Insights

Washington – June 11, 2026: Crowell & Moring is proud to announce that the firm has been recognized with an Outstanding Achievement Award by the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs at the 2026 Wiley A. Branton Luncheon. The award celebrates the firm's work on behalf of tenants of the Franklin Apartments, a building in northeast Washington, D.C., where residents endured years of deplorable housing conditions before the firm helped secure a landmark settlement. 

On June 26, 2026, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) took two major actions related to autonomous vehicles. First, NHTSA issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing significant updates to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 135, which has governed light vehicle brake systems in passenger cars and light trucks since 1995.[1]  Second, NHTSA formally withdrew its January 15, 2026 NPRM, which had proposed the Automated Driving System-Equipped Vehicle Safety, Transparency, and Evaluation Program (AV STEP), a voluntary program for vehicle manufacturers, fleet operators, and system integrators of autonomous vehicles and automated driving systems.

Automated vehicles (AVs) have received heightened attention from the automotive industry and regulators this summer when it comes to improving and expanding AV technology in the US. Here are some developments:

On April 25, 2025, the California DMV released a notice of proposed regulations focused on changes to the testing and deployment of light-duty and heavy-duty commercial autonomous vehicles. California previously released draft regulations and asked for public comment, the last round ending August 30, 2024.