Public Policy

  • July 01, 2024

    How Broad Immunity Could Upend Trump's 4 Criminal Cases

    The U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision Monday that presidential immunity shields Donald Trump from criminal charges connected to his official acts creates a "nearly impossible burden" for the special counsel prosecuting Trump in the historic federal election interference case and complicates his other criminal matters, experts say.

  • July 01, 2024

    RNC, Arizona Lawmakers Can't Pause Voting Rights Order

    The Republican National Committee and two top Arizona lawmakers can't pause a decision that bars provisions of voting legislation from being enforced pending an appeal to the Ninth Circuit, an Arizona federal judge said Friday, while also determining that the state's Republican Party can't weigh in on the dispute.

  • July 01, 2024

    4th Circ. Hikes Damages In 'Unite The Right' Rally Suit

    The Fourth Circuit ruled Monday that Virginia's punitive damages cap must be applied on a per-plaintiff basis, reversing a federal district court ruling that had limited a nearly $24 million verdict against white supremacists accused of planning violence at the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally to a total of $350,000.

  • July 01, 2024

    Court Tosses Constitutional Challenge To Pot Prohibition

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Monday granted the U.S. Department of Justice's bid to dismiss a constitutional challenge to federal marijuana prohibition, delivering a blow to an effort brought by a group of cannabis companies represented by litigator David Boies.

  • July 01, 2024

    Enforcers Push Antitrust Agenda, Brace For Google Ruling

    The first half of 2024 was marked by U.S. antitrust enforcers' pursuit of groundbreaking cases alleging anticompetitive conduct.

  • July 01, 2024

    State AGs Get Stay Lifted In Generic Drug Pricing Litigation

    A Connecticut federal judge on Monday agreed to lift a partial discovery stay in a trio of generic drug pricing antitrust suits led by the attorneys general of New York and Connecticut, according to a short, text-only order posted to each of the case dockets.

  • July 01, 2024

    FCC Chief Floats Rules To Secure Emergency Alerts

    The Federal Communications Commission will consider new rules to beef up security of the nation's emergency alerts for broadcasts and mobile devices, which the agency says face increasing vulnerability.

  • July 01, 2024

    House Republicans Call For ACA Enrollment Probe

    Three House Republican committee chairs are asking government watchdogs to investigate Affordable Care Act enrollments after a third-party report alleged a significant number of Americans are fraudulently accessing low-income healthcare subsidies. 

  • July 01, 2024

    FCC Chief Says Time Right To Reexamine Bulk Billing In Apts.

    The Federal Communications Commission needs to consider establishing rules that would limit bulk billing deals for broadband service because its record on the issue is outdated, FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel told a Florida Democrat concerned that new rules could harm low-income consumers.

  • July 01, 2024

    DOL's Overtime Rule Survives Texas Marketer's Injunction Bid

    A Texas federal judge refused Monday to grant a marketing company's request to block a U.S. Department of Labor rule that raises the salary thresholds for claiming overtime-exemption under federal law, saying the firm failed to show it will be harmed by the new standards.

  • July 01, 2024

    EPA Inks Deal To Take Action On States' Haze Plans

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to take action on plan revisions submitted by more than 30 states aimed at curbing haze-forming air pollution, resolving environmental groups' claims the agency has unlawfully delayed approving or denying the various plan revisions.

  • July 01, 2024

    Commerce Bulks Up Chinese Pea Protein Duties To 355%

    The U.S. Department of Commerce announced final countervailing duties topping 355% for four Chinese makers of pea protein, while producers considered to be under government control will face anti-dumping duties approaching 270%.

  • July 01, 2024

    Fla. Telecom To Pay $1M Fine For FCC Underpayments

    Florida-based telecom PayG will be shelling out a $1 million penalty to the Federal Communications Commission after the agency said it contributed some $400,000 less than it should have to the Universal Service Fund.

  • July 01, 2024

    Judge Blocks Okla. Law Barring Unauthorized Immigrants

    An Oklahoma federal judge has temporarily barred Oklahoma from enforcing a law preventing unauthorized immigrants from living in the state, agreeing with the Biden administration that the policy likely conflicted with the federal immigration scheme.

