Public Policy

  • 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.

  • March 25, 2025

    No Easy Out In $5M Mich. Dispensary Flip-Flop Suit

    A Michigan federal court has refused to hand a win to either party in developer American 5 LLC's suit alleging a Michigan township improperly revoked its permit for a marijuana dispensary, finding that the parties hadn't resolved whether the permit was the developer's to begin with.

  • March 25, 2025

    USDA Must Face Logging Emissions Suit, DC Judge Rules

    A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday rejected the U.S. Department of Agriculture's bid to toss allegations that the U.S. Forest Service never assessed the emissions effect of its logging program under the National Environmental Policy Act from environmental activists, clearing the way for the litigation to proceed.

  • March 25, 2025

    DEA Seeks Exit From Hemp Group's Suit Over Raid

    Federal drug enforcers have asked a Texas federal judge to release them from a hemp industry trade group and retailer's lawsuit challenging the legality of a raid on a smoke shop, saying that the enforcement actions at issue were conducted by local authorities.

  • March 25, 2025

    Ariz. AG Warns Cops, Retailers About Illegal THC Sales

    Arizona's attorney general has sent letters to both retailers and law enforcement over the sale of THC products by unlicensed shops, clarifying that such sales are illegal and giving them a month to prepare for enforcement by the attorney general's office.

  • March 25, 2025

    Kirkland Adds 31-Year V&E Energy Group Veteran

    A longtime Vinson & Elkins LLP attorney, who spent the past 31 years there working on energy regulatory matters related to natural gas and the electric power industry, has moved his practice to Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

Expert Analysis

  • What To Do When ICE Shows Up At The Hospital

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    In light of recent executive orders and changes to enforcement directives permitting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to enter sensitive locations like hospitals, healthcare providers should understand how to balance compliance with existing health laws and patient care obligations, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Unpacking The Legal Foundation Of Trump's New Trade War

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    President Donald Trump's recent executive orders and proclamations regarding emergencies at the U.S. border are based on statutory powers enabling a president to address extraordinary external threats — and could be used to fend off legal challenges to the tariffs levied on Mexican and Canadian goods, says Chris Zona at Mandelbaum Barrett.

  • A View Of The Shifting Insurance Regulatory Landscape

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    Attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland explore how the Federal Insurance Office's climate report, the new presidential administration and the California wildfires might affect the insurance regulatory landscape.

  • Trump's Energy Plans: Funding, Permits And Nuclear Power

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    In the wake of President Donald Trump's flurry of first-day executive orders focusing on the energy sector, attorneys at Gibson Dunn analyze what this presidency will mean for energy-related grants and loans, changes to permitting processes and developments in nuclear power.

  • When Innovation Overwhelms The Rule Of Law

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    In an era where technology is rapidly evolving and artificial intelligence is seemingly everywhere, it’s worth asking if the law — both substantive precedent and procedural rules — can keep up with the light speed of innovation, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • FTC Focus: Avoiding 'Gun Jumping' Violations

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent record $5.6 million "gun jumping" enforcement action against XCL Resources, EP Energy and Verdun Oil sends a clear message about the seriousness of violations of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act's premerger requirements, and highlights compliance tips such as avoiding premature integration of operations, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • What Compensation Committees Must Keep In Mind In 2025

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    New disclosure obligations, an evolving discussion on the analysis of executive perks and updated proxy adviser policies — on top of a new presidential administration — are all important things compensation committees must pay close attention to in 2025, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Likely Doomed CFPB Contract Rule Still Has Industry Pointers

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    While the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's January proposal on consumer financial contract provisions is unlikely to be finalized under the new administration, its provisions are important for industry to recognize, particularly if state attorneys general decide to take up the enforcement mantle, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

  • Preparing For A Possible End To The Subminimum Wage

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    The U.S. Department of Labor's proposed rule to end the subminimum wage for employees with disabilities may significantly affect the community-based rehabilitation and training programs that employ these workers, so certified programs should be especially vigilant about compliance during this period of evaluation and scrutiny, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Engaging With Feds On Threats To Executives, Employees

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    In an increasingly polarized environment, where companies face serious concerns about how to protect executives and employees, counsel should consider working with federal law enforcement soon after the discovery of threats or harassment, says Jordan Estes at Gibson Dunn.

  • The Risk And Reward Of Federal Approach To AI Regulation

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    The government has struggled to keep up with artificial intelligence's furious pace, but while an overbroad federal attempt to adopt a more unified approach to regulating AI poses its own risks, so does the current environment of regulatory uncertainty, say attorneys at Covington.

  • 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.

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