Public Policy

  • April 01, 2025

    Acting USPTO Leader Says New Policies Will Bolster Patents

    Acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart said at a conference Tuesday that new policies including having her take an active role in determining whether patent challenges should be denied are part of an effort to "reinvigorate our IP system."

  • April 01, 2025

    NRA Says Colo. Excise Tax On Gun Sales Is Unconstitutional

    The National Rifle Association and other gun rights advocates have filed a lawsuit in Colorado state court challenging a voter-approved tax on the sale of firearms, contending the tax lacks the historical grounding to pass recent U.S. Supreme Court tests for laws limiting Second Amendment rights.

  • April 01, 2025

    Judge Favors DOI In Calif. Rancheria's Recognition Suit

    The U.S. Department of the Interior did not act unlawfully when it determined that a tribal group cannot seek federal recognition from the agency, a California federal judge has ruled in an order favoring the DOI and closing the group's lawsuit.

  • April 01, 2025

    Ill. Judge Rejects 'All-Access Pass' For DOJ In ADA Dispute

    An Illinois federal judge has refused to allow the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago to intervene in a lawsuit claiming the village of Itasca, Illinois, engaged in unlawful disability discrimination in denying a zoning request for a nonprofit that sought to open a treatment facility for substance abuse in the village, saying the federal government has "no skin in the game."

  • April 01, 2025

    House GOP Calls For Further Crackdown On SEC Proxy Rules

    Republican lawmakers are calling on acting U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Mark Uyeda to put in place regulations that would eliminate the ability of shareholders to bring social and political issues to a vote, just weeks after the commission made it easier for publicly traded companies to exclude certain shareholder proposals.

  • April 01, 2025

    Thompson Ruling Won't Impact Ill. Senator's Bribery Trial

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision interpreting a statute criminalizing false statements is not grounds to let a sitting Illinois senator excise a charge from his upcoming bribery trial, an Illinois federal judge said on Tuesday.

  • April 01, 2025

    Republicans Float Wish List Of Biden Financial Rule Rollbacks

    Republican lawmakers on the House Financial Services Committee sent a bevy of letters to financial regulators on Tuesday calling for the withdrawal or modification of rules and guidance issued under the Biden administration addressing topics like risk management, mergers, banking capital requirements and crypto business reporting.

  • April 01, 2025

    House Lawmakers Want Media Ownership Regs Relaxed

    More than 70 House lawmakers, mostly Republicans, are pressing the Federal Communications Commission to get started on an expected overhaul of local media ownership rules under FCC Chair Brendan Carr.

  • April 01, 2025

    7th Circ. Revives Officer's Back Pay Bid In ADA Row

    The Seventh Circuit reinstated Tuesday a former corrections officer's back pay request that was rejected by a lower court after a jury found the county sheriff he worked for violated disability bias law by subjecting him to an unnecessary medical exam, but didn't owe him any damages.

  • April 01, 2025

    Fla. Defends Sandoz Price-Fixing Settlement Terms

    Florida defended its deal with Sandoz Inc. on Monday, saying the other states suing the generic-drug maker over price-fixing have no right to object to the settlement, which does not require court approval and does not affect the states objecting to it.

  • April 01, 2025

    Conn. Banking Boss Orders Fintech Duo To Repay Investors

    Connecticut's banking regulator has ordered two dissolved Greenwich-based companies to reimburse dozens of investors $843,000 for making them believe their money was earmarked for an investment algorithm patent, when instead company founders blew some of the cash at salons and department stores and on plastic surgery.

  • April 01, 2025

    Wireless Industry Asks FCC To Loosen NEPA Rules

    A major wireless trade association is urging the Federal Communications Commission to drop National Environmental Policy Act requirements on certain wireless infrastructure deployments, saying that the "burdensome" "red tape" is hindering future wireless expansion, rather than facilitating it.

  • April 01, 2025

    Meta Wins Dismissal In Cannabis Logo Copyright Dispute

    A Manhattan federal judge has dismissed a copyright complaint from a "serial IP litigant" who sued Meta Platforms over a cannabis logo used on Facebook to promote a cannabis-themed cruise, saying plaintiff did not own a valid copyright for the logo.

