Public Policy

  • March 25, 2025

    Md. Bank Disputes IRS Denial Of Captive Tax Perk

    A Maryland community bank is contesting in the U.S. Tax Court the Internal Revenue Service's decision to scrap two years' worth of tax deductions tied to a reinsurance captive, disputing the agency's findings that the arrangement had no economic purpose other than tax avoidance.

  • March 25, 2025

    Justices Grapple With Circuit Courts' Clean Air Act Authority

    U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday indicated they want to preserve circuit courts' jurisdiction over certain regional Clean Air Act disputes but recognized that Congress deliberately prioritized the D.C. Circuit's authority in many important areas of the law.

  • March 25, 2025

    Calif. Lawmaker Floats NY-Like Internet Pricing Cap

    A California Democrat hopes to pass legislation through the state Assembly to put a pricing cap on internet service plans for low-income households in the same way as a New York law that has survived legal challenges.

  • March 25, 2025

    NC Justices Agree To Hear Traffic Stop Smell Test Appeal

    The North Carolina Supreme Court has agreed to take up an appeal of a man's conviction for possession of a firearm by a felon after he argued that the smell of cannabis and cologne are not sufficient to justify searching his vehicle at a traffic stop.

  • March 25, 2025

    NM To Approve Turquoise Alerts For Missing Indigenous

    New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is expected to sign into law a bill that will create a new Turquoise Alert System for missing Native Americans that will allow law enforcement to quickly share information through various communications channels.

  • March 25, 2025

    Judge Questions Gov't Motives Behind Trans Passport Policy

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday appeared skeptical of arguments made by the U.S. Department of Justice that a new policy requiring passports to bear the holder's sex assigned at birth is not intended to target transgender and nonbinary people but rather create uniformity in government records. 

  • March 25, 2025

    Court Tosses Suit Alleging NY Pot Regulations Are Biased

    A New York federal judge on Tuesday dismissed an action alleging that the Empire State's cannabis social equity licensure program discriminated against white men.

  • March 25, 2025

    NJ Says NYC Congestion Pricing Fight Ripe For Decision

    The Garden State's legal battle to dismantle New York's congestion pricing program can still advance even while the Metropolitan Transportation Authority fights the federal government's withdrawal of approval for the program in Manhattan federal court, New Jersey's attorneys told a federal judge.

  • March 25, 2025

    San Diego Airport Authority Backs Alaska Air's DCA Flight Slot

    The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority is backing federal transportation regulators' decision to grant Alaska Airlines a slot exemption for long distance flights out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, telling the D.C. Circuit that Alaska's direct flights to San Diego "would produce enormous savings, efficiency, and benefits to the public at large."

  • March 25, 2025

    Academics Sue To Block Removals Of Pro-Palestine Students

    Academic groups filed a lawsuit in Massachusetts federal court on Tuesday seeking to block the Trump administration from targeting noncitizen students and faculty members who attend pro-Palestinian protests with large-scale arrests, detentions and deportations, saying it violates the First Amendment.

  • March 25, 2025

    NYPD Denied Vax Waiver To Detective, Suit Says

    A former New York City Police Department detective has filed a lawsuit against the department and city alleging he was effectively forced out after being denied a religious exemption for the COVID-19 vaccine.

  • March 25, 2025

    House Panel Split On Independent Contractor, OT Updates

    Republicans on a U.S. House subcommittee called on Tuesday for updating the Fair Labor Standards Act to more easily classify workers as independent contractors and enable overtime and paid time off swapping, while Democrats urged greater protections for employees, not a watering down of the law.

  • March 25, 2025

    NJ Casinos Urge 3rd Circ. Not To Revive Room-Pricing Suit

    Atlantic City casino-hotel owners have told the Third Circuit a lower court was right to toss a case accusing them of inflating room rates by using the same software to set prices because there's no problem with multiple businesses separately choosing to use the same service.

  • March 25, 2025

    Feds Say Immigrant Groups Can't Fight Trump Border Closure

    The Trump administration has told a D.C. federal judge that immigrant services organizations don't have standing to challenge a presidential proclamation that declared an "invasion" at the southern border and suspended noncitizens' entry and asylum claims.

  • March 25, 2025

    Judge Temporarily Blocks ICE Detention Of Columbia Student

    A Manhattan federal judge on Tuesday ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to temporarily refrain from detaining a 21-year-old Columbia University student and legal permanent resident who says she was targeted for deportation for attending a demonstration against the college's response to protests over the war in Gaza.

  • March 25, 2025

    No More C-Suite 'Deference' At FTC, Ferguson Says

    Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson took aim Tuesday at previous antitrust enforcers' "hands off" approach, which he said worried too much about stifling Big Tech's momentum and innovation and not enough about the power that online platforms "wielded over our daily lives."

