Public Policy

  • December 02, 2024

    NC GOP-Led Senate OKs Reducing Income Tax Cap

    North Carolina's income tax cap would fall to 5%, instead of the 7% currently in the state constitution under a constitutional amendment approved Monday by the state Senate.

  • December 02, 2024

    Worker's Case Threatens 'Sea Change,' Conn. Justices Hear

    If the Connecticut Supreme Court sides with a workers' compensation claimant who is challenging a benefits determination, it would "create a sea change" that makes claims "drastically more expensive," the state's mental health agency told the justices Monday.

  • December 02, 2024

    'Pull The Plug': Broadband Program Wasteful, GOP Sen. Says

    The government's $42.5 billion program to deploy broadband to underserved locations throughout the U.S. should be stopped because it's wasting money hand over fist, according to a Republican senator.

  • December 02, 2024

    Wash. Airport Deportation Ban Unconstitutional, 9th Circ. Says

    Ninth Circuit judges have determined that a Washington county's ban on deportation flights departing from a Seattle-area airport was an unconstitutional interference with federal government operations, as well as a breach of a World War II-era agreement.

  • December 02, 2024

    Green Group Urges Justices To Save Wash. Port CWA Ruling

    A Washington state environmental group is urging the U.S. Supreme Court not to disturb a Ninth Circuit ruling that protects its right to sue over pollution discharges under the citizen enforcement provision of the Clean Water Act.

  • December 02, 2024

    5th Circ. Bars Feds From Messing With Texas' Wire Barriers

    A split Fifth Circuit panel said federal agents can't interfere with concertina razor wire barriers Texas erected to deter illegal border crossings, ruling that the federal government isn't immune from Texas' state law claims for trespass and conversion.

  • December 02, 2024

    Cargo Facility Merits Property Tax Break, Mass. Justices Told

    A property leased from the Massachusetts Port Authority to a for-profit cargo enterprise is exempt from property tax because the facility serves a public purpose, the lessee told the state's highest court Monday, urging reversal of a tax board decision.

  • December 02, 2024

    Mining Cos. Ask Justices To Sink Peruvians' Pollution Claims

    The Renco Group Inc., owned by U.S. billionaire Ira Rennert, has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn an Eighth Circuit ruling that greenlit a lawsuit filed by more than 2,000 Peruvians who are seeking to hold The Renco Group and other companies liable for alleged lead poisoning tied to a smelting and refining complex in rural Peru.

  • December 02, 2024

    Solar Cos. Ask High Court To Review Vermont-Imposed Fine

    Allco Renewable Energy Ltd. and several other companies pursuing a solar generation project in Bennington, Vermont, are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to wade into their row with the Vermont Public Utility Commission and hold that it had no authority to impose a civil penalty on them without a jury trial.

  • December 02, 2024

    FCC Chair Makes Last-Ditch Plea For 'Rip And Replace'

    The Federal Communications Commission's chief called on key lawmakers to act soon to fund a program for securing telecom network equipment that faces a $3.08 billion shortage.

  • December 02, 2024

    DEA Asserts Its Role As Proponent Of Pot Rescheduling Plan

    The Drug Enforcement Administration on Monday affirmed it was acting as the proponent of a proposal to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana, and the administrative law judge said supporters of rescheduling would not get an opportunity to cross-examine DEA witnesses.

  • December 02, 2024

    Freshfields Lands Onetime SEC Acting Enforcement Head

    Freshfields has added a litigation partner in its Washington, D.C., office who brings with her nearly 17 years of government experience including time as acting director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's enforcement division, according to a Monday announcement.

  • December 02, 2024

    White House Urges Agencies To Boost Small Biz Contracting

    The White House has urged federal agencies to more closely scrutinize federal contractors' subcontracting plans and to standardize their forecasts of upcoming procurement opportunities, efforts it said were intended to boost small business participation in government contracting.

  • December 02, 2024

    IRS Finalizes Partnership Liability Regs After 11 Years

    The Internal Revenue Service unveiled final regulations governing the allocation of partnership liabilities 11 years after releasing the proposed rules, saying no subsequent legislative and regulatory changes had taken place to compel the agency to otherwise renew the rulemaking process.

  • December 02, 2024

    Ark. Governor Wants Out Of Cherokee Casino License Row

    Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is asking a federal district court to be removed as a defendant and for an overall dismissal of a challenge to a state amendment that revoked a Cherokee Nation business' casino license, arguing the Oklahoma tribe doesn't have any property interest in the case.

  • December 02, 2024

    Australia Passes Public Country-By-Country Reporting

    Multinational businesses with large operations in Australia are required to publicly disclose information about their operations in tax havens as designated by the government under a country-by-country reporting law that lawmakers adopted following a two-year saga over concerns about the data's confidentiality.

  • December 02, 2024

    NC Judge Is 2nd To Reverse Senior Status Plans After Election

    A second federal judge appointed by a Democratic president has reversed his decision to take senior status in the wake of former President Donald Trump's win in the 2024 presidential election.

  • December 02, 2024

    Circle K Fights How Denver Counts Tobacco-To-School Span

    The convenience store chain Circle K is suing Denver to challenge the city's application of a law requiring tobacco sales occur no closer than 1,000 feet from schools, alleging in a state court complaint that an erroneous approach to distance measurements will limit Circle K's ability to open new stores.

  • December 02, 2024

    Shipping Industry Braces For Waves Of New Trump Tariffs

    After a holiday weekend marked by a fresh round of tariff threats from President-elect Donald Trump, the shipping and logistics industry is beginning to feel the heat, warning companies to prepare for massive upheaval if Trump follows through.

  • December 02, 2024

    Atty Seeks DEA Communications On Rescheduling

    An attorney is suing the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration under the Freedom of Information Act, seeking communications between the agency and anti-legalization activists as the agency holds a hearing on whether to reschedule the drug under the Controlled Substances Act.

