Public Policy

  • December 18, 2024

    OCC Orders 'Comprehensive' Remedial Action For USAA Bank

    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Wednesday hit USAA Federal Savings Bank with curbs on new product additions and membership growth as part of a fresh consent order that follows prior enforcement actions against the military-focused bank.

  • December 18, 2024

    Emissions Cheating Biz Gets Truck Tuning Co. CEO 10 Months

    The owner of a prominent Louisiana automotive tuning company will serve 10 months of a three-year probation term on house arrest in addition to paying a $1.55 million criminal fine after pleading guilty to selling illegal software that bypassed diesel trucks' emissions controls, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

  • December 18, 2024

    ITC Nominees Pressed On Tariffs And China

    A U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday pressed two Biden administration appointees to the U.S. International Trade Commission on tariffs, China and how they plan on accessing "public interest" in patent investigations.

  • December 18, 2024

    Patent Limits For Biosimilar Litigation Lands In Spending Bill

    Congress' spending package to keep the government open through March would also limit how many patents a biologics maker can assert when trying to prevent a competitor from getting on the market.

  • December 18, 2024

    Schools Fighting Price-Fixing Suit Face $685M Damages Claim

    Students looking to hold a group of elite universities and colleges liable for an allegedly anticompetitive financial aid fixing scheme say they should be allowed to proceed as a class because they'll use common evidence to prove they suffered about $685 million in damages.

  • December 18, 2024

    FDIC Moves Closer To Suing Ex-Brass Of Silicon Valley Bank

    Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. leaders have given a green light for the agency to potentially sue former top brass of Silicon Valley Bank for alleged mismanagement of the bank that led to its collapse last year.

  • December 18, 2024

    Monsanto Protests DNA Damage Argument In PCB Closings

    An attorney in a toxic tort against Monsanto drew a sustained objection from the company's defense during closings Wednesday as he attempted to argue that some of the young girls allegedly exposed to PCBs "will give birth to children with altered DNA," as counsel sparred over whether the plaintiffs suffered "generational harm."

  • December 18, 2024

    Standing Unchanged In Gun Show Loophole Case, States Say

    A Texas-led coalition of states has told a federal judge that the ATF failed to "move the needle" in arguing that several pro-Second Amendment organizations don't have standing to challenge a Biden administration rule that would broaden the scope of who qualifies as a firearms dealer. 

  • December 18, 2024

    FDA's Gastro Drug Fast-Track Denial Survives DC Circ.

    A D.C. Circuit panel upheld federal regulators' refusal to streamline approval of a drug to treat nausea in patients with a chronic gastric condition, ruling that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was right to consider the drug's development plan when deciding whether it qualified for fast tracking.

  • December 18, 2024

    Divided SEC Approves PCAOB's $400M Budget

    The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board will receive the nearly $400 million it requested to fund its operations in 2025, despite the objections of Republican members of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday who expressed concern about the auditing watchdog's growing budget.

  • December 18, 2024

    Funding Bill Takes In Broadband, Ticketing, Privacy

    A congressional spending package that would fund the federal government through March is set to include a slew of bipartisan proposals aimed at digital security, online pricing transparency and rural broadband access.

  • December 18, 2024

    NJ Court Orders AG To Give Up Control Of Paterson Police Dept.

    New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin exceeded his authority last year when he took over police department operations in the city of Paterson and reassigned the police chief to a training post outside the city, a state appellate court ruled Wednesday.

  • December 18, 2024

    EDNY US Atty Peace To Resign Before Trump Inauguration

    Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace, who has headed the federal prosecution office in the Eastern District of New York since 2021, announced his resignation Wednesday ahead of the incoming Donald Trump administration.

  • December 18, 2024

    DHS Pushes Through Rule To Hasten Some Removals

    A new U.S. Department of Homeland Security regulation will allow asylum officers to quickly decide if migrants are barred from asylum because of national security or public safety concerns, paving the way for swift removals of those individuals.

  • December 18, 2024

    11th Circ. Doubtful Of FCC's Marketing Consent Clampdown

    Eleventh Circuit judges appeared skeptical Wednesday of the Federal Communications Commission's legal justification for a marketing rule that requires selecting businesses on an individual basis through comparison shopping sites before the businesses can reach out to consumers.

  • December 18, 2024

    Wash. City Settles Road Rage Shooting Suit For $15M

    A Puget Sound municipality has agreed to pay $14.9 million to a restaurant owner who was paralyzed in a road-rage shooting, an attorney for the entrepreneur announced Wednesday, claiming that the same gun used to injure his client was given to the shooter by police days earlier.

  • December 18, 2024

    Judge Wants To Know If Colo. Kroger Merger Fight Is Moot

    A Colorado state judge wants to know whether two recent decisions blocking the proposed $24.6 billion merger of The Kroger Co. and Albertsons Cos. Inc. has mooted Attorney General Phillip J. Weiser's challenge to the transaction, according to a briefing plan approved Tuesday. 