  • March 25, 2025

    Jenner & Block Latest BigLaw Firm Targeted In Trump Order

    President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at Jenner & Block LLP, suspending security clearances for its employees and taking other actions in response to the firm's pro bono work and a former partner's role as a top deputy to former special counsel Robert Mueller.

  • March 25, 2025

    No Caprice In OSHA's Work Citation Rules, 11th Circ. Hears

    The Occupational Safety and Health Administration urged the Eleventh Circuit Tuesday to ignore a Georgia roofing contractor's claims that it can't be on the hook for a $158,000 fine under the agency's "capricious" multiemployer citation rule, alleging the company's counsel told it to avoid being caught on the work site to dodge liability.

  • March 25, 2025

    Judge Orders HUD To Reinstate $30M In Housing Grants

    A Massachusetts federal judge temporarily revived $30 million in housing anti-discrimination grants slashed by the Trump administration, explaining that his hands are essentially tied by a First Circuit ruling in a separate case reinstating teacher training grants.

  • March 25, 2025

    Sterlington Adds M&A Expert With 'A-List' Accolades

    When Lawrence Waks led the billion-dollar sale of Casamigos Tequila back in 2017, it was a game-changing moment that would reshape his legal career.

  • March 25, 2025

    Judge Mulls Limits On Columbia Sharing Info With Congress

    A Manhattan federal judge on Tuesday considered whether to limit Columbia University's sharing of student records with Congress after students there, including detained activist Mahmoud Khalil, claimed the Trump administration and congressional Republicans want to "punish and suppress" pro-Palestinian views.

  • March 25, 2025

    A Look At 6 States Tussling Over Tort Reform Legislation

    There are six state legislatures, mostly in the South, that are debating whether to install business-friendly tort reform legislation or dismantle medical malpractice guardrails. The bills run the gamut from potential game-changing legislation in Georgia, to efforts in Texas to cap certain types of personal injury damages.

  • March 25, 2025

    Mich. Residents, Some Claims Cut From Frozen Benefits Case

    A Michigan federal judge has slashed a union and claimants' lawsuit alleging the state's unemployment insurance agency improperly automatically denied or clawed back payments, finding that temporary COVID-19 pandemic assistance benefits are not constitutionally protected rights and the claimants received proper notice of an end to their benefits.

  • March 25, 2025

    Va. Gov. Youngkin Blocks Recreational Cannabis Sales Again

    Glenn Youngkin, the Republican governor of Virginia, on Monday once again vetoed lawmaker-approved legislation that would have taxed and regulated the sale of adult-use cannabis.

  • March 25, 2025

    Florida High Court Forms Group To Examine Judicial Security

    The Florida Supreme Court has created a new working group on judicial security and tasked it with developing a report over the next year on threat reduction, detection and response.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Opinion

    Firing Of Jack Smith's Team Is A Threat To Rule Of Law

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    The acting attorney general’s justifications for firing prosecutors who worked on the criminal cases against President Donald Trump rest on a mischaracterization of legal norms, and this likely illegal move augurs poorly for the rule of law, say Bruce Green at Fordham University and Rebecca Roiphe at New York Law School.

  • FDA's Red No. 3 Ban Reshapes Food Safety Legal Landscape

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent ban on Red No. 3 represents more than the end of a controversial dye — it signals a shift in regulatory priorities, consumer expectations, intellectual property strategy, compliance considerations and litigation risk, says Dino Haloulos at Foley Mansfield.

  • Top Considerations For Insurance Companies In 2025

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    As insurance industry participants look to plan for the year, regulatory changes, climate-related challenges, the ongoing effects of social inflation and the potential for significant mergers and acquisitions will be among the key items for insurer boards and management to have on their radar, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Scope And Nature Of Judicial Relief Will Affect Loper's Impact

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    The practical result of post-Loper Bright rulings against regulatory actions will depend on the relief courts grant — and there has been controversy in these types of cases over whether the ruling is applied just to the parties or nationwide, and whether the action can be left in place while it's corrected, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.

  • Trump's Day 1 Orders Augur Disruptions In Travel To US

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    While the orders President Donald Trump issued his first day in office didn't impose immediate entry bans as some speculated, they authorized greatly increased scrutiny of foreign nationals at U.S. consulates and ports of entry, and laid the groundwork for future actions that could significantly disrupt international travel, says Jennifer Kim at Moore & Van Allen.

  • The Implications Of E-Cigarette Cos. Taking Suits To 5th Circ.

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    The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. R.J. Reynolds over the definition of an "adversely affected" person under the Tobacco Control Act, and the justices' ruling will have important and potentially wide-ranging implications for forum shopping claims, says Trillium Chang at Zuckerman Spaeder.

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