off access to the federal government's payment systems from employees of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency during a lawsuit brought by retirees and union groups, determining the alleged privacy risks were not enough to warrant the court's intervention.

  • March 07, 2025

    Immigrant Rights Groups Fight IRS Data Sharing With DHS

    Two Illinois-based immigrant and Latino rights groups filed a suit Friday seeking to block the Internal Revenue Service from disclosing the names and addresses of taxpayers with taxpayer identification numbers to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other agencies with the purpose of enforcing immigration laws.

  • March 07, 2025

    Minn. Bill Seeks To Subtract OT, Tips, Bonuses From Income

    Minnesota would allow taxpayers to subtract the amount of overtime pay, tips and bonuses earned from their gross income under a bill introduced in the state Senate.

  • March 07, 2025

    Minn. Bills Seek Sales Tax Break For Home Construction

    Construction materials for single-family and multifamily homes for first-time homebuyers would be exempt from some Minnesota sales and use taxes under legislation introduced in the state Senate.

  • March 07, 2025

    10th Circ. Urged To Reject Bid To Nix Microcaptive Notice

    The federal government urged the Tenth Circuit to affirm a ruling that rejected a plumbing supply company's request to invalidate an IRS notice that added reporting requirements for certain microcaptive insurance arrangements, saying the lower court correctly found the suit would illegally hinder tax collection.

  • March 07, 2025

    Retrial In Landmark Graft Case Faces Potential Roadblocks

    A retrial in a public corruption case tied to an infrastructure initiative under former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo faces possible obstacles after being returned to a federal judge by the U.S. Supreme Court, with the parties awaiting further legal guidance from the justices and the defense saying the Trump administration's priorities may sink the case.

  • March 06, 2025

    Trump Executive Order Creates 'Strategic Bitcoin Reserve'

    President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order establishing a "Strategic Bitcoin Reserve" that White House crypto czar David Sacks said would hold Bitcoin forfeited in criminal or civil asset forfeiture proceedings.

  • March 06, 2025

    Amid Court Setbacks, Trump Wants Foes To Foot Legal Bills

    With judges hitting the brakes on the White House's aggressive agenda, President Donald Trump on Thursday vowed to up the ante with his legal adversaries by seeking legal costs and damages if his administration ultimately prevails after initial setbacks in litigation.

  • March 06, 2025

    Federal Arts Agency Sued Over 'Gender Ideology' Restrictions

    East Coast theater groups Thursday hauled the National Endowment for the Arts into Rhode Island federal court to challenge a restriction on funding to federal grant applicants who "promote gender ideology," saying the prohibition issued after an executive order from President Donald Trump unconstitutionally placed vague restrictions on artists' speech.

  • March 06, 2025

    MyPillow CEO Found In Contempt For Failing To Give Up Docs

    MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell was found in contempt of court by a Minnesota federal judge on Thursday for failing to produce documents in voting machine company Smartmatic's defamation suit claiming that he lied about its operations during the 2020 presidential election.

  • March 06, 2025

    'Debanking' In Crosshairs Of GOP Bill On Reputational Risk

    Senate Republicans on Thursday unveiled legislation that would bar federal regulators from scrutinizing for "reputational risk" in bank supervision, a measure aimed at curbing the so-called debanking of crypto firms and other politically sensitive customer categories.

  • March 06, 2025

    CBS Calls Trump's $20B Suit 'Affront To The 1st Amendment'

    Paramount Global and CBS Broadcasting urged a Texas federal court on Thursday to toss President Donald Trump's $20 billion lawsuit accusing the network of deceptively doctoring a "60 Minutes" interview with Kamala Harris before last year's election, calling the litigation "an affront to the First Amendment" and arguing it was incorrectly lodged in Texas.

  • March 06, 2025

    Calif. Woman Accuses Fla. Sugar Co. Of Greenwashing

    Florida Crystals Corp. is deceptively advertising sugar products as eco-friendly when it knows that its farming practices are "unnecessarily poisoning people and the planet," a Santa Cruz, California, woman has said in a proposed class action accusing the company of greenwashing.

Expert Analysis

  • Losing A Motion To Dismiss Ruling Isn't Necessarily The End

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    A recent Delaware Court of Chancery ruling, that the Manti Group had not demonstrated any conflicts of interest favoring private equity fund operator The Carlyle Group, serves as an important reminder that a decision on a pleading motion is not the end of the story, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Anticipating Direction Of Cosmetics Regulation Under Trump

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    It is unclear how cosmetics regulation reform from the last few years will fare under President Donald Trump, but the new administration's emphasis on deregulation and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s views on product safety provide some insight, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Drug Pricing Policy Trends To Expect In 2025 And Beyond

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    Though 2025 may bring more of the same in the realm of drug pricing policy, business as usual entails a sustained, high level of legal and policy developments across at least six major areas, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Drug Cartels' Terrorist Label Raises Litigation Risk For Cos.

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    President Donald Trump's planned designation of some Latin American drug-trafficking groups as foreign terrorist organizations creates an additional and little-noticed source of legal exposure: U.S. civil litigation risk involving terrorism claims by victims of those groups, say attorneys at Covington.

  • IRS Basis-Shifting Rule Poses Notable Reporting Obligations

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    While the IRS’ recently finalized rule requiring partnerships to report certain related-party basis adjustment transactions is narrower than originally proposed, taxpayers and their advisers will still need to comb through myriad transactions to comply, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • How Cos. Can Prepare Now For SEC E-Filing System Changes

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's amendments to the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system are designed to improve access to and management of EDGAR accounts, and with the March 24 effective date fast approaching, and the transition requiring significant coordination, companies should begin planning now, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • The Tides Are Changing For Fair Access Banking Laws

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    The landscape of fair access banking laws, which seek to prevent banks from denying services based on individuals' ideological beliefs, has shifted in the last few years, but a new presidential administration provides renewed momentum for advancing such legislation against the backdrop of state efforts, say attorneys at Latham.

  • 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.

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