  • July 01, 2024

    NC Doctor Takes Abortion Drug Limits Fight To 4th Circ.

    A North Carolina doctor who challenged the state's restrictions on abortion drug mifepristone asked the Fourth Circuit to review a district court's decision to allow certain limits to stand.

  • July 01, 2024

    SD Ban On Modified Hemp Products Allowed To Take Effect

    A new South Dakota state law prohibiting the processing of hemp derivatives into intoxicating products was allowed to go into effect Monday after a federal judge declined to grant an injunction halting its enforcement while a constitutional challenge played out.

  • July 01, 2024

    Judge Won't Block Iowa Hemp Law Regulating THC Limits

    An Iowa law that imposes new restrictions on products with hemp-derived THC went into effect Monday after a federal judge, who previously expressed "serious concerns" about the statute's constitutionality, declined to grant a temporary restraining order halting its enforcement.

  • July 01, 2024

    CFTC Opponent Says No Chevron, No Election Betting Ban

    Online trading platform operator KalshiEx told a D.C. federal court that Friday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling shutting down Chevron deference is the end of the road for the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's attempts to ban election gambling on derivatives trading platforms.

  • July 01, 2024

    Enbridge Tells Michigan Judge To Speed Up Pipeline Ruling

    Enbridge Energy has told a Michigan federal judge to get moving on critical motions that have been pending for years in one of the legal contests over Michigan's efforts to shut down a crude oil and natural gas pipeline that traverses the Great Lakes State.

  • July 01, 2024

    House GOP Sues Garland For Special Counsel Tapes

    House Judiciary Committee Republicans filed a lawsuit against Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday in hopes of obtaining audio tapes of President Joe Biden and his ghostwriter's interviews with special counsel Robert Hur in the classified documents investigation.

  • July 01, 2024

    Fla. Court Releases 2006 Epstein Grand Jury Transcripts

    A Florida state court judge on Monday made public the 2006 grand jury transcripts of the Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse investigation after a newspaper persuaded him to reconsider releasing them in light of a new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year.

  • July 01, 2024

    DOL Overtime Exemptions Rule 'Likely Unlawful,' Judge Says

    A U.S. Department of Labor rule that took effect Monday and raises the salary thresholds for overtime exemptions won't apply to the state of Texas for now, a Texas federal judge said, finding that the rule "is likely unlawful."

  • July 01, 2024

    Ga. E-Commerce Law Blocked By Federal Statute, Judge Says

    A Georgia federal judge on Sunday blocked new state-level regulations on e-commerce platforms from being enforced just a day before they were set to take effect, ruling that the Peach State's planned oversight conflicts with counterparts in federal law.

  • July 01, 2024

    Conn. Lawmaker Says Cops Mishandled Her Sexual Assault

    A Connecticut state lawmaker took the city of Hartford to federal court, alleging that its Police Department "discounted" her reports of sexual assault and subsequent injuries, and "leaked biased and skewed information" to news outlets after a man attacked her outside a prayer event officers were patrolling.

  • July 01, 2024

    Social Media Laws Need More Analysis, Justices Say

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday returned to the lower courts challenges to Florida and Texas laws prohibiting social media platforms from removing content or users based on viewpoint, saying that the Fifth and Eleventh circuits did not conduct the proper analysis on the facial First Amendment challenges to the laws.

Expert Analysis

  • Fostering Employee Retention Amid Shaky DEI Landscape

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    Ongoing challenges to the legality of corporate diversity, equity and inclusion programs are complicating efforts to use DEI as an employee retention tool, but with the right strategic approach employers can continue to recruit and retain diverse talent — even after the FTC’s ban on noncompetes, says Ally Coll at the Purple Method.

  • Are Concessions In FDA's Lab-Developed Tests Rule Enough?

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    Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's new policy for laboratory-developed tests included major strategic concessions to help balance patient safety, access and diagnostic innovation, the new rule may well face significant legal challenges in court, say Dominick DiSabatino and Audrey Mercer at Sheppard Mullin.