  • November 27, 2024

    Google Wants 9th Circ. To Undo Play Store Ruling In Epic Row

    Google has pressed the Ninth Circuit to reverse an injunction forcing it to allow third-party app distribution on its Play Store, arguing that the lower court's ruling will "directly undercut Google's efforts to compete against Apple and the iPhone."

  • November 27, 2024

    Fla. Judge Halts School Board Depos In Book Ban Suit

    A Florida federal judge ordered a partial stay that temporarily halts depositions of Escambia County School Board members in a First Amendment challenge to a ban on certain books, but deferred staying the entire case until an appeal before the Eleventh Circuit is resolved.

  • November 27, 2024

    Texas Tells 5th Circ. EPA Botched Ozone Compliance Orders

    The state of Texas called on the Fifth Circuit to vacate part of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency action requiring the state to revise its plan addressing "moderate" nonattainment of ground-level ozone standards for the Dallas, Houston and San Antonio areas, in light of the cities' upgrade to "serious" nonattainment.

  • November 27, 2024

    GM, Cruise Say DPA Has No Bearing On Securities Fraud Suit

    General Motors and its driverless car unit Cruise LLC have told a Michigan federal judge that Cruise's deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice over a San Francisco pedestrian accident doesn't help investors in a proposed securities fraud class action.

  • November 27, 2024

    Elon Musk Targets CFPB With Call To 'Delete' Agency

    Billionaire Elon Musk has called for abolishing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, writing on his social media platform X — formerly known as Twitter — that the government should "Delete CFPB" and "there are too many duplicative regulatory agencies."

Expert Analysis

  • Key Points From New Maritime Oil Price Cap Advisory

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    The Price Cap Coalition's updated advisory regarding the maritime oil industry's compliance with the Russian oil price cap highlights the role of governmental authorities, additional areas warranting due diligence and the need for training programs, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

  • Post-Election Implications For The EPA's Methane Rules

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    Amid the U.S. Supreme Court's recent denial of requests to halt implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's methane rule in two suits, and given the outcome of the election, a complete reversal of the methane rule is expected, but state-level policymaking and enforcement will continue, says John Watson at Spencer Fane.

  • Opinion

    Justices Should Squash Bid To Criminalize Contract Breaches

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    In Kousisis v. U.S., the U.S. Supreme Court should reject the sweeping legal theory that breaches of contract can satisfy the property element of the mail and wire fraud statutes, which, if validated, would criminalize an array of ordinary conduct and violate basic constitutional principles, say attorneys at The Norton Law Firm.

  • 'Reverse Redlining' Suit Reveals Language Risks For Lenders

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    The Justice Department's case against consumer finance provider Colony Ridge highlights the government's focus on lending to consumers with limited English proficiency and the risks of generating marketing materials in other languages while conducting actual transactions in English, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • Trump Patent Policy May Be Headed In Unexpected Direction

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    While commentators have assumed that the patent policy of President-elect Donald Trump's second administration will largely mirror the pro-patent policy of his first, these predictions fail to take into account the likely oversized influence of Elon Musk, says Jorge Contreras at the University of Utah.

  • NLRB One-Two Punch Curbs Employer Anti-Organizing Tools

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    The National Labor Relations Board’s recent decisions in Siren Retail and Amazon, limiting employer speech about the impact of unionization and outlawing captive audience meetings, severely curtail employers' arsenal of tools to combat an organizing campaign — though this may soon change under a new administration, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • Mitigating Defamation Liability Risks Of AI-Generated Content

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    Until Congress and the courts provide clear guidance about defamation liability stemming from generative artificial intelligence tools, companies should begin building controls to prevent the creation of defamatory content, says Michael Gerrity at Accenture.

  • Key Requirements In New Maryland Pay Transparency Laws

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    Although several jurisdictions now require pay transparency in job advertisements, Maryland's new law is among the broadest in the country, both in terms of what is required and the scope of its applicability, says Sarah Belger at Quarles & Brady.

  • What Trump's Next Term May Mean For Biz Immigration

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    Leonard D'Arrigo at Harris Beach discusses the employment-based immigration policies businesses can potentially expect during President-elect Donald Trump’s second term, based on policies enacted during his first administration, statements made during his campaign and proposals in Project 2025.

  • Takeaways From Final Regulations For China Investment Ban

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    ​The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s final rule banning U.S. investment in emerging Chinese technology clarifies some key requirements, includes additional exceptions for covered transactions and attempts to address concerns that the rule will put U.S. businesses at a competitive disadvantage, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Compliance Considerations Of DOJ Data Security Rule

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    Under the U.S. Department of Justice's proposed rule aiming to prevent certain countries' access to bulk U.S. sensitive personal data, companies must ensure their vendor, employment and investment agreements meet strict new data security requirements — or determine whether such contracts are worth the cost of compliance, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • What Higher Education Can Expect From A 2nd Trump Admin

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    The election of Donald Trump for a second presidential term has far-reaching ramifications for colleges and universities — come January, institutions can expect a crackdown on DEI, increased scrutiny of campus protests, a rollback of the Biden administration's Title IX rules and more, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • AI Monitoring And FCRA: Employer Compliance Essentials

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    As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission signal determination to treat AI-based workplace surveillance as a potential Fair Credit Reporting Act issue, employers must commit to educating HR and compliance staff on these quickly evolving regulatory expectations, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Series

    Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.

  • How D&O Coverage Can Aid Against Increased AI Scrutiny

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    The recent increase in regulatory enforcement and securities class actions stemming from corporate use of artificial intelligence should prompt companies to ensure that their directors and officers liability insurance coverage is appropriately tailored to AI-related risks, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

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