  • December 18, 2024

    Democrats Blocked Again On Confirming DC Judges

    Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., tried and failed to fast-track the confirmation of 10 D.C. judicial nominees, making it unlikely these vacancies will be filled before the new year starts.

  • December 18, 2024

    Ex-Fla Rep. Charged Again For Foreign Agent Violations

    Former Florida Rep. David Rivera, who is battling an indictment in Miami over lobbying work for Venezuela, faces additional criminal charges in D.C. federal court, after a grand jury indicted him on charges he failed to register as a foreign agent when he lobbied on a Venezuelan businessman's behalf.

  • December 18, 2024

    Colo. Judge Tosses County Challenge To State Sanctuary Law

    A Colorado judge has dismissed six counties' challenge against two state laws limiting local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, ruling the limits were well within the Legislature's power and that the counties lack standing to sue under the state and federal constitutions.

  • December 18, 2024

    CVS Fueled Opioid Epidemic In Rush For Profits, Feds Say

    The U.S. Department of Justice unveiled a suit Wednesday accusing CVS, the nation's largest pharmacy chain, of knowingly filling invalid prescriptions for powerful opioids and ignoring internal pleas from its pharmacists as it allegedly put profits over safety. 

  • December 18, 2024

    Conn. AG Can't Close Courtroom In Ghost Gun Hearing

    A Connecticut state judge won't close the courtroom for a damages hearing in a suit by the state against an online shop selling so-called ghost gun kits, saying the public's interest in the facts of the case outweighs the state's concerns about an undercover investigator's safety.

  • December 18, 2024

    SBA Wants To Speed Up Late Subcontract Payments

    The U.S. Small Business Administration on Wednesday proposed a rule intended to speed up payments to federal small business subcontractors, requiring prime contractors to more promptly report late payments to agencies and cooperate to resolve the issue.

  • December 18, 2024

    FTC Wants Express Scripts' Defamation Suit Tossed

    The Federal Trade Commission told a Missouri federal court that Express Scripts Inc. has no basis to challenge an interim agency report that only offered "qualified conclusions" from an ongoing study about how pharmacy benefit managers affect prescription drug prices.

  • December 18, 2024

    States, Green Groups Drop Suits Over USPS Vehicle Plan

    A coalition of states and cities and several environmental groups moved to dismiss their lawsuits challenging the U.S. Postal Service's multibillion-dollar plan to acquire its next-generation delivery vehicles.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • When Investigating An Adversary, Be Wary Of Forged Records

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    Warnings against the use of investigators who tout their ability to find an adversary’s private documents generally emphasize the risk of illegal activity and attorney discipline, but a string of recent cases shows an additional danger — investigators might be fabricating records altogether, says Brian Asher at Asher Research.

  • Crypto Cos. Add New Play In Their Offense Against SEC

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    Consensys and Crypto.com have adopted a novel strategy of preempting U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement actions by moving to crypto-friendly Texas and filing declaratory lawsuits challenging the SEC's jurisdiction to regulate crypto-assets — an aggressive approach that may pay off, say attorneys at Herrick Feinstein.

  • FTC Focus: Zeroing In On Post-Election Labor Markets

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    The presidential election and the push-and-pull of the administrative state's reach are likely to affect the Federal Trade Commission's focus on labor markets, including the tenor of noncompete rule enforcement, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • 3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less

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    Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.

  • Opinion

    Why States Should Adopt ABA's 'Duty To Inquire'

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    State bars should codify the American Bar Association's proposed rule on a lawyer's duty to scrutinize each representation as it provides guardrails for lawyers, supports self-regulation of the profession, and helps avert money laundering and other crimes, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • $3B TD Bank AML Settlement Is A Wake-Up Call For All Banks

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    TD Bank’s historic settlement over anti-money laundering violations, resulting in over $3 billion in penalties, reminds banks of all shapes and sizes why they need to take financial crime compliance seriously, and highlights three areas that may be especially vulnerable to enforcement, says Jack Harrington at Bradley Arant.

  • What Trump Presidency May Mean For Climate Reporting

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    While the Trump administration will likely take a hands-off approach to climate-related disclosures and rescind regulations promulgated under the Biden administration, state and international ESG laws mean the private sector may not reverse course on such disclosures, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Expect Surging Oil And Gas Industry Under New Trump Admin

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    Throughout his recent campaign, President-elect Donald Trump promised increased oil and natural gas production and reduced reliance on renewables — and his administration will likely bring more oil and gas dealmaking, faster federal permitting and attempts to roll back incentives for green energy, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Timing Of An NLRB Power Shift Hinges On Biden Nominees

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    President-elect Donald Trump seems certain to shake up the National Labor Relations Board's prounion Democrat majority, but the incoming president's timing depends on whether the current Senate confirms two pending nominees to board positions, say attorneys at Fox Rothschild.

  • Opinion

    The Right Kind Of Deregulation In Commercial Airline Industry

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    Similar to the economic deregulation that occurred more than four decades ago during the Carter administration, the incoming Trump administration should restore the very limited federal regulatory role in the economics of the airline industry, says former U.S. transportation secretary James Burnley at Venable.

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