States this year advanced an array of legislation to support nuclear energy, focused on anything from funding new industry projects to more symbolically endorsing the power source as they grapple with a nationwide dilemma: meeting rising power demand.

California’s state labor board can’t assert authority for now over private-sector union disputes that traditionally fall under federal jurisdiction, a court ruled in blocking enforcement of a new state law.

California employers have a long list of state law changes to navigate in 2026, ranging from a ban on training repayment contracts to steeper penalties for unpaid wage judgments.

California has withdrawn a lawsuit against the Trump administration that sought to recover roughly $4 billion in federal funds pulled from the state’s long-delayed high-speed rail project, after concluding it can no longer rely on the federal government to help deliver the system.

A sailor’s long-running fight over a San Francisco Bay island could resolve a Clean Water Act question the US Supreme Court has yet to answer—whether tidal channels and adjacent wetlands qualify as protected US waters.

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration is set to conduct more targeted inspections of high-hazard industries like construction, manufacturing and warehousing next year, continuing a trend from the Biden administration.