Among other legislative changes (see our other recent blog posts!), the Washington State Legislature passed several assorted bills that will affect certain Washington employers, including providing striking workers with limited…
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/ Education Law, Immigration Law, Labor & Employment Law
Religious freedom-based challenges to educational policies and actions have gained significant traction in recent years. Cases like Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, 597 US 507 (2022), concerning a football coach’s right to…
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/ Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, Education Law
What Are Section 232 Investigations? Section 232 investigations are a tool the U.S. government uses to determine the effect of certain imports on national security. These investigations are conducted under the Trade Expansion…
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/ Administrative Law, International Law & Trade
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed Senate Bill 5101 into law on May 20, 2025, which will amend Washington’s Domestic Violence Leave Act (DVLA) to include job protections for employees who seek certain types of assistance…
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/ Civil Rights, Criminal Law, Labor & Employment Law
Oregon’s automatic minimum wage for non-exempt employees is set to increase on July 1, 2025. This minimum wage increase is calculated by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries’ (BOLI) Labor Commissioner. In April, the Labor…
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/ Administrative Law, Labor & Employment Law
On May 29, 2025, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) hosted a virtual public workshop to discuss its progress in implementing California’s sweeping new climate disclosure laws. California Senate Bills (SB) 253, 261, and…
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/ Administrative Law, Business Organizations, Environmental Law
On May 17, 2025, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed House Bill 1213, which both expands worker protections relating to Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program (PFML) and allows an employer to limit an…
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/ Administrative Law, Health, Labor & Employment Law
Washington’s construction lien statute makes clear that all lien foreclosure actions arising out of the same project should be joined into a single lawsuit. Filing a motion to intervene in a pending foreclosure lawsuit will also…
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/ Civil Procedure, Construction Law
If you’re an owner or general contractor on a construction project in Oregon, a new law passed just last week may make you liable to pay the wages and benefits of construction workers—twice. Senate Bill 426 significantly changes…
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/ Commercial Law & Contracts, Construction Law, Labor & Employment Law
Effective July 27, 2025, Washington House Bill 1875 will expand the qualifying reasons for which an employee may use their accrued and available state-mandated paid sick leave to include time off for an employee to prepare for…
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/ Administrative Law, Immigration Law, Labor & Employment Law
During the 2025 legislative session, Washington State enacted several new measures that will significantly impact employer obligations related to hiring practices and personnel recordkeeping. Two statewide bills—HB 1308 and HB…
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/ Civil Rights, Labor & Employment Law
On May 20, 2025, the U.S. District Court for Oregon permanently prohibited Oregon state officials from enforcing Measure 119. In 2024, Oregon voters approved Measure 119, which became effective on December 5, 2024. Measure 119…
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/ Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Labor & Employment Law
Contract Law is a foundational first year course in any law school. As fledgling lawyers everywhere know, when they come out of law school and prepare for the bar exam, contracts form a critical component of our global…
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/ Commercial Law & Contracts, Intellectual Property, Science, Computers, & Technology
In November 2024, Alaskan voters passed Ballot Measure 1. The law takes effect July 1, 2025, and has three main provisions: (1) increasing the minimum wage now and into the future (which also impacts exempt salary levels), (2)…
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/ Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Labor & Employment Law
In a long-awaited decision that helps contractors obtain coverage for construction defects, the Oregon Supreme Court in Twigg v. Admiral Ins. Co. 371 Or. 308 (2025) ruled that coverage under a commercial general liability policy…
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/ Commercial Law & Contracts, Construction Law, Insurance