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Public Policy

  • October 23, 2025

    USPTO'S October Layoffs Affected 126 Workers

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's recent layoffs have affected 126 workers, who will be removed from the agency's books by Dec. 9, according to a notice filed with the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.

  • October 23, 2025

    Wash. Justices Skeptical Of Debtor's Collection Notice Stance

    Washington Supreme Court justices appeared wary Thursday of second-guessing a Seattle federal judge who asked them to decide whether a hospital billing disclosure law applies to debt collectors, as the plaintiff in the underlying proposed class action pressed the court to "reformulate" the certified question.  

  • October 23, 2025

    Ex-Mich. Speaker Aide Cops To Embezzlement, Will Testify

    A former top staffer for former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield pled guilty to embezzling from a political nonprofit while working for the state and, as part of a plea deal, has agreed to provide "truthful testimony in future hearings," according to an announcement made Thursday.

  • October 23, 2025

    NY AG Sues Vape Shop Owners For Selling To Kids

    New York's attorney general is looking to permanently shut down two smoke shops and ban their owners from ever working in the vape industry again, claiming they flagrantly sold illegal flavored vapes to customers including children, according to a petition filed Oct. 23.

  • October 23, 2025

    Ky. Rep. Revives Attempt To Abolish PTAB, Expand Eligibility

    U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said Thursday he's again attempting to overhaul the patent system, including abolishing the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, normalizing injunctions and broadening what can be patented.

  • October 23, 2025

    Debt Co. Owner Says sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Erred With $5.8M Restitution Bid

    A U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau bid for $5.8 million in restitution against a manager of a now-shuttered debt relief company should be denied because it does not take into account refunds that customers have already received, a California federal judge has been told.

  • October 23, 2025

    Split DC Circ. Won't Lift Block On FTC's Media Matters Probe

    A divided D.C. Circuit panel refused Thursday to let the Federal Trade Commission subpoena Media Matters for America while the agency appeals an order blocking that probe, crediting district courts' findings of "seemingly unusual and unprecedented" facts suggesting the investigation is retaliation for reporting about Nazi content on X.

  • October 23, 2025

    Ex-SVB Top Brass Can't Ditch FDIC Suit Over 2023 Collapse

    Silicon Valley Bank's former CEO and several other past members of the bank's top brass must face a suit from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. accusing them of mismanagement that led to the bank's costly 2023 failure, a California federal judge has ruled.

  • October 23, 2025

    9th Circ. Calls For Evidence Hearing Over ICE Facility Access

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday partially remanded the Washington State Department of Health's lawsuit accusing GEO Group of illegally blocking access to an immigration facility for safety inspections, calling for an evidentiary hearing into how the refusal for access played out.

  • October 23, 2025

    Energy Cos. Face Permit, Regulatory Delays Due To Shutdown

    Energy companies are starting to feel the pinch of the federal government shutdown, as scaled-back operations and new furlough announcements at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency threaten the approval of needed permits and the issuance of highly anticipated regulations.

  • October 23, 2025

    Columbia-Based Advocate Sues For Law Firms' DEI Details

    A free speech institute at Columbia University told a New York federal court Thursday that President Donald Trump's administration effectively denied its requests for information related to the government's demands that law firms supply details about their diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

  • October 23, 2025

    11th Circ. Halts Fla. Detention Center Appeal Amid Shutdown

    The Eleventh Circuit has stayed an appeal over the operation of a Florida Everglades immigrant detention center dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" after the government requested a halt to proceedings due to the federal government shutdown. 

  • October 23, 2025

    Legislation May Fix Tax Court Jurisdiction Feud, Judge Says

    Senate legislation to expand the U.S. Tax Court's authority to order refunds and credits in collection cases could settle a long-running dispute revived by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to limit the tax tribunal's jurisdiction, a judge said Thursday.

  • October 23, 2025

    Calif. Tribe Joins Suit Seeking To Halt Barred Owl Culling Plan

    An Oregon federal judge has let the Yurok Tribe intervene in an animal advocacy group's lawsuit seeking to block the U.S. government from killing thousands of protected barred owls as a means to save the threatened northern spotted owl, saying the tribe has a specific interest in the action.

