Public Policy

  • December 18, 2024

    High Court To Review TikTok Sale-Or-Ban Law

    The U.S. Supreme Court announced Wednesday that it will fully review TikTok's First Amendment challenge to a federal law requiring the wildly popular social media platform to divest from its Chinese parent company or face a nationwide ban, scheduling expedited oral arguments one week before the law's effective date.

  • December 18, 2024

    Justices Will Decide If Medicaid Recipients Can Pick Providers

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday partially granted the state of South Carolina's petition to review a Fourth Circuit decision blocking its Medicaid program from ending its provider agreement with Planned Parenthood, agreeing to determine if the Medicaid Act allows a beneficiary to choose a specific provider. 

  • December 18, 2024

    CFPB Says Credit Card Point Devaluation May Break The Law

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warned Wednesday that credit card companies risk violating federal law when they or their merchant partners devalue rewards points and miles banked by their cardholders, casting it as a potential "bait-and-switch."

  • December 17, 2024

    NC Panel Revives Negligence Suit Against State Health Dept.

    An adult care center's constitutional claims accusing the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services of negligently asserting bogus penalties and unfairly suspending admissions at the facility are timely, a North Carolina state appellate panel ruled Tuesday, reviving a case that previously landed before the North Carolina Supreme Court.

  • December 17, 2024

    These Attys Could Be Trump's Pick For Colo.'s Top Prosecutor

    President-elect Donald Trump's previous U.S. attorney for the District of Colorado said he's not interested in the role again, but gave Law360 a glimpse at who he thinks could be on the transition team's list of contenders.

  • December 17, 2024

    GOP Hill Leaders Pledge To Prioritize Crypto Bills Next Year

    Lawmakers told crypto industry participants Tuesday that they plan to keep digital assets top of mind in the coming legislative session by prioritizing bills on a regulatory structure for stablecoins and digital asset markets, as well as digging into allegations bank regulators have unfairly targeted crypto businesses.

  • December 17, 2024

    UNC Doctor Can't Shield Minor Transgender Patients' Records

    A University of North Carolina doctor cannot assert privilege over medical records sought from the university by state Republicans fighting a suit by the physician and others seeking to enjoin a law imposing limits on transgender care for minors, a federal magistrate judge has ruled.

  • December 17, 2024

    11th Circ. Urged To Block Abortion Clinic Buffer Zone Law

    A Florida anti-abortion group urged the Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday to give it another shot at an injunction preventing the city of Clearwater from enforcing a buffer zone ordinance that blocks the group from getting within five feet of the driveway to the city's only abortion clinic. 

  • December 17, 2024

    Monsanto Owes $690M In Latest Wash. PCB Trial, Jurors Told

    Fifteen people who say they were poisoned by Monsanto-made chemicals asked a Washington state jury to award them $690 million plus even more in punitive damages on Tuesday, rounding out a two-month trial as the company argued the request for "generational wealth" isn't backed by enough evidence to attribute their ailments to the toxins known as PCBs.

  • December 17, 2024

    Copyright Officials Say Rest Of AI Report To Come Next Year

    The U.S. Copyright Office says it won't be until early next year that it plans to submit the remainder of a report on the intersection of artificial intelligence and copyright law.

  • December 17, 2024

    DOD Expands Data Rights For Small Biz R&D Program Cos.

    The U.S. Department of Defense on Tuesday issued rules expanding the data rights retained by small business research and development program participants, and codifying that unique rules for architectural and engineering contracts cover orders under multiple-award contracts.

  • December 17, 2024

    NTIA Puts $450M More Toward Wireless Supply Chain

    The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is putting an additional $450 million toward helping the industry build open radio access networks, which many have pointed to as the solution for pivoting away from Chinese-made technology due to security concerns.

  • December 17, 2024

    Texas Rep. Aims To Bar DOD Buys From China-Linked IT Cos.

    Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, introduced a bill Tuesday that would prohibit the U.S. secretary of defense from entering into information technology contracts with companies with certain ties to China, saying cyberattacks have highlighted the vulnerability of the country's defense and IT systems to foreign interference.

