Public Policy

  • April 03, 2025

    Echoing EEOC, Red State AGs Target Law Firms Over DEI

    A dozen Republican state attorneys general on Thursday urged 20 law firms to fork over information the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission requested last month about their workplace diversity practices, doubling down on the acting EEOC chair's claim that those practices may be unlawful.

  • April 03, 2025

    Insurer Says It Has No Duty To Defend Mich. City In Tax Fight

    Insurance company Argonaut said in a federal court complaint Wednesday that it shouldn't have to pay to defend Ann Arbor, Michigan, in a lawsuit alleging that the city's decades-old stormwater drainage charges are an unlawful tax, pointing to the public official liability and financial loss exclusions in the city's policy.

  • April 03, 2025

    Feds Back Prison Treatment For Man Who Threatened Judges

    Federal prosecutors say the Federal Bureau of Prisons offers therapy programs sufficient to treat a Connecticut man who pled guilty to mailing more than 150 threatening letters to two U.S. Supreme Court justices, state and federal judges and other figures, answering a judge's presentence questions about available treatments.

  • April 03, 2025

    Pa. Transit Agency Beats Appeal In Platform Collapse Case

    The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority did not have "constructive notice" that a train platform was defective or dangerous before it crumbled beneath a commuter, so it was protected from her lawsuit by sovereign immunity, a state appellate panel ruled Wednesday.

  • April 03, 2025

    Pick For DC's US Atty Exits Roles To Prepare For Confirmation

    The nominee for U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Ed Martin, has made his law firm inactive and resigned from other roles in preparation for his confirmation.

  • April 03, 2025

    Ginnie Mae Wins Fight Over Reverse Mortgage Collateral

    A Texas federal judge granted a win to Ginnie Mae and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development over challenges to their decision to extinguish Texas Capital Bank's lien on reverse mortgage assets, holding that Ginnie Mae's statutory authority extends to the entire mortgage once an issuer defaults.

  • April 03, 2025

    Senate Advances Noms Of Trump's SEC, OCC Picks

    The U.S. Senate Banking Committee voted along party lines Thursday to advance the nominations of President Donald Trump's chosen leaders for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, sending both to the full Senate for a final confirmation vote.

  • April 03, 2025

    Senate Passes Long-Shot Bill To End Trump's Canada Tariffs

    The U.S. Senate on Wednesday evening passed a resolution to eliminate the national emergency President Donald Trump declared to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian imports, but the measure is likely to stall in the House and certain to be vetoed.

  • April 03, 2025

    7th Circ. Agrees Insurer Must Cover Chicago's $3.75M Atty Fees

    The Seventh Circuit has affirmed a lower court's finding that StarStone Insurance must foot the bill for $3.75 million in attorney fees to the city of Chicago from a civil rights lawsuit that settled for nearly $19 million, rejecting the insurer's argument that its policy with the city only covers damages.

  • April 03, 2025

    South Korea To Support Industries Hit By US Tariffs

    Acting South Korean President Han Duck-soo called Thursday for support to industries like automobiles and others affected by the "global tariff war" that he said was kicked off by the U.S. when it placed a 25% tariff on the country, according to local media.

  • April 03, 2025

    Mich. High Court Kicks Stalled-Bill Dispute To Appeals Court

    The Michigan Senate won't get an immediate hearing at the state's highest court on the Michigan House's refusal to send passed legislation to the governor for signature, the court said late Wednesday.

  • April 03, 2025

    Ky. Allows Special Property Tax In Development Project Areas

    Kentucky authorized taxing districts organized as part of regional economic development projects to impose a special tax on property located within their boundaries under a bill signed by Gov. Andy Beshear.

  • April 03, 2025

    Adams Case Threatens NY Southern District's 'Supremacy'

    The controversial end to New York City Mayor Eric Adams' historic criminal corruption prosecution could threaten the Southern District of New York's privileged status within the Justice Department and its leverage over other districts when it comes to vying for the lead on high-profile cases, experts say.

  • April 03, 2025

    Trump FCC Nominee Set For Senate Hearing Next Week

    The Senate Commerce Committee will hold an April 9 confirmation hearing on Olivia Trusty, the White House nominee for a third Republican seat on the Federal Communications Commission.

  • April 03, 2025

    Nadine Menendez Trial Paused Due To Health Concerns

    Nadine Menendez's trial on charges that she facilitated bribe payments for her husband, former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, was paused for the week Thursday morning after the defendant appeared to be in discomfort and expressed unspecified health concerns.

