Public Policy

  • April 15, 2025

    DOL Blocked From Forcing Contractors To Swear Off DEI

    The U.S. Department of Labor cannot force federal funding recipients to certify that they don't operate programs that violate recent executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, an Illinois federal judge held, saying President Donald Trump's directive likely violates the First Amendment.

  • April 15, 2025

    MIT Bros. Cite DOJ Memo In Bid To Get $25M Crypto Case Axed

    Two Massachusetts Institute of Technology-educated brothers accused of stealing $25 million worth of cryptocurrency cited a U.S. Department of Justice memo instructing prosecutors to pull back from novel cases involving digital assets as they urged a New York federal judge to dismiss the charges.

  • April 15, 2025

    Pot Farm, Michigan Town Say No RICO Case In Couple's Suit

    Newfield Township, Michigan, and a cannabis company permitted to operate in the town are urging a federal judge to deny an injunction requested by a Newfield couple aimed at shutting down the company's farm, saying the couple have failed to show evidence of racketeering or that they face current or imminent harm.

  • April 15, 2025

    DC Circ. Zaps FERC Fight Over Grain Belt Express Line

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Monday said Illinois landowners, farmers and residents fighting the $7 billion Grain Belt Express high-voltage transmission project lack standing to challenge a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission order that amended its negotiated rate authority.

  • April 15, 2025

    Judge Upholds Jury Verdict Against Project Veritas

    A D.C. federal judge upheld a $120,000 jury verdict against Project Veritas for its sting operation on the liberal consulting firm Democracy Partners, ruling that the conservative activist group's activities are not protected by heightened First Amendment standards because the case involved non-expressive conduct, not speech content.

  • April 15, 2025

    Honigman Hires FCPA Expert, 21-Year Miller & Chevalier Vet

    As evolving U.S. trade policy continues to create global economic uncertainty, Honigman LLP is the latest firm in recent months to announce the hiring of an attorney with a background in international trade.

  • April 15, 2025

    EU Still Open To Zero-Tariff US Deal, Trade Chief Says

    The European Union remains open to a trade deal with the United States to reach zero tariffs on all goods between the country and the trade bloc, the EU trade commissioner said.

  • April 15, 2025

    Palin-NYT Libel Retrial Starts With Key Ruling For Paper

    Sarah Palin's second libel trial against The New York Times over a 2017 editorial began Tuesday after a Manhattan federal judge declined to tell jurors that the article was defamatory as a matter of law.

  • April 14, 2025

    Justice Dept. Lands 1st Wage-Fixing Jury Trial Conviction

    A Nevada federal jury on Monday convicted a nursing executive on wage-fixing charges, the first antitrust charge to succeed before a jury in a string of U.S. Department of Justice prosecutions targeting antitrust violations in labor markets.

  • April 14, 2025

    Trump Admin Ordered To Resume Processing Refugees

    A Washington federal judge has ordered the federal government to immediately resume processing of certain refugees and also continue funding for agencies that facilitate refugee resettlement, finding that the government has not complied with previous orders.

  • April 14, 2025

    PAC Treasurer Avoids Prison For $26.4M Fundraising Fraud

    A Manhattan federal judge on Monday sentenced the former treasurer of multiple political action committees to 30 months of home detention for a scheme that raised about $26.4 million from small-dollar donors for supporting veterans and other causes, but that saw little of that money go to intended recipients.

  • April 14, 2025

    DOJ Says Some Asylum Claims Should Be Axed Sans Hearing

    The U.S. Department of Justice's Executive Office for Immigration Review cleared immigration judges to dismiss asylum applications without a hearing when the applications on their face are deemed to be legally insufficient.

  • April 14, 2025

    Linking Friends No Longer Meta's Focus, Zuckerberg Says

    Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified Monday that the social media giant is no longer solely focused on connecting friends and family, arguing on the first day of the Federal Trade Commission's monopolization trial that the company has broader focus and faces more competition than the FTC claims.