  • December 17, 2024

    Family Separation Was Deliberate And Calculated, Report Says

    Human Rights Watch said in a new report that as many as 1,360 children were never reunited with their parents after the Trump administration introduced a zero-tolerance policy that led to a deliberate increase in family separation at the Southern border.

  • December 17, 2024

    SEC, CFTC Members Eye Crypto Coordination Under Trump

    Republican commissioners at the federal securities and futures regulators told crypto industry participants on Tuesday that they will urge their agencies to collaborate more closely on providing regulatory relief and clarity in the new year as they wait for lawmakers to get long-awaited crypto legislation across the finish line.

  • December 17, 2024

    Worker Claims Merger Can't Nix Pa. Medical Pot Protection

    An engineering company unlawfully fired a Pennsylvania worker after he tested positive for cannabis usage, even though the employer knew about the worker's medical marijuana prescription, according to a lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania state court.

  • December 17, 2024

    Texas Lawmakers Issue 2nd Subpoena In Shaken Baby Case

    Texas lawmakers issued a subpoena to a man convicted based on a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome, marking their second attempt to hear his testimony at a House committee meeting on the state's so-called Junk Science Law.

  • December 17, 2024

    Senate GOP Enviro Leader Questions EPA On Grant Funding

    The leading Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee said Tuesday she's worried about the "potential for misuse" of the $30 billion in funding being doled out by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

  • December 17, 2024

    Mass. Judge Apologizes For Slamming Alito Over Flags

    A Massachusetts federal judge has apologized for violating ethics rules when he publicly criticized U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in the wake of reports that two flags used by Donald Trump supporters to protest the 2020 election were flown outside Alito's houses.

  • December 17, 2024

    Telecom Seeks Win In DC Schools Network Bidding Challenge

    A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday scrutinized Allied Telecom’s claims that the D.C. public school system flouted federal law by tapping one its own agencies to provide network services, questioning whether the preemption claims are the Northern Virginia telecom’s only avenue for bringing its challenge.

  • December 17, 2024

    Sandoz Cuts $275M Deal For More Price-Fixing Claims

    Swiss drugmaker Sandoz said Tuesday it has reached a $275 million settlement to end claims from consumers, insurers and others in the sprawling multidistrict litigation over alleged price-fixing in the generic-drug industry.

  • December 17, 2024

    DOJ Antitrust Division Head Kanter Stepping Down Friday

    The head of the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division, Jonathan Kanter, announced his imminent departure Tuesday, leaving the agency after a little over three years and with a legacy of dramatically ramped-up monopolization enforcement, an extremely low tolerance for potentially problematic transactions and more aggressive criminal enforcement.

  • December 17, 2024

    Mich. Couple Sues Town For Allowing Pot Co. To Expand

    A Michigan couple claim a township is retaliating against them because of the husband's outspoken opposition to the recreational marijuana industry, accusing the municipal leadership of allowing a grow facility to expand next to their property and forcing them to "raise their children in a home that smells of marijuana."

  • December 17, 2024

    T-Mobile-UScellular Link Will Help Consumers, Think Tank Says

    A free-market think tank is urging the federal government to clear the way for T-Mobile's $4.4 billion purchase of UScellular's wireless operations, saying in a new report that because the smaller UScellular poses no real competitive threat to T-Mobile, the deal could carry significant consumer benefits through increased competition.

  • December 17, 2024

    Visa Says 'Contradictory' Debit Card Market Dooms DOJ Suit

    Visa Inc. formally asked a New York federal judge Monday to nix the U.S. Department of Justice monopolization lawsuit accusing it of paying off would-be debit network rivals and penalizing the use of alternate payment systems, arguing the government cannot mix-and-match its way into claiming the company holds a dominant market share.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Group Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The combination of physical fitness and community connection derived from running with a group of business leaders has, among other things, helped me to stay grounded, improve my communication skills, and develop a deeper empathy for clients and colleagues, says Jessica Shpall Rosen at Greenwald Doherty.