  • 5 Climate Change Regulatory Issues Insurers Should Follow

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    The climate change landscape for insurers has changed dramatically recently — and not just because of the controversy over the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate-related risk disclosure rules, says Thomas Dawson at McDermott.

  • How New Rule Would Change CFIUS Enforcement Powers

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    Before the May 15 comment deadline, companies may want to weigh in on proposed regulatory changes to enforcement and mitigation tools at the disposal of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, including broadened subpoena powers, difficult new mitigation timelines and higher maximum penalties, say attorneys at Venable.

  • What's Extraordinary About Challenges To SEC Climate Rule

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    A set of ideologically diverse legal challenges to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate disclosure rule have been consolidated in the Eighth Circuit via a seldom-used lottery system, and the unpredictability of this process may drive agencies toward a more cautious future approach to rulemaking, say attorneys at Thompson Coburn.

  • 8 Questions To Ask Before Final CISA Breach Reporting Rule

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    The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s recently proposed cyber incident reporting requirements for critical infrastructure entities represent the overall approach CISA will take in its final rule, so companies should be asking key compliance questions now and preparing for a more complicated reporting regime, say Arianna Evers and Shannon Mercer at WilmerHale.

  • Series

    Swimming Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Years of participation in swimming events, especially in the open water, have proven to be ideal preparation for appellate arguments in court — just as you must put your trust in the ocean when competing in a swim event, you must do the same with the judicial process, says John Kulewicz at Vorys.

  • Key Priorities In FDIC Report On Resolving Big Bank Failures

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    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s report last month on the resolvability of large financial institutions contains little new information, but it does reiterate key policy priorities, including the agency's desire to enhance loss-absorbing capacity through long-term debt requirements and preference for single-point-of-entry resolution strategies, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Best Practices For Space Security In Our Connected World

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    NASA's recently published space security guide is another indication that cyber-resilience has become a global theme for the space and satellite sector, as well as a useful reference for companies and organizations reviewing their cybersecurity frameworks or looking to partner with the U.S. agency, says Hayley Blyth at Bird & Bird.

  • Opinion

    SEC Doesn't Have Legal Authority For Climate Disclosure Rule

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    Instead of making the required legal argument to establish its authority, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate-related disclosure rule hides behind more than 1,000 references to materiality to give the appearance that its rule is legally defensible, says Bernard Sharfman at RealClearFoundation.

  • What 100 Federal Cases Suggest About Changes To Chevron

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    With the U.S. Supreme Court poised to overturn or narrow its 40-year-old doctrine of Chevron deference, a review of 100 recent federal district court decisions confirm that changes to the Chevron framework will have broad ramifications — but the magnitude of the impact will depend on the details of the high court's ruling, say Kali Schellenberg and Jon Cochran at LeVan Stapleton.

  • FTC Noncompete Rule May Still Face Historical Hurdles

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    The Federal Trade Commission's final rule banning noncompetes might face challenges that could have been avoided with more cautious consideration of the commission's long history of failed lawsuits that went beyond the agency's statutory authority, as well as the mountain of judicial precedent justifying noncompete agreements in employment contracts, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • A Look At Subchapter V As Debt Limit Expiration Looms

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    If proposed legislation to extend Subchapter V’s debt eligibility ceiling sunset date in June is passed, bankruptcy professionals can seek ways to work with their local jurisdictions to advocate for code changes and guidance that bring more efficiencies and clarity to the process, say Matthew Brash at Newpoint Advisors and Melinda Bennett at Stretto.

  • Opinion

    SEC Should Be Allowed To Equip Investors With Climate Info

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new rule to require more climate-related disclosures will provide investors with much-needed clarity, despite opponents' attempts to challenge the rule with misused legal arguments, say Sarah Goetz at Democracy Forward and Cynthia Hanawalt at Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change.

  • 8 Fla. Statutes That Construction Cos. Should Prepare For

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    In this article, Jason Lambert at Hill Ward discusses a number of recent bills out of the Florida Legislature targeting construction companies in the Sunshine State that have been sent to the governor for signature, at least some of which will have broad impacts that affected companies should prepare for ahead of the July 1 effective date.

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