  • October 23, 2025

    Judge Axes Va. Homeowner's Suit Over Marine Base Security

    A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge on Oct. 23 tossed a Quantico, Virginia, homeowner's takings suit against the federal government, which was accused of taking her property without just compensation by having military base-related restrictions that impeded her attempts to use the property as a short-term rental.

  • October 23, 2025

    Full 5th Circ. Asked To Rehear Texas Bankers' OCC Dispute

    Two former Texas bankers have asked the full Fifth Circuit to revive their constitutional challenge to an in-house Office of the Comptroller of the Currency enforcement case, arguing that the appellate panel's decision to reject their appeal wrongly stripped them of their right to a jury trial and handed banking agencies "unlimited discretion" to prosecute old misconduct.

  • October 23, 2025

    Ex-ComEd CEO Asks 7th Circ. For Bail Pending Appeal

    Former Exelon Utilities and Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore has renewed her request to remain out of jail while she seeks to unwind her criminal conviction and two-year prison sentence, this time asking the Seventh Circuit for bond ahead of her December surrender date.

  • October 23, 2025

    Ga. Justices Question 'Tesla Carveout' In Direct Car Sales Ban

    Georgia's Supreme Court justices appeared to harbor reservations Thursday about the viability of a state ban on car manufacturers engaging in direct-to-consumer sales, thanks in part to a "Tesla carveout" that allowed the leading electric vehicle maker to continue operating its own dealerships.

  • October 23, 2025

    FCC's Carr Sees Ongoing Consumer Harm From Shutdown

    The head of the Federal Communications Commission warned Thursday that new device and license applications are "just sitting there," creating an FCC backlog, and that other day-to-day but important work remains on hold during the government shutdown.

  • October 23, 2025

    Neb. Republican Says Fiber Critical To Broadband Effort

    A Republican U.S. senator said Thursday she's concerned that rural areas will not receive enough funding for fiber-optic connectivity in the latest round of the government's multibillion-dollar effort to build out broadband to underserved areas.

  • October 23, 2025

    SEC Being Misled In CBD Fraud Fight, CEO Claims

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has "unwittingly" taken the side of a former partner with a terminated licensing agreement, a pharmaceutical CEO told a California federal court this week, asking for summary judgment on the SEC's core claims that he defrauded investors.

  • October 23, 2025

    4th Circ. Pushed To Retain Block On Chemours PFAS Dumping

    A pair of environmental groups is urging the Fourth Circuit to leave in place an injunction blocking The Chemours Co. FC LLC from continuing to discharge so-called forever chemicals into the Ohio River, saying the company is using strawman arguments to get its way.

  • October 23, 2025

    French Legislators Advance 15% DST To Mirror US Tariffs

    France's digital services tax rate would rise from 3% to 15% under an amendment adopted by the lower house of Parliament's Finance Committee, which characterized the action as a "proportionate response" to tariffs imposed by the United States.

  • October 23, 2025

    Judge Says Colorado Online Betting Law Doesn't Violate IGRA

    A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a suit by two Colorado tribes that alleged the state is overreaching by trying to regulate off-reservation online sports betting in violation of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and tribal gaming compacts.

  • October 23, 2025

    Tech Org. Calls Next-Gen TV Tuner Mandate Bad Idea

    As the Federal Communications Commission solicits opinions on how to usher the industry into the next generation of television broadcasting, a consumer technology trade group is reiterating its argument that the agency should not rush the process and let companies do what they will.

