Government Regulation and Public Sector Law

The US Treasury Department has issued its first civil penalty under the Outbound Investment Security Program, fining a venture capital firm $200,000 for failing to notify authorities of an investment in a Chinese AI company. This enforcement action signals heightened scrutiny of US investments in China's advanced technology sectors and raises critical questions about compliance obligations for companies with foreign subsidiaries.

The U.S. Treasury Department has issued its first civil penalty under the Outbound Investment Security Program, fining a company $200,000 for failing to notify authorities about an investment in a Chinese AI firm. This enforcement action reveals Treasury's proactive monitoring capabilities and signals the serious consequences investors face for non-compliance with notification requirements, even for relatively small transactions.

The United States and Colombia have signed two bilateral agreements establishing frameworks for cooperation in critical minerals development and civil nuclear energy. These arrangements create potential opportunities for investment and collaboration in mining, energy infrastructure, and advanced technologies across the region.

Two 2025 ICSID tribunals reached opposite conclusions in mining disputes involving Indigenous consultation rights under ILO Convention 169. This analysis examines whether Lupaka Gold v. Peru and Kappes v. Guatemala represent conflicting precedents or coherent expressions of the same legal framework, revealing distinct factual pathways that determine investor versus state-favorable outcomes in Indigenous rights disputes.

Directs federal agencies to expand hunting access on federal lands, authorize hunting in specified national monuments, revise regulations restricting recreational access...

Five foundational ISDS decisions reveal how investment tribunals balance Indigenous consultation rights under ILO Convention 169 with treaty protections for foreign mining investors. This analysis examines the evolving legal framework governing State obligations, social license requirements, and the circumstances under which community opposition triggers treaty liability.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration launched MOTUS in May 2026, replacing legacy registration platforms and fundamentally changing how motor carriers, freight brokers, and surface freight forwarders handle operating authority applications and license maintenance. While designed to combat fraud and streamline registration activities, the transition has created significant user experience challenges that threaten operating authority status and customer relationships for transportation service prov

The Government Accountability Office recently affirmed the Navy's authority to preserve critical manufacturing capacity through sole-source contracting, even when an incumbent contractor remains capable of meeting requirements. This decision addresses whether defense agencies must prove a manufacturer will exit the market without a contract, or whether a reasonable basis for industrial mobilization concerns suffices. The ruling has significant implications for contractors investing in specialized defense ma

Determines that domestic petroleum production, refining and logistics capacity are essential to national defense and waives statutory requirements under Section 303 of the Defense Production Act (DPA; P.L. 81-774) to accelerate capacity expansion, authorizing the Secretary of War to make purchases, commitments and provide financial support for related projects.

The US Treasury Department has launched a sweeping enforcement initiative under Operation Economic Outcast, targeting Iranian military procurement networks, industrial sectors, and shadow banking systems used to evade sanctions. These coordinated actions by OFAC and FinCEN expand sanctions exposure across Iran's automotive and rail industries while designating entities in multiple jurisdictions involved in weapons procurement and illicit financial flows.

The Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and Office of Foreign Assets Control have launched coordinated enforcement actions targeting the A7 Network, a sophisticated global financial infrastructure allegedly designed to help sanctioned entities from Russia, Iran, and North Korea move funds through the international banking system.

Israel implements diplomatic countermeasures against the UK following sanctions on West Bank settlements, while the US authorizes Russian diesel imports amid record-high prices. The UK and EU expand Russia sanctions targeting oil revenues and military supply chains, and OFAC reaches a settlement with a logistics company for counter-narcotics sanctions violations.