Government Regulation and Public Sector Law

After decades of advocacy, Leonard Peltier was granted clemency on the final day of the Biden administration. The effort required an extraordinary coalition spanning Native American communities, civil rights organizations, a rock legend from the E Street Band, and even a phone call to the Vatican at three o'clock in the morning. Kevin Sharp, who served as Peltier's attorney, takes you inside this remarkable journey.

The Food and Agriculture Organization's Development Law Service is hosting a webinar to explore the emerging legal concept of Rights of Nature and its intersection with critical areas including water resources, Indigenous Peoples' rights, biodiversity, and sustainable food systems. Legal experts will provide analytical insights through case studies and examine how this evolving framework connects to FAO's mandate for environmental protection and land tenure.

A controversial legislative effort to grant coral reefs and watersheds “legal personhood” in Hawaii has been voted down by the state legislature.

This Advisory is a companion to our June 2026 Advisory on the proposed rule (Docket No. USDA-2026-0001; RIN 0560-AI70) published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on June 25, 2026, that would, if finalized in its current form, make significant changes to the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA). Here, we focus more closely on the proposed expanded definition of “foreign persons” subject to filing requirements under AFIDA.

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer's global FDI team provides an interactive map and comprehensive country-by-country guide examining foreign direct investment and public interest control processes across key jurisdictions. How are evolving FDI regulations reshaping cross-border investment strategies in an increasingly complex regulatory landscape?

As global power dynamics shift and traditional alliances face unprecedented strain, what emerging geopolitical risks threaten to destabilize markets and reshape international business? Former CIA intelligence officer Melissa Mahle examines the transition from multilateral consensus to hard power politics, exploring how businesses must adapt their strategies amid fragmenting central bank policies, weakening transatlantic relationships, and the return of economic coercion to the geopolitical playbook.

The Federal Reserve Board has proposed new Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Financing of Terrorism program requirements for banks under its supervision, marking a significant departure...

Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent outlined the Trump administration's approach to economic statecraft in a recent speech, emphasizing the strategic use of American economic power to advance national security objectives. His remarks signal continued focus on sanctions enforcement, financial system integrity, and combating illicit finance networks while promoting reciprocity in international economic relationships.

The Federal Reserve has charted an independent course in revising anti-money laundering regulations for banks, notably excluding a key provision that would grant FinCEN oversight authority over enforcement actions. This divergence from the Treasury Department's unified regulatory approach raises critical questions about interagency coordination and the future of AML/CFT supervision. Governor Michael Barr's dissent highlights concerns about the undefined "significant or systemic" standard that will determine

On April 15, 2025, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order (EO) 14275, Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement, “to create the most agile, effective, and efficient procurement system possible.” EO 14275 explained that the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) “has swelled to more than 2,000 pages of regulations, evolving into an excessive and overcomplicated regulatory framework and resulting in an onerous bureaucracy.”

On May 7, 2026, the Department of Defense (“DoD”; also referred to as the Department of War, or “DoW”) released a proposed rule to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (“DFARS”) to implement Section 847 of the FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”) and Section 819 of the FY 2021 NDAA.

Colorado's Senate Bill 26-145 fundamentally restructures how school districts must involve charter schools in capital construction ballot questions, replacing informal discussion requirements with a detailed, timeline-driven process.