Expert Analysis

  • How New Texas Law Targets ESG Proxy Advice

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    A recently enacted Texas law represents a major shift in how proxy advisory services are regulated in Texas, particularly when recommendations are based on nonfinancial factors like ESG and DEI, but legal challenges underscore the statute’s broader constitutional and statutory implications, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • 8 Compliance Team Strategies To Support Business Agility

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    Amid new regulatory requirements across the globe, compliance functions must design thoughtful guardrails that help business leaders achieve their commercial objectives lawfully — from repurposing existing tools to using technology thoughtfully — instead of defaulting to cumbersome protocols that hinder legitimate business, says Theodore Edelman at GCE Advisors.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Make A Deal

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    Preparing lawyers for the nuances of a transactional practice is not a strong suit for most law schools, but, in practice, there are six principles that can help young M&A lawyers become seasoned, trusted deal advisers, says Chuck Morton at Venable.

  • Annual Report Shows CFIUS Extending Its Reach In 2024

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    The recently released 2024 annual report from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States reveals record civil penalties and enhanced internal capabilities, illustrating expanding jurisdiction and an increasing appetite for enforcement actions, says Nathan Fisher at StoneTurn.

  • Trump Tax Law's Most Impactful Corp. And Individual Changes

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    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act built on and reshaped elements of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including business interest deductions, bonus depreciation and personal income relief, delivering substantial changes to both corporate and individual tax policy, say attorneys at Weil.

  • From Clerkship To Law Firm: 5 Transition Tips For Associates

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    Transitioning from a judicial clerkship to an associate position at a law firm may seem daunting, but by using knowledge gained while clerking, being mindful of key differences and taking advantage of professional development opportunities, these attorneys can flourish in private practice, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Opinion

    Fla. Misses Opportunity To Rectify Wrongful Death Damages

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    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' recent veto of a bill that would have removed certain arbitrary and unfair prohibitions on noneconomic wrongful death damages in medical negligence cases highlights the urgent need for reforms to current state law, say attorneys at Farah & Farah.

  • Cybersecurity Risks Can Lurk In Gov't Contractor Acquisitions

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    The Justice Department’s recent False Claims Act enforcement activity against Raytheon and Nightwing-related defense contractors demonstrates the importance of identifying and mitigating potential cybersecurity compliance risks when acquiring a company that contracts with the federal government, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Budget Act Should Boost Focus On Trade Compliance

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    Passage of the One Big Beautiful Budget Act, coupled with recent U.S. Department of Justice statements that it will use the False Claims Act aggressively to pursue trade, tariff and customs fraud, marks a sharp increase in trade-related enforcement risk, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • NY Bill Would Complicate Labor Law Amid NLRB Uncertainty

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    The New York Legislature passed a bill that, if enacted, would grant state agencies the power to enforce federal labor law, potentially causing significant challenges for employers as they could be subject to both state and federal regulators depending on the National Labor Relations Board's operational status, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Trump Tax Law's Most Consequential International Changes

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    The international tax provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act may result in higher effective tax rates for some multinational corporations, but others, particularly those operating in low-tax jurisdictions, may benefit from alignment with global anti-profit shifting efforts, say attorneys at Weil.

  • Associates Can Earn Credibility By Investing In Relationships

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    As the class of 2025 prepares to join law firms this fall, new associates must adapt to office dynamics and establish credible reputations — which require quiet, consistent relationship-building skills as much as legal acumen, says Kyle Forges at Bast Amron.

  • How 6th Circ. Ruling Deepens Split On Broker Liability

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    A growing divide in Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act jurisprudence is ripe for U.S. Supreme Court review, after the Sixth Circuit last month found in Cox v. Total Quality Logistics that brokers can be held liable for negligent hiring, says Gregory Reed at Hanson Bridgett.

  • How The Genius Act May Aid In Fight Against 'Pig Butchering'

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    ​​​​​​​The recently enacted Genius Act represents a watershed moment in the fight against crypto fraud, providing new tools to freeze and recover funds that are lost to scams such as "pig butchering" schemes executed from scam factories abroad, but there are implementation challenges to watch, say attorneys at Treanor Devlin.

  • Assessing Strategies For Mixed-Use Pro Sports Projects

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    Counsel managing mixed-use sports and entertainment districts must combine expertise ranging from stadium-arena finance to municipal law to public relations into a unified strategy, and a series of practice tips can aid project management from inception to completion, say attorneys at Katten.

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