Public Policy

  • April 01, 2025

    Meta Wins Dismissal In Cannabis Logo Copyright Dispute

    A Manhattan federal judge has dismissed a copyright complaint from a "serial IP litigant" who sued Meta Platforms over a cannabis logo used on Facebook to promote a cannabis-themed cruise, saying plaintiff did not own a valid copyright for the logo.

  • April 01, 2025

    Tenn. PBM Statute Conflicts With ERISA, Judge Says

    Tennessee law requiring pharmacy benefits managers to accept "any willing pharmacies" into their network clashes with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, a federal judge ruled, saying the state can't enforce its statute against McKee Foods Corp. or other plans governed by the federal benefits law.

  • April 01, 2025

    Rep. Files Bill To Study LEO Broadband Funding In Appalachia

    A bill introduced by a U.S. House Republican would direct a new study on possibly providing federal aid in Appalachia for low Earth orbit satellite systems that can fill gaps in high-speed connectivity.

  • April 01, 2025

    Unions Re-Up Challenge To Trump's Resignation Offer

    Federal unions have renewed their challenge to the president's deferred resignation offer, expanding on their members' difficulties and the roadblocks they face to fighting the initiative through agency channels in an apparent effort to address flaws underlying their earlier Massachusetts federal court loss.

  • April 01, 2025

    Gun Shield Law Preempts Pennsylvania Parents' Liability Suit

    Firearms manufacturer Springfield Armory Inc. can't be held liable for a boy's death caused after a fellow minor inadvertently shot him, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled, finding constitutional a federal law that shields gunmakers from product liability litigation involving incidents where their products are used during criminal acts.

  • April 01, 2025

    7th Circ. Won't Stay Medicaid Row For High Court Petition

    The Seventh Circuit on Tuesday denied a bid by a Chicago hospital to stay the court's ruling affirming the dismissal of its lawsuit against Illinois seeking to enforce timely Medicaid payments, rejecting the medical facility's argument that proceedings should be paused while it appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court because the case grapples with "a question of national importance."

  • April 01, 2025

    Ga., Army Corps Beat Ala. Challenge To Water Use Plan

    A D.C. federal judge ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did not need congressional approval to increase Georgia's water allocations from a metro Atlanta lake, handing a win to the Army Corps and the Peach State in a decadelong fight with the state of Alabama.

  • April 01, 2025

    Green Groups Sue NY To Spur Climate Regulations

    A coalition of environmental groups have asked a New York judge to order the state to issue overdue regulations needed to meet its ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets.

  • April 01, 2025

    Court Won't Toss FTC's Merger Penalty Case Against 7-Eleven

    A D.C. federal court refused to toss the Federal Trade Commission's case looking to hit 7-Eleven with a $77.5 million penalty for allegedly violating a merger settlement after rejecting arguments that only the U.S. Department of Justice can seek civil penalties for the commission.

  • April 01, 2025

    Willkie Becomes 3rd Firm To Reach Deal With Trump

    After issuing a string of executive orders in recent weeks targeting BigLaw firms, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP had agreed to provide $100 million in pro bono legal services for certain causes and to refrain from what Trump has called discriminatory diversity hiring practices.

  • April 01, 2025

    Undated Mail-In Votes Must Be Counted, Pa. Judge Rules

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has ruled that the state's counties cannot refuse to count mail-in ballots with undated or incorrectly dated outer envelopes, holding that doing so treads on the right to vote.

  • April 01, 2025

    Atlanta Settles Enviro Group's Suit Over 'Cop City' Site

    The city of Atlanta has agreed to settle an environmental group's legal challenge to the construction of its controversial police training center complex, reaching a deal Monday that includes $70,000 in attorney fees for the group and future water quality monitoring.

  • April 01, 2025

    EPA, Citibank Fight States' Bid To Restart Grant Funding

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Citibank on Monday said four state infrastructure financing entities that accuse them of illegally withholding federal grant funding have no grounds to support an effort to get the money flowing again.

  • April 01, 2025

    House Sends Disaster Tax Relief, Other Tax Bills To Senate

    The U.S. House wrapped up two days of work on bipartisan tax relief measures Tuesday, clearing the last of six bills to allow taxpayers affected by natural disasters to qualify for extended deadlines for refund claims and collection notices.

  • April 01, 2025

    Jury Must Rule If Race Bias Decided Fla. District, Panel Says

    A Florida federal court declined to toss a lawsuit brought against state officials alleging gerrymandering, saying a jury must decide whether race was the primary factor in forming a new Tampa-area voting district.

  • April 01, 2025

    Cornell Student Says He Left US Over ICE Detention Threat

    Cornell University doctoral student Momodou Taal said he left the United States just days after a New York federal judge declined to block U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from detaining and deporting him for his Palestinian advocacy.

  • April 01, 2025

    House GOP Infighting Delays Push To Repeal 2 CFPB Rules

    Plans for the U.S. House to vote on overturning two Biden-era Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rules were scuttled Tuesday by an unrelated fight among Republicans about whether to allow proxy voting for lawmakers with infant children.

  • April 01, 2025

    6th Circ. Lets Feds End Whistleblower's NASA Contractor Suit

    The Sixth Circuit stood by a lower court's decision to let the federal government intervene and successfully seek dismissal for a whistleblower's False Claims Act suit against a NASA contractor, applying a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court precedent to back the government's recent tear of dismissal bids in FCA cases.

  • April 01, 2025

    Tyler Tech Denied Early Exit From NC Civil Rights Class Action

    Tyler Technologies, the Texas-based software provider behind North Carolina's transition to a digital court system, can't escape a proposed civil rights class action claiming the new technology led to wrongful arrests and extended jail time, though claims against one sheriff named in the suit were dismissed.

  • April 01, 2025

    Ex-Speaker Gingrich Lends Support To Limited Injunctions Bill

    Former GOP Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich on Tuesday endorsed the idea behind Republican legislation that would require nationwide injunctions imposed by lower courts against White House policies to be quickly brought before the U.S. Supreme Court. 

  • April 01, 2025

    Judges Say Hurricanes May Justify FERC Pipeline Inaction

    Judges on the D.C. Circuit told environmental groups challenging the construction of a liquefied natural gas pipeline and terminal in Puerto Rico Tuesday that the project was likely necessary to keep the island powered through hurricane season even without a full authorization from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

  • April 01, 2025

    Venezuelans Ask Justices To Keep Block On Removals

    Five detained Venezuelans urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to deny President Donald Trump's move to lift a D.C. federal judge's order prohibiting the removal of alleged gang members from the U.S. under the Alien Enemies Act, arguing the president's "staggering" assertion of authority under the wartime law is unsubstantiated.

  • April 01, 2025

    Co. Suggests Chemical For IRS' Taxable Substances List

    The Internal Revenue Service is seeking comments on a proposal by TPC Group Inc. to add a chemical to the Internal Revenue Code's list of taxable substances, the agency said Tuesday.

  • April 01, 2025

    AFL-CIO Backs Oregon's Cannabis Labor Peace Law

    The AFL-CIO has jumped into a legal battle to defend against a constitutional challenge seeking to block implementation of a voter-approved Oregon state law that requires cannabis businesses to have labor peace agreements.

  • April 01, 2025

    Idaho Boosts Property Tax Breaks By $100M

    Idaho will increase tax breaks for property owners in the state starting this year and every year thereafter under a bill signed by the governor.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Series

    Racing Corvettes Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    “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

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    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

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    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

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    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.

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