  • April 14, 2025

    Feds Ask 9th Circ. To Stay Legal Funding For Migrant Kids

    The Trump administration asked the Ninth Circuit on Monday to pause a California federal judge's order barring the government from cutting federal funding for groups providing legal representation to unaccompanied immigrant children, while attorneys challenging the funding cuts say the government is still in violation of the order.

  • April 14, 2025

    Judge Bars Removal Of Colo. Venezuelan Migrants For Now

    A Colorado federal judge on Monday temporarily barred the Trump administration from deporting any detained noncitizens in the state who could face deportation under an Alien Enemies Act proclamation seeking to quickly remove alleged Venezuelan gang members.

  • April 14, 2025

    SEC Clears Green Impact Exchange To Enter Market In 2026

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday cleared a proposal by Green Impact Exchange to launch the first sustainability focused national securities exchange, scheduled to begin operating in 2026.

  • April 14, 2025

    Bipartisan Trio Urges DOJ To Keep Antitrust Offices Open

    Top members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are urging the U.S. Department of Justice to rethink its plan to close the Antitrust Division's field offices in Chicago and San Francisco because of their "vital" role in antitrust enforcement.

  • April 14, 2025

    Senate Dems Seek Briefing On Threats To Federal Judges

    Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee announced Monday that they're asking the U.S. Marshals Service for a briefing on threats against federal judges.

  • April 14, 2025

    Monsanto's 11th Trial Kicks Off In Seattle Over School PCBs

    Nearly two dozen people told a Washington state jury Monday that they were slowly sickened by Monsanto-made toxins, becoming the largest group yet to try their PCB personal injury claims together in a series of PCB personal injury suits connected to a Washington school.

  • April 14, 2025

    Ill. Senator Knew Ethics Surrounding Bribery, Jury Hears

    An Illinois senator on trial for allegedly agreeing to help a red-light camera company for a $5,000 payment and a do-nothing job for his intern was previously trained on how to recognize and avoid such situations as an elected official, jurors heard Monday.

  • April 14, 2025

    Calif. Board Says SpaceX Suit Should Be Grounded For Good

    The California Coastal Commission moved Friday for another dismissal of SpaceX's suit alleging the commission wrongly tried to block its plan to increase rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, saying because the commission's opposition was overridden by the U.S. Air Force, no harm was caused.

  • April 14, 2025

    Verizon Says Unlocking Rules Are Boon To Crime Rings

    Verizon is asking the Federal Communications Commission to allow carriers to wait longer before unlocking customers' devices, telling the agency that device locking is one of the only effective tools for combating phone trafficking crime rings.

  • April 14, 2025

    Conn. Sues Feds To Block 80-Acre Tribal Land Trust Decisions

    Connecticut is asking a federal court to undo a U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs decision to take 80 acres into trust for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, arguing it lacked authority to issue the order that, if allowed to stand, it said will end the state's sovereign territory rights.

  • April 14, 2025

    FCC Inundated With Ideas On Where To Cut Regulatory Fat

    From prison phone service providers to trade groups, everybody has something to say about what rules and requirements the Federal Communications Commission should be cutting as part of President Donald Trump's directive to shed as many regulations as possible.

  • April 14, 2025

    Industry Seeks Tougher Laws To Fight Cable Theft, Vandalism

    State and local officials should enact more effective laws to fight the growing theft and vandalism of cable infrastructure, according to a new industry report.

Expert Analysis

  • How The AI Antitrust Landscape Might Evolve Under Trump

    Author Photo

    The Trump administration's early actions around artificial intelligence and antitrust policy, along with statements from competition regulators, suggest that the AI competition landscape may see reduced scrutiny around acquisitions, but not an entirely hands-off enforcement approach, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • Series

    Racing Corvettes Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    The skills I use when racing Corvettes have enhanced my legal practice in several ways, because driving, like practicing law, requires precision, awareness and a good set of brakes — complete with the wisdom to know how and when to use them, says Kat Mateo at Olshan Frome.