  • April 03, 2025

    IRS Considering 16 Additions To List Of Taxable Substances

    The Internal Revenue Service is seeking comments on proposals from four companies to add 16 chemicals to the Internal Revenue Code's list of taxable substances, the agency said.

  • April 02, 2025

    RealPage Sues Berkeley Over Rent Pricing Software Ban

    RealPage on Wednesday asked a California federal judge to block Berkeley, California's impending ordinance prohibiting the use of software to set rent prices, claiming the ban is unconstitutional and based on the "groundless" claim that the algorithmic real estate pricing company's software has contributed to rising rent.

  • April 02, 2025

    Perkins Coie Urges Court To End Trump's 'Assault' On Firm

    Perkins Coie LLP on Wednesday asked a D.C. federal judge to permanently block enforcement of President Donald Trump's "unconstitutional assault" on the firm and the rule of law, filing a summary judgment bid the same day the federal government pushed for the firm's suit to be tossed.

  • April 02, 2025

    'Zero Support In The Bar': Judiciary Downsizes Amicus Project

    Faced with wide-ranging opposition and potential constitutional challenges, federal judiciary advisers Wednesday sharply scaled back plans to strengthen scrutiny of amicus briefs, a retreat that won praise from disparate corners of the legal industry.

  • April 02, 2025

    Narrowed Challenge To RI Offshore Wind Project Proceeds

    A D.C. federal judge narrowed a suit seeking to halt work on Revolution Wind, a wind farm project off the coast of Rhode Island, tossing claims brought under three separate federal laws and dismissing claims brought by numerous plaintiffs under other environmental and wildlife protection, and historic preservation laws.

  • April 02, 2025

    Wis. Town Asks Court To Vacate 500-Acre Land Trust Order

    A Wisconsin town has asked a federal judge to hand it a win in its challenge against a U.S. Department of the Interior Board of Indian Appeals decision affirming that eight properties totaling nearly 500 acres may be held in trust for the Oneida Nation.

  • April 02, 2025

    5th Circ. Presses Jackson, Miss., About Lead Levels In Water

    A Fifth Circuit panel pressed the city of Jackson, Mississippi, about its allegedly slipshod handling of lead contamination in city drinking water during oral arguments Wednesday, with one judge saying city officials seemingly "very artfully avoided" questions about poisoned drinking water to skirt culpability.

  • April 02, 2025

    NIH Sued By Researchers Over 'Ideological Purge' On Grants

    The American Public Health Association and others sued the federal government in Massachusetts federal court on Wednesday over the cancellations of billions of dollars worth of National Institutes of Health research grants on such issues as gender identity, diversity, vaccine hesitancy and climate change, claiming the "ideological purge" is illegal.

  • April 02, 2025

    DC Judge Probes EPA's Reasons For Freezing Climate Funds

    A D.C. federal judge on Wednesday pressed a U.S. Department of Justice lawyer about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's explanation for cutting off $20 billion in grant money for climate change projects as a trio of nonprofits seek to turn the funding back on.

  • April 02, 2025

    Justices' Ghost Gun Decision Worrisome Win For Gun Control

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision upholding a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives rule restricting so-called ghost gun kits is a clear-cut win for gun control proponents, but experts said it also signals a problematic shift to a supervisory role for the courts.

Expert Analysis

  • Implementation, Constitutional Issues With Birthright Order

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    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

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    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.

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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'

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    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

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    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.

  • 6 Laws Transforming Calif.'s Health Regulatory Framework

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    Attorneys at Hooper Lundy discuss a number of new California laws that raise pressing issues for independent physicians and small practice groups, ranging from the use of artificial intelligence to wage standards for healthcare employees.

  • Cos. Should Prepare For Mexican Payments Surveillance Tool

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    The recent designation of six Mexican cartels as "specially designated global terrorists" will allow the Treasury Department to scrutinize nearly any Mexico-related payment through its Terrorist Finance Tracking Program — a rigorous evaluation for which even sophisticated sanctions compliance programs are not prepared, says Jeremy Paner at Hughes Hubbard.

  • How Foreign Cos. Should Prep For New UK Fraud Law

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    As the U.K. prepares to hold companies criminally liable for failing to prevent fraudulent acts of their associates, U.S. and global companies should review their compliance measures against the broad language of this new offense, which could permit prosecution of acts committed entirely abroad, say attorneys at Latham & Watkins.

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