AFGE opposed the changes, arguing that the rule violates the ALA and the APA. The Office of Personnel Management has finalized regulations that formally authorize federal agencies to use administrative leave as a workforce restructuring tool, including in deferred resignation programs and certain reduction-in-force situations, while also establishing new restrictions on how such leave may be used. The rule takes effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. The final rule amends…

Preempting state review of unlisted registered offerings could remove key safeguards and create incentives for exploitation and fraud. The North American Securities Administrators Association has reaffirmed its opposition to an SEC proposal that would preempt state review of unlisted SEC-registered offerings. Responding to a recommendation from the SEC's Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee, NASAA argues that state-level review provides guardrails and that removing them could…

Federal agencies would be barred from using automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) or other “automated mass surveillance systems” under legislation introduced by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) and six Democratic co-sponsors. The Get the Flock Out of Our Communities Act (H.R. 10807 , 119th Cong. (2026)), which is named after Flock Safety, a leading ALPR vendor, “is the only bill in Congress designed to completely prohibit the use of automated mass surveillance technology, including biometric…

A negligence-per-se claim premised on alleged federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act adulteration and misbranding violations does not present a substantial federal question. In a multidistrict litigation involving alleged adulteration and misbranding of baby food, the federal district court in California dismissed the suit for lack of federal question subject matter jurisdiction. Despite the parties’ written submissions in which all agreed the complaint presents a sufficient federal question,…

Gould said the OCC may pursue additional regulatory changes after finding that large banks used reputation-risk policies to influence access to financial services. Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan V. Gould, in remarks on the debanking of coal, firearms, and other industries, said an Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) review found that all nine large national banks examined had reputation-risk policies that allowed political considerations, public opinion, and social pressures…

The court found that Weekend Warrior failed to state a claim for either direct or contributory copyright infringement due to lack of volitional conduct on Google’s part, among other things. An Ohio federal district court has dismissed a complaint made by Weekend Warrior Clothing, LLC (WW), an online clothing company that sells T-shirts. WW alleged that merchants selling products that infringe on WW’s copyrighted designs take advantage of Google, LLC’s Shopping Ads program to sell their…

The consumers distinguished the relevant online marketplace as a “two-sided” online platform mediating sales transactions between willing sellers and buyers. Two consumers, one a resident of Texas, the other a resident of the State of Washington, have brought a putative class action against Apple Inc. and Amazon.com, Inc. under Section 1 of the Sherman Act. The consumers allege that Apple and Amazon unlawfully agreed to eliminate or at least substantially reduce the competitive threat posed by…

The serviceman failed to establish that either contractor designed, manufactured, or supplied asbestos-containing materials to which he was exposed during military service. In an action brought by a former Air Force nuclear weapons specialist diagnosed with mesothelioma, a federal district court in Louisiana granted summary judgment to two contractors involved in the United States’ nuclear weapons program. The court found insufficient evidence that the insulation used in tritium shipping…

“Plaintiffs lack a protectable First Amendment interest in speech that is prohibited by the Contractors Order because they lack an interest in speech that is prohibited by federal antidiscrimination law.” Denying a request by five organizations whose members include government contractors to preliminarily enjoin an executive order issued by President Trump in March 2026—which directs executive departments and agencies to ensure that agreements with contractors and subcontractors include…