Public Infrastructure

Nondelegation doctrine doesn’t nix FCC funding program for internet and phone service, Supreme Court rules

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Friday that a program to fund internet and communications services for underserved areas does not violate the nondelegation doctrine.

Jun 27, 2025 10:00 AM CDT

Supreme Court narrows scope of environmental reviews

The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously narrowed the scope of government-required environmental reviews for major infrastructure projects, overturning a lower-court block on a rail line in Utah that would carry billions of gallons of oil. The case became a proxy battle over how far federal agencies may go in assessing the environmental impact of highways, pipelines and other projects before deciding whether to approve them.

May 29, 2025 2:38 PM CDT

SCOTUS rejects 5th Circuit’s narrow ‘moment of threat’ test to evaluate officer’s shooting of fleeing man

Updated: The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled Thursday that a federal appeals court used a too-narrow time frame to evaluate whether a police officer’s fatal shooting of a fleeing man was reasonable under the Fourth Amendment.

May 15, 2025 11:51 AM CDT

After US prosecutors mistakenly file confidential memo, is their challenge to congestion pricing doomed?

Federal prosecutors have been kicked off a challenge to congestion pricing in New York City after they mistakenly filed a confidential memo saying the government is “very unlikely” to be successful.

Apr 28, 2025 9:51 AM CDT

No Horsing Around: What’s considered a ‘vehicle’ when it comes to drunk driving laws?

A horse is a horse, of course. But can a horse be considered a “vehicle” if you’re charged with riding it while drunk? Well, it depends. Police can charge a person with impaired driving while operating just about anything—from horse drawn carriages to riding lawn mowers.

Apr 21, 2025 8:55 AM CDT

Future Forward: How lawyers can embrace sustainability

Sustainable development means more than “being green,” says John Dernbach, an emeritus professor at Widener University Commonwealth Law School and the founding director of its Environmental Law and Sustainability Center. Rather, he says, sustainable development balances environmental protection, economic development and social justice.

Apr 1, 2025 3:00 AM CDT

Going Green: Oday Salim works with Michigan Law students to amend city code

Oday Salim and his students at the University of Michigan Law School have launched a new partnership with the city of Dearborn to create a healthier and more sustainable environment for its residents.

Apr 1, 2025 12:45 AM CDT

Ex-Wisconsin justice who led election review should be compelled to sit for deposition in ethics case, motion says

A former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice should be compelled to sit for a deposition before a disciplinary review board, a lawyer for the Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation argued in a Feb. 28 motion.

Mar 6, 2025 10:00 AM CST

6th Circuit strikes down FCC’s net neutrality rules

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit struck down the FCC’s “net neutrality” rules governing internet service providers on Thursday, in an early policy win for Republicans seeking to reverse Biden-era industry regulation.

Jan 2, 2025 2:45 PM CST

Apple agrees to $95M settlement in Siri privacy class-action case

Apple has agreed to end a five-year legal battle over user privacy related to its virtual assistant Siri with a $95 million payout to affected customers, according to a preliminary settlement.

Jan 2, 2025 2:30 PM CST

Justice Department IG seeks new protections on seizing communications of lawmakers, journalists

The Justice Department during Donald Trump’s first presidential term used concerning and surreptitious tactics to obtain communications from members of Congress, their staffers and news reporters as prosecutors investigated public leaks of sensitive government information, according to a report released Tuesday by the Justice Department’s inspector general.

Dec 10, 2024 1:15 PM CST

Supreme Court will consider reviving another curb on agency power known as nondelegation doctrine

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to consider whether Congress and the Federal Communications Commission violated the nondelegation doctrine in a challenge to fees imposed on telecommunications carriers to help provide service in underserved areas.

Nov 25, 2024 12:03 PM CST

DOJ seeks forced sale of Chrome, other big changes at Google in monopoly case

The Justice Department is seeking to force Google to sell off its Chrome browser and make other major changes to remedy its illegal search monopoly, prosecutors told a Washington court Wednesday, setting a marker in the landmark case before the incoming Trump administration makes its own determinations about how to proceed.

Nov 21, 2024 3:48 PM CST

FCC slashes cost of phone calls for inmates, capping decades-long effort

The cost of phone calls will drop dramatically for incarcerated people under new rules that federal regulators have approved, concluding a decades-long effort to provide relief to the nation’s 2 million inmates and their families.

Jul 22, 2024 8:21 AM CDT

Norfolk Southern reaches $600 million settlement in East Palestine lawsuit

Norfolk Southern announced Tuesday that it had agreed to a $600 million settlement to resolve a string of lawsuits the railroad faced after last year’s train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, a resolution that lawyers say could help thousands of affected residents.

Apr 10, 2024 3:00 PM CDT