Connecting Knowledge & People

The Topline: Steptoe Appropriations Newsletter | January 30, 2026

After the House passed the remaining six appropriations bills last week, FY26 funding seemed on track to be finalized this week, following the Senate's return from recess.

United States Government

Steptoe LLP

Blue Cross Advocates For Less Regulation Of AI By States

The Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Working Group of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is developing an artificial intelligence (AI) evaluation tool for use by state insurance regulators.

Hall Benefits Law

Michigan Federal Court Rejects Trump Administration Efforts To Quash Michigan State Action On Climate

Trump Administration efforts to quash state-driven climate action were recently dealt a setback when a Michigan federal court rejected a federal effort to quash state claims focused on the fossil fuel industry.

United States Energy

ArentFox Schiff

Supreme Court Of Kentucky Rules On When Malicious Prosecution Offense Takes Place

Courts often grapple with the timing of malicious prosecution claims in the context of triggering Coverage B under a liability policy when an exoneration takes place years or decades after the initial prosecution takes place.

United States Insurance

Jackson & Campbell

DOJ Announces All-Time High In False Claims Act Recoveries: Healthcare Providers, Government Contractors In The Crosshairs

United States Government

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Arbitration Agreement's Illegible Print Not Automatically Invalid As Unfair

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Update On Real Property Tax Reform: Recent Legislation And Proposed Ohio Constitutional Amendment

United States Tax

Squire Patton Boggs LLP

Full Year HUD Funding Signed Into Law, Ending Short Partial Government Shutdown

United States Real Estate

Ballard Spahr LLP

Video

New York State Amends Law To Limit Use Of Credit Reports In Employment (Video)

Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC

CFTC Issues No-action Relief For Private Fund Managers Pending Potential Reinstatement Of Significant CPO Registration Exemption

United States Finance

A&O Shearman

California's AI Hiring Rules Are Now In Effect—and New Lawsuits Expand Employer Risk

Holland & Hart

NYAG Suit Against Former CEO For Insider Trading Under Martin Act Signals Greater State Securities Enforcement Ahead

United States Commercial

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

NJ's New Disparate Impact Rules Reinforce Employers' Need For Antidiscrimination Vigilance

Jackson Lewis P.C.

2026 AI Policy And Semiconductor Outlook: How Federal Preemption, State AI Laws, And Chip Export Controls Will Shape U.S. Policy

Worldwide Technology

Mintz

Webinars

Key Blind Spots in International Trade: Red Lines, Grey Zones, and Corporate Liability in the Current Landscape

19 Feb 2026 | 4:00 PM

United States

The Wallenstein Law Group

Recorded on 27 Jan 2026 | 3:00 PM

When Harassment Comes From Outside: A Guide To Third-Party Risk Management

BCF Business Law

Recorded on 20 Jan 2026 | 3:00 PM

2026 Canadian In-House Counsel Report: Unparalleled Insights into Canada's In-House Profession from CBA In-House Lawyers

CBA In-House Lawyers

Recorded on 13 Nov 2025 | 3:00 PM

Unlocking IP Department Superpowers: From challenge to opportunity - Success Stories and Best Practices from IP Leaders

Dennemeyer S.A.

Mondaq's Must Reads

Colorado "Opt-Out" Litigation – Petition For Rehearing En Banc And Amicus Briefs In Support

As we previously reported, on November 10, 2025 the Tenth Circuit rendered its 2-1 decision in National Association of Industrial Bankers v. Weiser.

United States Finance

Ballard Spahr LLP

The X Factor In Mediation Success: Why A Consistent Client Experience (CX) Fosters Trust

A recent survey found that 90% of businesses have made customer experience (CX) their primary focus. While that statistic makes complete sense for most business interactions, one might wonder what bearing does it have on the mediation process?

JAMS

Simpson Thacher Sustainability And ESG: Regulatory Update – January 2026

Worldwide Environment

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett

The Trump Gold Card And Proposed Trump Platinum Card: Legal, Practical, Tax, And Economic Considerations For High-Net-Worth Immigrants

United States Immigration

Green and Spiegel

Artificial Intelligence In ADR: A Neutral's Evolving Perspective

JAMS

December 2025 Crypto Update: New Changes And Challenges In U.S. Regulation Of Digital Assets

Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP

Ohio's New E-Verify Workforce Integrity Act: What Construction Employers Need To Know

United States Immigration

Green and Spiegel

Back To School 2025: Title IX Updates And How ADR Can Help Universities Resolve Disputes (Podcast)

JAMS

Food Venture Financing News – Weekly Issue No. 264

United States Commercial

Davis Wright Tremaine

Beyond Checkmate: Lessons From Chess In The Art Of Mediation

JAMS

The Empty Chair At Johannesburg: What It Says About US Power

Steptoe LLP

Trending This Week on Mondaq

Highlighted Content

What Europe's Renewable Energy Struggles Can Teach U.S. Regulators About Dispute System Design

JAMS

Substantial Completion: Close, But The Case Hasn't Settled

JAMS

Mediator-and Arbitrator-Retained Experts In Construction Or Business Disputes

JAMS

The Mediation Timing Dilemma: Four Factors Every General Counsel Should Consider

JAMS

New Year's Resolutions For Mediators (That Actually Change Outcomes)

JAMS

SECURE 2.0: Key Provisions And Tax Planning Implications For American Retirees

United States Tax

Rotfleisch & Samulovitch P.C.

