United States: Constitutional & Administrative Law

A federal court has issued a preliminary injunction blocking California's enforcement of SB 343, the state's recyclability labeling law, just months before its scheduled October 2026 enforcement date. The court found that key provisions of the statute are likely unconstitutionally vague and that the law impermissibly restricts protected commercial speech under the First Amendment. This decision significantly impacts companies that have been preparing compliance strategies for the law's strict recyclability

A federal appeals court has ruled that OSHA overstepped its authority by mandating employers record mental health conditions like PTSD on workplace injury logs. The decision arose from a case involving a refinery worker diagnosed with PTSD after responding to a catastrophic explosion, raising fundamental questions about the scope of workplace safety recordkeeping requirements.

The U.S. enforcement landscape is undergoing a recalibration as political realignment, personnel cuts, and a heightened focus on geopolitics reshape how and when the U.S. deploys its regulatory enforcement authority. Agencies are pulling back from broad enforcement to focus on core mandates, with antitrust fines falling sharply and the SEC signaling decreased enforcement volume. National security and competition with China increasingly drive enforcement priorities, while FCPA enforcement has been sharply cu