Public Policy

  • April 17, 2025

    Think Tank Urges FCC To Drop $4.5M Fine Against Telnyx

    A think tank claimed Thursday the Federal Communications Commission went too far when floating a nearly $4.5 million fine against a telecom for alleged robocall violations and that due process concerns call for rescinding the penalty.

  • April 17, 2025

    Top Democrats Urge DOJ To Defend GAO's Legislative Status

    Three top House Democrats are looking for assurances from the U.S. Department of Justice that it will "zealously defend" a government watchdog in upcoming litigation by a conservative legal organization that challenges its status in the government.

  • April 17, 2025

    DC Circ. Seems Torn On White House Press Pool Ban On AP

    A D.C. Circuit panel seemed conflicted Thursday as it considered the Trump administration's bid to pause a court order restoring the Associated Press' access to the White House press pool and other events with President Donald Trump.

  • April 17, 2025

    Arkansas Bans PBMs From Owning Pharmacies

    Pharmacy benefit managers operating in Arkansas will soon be prohibited from owning pharmacies in the state after Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill that lawmakers say is meant to minimize conflicts of interest and safeguard patients.

  • April 17, 2025

    Tribal Members Fight Bid To Transfer Canadian Tariff Dispute

    Four members of Montana's Blackfeet Nation are fighting a motion by the federal government to transfer their bid to block several Trump administration orders and proclamations imposing tariffs on Canadian goods, arguing there's no legal basis for the move to the U.S. Court of International Trade.

  • April 17, 2025

    Globalstar Pushes For Feds' OK On Mobile Satellite Plan

    Globalstar is pressing its bid for the Federal Communications Commission to approve its plan for a U.S. mobile satellite service using licensed spectrum in what's known as the "Big LEO" band.

  • April 17, 2025

    Fla. Arrest Defies Court Order Blocking Anti-Migrant Law

    Florida authorities have arrested an individual under a new law criminalizing the entry of unauthorized migrants into the state despite a federal court order temporarily barring enforcement of the law.

  • April 17, 2025

    DC Circ. Refreezes EPA Climate Grant Funds

    The D.C. Circuit has paused a federal court's order directing Citibank to start disbursing funds to nonprofits undertaking climate change projects that were appropriated by Congress to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during the Biden administration.

  • April 17, 2025

    Music Rights Orgs. Trade Barbs In Copyright Office Inquiry

    The organizations responsible for getting musical artists their royalty payments sparred with each other in comments to the U.S. Copyright Office, with one legacy organization accusing newer entrants of insufficient transparency, and one of those competitors in turn alleging "anticompetitive practices" by the established players.

  • April 17, 2025

    Program To Speed Up Climate Change Patent Exams Axed

    Federal patent officials have officially pulled the plug on a program that sped up examination of patent applications for inventions that are intended to mitigate climate change, after suspending it earlier this year.

  • April 17, 2025

    Judge Accused Of Sexting, Misusing Bench For Ex-Client

    A Colorado state judge improperly used his position to help a former client with legal advice and exchanged sexually explicit texts with her while on the bench, according to a judicial disciplinary complaint that also alleged the judge failed to disclose their "prior sexting" when he later presided over her case.

  • April 17, 2025

    Wash. Justices Strike Down Spokane's Homeless Camp Law

    The Washington Supreme Court said a voter-approved initiative restricting encampments for homeless people in Spokane is unconstitutional, in an opinion Thursday that said the measure exceeds the scope of local initiative power because it impermissibly "tinkers" with a policy the city had previously adopted.

  • April 17, 2025

    Lawmakers Probing Fire Truck Manufacturing For PE Harms

    A bipartisan pair of senators has launched an investigation into the alleged adverse effects of private-equity driven consolidation in the multibillion dollar fire truck industry.

  • April 17, 2025

    Trump Can't Reboot 'Remain In Mexico' Policy Amid Litigation

    A California federal judge on Wednesday blocked the Trump administration from re-implementing its so-called Remain in Mexico policy while an immigrants' rights group challenges it, finding the group's "core" business activities will be irreparably harmed without a stay and the group is likely to win its First Amendment claims.

  • April 17, 2025

    FCC Getting An Earful On Creating GPS Backstop

    Industries ranging from broadcast to broadband are giving the Federal Communications Commission their two cents on how to build an Earth-based network to reinforce the Global Positioning System, offering regulators a full menu of options to move ahead.

  • April 17, 2025

    AG Tells Nebraska City Shops To Stop Selling Synthetic THC

    The Nebraska attorney general on Thursday announced his office was sending cease and desist letters to Nebraska City shops that it found to be selling hemp products containing synthetic THC.

  • April 17, 2025

    CFPB Mass Layoffs Resume, Hitting All Corners Of Agency

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's acting Director Russell Vought moved Thursday to resume mass firings at the agency, prompting a scramble from its employee union to head off a torrent of pink slips terminating the vast majority of the agency's workforce.

  • April 17, 2025

    Students Sue DHS In Ill. Over Terminated Records And Visas

    Eight unnamed international students sued President Donald Trump and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Illinois federal court Thursday, saying DHS terminated student and exchange visitor information system records without due process or legal justification, barring them from continuing to study or work and risking their detention and deportation.

  • April 17, 2025

    Pot Cos. Can't Get Block On Mich. City Licensing Fees

    A Michigan federal judge won't block the enforcement of cannabis licensing fees by the city of Grand Rapids, finding the companies objecting to the fees haven't shown they face irreparable harm without an injunction.

  • April 17, 2025

    Trump Admin Resumes Funding Texas Refugee Program

    The Trump administration has released funding for Harris County, Texas' refugee resettlement program following a lawsuit the county filed last week against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the county's attorney announced Wednesday.

