On August 28, 2025, the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published a rule relaxing certain restrictions on Syria under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). But unlike the much broader lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria, which we previously discussed, BIS has retained significant parts of the longstanding restrictive export control regime on Syria.
Spencer Churchill, an associate based in Troutman Pepper Locke’s Washington, D.C. office, has been appointed to serve as a deputy assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). In his new position, he will advise on some of the most important and complex legal questions surrounding executive power and agency action. The OLC counsels the president and executive branch agencies on the parameters of their constitutional and statutory authority, reviews all executive orders, drafts legal opinions of the attorney general, and comments on the constitutionality of pending legislation.
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Thursday, September 25 • 1:00 – 3:10 p.m. ET
Sadia Mirza, co-leader of Troutman Pepper Locke’s Incidents + Investigations practice, Privacy + Cyber Partner Timothy St. George, and Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement Counsel Gene Fishel, will participate in an upcoming CLE with myLawCLE to examine the nuances of navigating cybersecurity breaches.
In this episode of our special Regulatory Oversight: Solicitors General Insights series, RISE Counsel Jeff Johnson, a former deputy solicitor general in the Missouri Attorney General’s office, welcomes Michigan Solicitor General Ann Sherman and New Jersey Solicitor General Jeremy Feigenbaum. They explore the art of oral advocacy, sharing insights into how they effectively present cases. The conversation also addresses state sovereignty, emphasizing the importance of allowing states to experiment with policies and the impact of bipartisan issues, particularly those that resonate most effectively in front of SCOTUS.
What Happened
In a press release published August 25, New York Senators James Skoufis, Jamaal Bailey, and Brian Kavanagh announced a joint investigation into residential property insurance. The purpose of the investigation is “to identify the causes of reported increases in premiums and other obstacles to insuring new and existing single- and multi-family homes, including those occupied by homeowners and renters, and to identify legislation and policy changes that New York State should implement.”
On Thursday, Governor Mike Dunleavy announced that Stephen J. Cox will become the attorney general (AG) of Alaska, effective Friday, August 29. Cox will replace Alaska AG Treg Taylor, who announced earlier this month that he would be stepping down to run for governor in the state’s 2026 general election.
On August 21, 2025, NJOY, LLC (NJOY), a subsidiary of Altria Group, Inc., sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), alleging that the agency has unlawfully delayed rendering a decision on supervisory review of its June 2022 marketing denial order (MDO) for certain flavored, disposable electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).
On August 19, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Allied Stone Inc. (Allied Stone) and its president, Jia “Jerry” Lim, agreed to pay $12.4 million in settlement to resolve allegations that the company violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by evading, or conspiring to evade, antidumping and countervailing duties owed on quartz surface products imported from China. Allied Stone is a Dallas-based countertop and cabinetry supplier. According to the DOJ, Allied Stone misrepresented Chinese quartz surface products as other merchandise subject to lesser duties to avoid the applicable antidumping and countervailing duties. The company also allegedly failed to declare and pay, and failed to ensure that others were declaring and paying, applicable duties owed to the U.S. on entries of its Chinese quartz surface products.
On August 12, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ordered Match Group, owners and operators of online dating platforms such as Match.com, OkCupid, PlentyOfFish, The League, and others, to pay $14 million. This settlement resolves the FTC’s 2019 complaint accusing Match of misleading claims involving guarantees and onerous subscription cancellation processes, contrary to the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA).
Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) Andrea Joy Campbell has issued guidelines to help businesses comply with the recently enacted consumer protection regulations, prohibiting “junk fees” and providing consumers with greater transparency regarding trial and subscription offers. We previously covered these regulations in detail here.