United States: Criminal Law

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that U.S. border officials can conduct suspicionless searches of travelers' digital devices, rejecting prior district court decisions requiring warrants. This decision deepens a split among federal circuit courts regarding Fourth Amendment protections at the border, leaving open questions about forensic searches and creating varying privacy protections depending on where travelers enter the United States.

The Department of Justice has released comprehensive guidance on trade fraud enforcement, signaling an aggressive expansion of federal oversight that extends far beyond border transactions. With over $1 billion in recoveries in less than a year and the creation of a new enforcement division, businesses face heightened scrutiny across their entire supply chains. Companies must now understand how customs violations can trigger criminal liability, securities issues, and money laundering charges.

Ankura's latest insights explore critical challenges across freight logistics, clinical trial compliance, cryptocurrency enforcement, parcel shipping costs, sanctions relief risks, cybersecurity threats, mortgage industry pressures, healthcare labor shortages, AI governance, and financial transformation. How are organizations navigating these complex operational, regulatory, and strategic landscapes in 2026?

The US Department of Justice's National Fraud Enforcement Division has issued its first comprehensive corporate enforcement directive, establishing new investigation priorities and charging factors that will reshape how federal prosecutors approach fraud cases. Companies in healthcare, government contracting, tax, and international trade now face heightened scrutiny under a centralized enforcement framework that emphasizes data-driven detection...

The Department of Justice's National Fraud Enforcement Division has issued new guidance outlining aggressive corporate enforcement priorities targeting healthcare, government contracts, tax evasion, and trade fraud. What factors will prosecutors weigh most heavily when recommending charges, and how will the new partnership between Division prosecutors and the Corporate Enforcement Section reshape corporate investigations and compliance oversight?

The Department of Justice's National Fraud Enforcement Division has issued new corporate enforcement guidance establishing four priority investigation areas and mandating heightened scrutiny of fraud schemes affecting government programs and taxpayer funds. Companies operating in healthcare, government contracting, revenue collection, and international trade sectors face increased enforcement activity as prosecutors must now report corporate investigations to a centralized Corporate Enforcement Section and

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has proposed the Florida Anti-Spam Communications Act, a comprehensive legislative package targeting phone and text fraud through enhanced enforcement...

New York's outdated evidence rules make it nearly impossible for child sexual abuse survivors to prove their cases in court. By requiring prior consistent statements to predate a "motive to lie" and limiting their use only when explicit accusations of dishonesty arise, the state's legal framework contradicts modern understanding of trauma disclosure. Could adopting federal evidence standards finally give survivors a fair chance at justice?

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that will establish how courts determine whether fines and forfeitures violate the Eighth Amendment's Excessive Fines Clause. At stake is whether courts must consider a defendant's actual conduct and culpability, or whether they can rely on the general seriousness of the statutory offense when assessing proportionality.

On June 15, 2026, the Supreme Court denied certiorari in National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc. v. Letitia James, leaving in place the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit’s decision upholding New York’s...

Dozens of college and university campuses experienced protests in April and May of 2024 due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Many were peaceful, but some turned violent...

Ben Cohen charged with "unlawful entry" whilst protesting against the prosecution of Julian Assange.