Regulatory Practice

As billions flow into quantum research, lawyers try to keep up with regulatory, security implications

Nobel laureate physicist Richard Feynman famously said during a 1964 lecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: “I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics.” Lawyers might want to start learning about it.

May 6, 2026 11:47 AM CDT

Supreme Court poised to expand Trump’s power over independent agencies

The Supreme Court on Monday appeared poised to allow President Donald Trump to fire a leader of the Federal Trade Commission, a ruling that could limit or overturn a 90-year-old precedent that curbs executive power to dismiss the heads of agencies Congress set up to be independent.

Dec 8, 2025 12:45 PM CST

Chemerinsky: SCOTUS rulings on shadow docket cases should be fully heard before becoming binding precedent

Should a Supreme Court ruling on its emergency docket be deemed binding precedent in the lower courts? Until recently, I would have thought no, the law would not allow it. Rulings on the emergency docket are without the benefit of full briefing or any oral argument. Often there is little or even no explanation from the court.

Sep 2, 2025 8:51 AM CDT

Supreme Court allows vape companies to pick courts to hear challenges

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a government effort to narrow options for challenging Food and Drug Administration denials of applications to market electronic cigarettes, including flavored products that health officials say have led to a youth vaping epidemic. In a case that centered on questions of venue-shopping, the justices…

Jun 20, 2025 1:27 PM 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

Did FDA engage in unfair ‘regulatory switcheroos’ when rejecting flavored vapes? SCOTUS will decide

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s refusal to approve the marketing of new flavored vaping products.

Jul 2, 2024 2:38 PM CDT

Biden Title IX rules set to protect trans students, survivors of abuse

The Biden administration on Friday finalized sweeping new rules barring schools from discriminating against transgender students and ordering significant changes for how schools adjudicate claims of sexual harassment and assault on campus.

Apr 19, 2024 2:45 PM CDT

Winston & Strawn will provide reduced-cost legal services for routine tasks under Winston Legal Solutions umbrella

Winston & Strawn is offering its clients a lower-cost alternative to outsourced legal services that uses attorneys trained by the law firm for more routine legal tasks.

Apr 4, 2024 2:48 PM CDT

Supreme Court seems poised to halt EPA plan to cut cross-state pollution

The Environmental Protection Agency’s effort to cut emissions from power plants and factories to reduce pollution that blows into neighboring states seems likely to be halted by the Supreme Court, a blow to an ambitious federal initiative that environmentalists have said is necessary to protect people, especially children and the elderly, from lung-damaging smog.

Feb 22, 2024 12:10 PM CST

When it comes to deregulation of the legal industry, divisions run deep

The debate on the deregulation of the legal industry is as highly charged as ever. And while many agree there’s a problem, reaching a consensus on the best way forward has proved elusive.

Nov 16, 2023 2:37 PM CST

6th Circuit sides with OSHA over power to set workplace safety standards

Is Congress’ delegation to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to set workplace safety standards constitutional?

Aug 24, 2023 1:07 PM CDT

Alston & Bird resolves dispute over legal advice during pandemic

Law firm Alston & Bird has resolved a federal lawsuit over its regulatory advice on the imports of hand sanitizing wipes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aug 21, 2023 10:55 AM CDT

Regulate cryptocurrencies and fintech products before it’s too late, urges author

Hilary J. Allen isn't sorry if you find her new book scary. In fact, she's hoping that Driverless Finance: Fintech's Impact on Financial Stability can spook enough people to create momentum for change.

Feb 9, 2022 8:38 AM CST

America’s fights over medical treatment choices didn’t start with COVID-19 and ivermectin

Like the legal profession, the practice of medicine in the United States is highly regulated. But it hasn't always been, and the idea that a person has the right to try the medical therapies of their choice has a much longer history. In Choose Your Medicine: Freedom of Therapeutic Choice in America, law professor Lewis A. Grossman introduces readers to a fractious history with some unexpected combatants—and comrades.

Nov 24, 2021 8:48 AM CST

Ethics opinion gives NY attorneys green light to advise on, partake in cannabis

The New York State Bar Association has announced in an ethics opinion that lawyers may provide legal services to clients in compliance with the state’s new recreational marijuana law.

Jul 12, 2021 12:50 PM CDT