  • April 01, 2025

    Tenn. PBM Statute Conflicts With ERISA, Judge Says

    Tennessee law requiring pharmacy benefits managers to accept "any willing pharmacies" into their network clashes with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, a federal judge ruled, saying the state can't enforce its statute against McKee Foods Corp. or other plans governed by the federal benefits law.

  • April 01, 2025

    Rep. Files Bill To Study LEO Broadband Funding In Appalachia

    A bill introduced by a U.S. House Republican would direct a new study on possibly providing federal aid in Appalachia for low Earth orbit satellite systems that can fill gaps in high-speed connectivity.

  • April 01, 2025

    Unions Re-Up Challenge To Trump's Resignation Offer

    Federal unions have renewed their challenge to the president's deferred resignation offer, expanding on their members' difficulties and the roadblocks they face to fighting the initiative through agency channels in an apparent effort to address flaws underlying their earlier Massachusetts federal court loss.

  • April 01, 2025

    Gun Shield Law Preempts Pennsylvania Parents' Liability Suit

    Firearms manufacturer Springfield Armory Inc. can't be held liable for a boy's death caused after a fellow minor inadvertently shot him, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled, finding constitutional a federal law that shields gunmakers from product liability litigation involving incidents where their products are used during criminal acts.

  • April 01, 2025

    7th Circ. Won't Stay Medicaid Row For High Court Petition

    The Seventh Circuit on Tuesday denied a bid by a Chicago hospital to stay the court's ruling affirming the dismissal of its lawsuit against Illinois seeking to enforce timely Medicaid payments, rejecting the medical facility's argument that proceedings should be paused while it appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court because the case grapples with "a question of national importance."

  • April 01, 2025

    Ga., Army Corps Beat Ala. Challenge To Water Use Plan

    A D.C. federal judge ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did not need congressional approval to increase Georgia's water allocations from a metro Atlanta lake, handing a win to the Army Corps and the Peach State in a decadelong fight with the state of Alabama.

  • April 01, 2025

    Green Groups Sue NY To Spur Climate Regulations

    A coalition of environmental groups have asked a New York judge to order the state to issue overdue regulations needed to meet its ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets.

  • April 01, 2025

    Court Won't Toss FTC's Merger Penalty Case Against 7-Eleven

    A D.C. federal court refused to toss the Federal Trade Commission's case looking to hit 7-Eleven with a $77.5 million penalty for allegedly violating a merger settlement after rejecting arguments that only the U.S. Department of Justice can seek civil penalties for the commission.

  • April 01, 2025

    Willkie Becomes 3rd Firm To Reach Deal With Trump

    After issuing a string of executive orders in recent weeks targeting BigLaw firms, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP had agreed to provide $100 million in pro bono legal services for certain causes and to refrain from what Trump has called discriminatory diversity hiring practices.

  • April 01, 2025

    Undated Mail-In Votes Must Be Counted, Pa. Judge Rules

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has ruled that the state's counties cannot refuse to count mail-in ballots with undated or incorrectly dated outer envelopes, holding that doing so treads on the right to vote.

  • April 01, 2025

    Atlanta Settles Enviro Group's Suit Over 'Cop City' Site

    The city of Atlanta has agreed to settle an environmental group's legal challenge to the construction of its controversial police training center complex, reaching a deal Monday that includes $70,000 in attorney fees for the group and future water quality monitoring.

  • April 01, 2025

    EPA, Citibank Fight States' Bid To Restart Grant Funding

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Citibank on Monday said four state infrastructure financing entities that accuse them of illegally withholding federal grant funding have no grounds to support an effort to get the money flowing again.

Expert Analysis

  • 4 Ways Women Attorneys Can Build A Legal Legacy

    Author Photo

    This Women’s History Month, women attorneys should consider what small, day-to-day actions they can take to help leave a lasting impact for future generations, even if it means mentoring one person or taking 10 minutes to make a plan, says Jackie Prester, a former shareholder at Baker Donelson.