Ohio's New E-Verify Workforce Integrity Act: What Construction Employers Need To Know

United States Immigration

Green and Spiegel

Artificial Intelligence In ADR: A Neutral's Evolving Perspective

JAMS

Beyond Checkmate: Lessons From Chess In The Art Of Mediation

JAMS

The X Factor In Mediation Success: Why A Consistent Client Experience (CX) Fosters Trust

Litigation Dispute Resolution

JAMS

Litigation, Mediation & Arbitration

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Stop The Early MDL Drift: What In-House Counsel Can Do In Week One To Avoid Privilege Chaos Later

Effective December 1, 2025, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure added new Rule 16.1, "Multidistrict Litigation," and amended Rules 16 and 26. The takeaway is straightforward: Rule 16.1 provides valuable structure...

Butler Snow LLP

Hot Off The Presses! The Duane Morris Data Breach Class Action Review – 2026 And The Duane Morris Privacy Class Action Review – 2026!

To that end, the class action team at Duane Morris is pleased to present the third editions of the Data Breach Class Action Review – 2026 and the Privacy Class Action Review – 2026.

Duane Morris LLP

Bakerly v. Seafrigo: A Rare Look Into The Commission's Award Of Attorneys' Fees

The Federal Maritime Commission's (FMC or Commission) recent decision on Seafrigo's petition for attorneys' fees in Bakerly, LLC v. Seafrigo USA, Inc., Dkt. No. 22‑17, offers a rare window into how the FMC...

Holland & Knight

Arizona District Court Underscores The Importance Of Robust E-Signature Authentication For Enforcing Arbitration Agreements

Perkins Coie LLP

District Of Massachusetts Dismisses 93A Claim Despite Choice-of-Law Provision

Greenberg Traurig, LLP

International Arbitration: AI Arbitrator Launched By The AAA-ICDR

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Bifurcation Of Inverse Condemnation Liability Can Be Dispositive Of Remaining Tort Claims

Nossaman LLP

Related Webinars

Recorded on 27 Jan 2026 | 3:00 PM

When Harassment Comes From Outside: A Guide To Third-Party Risk Management

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2026 Canadian In-House Counsel Report: Unparalleled Insights into Canada's In-House Profession from CBA In-House Lawyers

CBA In-House Lawyers

Donald Trump Administration

Covers Donald Trump's Presidency, providing expert thought leadership across the various legal practice areas that may be impacted.

Including but not limited to Employment and HR, Immigration, International Law, Environment Law and Technology.

Washington Update: Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure — February 2026

Federal energy and infrastructure policy saw major movement at the start of 2026, with Congress approving the FY2026 Energy and Water appropriations bill, the Department of Energy announcing a significant reorganization, and the Trump administration advancing new priorities on critical minerals.

United States Energy

Mintz

TPS Is Back-ish For Honduras, Nepal And Nicaragua: I-9s In Limbo

On December 31, 2025, a federal court ruled that the Trump administration unlawfully ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua.

Worldwide Immigration

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

OFAC Issues General License 46, Authorizing Certain Activities Involving Venezuelan-Origin Oil

On January 29, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's OFAC issued GL 46 to authorize a range of operations related to Venezuelan-origin oil otherwise prohibited under U.S. sanctions, ...

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

United States Eases Sanctions On Venezuelan Oil, Furthering President Trump's Vision Of US Companies Reviving The Long-Inaccessible Industry

Bracewell

Trump Signs Executive Order On Institutional Investors And Single-Family Home Purchases

United States Real Estate

Greenberg Traurig, LLP

OFAC Issues General License Easing Sanctions On Venezuelan Oil Sector

Milbank LLP

OFAC Issues General License 46

Worldwide International

Baker Botts LLP

Software De-Simplified: Trump Administration Rescinds Standardized Secure Software Development Attestation Requirements

Crowell & Moring LLP

SEC Enforcement: 2025 In Review

United States Commercial

Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP

Latest Podcasts

Trade Secret Law Evolution Podcast, Episode 85: 2025 Year In Review (Podcast)

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AD Nauseam: New Leadership, New Rules – How NAD Shaped Advertising In 2025 (Podcast)

United States Media & IT

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Mass Arbitration Series, Part 2: JAMS' Process (Podcast)

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AI Use In Employment Decisions (Podcast)

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Smart Radios Weaving Together The "Internet Of Workers" (Podcast)

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United States Consumer

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Upcoming Events

Orange And Purple - 2025 Year In Review

11 Feb 2026

Alfonso Garcia Chan To Deliver Opening Remarks And Speak At The AUTM Annual Meeting 2026 On IP Monetization, Global Patent Strategy, And Technology Transfers

Foley Hoag LLP

Panel

9 Feb 2026

Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP

State Environmental And Energy Actions In Focus: Data Centers, Mass Torts And Other Trends For 2026

United States Energy

WilmerHale

Conference

Operational Efficiency And Environmental Compliance: Finding The Balance

United States Transport

Holland & Knight

Summit

9 Feb 2026

North American Construction Summit – 2026

United States Real Estate

Stites & Harbison PLLC

Antitrust 2026 And Beyond: A Global Outlook On Competition Enforcement

United States Anti-trust

Arnold & Porter

Fentanyl, Financial Crime, Sanctions And Enforcement: What Financial Institutions And Corporations Need To Know In These Evolving Times

United States Criminal

WilmerHale