  • April 17, 2025

    AFL-CIO, Unions Can Pursue Some DOGE Access Claims

    The AFL-CIO, unions and advocacy groups may pursue allegations that Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency lacks the power to access data from the U.S. Department of Labor and other federal agencies, a D.C. federal judge ruled while tossing some claims under federal administrative and privacy law.

  • April 17, 2025

    Harvard Says No Grounds For IRS To Deny Tax-Exempt Status

    Harvard University said Thursday that there is no legal basis to rescind its tax-exempt status amid an investigation by President Donald Trump's administration into whether the university has violated the terms of that status.

  • April 17, 2025

    Jenner & Block Fights DOJ Bid To Toss Exec Order Suit

    Jenner & Block LLP on Thursday urged a D.C. federal court to reject the government's bid to dismiss its lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's executive order targeting the firm, saying the "legal profession as a whole is watching."

  • April 17, 2025

    Ga. Judge Leaning Toward Foreign Students In DHS Suit

    A Georgia federal judge said on Thursday that she was likely to grant an injunction restoring more than 130 international current and former college students to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security database after their records were allegedly deleted, a move the students said made them ineligible to attend school and put them at risk of wrongful deportation.

  • April 17, 2025

    Sacramento Says Dormant Commerce Doesn't Apply To Pot

    The city of Sacramento told the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday that a federal district judge was correct to toss a constitutional challenge to the city's cannabis licensure program, saying the dormant commerce clause does not apply to a federally illegal industry.

Expert Analysis

  • How Citizen Petitions Have Affected Drug Competition

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    In light of recent citizen petitions and proposed legislation regulating such petitions, Omar Robles at Managing Health analyzes the statistics of the extent to which citizen petitions have been filed, and to what extent they have delayed competition in prescription pharmaceuticals.

  • Texas Fraud Case Shows Dangers Of Faulty Crypto Reporting

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    The recent sentencing of a man who failed to properly report capital gains from bitcoin sales is a reminder that special attention must be given to the IRS' reporting requirements in order to stay out of the government's crosshairs, says Saverio Romeo at Fox Rothschild.

  • Potential Impacts Of IRS' $1M Affiliate Pay Deduction Cap

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    If finalized, a recent Internal Revenue Service proposal expanding Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code to include the highly compensated employees of affiliates would make tracking which executives may be subject to the limit from year to year far more complex, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • 5 Keys To Building Stronger Attorney-Client Relationships

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    Attorneys are often focused on being seen as the expert, but bonding with clients and prospects by sharing a few key personal details provides the basis for a caring, trusted and profoundly deeper business relationship, says Deb Feder at Feder Development.

  • Justices' TikTok Ruling May Pose Threat To Online Expression

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent landmark ruling upholding a federal law mandating TikTok's forced divestiture in the name of data security may embolden digital censorship agendas worldwide, says IP lawyer Bahram Jafari.

  • Suggestions For CFTC Enforcement's New Leadership

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    The recent change in leadership at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission presents an opportunity to reflect on past practices and consider opportunities for improvement at the commission's Enforcement Division, including in observing precedent and providing greater enforcement transparency, say attorneys at Clifford Chance.

  • What SDNY Judge Can And Can't Do In Adams Case

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    The federal judge in the Southern District of New York overseeing the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams deferred making a decision on the government's motion to dismiss the indictment, and while he does have limited authority to deny the motion, that would ultimately be a futile gesture, says Ethan Greenberg at Anderson Kill.

  • Assessing PE Risk After Mass. False Claims Act Amendments

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    A law recently passed in Massachusetts amends the commonwealth's False Claims Act by dramatically expanding potential liability for private equity firms and investors, underscoring the importance of robust diligence and risk assessments for private equity firms conducting transactions in the commonwealth, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • How Crypto Firms Should Approach Patchwork Of State Laws

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    The Money Transmission Modernization Act was designed to create uniformity across state digital regulations, but the reality remains far from consistent — as demonstrated by the patchwork of laws in states like Texas, Vermont, New York and California — so as state legislatures convene in the coming weeks, crypto firms should watch closely for developments that could shape the regulatory landscape, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • A Path Forward For Cos. Amid Trump's Anti-DEIA Efforts

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    Given the Trump administration’s recent efforts targeting corporate diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs — including threatening possible criminal prosecution — companies should carefully tailor their DEIA initiatives to comply with both the letter and the spirit of antidiscrimination law, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • The Current And Future State Of Bank-Fintech Partnerships

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    Though the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under President Donald Trump seems likely to cultivate an environment friendlier to the financial services industry, bank-fintech partnerships should stay devoted to proactive compliance and be ready to adapt to regulatory shifts that may intensify scrutiny from enforcers, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Chancery Ruling Holds Authorized Share Takeaways For Cos.

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    The Delaware Chancery Court’s recent ruling in Salama v. Simon resolved statutory ambiguity in favor of boards seeking authorized share increases, and has important implications for litigators presenting extrinsic evidence in support of contract or statutory interpretation arguments, says Robin Wechkin at Sidley.

  • What Trump Actions Mean For Federal Research Funding

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    New guidance from the National Institutes of Health represents a massive policy shift regarding federal funding for researchers at institutions of higher education, contributing to a perfect storm of significant resource shortfalls in upcoming years, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Opinion

    NFT Bill Needs Refining To Effectively Regulate Digital Assets

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    A recent bill in the U.S. House proposing to regulate nonfungible tokens as digital assets would leave key concepts undefined until the U.S. comptroller general completes an after-the-fact study of NFTs, showing it needs more work before it is comprehensive enough to meaningfully protect the market, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

  • How The AI Antitrust Landscape Might Evolve Under Trump

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    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.

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