  • Navigating The Growing Thicket Of 'Right To Repair' Laws

    Author Photo

    An emerging patchwork of state laws on the right to repair creates tensions with traditional intellectual property and competition principles, so manufacturers should plan proactively for legal disputes and minimize potential for rival third-party repairs to weaponize state laws, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • A Judge's Pointers For Adding Spice To Dry Legal Writing

    Author Photo

    U.S. District Judge Fred Biery shares a few key lessons about how to go against the grain of the legal writing tradition by adding color to bland judicial opinions, such as by telling a human story and injecting literary devices where possible.

  • Implementation, Constitutional Issues With Birthright Order

    Author Photo

    President Donald Trump's executive order reinterpreting the 14th Amendment's birthright citizenship clause presents unavoidable administrative problems and raises serious constitutional concerns about the validity of many existing federal laws and regulations, says Eric Schnapper at the University of Washington School of Law.

  • A Closer Look At Money Laundering Sentencing Issues

    Author Photo

    Federal money laundering cases are on the rise, often involving lengthy prison sentences for defendants who have little to no criminal history, but a closer look at the statistics and case law reveal some potentially valuable arguments that defense attorneys should keep in their arsenal, says Sarah Sulkowski at Gelber & Santillo.

  • What Advisory On Alcohol And Cancer May Mean For Cos.

    Author Photo

    While the federal government has yet to take concrete steps in response to a January advisory from the outgoing U.S. surgeon general on links between alcohol consumption and cancer, the statement has opened the door to potential regulatory, legislative and litigation challenges for the alcoholic beverage industry, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • Why NY May Want To Reconsider Its LLC Transparency Law

    Author Photo

    Against the backdrop of the myriad challenges to the federal Corporate Transparency Act, it may be prudent for New York to reconsider its adoption of the LLC Transparency Act, since it's unclear whether the Empire State's "baby-CTA" statute is still necessary or was passed prematurely, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Expectations For SEC Exams As Private Credit Market Grows

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission may rely heavily on its Division of Examinations for regulating private credit markets amid their expansion into the retail investor space, so investment advisers should be prepared to address several likely areas of focus when confronted with an exam, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • AG Watch: Texas Is Entering New Privacy Enforcement Era

    Author Photo

    The state of Texas' recent suit against Allstate is the culmination of a long-standing commitment to vigorously enforcing privacy laws in the state, and while still in the early stages, it offers several important insights for companies and privacy practitioners, says Paul Singer at Kelley Drye.

  • IRS Scrutiny May Underlie Move Away From NIL Collectives

    Author Photo

    The University of Colorado's January announcement that it was severing its partnership with a name, image and likeness collective is part of universities' recent push to move NIL activities in-house, seemingly motivated by tax implications and increased scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service, say attorneys at Buchanan Ingersoll.

  • What's At Stake In High Court Transgender Care Suit

    Author Photo

    The outcome of U.S. v. Skrmetti will have critical implications for the rights of transgender youth and their access to gender-affirming care, and will likely affect other areas of law and policy involving transgender individuals, including education, employment, healthcare and civil rights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • 5 Merger Deal Considerations In Light Of The New HSR Rules

    Author Photo

    Now that the new Hart-Scott-Rodino Act rules are in effect, current priorities include earlier preparation for merging parties, certain confidentiality covenants, and key elements of letters of intent and term sheets, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Considerations As Trump Admin Continues To Curtail CFPB

    Author Photo

    Recent sweeping moves from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's new leadership have signaled a major shift in the agency's trajectory, and regulated entities should prepare for broader implications in both the near and long term, say attorneys at Pryor Cashman.

  • 6th Circ. Ruling Paves Path Out Of Loper Bright 'Twilight Zone'

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright ruling created a twilight zone between express statutory delegations that trigger agency deference and implicit ones that do not, but the Sixth Circuit’s recent ruling in Moctezuma-Reyes v. Garland crafted a two-part test for resolving cases within this gray area, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • NCAA Rulings Signal Game Change For Athlete Classification

    Author Photo

    A Tennessee federal court's recent decision in Pavia v. NCAA adds to a growing call to consider classifying college athletes as employees under federal law, a change that would have unexpected, potentially prohibitive costs for schools, says J.R. Webster Cucovatz at Gilson Daub.

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!