News and Insights

Jenner & Block Secures Summary Judgment Victory Protecting $9 Billion in University Research Funding

Jenner & Block achieved a comprehensive summary judgment victory for the Association of American Universities and leading research institutions when the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts struck down the Department of Defense's controversial "Rate Cap Policy" that threatened approximately $9 billion in annual federal research funding to universities nationwide....READ MORE

Jenner & Block Secures Victories Protecting Research Funding at Higher Education Institutions

In major back-to-back victories for research in quantum computing, AI, cybersecurity, semiconductors, and other technologies vital to national security and competitiveness, Jenner & Block secured critical court orders halting federal funding cuts at US universities. ...READ MORE

Jenner & Block Announces Winners of Annual Pro Bono Awards

Jenner & Block today gave the annual Albert E. Jenner Pro Bono Award to Partner David J. Bradford for a lifetime of pro bono service and for his leadership in a voting rights case in the 2020 presidential election. The firm also gave the Albert E. Jenner Pro Bono Award to a Jenner & Block team that challenged three Wisconsin laws imposing severe restrictions on abortion access at a trial last year. The firm gave the annual Jenner & Block Award for Excellence in Pro Bono or Public Service to Para...READ MORE

Unpacking the Supreme Court’s Decision in Jack Daniel’s Properties, Inc. v. VIP Products LLC

Last week, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Jack Daniel’s Properties, Inc. v. VIP Products LLC, a trademark case addressing how the Lanham Act intersects with the First Amendment. While the parties each argued for broad holdings in their briefs and at oral argument, the Court took a “narrower path” in resolving the case. It held that a dog toy evoking a bottle of Jack Daniel’s was not entitled to special First Amendment protection but left open the larger question about whether and when ...READ MORE

Client Alert: Challenges and Opportunities: The NCAA Suspends Its Name, Image, and Likeness Amateurism Rules

The NCAA voted to suspend its name, image, and likeness (NIL) amateurism rules to avoid conflict with the growing number of state laws authorizing student athletes to profit from their publicity rights.[1] Although the amateurism rules forbidding institutions from compensating student-athletes directly for their athletic performances or as a recruiting inducement remain in force, this decision opens the door for athletes to sign endorsement deals, monetize their social media presences, teach c...READ MORE

“Implied Copyright License Defense Shapes Up in Tattoo Cases,” Law360

In this article, Jenner & Block Special Counsel David W. Sussman and Associate Kara V. Brandeisky examine the legal tension between the tattoo artist's rights as copyright owner and the tattoo bearer's rights to freedom of expression, which includes licensing the image for commercial uses. Courts have taken divergent approaches to solve this tension; the authors suggest that one way courts could reconcile the competing rights is by finding an implied license. They then discuss two aspects of the...READ MORE

Media Organizations Face New Risks from DOJ

In April 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi signaled the Department of Justice’s (the “Department” or “DOJ”) heightened interest in pursuing “improper leaks” of “protected” government information and, to do so, relaxed DOJ’s self-imposed policy constraints on conducting media investigations.[1]In January 2026, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant at the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, seeking information related to an alleged disclosure of classifie...READ MORE