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Public Policy
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October 24, 2025
NY AG Pleads Not Guilty, Says Prosecutor's Appt. Is 'Unlawful'
New York Attorney General Letitia James pled not guilty in Virginia federal court Friday to mortgage-related fraud charges that she says are part of President Donald Trump's revenge campaign against his perceived political foes, teeing up a fight over a White House-appointed prosecutor's legal authority.
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October 23, 2025
Texas Dials Up Exposure With App Store, Telemarketing Laws
A new Texas age verification law and sweeping revisions to the state's telemarketing statute are poised to saddle the broad universe of companies that support mobile apps and disseminate marketing texts with new obligations that will open them up to more lawsuits and other legal risks, unless opponents find success with fledgling constitutional challenges.
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October 23, 2025
Gov't Defends Holding Noncitizens On Overseas Bases
A Trump administration attorney told a D.C. federal judge Thursday that the government can hold noncitizen detainees on U.S. military installations all over the world if it wanted to, a claim that a lawyer challenging immigration detention at Guantanamo Bay called "unprecedented" and clearly wrong.
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October 23, 2025
Pa. Justices Won't Undo General Contractors' Injury Immunity
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court gave an injured worker a chance to convince the court to "overrule our decades-old precedent" that a general contractor shares subcontractors' immunity to suits brought under the state's workers' compensation law, but on Wednesday said he failed in his plight.
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October 23, 2025
Wash. Justices Point To Student SA Case In Hazing Death Suit
The Washington State Supreme Court appeared split Thursday on whether an Evergreen State university could be liable for a fraternity pledge's alcohol-related death after an off-campus hazing ritual, given the justices' 2024 ruling the same school had no duty to protect a student from rape at an off-campus party. Â
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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.
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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. Â
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.Â
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Expert Analysis
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2 Appellate Rulings Offer Clickwrap Enforcement Road Map
Two recent decisions from the Fourth and Eleventh Circuits in cases involving Experian signal that federal appellate courts are recognizing clickwrap agreements' power in spite of their simplicity, and offer practical advice on how companies can sufficiently demonstrate notice and assent when attempting to enforce contractual terms, says Brian Willett at Saul Ewing.
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How Tariffs Can Affect Event Studies In Securities Litigation
When the control period is calm and the event window is stormy — often the case with breaking political or economic developments, like President Donald Trump's recent tariff announcements — traditional event study methodology can increase the risk of misleading conclusions in securities litigation, say economic consultants at NERA.
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A Look At Robinson-Patman Enforcement In The MLM Industry
The Federal Trade Commission's recent focus on price discrimination in high-profile speeches and litigation suggests a renewed interest around Robinson-Patman Act enforcement, particularly in multilevel marketing, making it an apt time for direct sellers to audit their pricing, say Katrina Eash at Winston & Strawn and Juliet Belling Warren and Branko Jovanovic at Edgeworth Economics.
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A Former PTAB Judge Weighs The End Of Remote Hearings
Former Patent Trial and Appeal Board Judge Amanda Wieker, now at McGuireWoods, examines the costs and benefits of the PTAB's impending in-person hearing requirement, and offers suggestions for making the most out of this new regime.
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How Proposed FAA Rule May Streamline Drone Operations
The Federal Aviation Administration's recent proposed rule on autonomous drone delivery operations offers a more streamlined approach, by shifting away from the current pilot-centered framework and placing safety and operational responsibility at the level of the operator's organization, say Amanda Losacco and Jessica Monahan at Cozen O'Connor.
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What To Expect From 401(k) Plan Alternative Assets Order
The executive order this month making it easier for retirement plans to invest in alternative assets, including private equity, real estate and digital assets, marks a watershed moment for democratizing access to private markets, but the U.S. Department of Labor's anticipated formal rulemaking will also be impactful, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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The Future Of Lab-Test Regs After FDA Rescinds Rule
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently rescinded its laboratory-developed tests rule in response to a Texas federal court decision this spring, reinforcing a separation of authority between the FDA and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and calling into question the FDA's role in overseeing such tests without congressional action, say attorneys at Venable.
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How AI Is Easing Digital Asset Recovery In Fraud Cases
In combination with recent legislation and a maturing digital asset infrastructure, artificial intelligence tools are making it easier to recover stolen assets, giving litigants a more specific understanding of financial fraud earlier in the process and making it economically feasible to pursue smaller fraud claims, says Solomon Shinerock at Lewis Baach.
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Fleeing Or Just Leaving Quickly? 2nd Circ. Says It Depends
The Second Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Bardakova decision adopted a new approach for determining whether a defendant who commits a crime in the U.S., and then leaves and remains abroad, intends to avoid prosecution — making it more difficult to argue against the fugitive disentitlement doctrine in most cases, say attorneys at MoloLamken.
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Sanctions Considerations For Reentering The Syrian Market
Reentering or opening new markets in Syria, now that the Trump administration has revoked certain long-standing sanctions and export controls, necessitates increased due diligence and best practices capable of adapting to a changing local environment as well as future changes in U.S. law, say attorneys at Nixon Peabody.
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What 2 Profs Noticed As Transactional Law Students Used AI
After a semester using generative artificial intelligence tools with students in an entrepreneurship law clinic, we came away with numerous observations about the opportunities and challenges such tools present to new transactional lawyers, say professors at Cornell Law School.
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Despite SEC Reset, Private Crypto Securities Cases Continue
While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the Trump administration has charted a new approach to crypto regulation, the industry still lacks comprehensive rules of the road, meaning private plaintiffs continue to pursue litigation, and application of securities laws to crypto-assets will be determined by the courts, say attorneys at Skadden.
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State AGs Are Turning Up The Antitrust Heat On ESG Actions
Recent antitrust developments from red state attorneys general continue a trend of environmental, social and governance scrutiny, and businesses exposed to these areas should conduct close examinations of strategy and potential material risk, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Crypto Custody Guidelines Buoy Both Banks And Funds
A statement released last month by banking regulators — highlighting risks that the agencies expect banks holding crypto-assets to mitigate — may encourage more traditional institutions to offer crypto-asset safekeeping and thereby offer asset managers more options for qualified custodians to custody crypto-assets for their clients, say attorneys at Dechert.
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Top Takeaways From Trump's AI Action Plan
President Donald Trump's AI Action Plan represents some notable evolution in U.S. policy, including affirmation of the administration's trend toward prioritizing artificial intelligence innovation over guardrails and toward supporting greater U.S. private sector reach overseas, say attorneys at WilmerHale.