  • Marketing Messages Matter In State AG Consumer Protection

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    Attorneys general interpret marketing claims far more broadly than many companies may realize, so to mitigate potential risk, businesses should be vigilant about all consumer messaging, including communications that may not traditionally be considered advertising in the colloquial sense, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Tips For Employers Facing Looming Immigration Changes

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    As Trump's second term heralds a challenging period for immigration policy, employers should look to lessons from his first administration as they implement strategies for their global talent programs and communications protocols, says Eileen Lohmann at BAL.

  • Opinion

    6 Changes I Would Make If I Ran A Law School

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    Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner identifies several key issues plaguing law schools and discusses potential solutions, such as opting out of the rankings game and mandating courses in basic writing skills.

  • The Current State Of Play Around Corporate Transparency Act

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    Although a Texas court preliminarily enjoined enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act and paused an impending Dec. 31 reporting deadline, multiple states have similar requirements, so companies should continue to monitor compliance obligations regardless of the CTA's constitutionality, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Predictions For Trump Antitrust Enforcement Of Life Sciences

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    Key life sciences antitrust issues of the past two administrations may indicate the direction of enforcement during President-elect Donald Trump's second term, including in areas such as drug prices, killer acquisitions and merger remedies, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • What To Know About Fla. Civil Procedure Rule Revisions

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    While some may be apprehensive about the looming changes coming to Florida’s Rules of Civil Procedure on Jan. 1, these essential modifications that affect tenets of civil litigation long taken for granted will increase efficiency and streamline the litigation process, say attorneys at Farah & Farah.

  • From Football To Pickleball, Sports Investing Evolved In 2024

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    The NFL's decision to allow private-equity investments in football franchises capped off a transformative year in U.S. sports that also included landmark PE transactions in emerging sports ranging from women's soccer to pickleball, say attorneys at Weil.

  • Implications Of NY Climate Case For Generating Facilities

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    Regardless of how Greenidge Generation LLC v. New York Department of Environmental Conservation develops on remand, this decision has immediate repercussions for generating facilities seeking permit applications and renewals in New York, likely involving Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act considerations, say attorneys at Hodgson Russ.

  • How CFPB Rule Would Affect Data Brokers And Beyond

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently proposed a rule that would not only expand data broker oversight by classifying many as consumer reporting agencies, but would also impose new limitations on companies seeking to obtain information from them, potentially requiring such entities to alter their business models, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • Firms Still Have The Edge In Lateral Hiring, But Buyer Beware

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    Partner mobility data suggests that the third quarter of this year continued to be a buyer’s market, with the average candidate demanding less compensation for a larger book of business — but moving into the fourth quarter, firms should slow down their hiring process to minimize risks, say officers at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Reviewing 2024's State Consumer Privacy Law Enforcement

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    While we are still in the infancy of state consumer privacy laws, a review of enforcement activity this year suggests substantial overlaps in regulatory priorities across the most active states and gives insight into the likely paths of future enforcement, says Thomas Nolan at Quinn Emanuel.

  • 5th Circ. Crypto Ruling Shows Limits On OFAC Authority

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    The Fifth Circuit's recent decision that immutable smart contracts on the Tornado Cash crypto-transaction software protocol are not "property" subject to Office of Foreign Assets Control jurisdiction may signal that courts can construe OFAC's authority more restrictively after Loper Bright, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Preparing For The New Restrictions On Investment Into China

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    In light of a new regulatory program governing U.S. investments in China-related technology companies of national security concern, investors should keep several considerations in mind, including the rules' effect on existing and new investments, compliance hurdles, and penalties for noncompliance ahead of the rules' January implementation, say attorneys at Gunderson Dettmer.

  • Opinion

    Congress Should Expand Investment Options For 403(b)s

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    Lawmakers should pass pending legislation to give 403(b) plan participants access to collective investment trusts, leveling the playing field for public sector retirement investors by giving them an investment option their private sector counterparts have had for decades, says Jason Levy at Great Gray Trust Company.

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