  • A Look At Healthcare Transaction Oversight In Oregon

    Author Photo

    Understanding Oregon's enforcement authority and its impact on proposed transactions last year provides a road map to the state's plans to strengthen its processes this year, though enforcement could be challenged by ongoing litigation, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • The Political Branches Can't Redefine The Citizenship Clause

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court’s Wong Kim Ark opinion and subsequent decisions, and the 14th Amendment’s legislative history, establish that the citizenship clause precludes the political branches from narrowing the definition of citizen based on how a parent’s U.S. presence is categorized, says federal public defender Geremy Kamens.

  • Questions Remain After Justices' Narrow E-Rate FCA Ruling

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Wisconsin Bell, holding that requests for reimbursement from the Federal Communications Commission's E-Rate program are subject to False Claims Act liability, resolves one important question but leaves several others open, says Jason Neal at HWG.

  • Bill Would Bring Welcome Clarity To Del. Corporate Law

    Author Photo

    A recently proposed bill in Delaware that would provide greater predictability for areas including director independence and controlling stockholders reflects prudential adjustments consistent with the state's long history of refining and modernizing its corporate law, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Opinion

    At 100, Federal Arbitration Act Is Used To Thwart Justice

    Author Photo

    The centennial of the Federal Arbitration Act, a law intended to streamline dispute resolution in commercial agreements, is an opportunity to reflect on its transformation from a tool of fairness into a corporate shield that impedes the right to a fair trial, says Lori Andrus at the American Association for Justice.

  • Opinion

    Attorneys Must Act Now To Protect Judicial Independence

    Author Photo

    Given the Trump administration's recent moves threatening the independence of the judiciary, including efforts to impeach judges who ruled against executive actions, lawyers must protect the rule of law and resist attempts to dilute the judicial branch’s authority, says attorney Bhavleen Sabharwal.

  • Colo. Anti-SLAPP Cases Highlight Dismiss Standard Disparity

    Author Photo

    A pair of recent decisions from the Colorado Court of Appeals highlights two disparate standards for courts evaluating anti-SLAPP motions: one that requires a court to accept the plaintiff's evidence as true and another that allows the court to assess its merits, says Jacob Hollars at Spencer Fane.

  • Short-Term Predictions For The CFPB's Fate Under Trump

    Author Photo

    Though the Trump administration is unlikely to succeed in abolishing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, new leadership will likely moderate enforcement, possibly prompting state attorneys general to step up supervision, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • Ga. Tort Reform Bill May Help Dampen 'Nuclear' Verdicts

    Author Photo

    Many aspects of the tort reform bill just passed by the Georgia Legislature — including prohibitions on suggesting damage amounts to juries, and limits to recovering phantom damages — face opposition from the plaintiffs bar, but are a key first step toward addressing excessive damage awards in the state, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

    Author Photo

    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Reading The Tea Leaves On Mexico, Canada And China Tariffs

    Author Photo

    It's still unclear whether the delay in the imposition of U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports will result in negotiated resolutions or a full-on trade war, but the outcome may hinge on continuing negotiations and the Trump administration's possible plans for tariff revenues, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • DOJ Memos Likely To Increase Mandatory Minimum Charges

    Author Photo

    In line with previous administrations’ pingpong approach to sentencing policy, new U.S. Department of Justice leadership recently rescinded Biden-era memos on charging decisions, cabining prosecutorial discretion and likely leading to more mandatory minimum sentences, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • A Closer Look At FDX's New Role As Banking Standard-Setter

    Author Photo

    Should the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau let ​​​​​​​stand the decision empowering Financial Data Exchange as an industry standard-setter, it will be a significant step toward broader financial data-sharing, but its success will depend on industry adoption, regulatory oversight and consumer confidence, say attorneys at Clark Hill.

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!