Court Upholds NJ's ICE Firewall

A federal judge in Newark ordered the Trump Justice Department, for at least the fourth time this year, to let a state decide who walks through the nonpublic doors of its own buildings. On September 4, 2026, U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner dismissed the United States' lawsuit against Governor Mikie Sherrill and the State of New Jersey over Executive Order 12 — the directive barring state executive-branch agencies from letting federal immigration officers into nonpublic areas of state property, or using that property as a staging ground, without a judicial warrant. United States v. New Jersey, No. 26-1770 (D.N.J. Sept. 4, 2026).

Workers’ Compensation Liens Race the Clock

The Southern District of New York recognizes the Quebec bar date for asbestos claims against Asbestos Corporation Limited. Workers' compensation carriers, self-insured employers, and lienholders have until September 10, 2026, to protect subrogation rights caught in the automatic stay.

Your Brain Clocks In

Neural monitoring at work, the data employers are quietly accumulating, and what it will do to compensation claims.

The Bond Market Adjusts Claims

Record federal borrowing and a 5.2 percent long bond are quietly repricing reserves, settlements, and self-insurance security.

Higher Ceiling, Frozen Floor

New Jersey has posted its 2027 workers’ compensation benefit rates.

John Burton's Unfinished Blueprint

The economist who chaired the Nixon Commission set a standard the states still have not met.

Twin Shields Bar COVID Claim

A leased laundry aide died of COVID-19 contracted during a nursing home outbreak. His estate collected a workers’ compensation award, and that was the end of the line. On August 14, 2026, the Appellate Division affirmed dismissal of the family’s tort suit under two independent shields: pandemic immunity and the exclusive remedy provision of the Workers’ Compensation Act.