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Public Policy
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November 14, 2024
All Merger Fixes 'Should Be On Table,' FTC's Holyoak Says
One of the Federal Trade Commission's Republican members on Thursday signaled a significant softening of the Biden era's tough stance against merger remedies meant to fix otherwise problematic mergers is likely once the GOP takes the majority at the agency.
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November 14, 2024
FTC's Holyoak Says New Comment Portal Shows Merger Bias
Federal Trade Commissioner Melissa Holyoak said Thursday the design of a new portal allowing the public to comment on pending deals shows signs of the current leadership's view that all mergers are bad.
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November 14, 2024
Senate Panel Delays Votes On Patent Eligibility And PTAB Bills
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday postponed planned votes on legislation aimed at reducing decisions that inventions are ineligible for patents and setting new limits on Patent Trial and Appeal Board challenges, but approved a bill to let the patent office collect demographic data on inventors.
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November 14, 2024
Split 5th Circ. Affirms SEC's Kroger Proxy Decision
A divided Fifth Circuit on Thursday rejected a "purely theoretical" challenge brought by conservative shareholders unhappy that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission greenlighted the exclusion of a shareholder proposal from Kroger Co.'s 2023 ballot, noting that the case was moot since the company authorized a vote on the proposal anyway.
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November 14, 2024
EEOC Says Texas, Think Tank Can't Scrap Bostock Guidance
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission urged a federal court to shoot down Texas' challenge to workplace harassment guidance the agency issued based on the U.S. Supreme Court's Bostock decision, arguing the state failed to demonstrate that the guidelines had caused them any harm.
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November 14, 2024
Emergency Medical Providers Oppose $2.8B BCBS Deal
A group of emergency clinic medical providers objected to the $2.8 billion settlement a broader class of medical providers reached with the Blue Cross Blue Shield network of insurers last month, as attorneys for the overall class boasted that the settlement would transform the insurers and bring historic payouts.
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November 14, 2024
Red State AGs Sue SEC Over Crypto Policy
A coalition of 18 Republican attorneys general led by Kentucky sued the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday for allegedly treading on the states' authority through a "regulatory landgrab" into the cryptocurrency industry.
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November 14, 2024
Webex 'Disrupters' Posing As Colo. Judges Force Tech Swap
Colorado's chief justice said Thursday that a growth in "digital court disrupters" has prompted the state judicial department to start looking for a new software platform for hosting online court hearings, saying bad actors had started posing as justices to gain admittance to virtual courtrooms.
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November 14, 2024
Broadband Groups See Ally In Incoming GOP Leader Thune
Telecom industry groups view the Senate's next majority leader, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., as keenly interested in the sector's needs, but it's not yet clear what his selection could mean for specific critical issues like building out rural internet service and removing barriers to broadband deployment.
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November 14, 2024
NY Gov. Brings Back Manhattan Congestion Pricing Plan
The resurrection of New York City's plan to charge all vehicles a fee for entering Manhattan's busiest corridor demonstrates a mad dash in the final months of the Biden administration to expedite infrastructure projects perceived as political lightning rods before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
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November 14, 2024
Trump Names Solicitor General, SDNY Picks
President-elect Donald Trump announced on Thursday he is tapping for solicitor general the lawyer who represented him before the U.S. Supreme Court and will name his former chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to be U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
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November 14, 2024
DC Council Issues Housing Tax Break Emergency Resolution
The District of Columbia Council approved an emergency resolution to enact legislation to implement a competitive process for the provision of tax abatements for housing developments while a recently passed measure to permanently authorize that process faces congressional review before it becomes law.
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November 14, 2024
EPA Expands List of Solvent Risks, Targets Tire Chem Rules
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday said a chemical commonly used in solvents presents health risks to humans in more ways than had previously been stated, and said it's researching whether to regulate a chemical used in tire production that has been shown to kill salmon.
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November 14, 2024
Ga. Sheriff Accused Of Censoring Critics After Burger Scandal
A metro Atlanta sheriff elected to another four-year term last week has been sued by his vanquished Republican opponent, who alleged in Atlanta federal court that the sheriff censored comments on his office's social media accounts that were critical of his use of deputies in a flap over a burger order.
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November 14, 2024
Cherokee Nation Can't Get Ark. Casino Amendment Blocked
An Arkansas amendment that revokes the casino gaming license of a Cherokee Nation tribal entity has taken effect after a federal district court judge denied a bid to block the measure while also dismissing the state and its racing commission as defendants in the litigation.
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November 14, 2024
Trump Taps His Criminal Defense Lawyer For Deputy AG
President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday picked his personal defense attorney Todd Blanche to serve as second-in-command at the U.S. Department of Justice as deputy attorney general.
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November 14, 2024
DOJ Deputy Says Biden Stance Led To Fewer Harmful Mergers
The deputy head of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division offered a full-throated defense Thursday of the Biden administration's aggressive competition enforcement record, arguing, with a Republican takeover imminent, that "more demanding standards" for transaction remedies prompted real change by merging companies seeking to avoid a merger challenge.
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November 14, 2024
Notice Ruling For Mich. Claims Not Retroactive, Panel Says
A Michigan Supreme Court ruling enforcing a notice requirement for lawsuits filed against the state government does not apply retroactively to cases filed in the last few years because it "reflected a 180-degree change in the law," a Michigan Court of Appeals panel said Wednesday.
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November 14, 2024
47 AGs Support FCC's Robocall Database Reforms
A bipartisan coalition of 47 attorneys general encouraged the Federal Communications Commission to implement new rules aimed at improving the effectiveness of the Robocall Mitigation Database, or RMD, writing in a comment letter that the database is "currently one of the most important sources of information available for anti-robocall enforcement actions."
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November 14, 2024
Would-Be Citizens Need Only Show Lawful Admission Once
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued new policy guidance on Thursday indicating that individuals applying to become citizens only need to show that they were lawfully admitted for permanent residence upon their initial entry, regardless of any subsequent reentries.
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November 14, 2024
Gaetz's Slim Legal Resume Raises Concerns Over AG Role
Having never served as a prosecutor and with minimal experience practicing law, Matt Gaetz would have the thinnest legal resume of any attorney general in recent history and would face a steep learning curve, including daunting leadership challenges, if he were to take up the reins of the U.S. Department of Justice, experts say.
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November 14, 2024
Australia Bill Seeks To Expand Rules On Reporting Ownership
Australia's government wants to fight tax avoidance by making owners of equity derivatives disclose significant owners to regulators and investors, expanding access to that information and giving securities regulators new powers to issue freezing orders for noncompliance, the Australian Treasury said Thursday.
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November 14, 2024
RNC, McCormick Say Pa. Counties Counting Ineligible Votes
Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick and the Republican National Committee have filed separate lawsuits in Pennsylvania, claiming that multiple counties are improperly counting mail-in votes that state courts have previously held should have been disqualified.
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November 14, 2024
'We'll Leave It To Others': SEC's Gensler Hints At Exit
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler gave a lengthy speech Thursday about his legacy and what remains to be done on regulations related to investors' climate, artificial intelligence and crypto concerns.
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November 14, 2024
Judiciary Chair Calls For Release Of Gaetz Ethics Report
A day after President-elect Donald Trump announced former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz as his pick for attorney general, questions linger on whether the potentially damaging House Ethics Committee report on his alleged sexual misconduct will see the light of day now that he resigned.
Expert Analysis
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New HHS Research Misconduct Rules Bring Seismic Changes
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' new rule regarding research misconduct investigations brings significant changes that focus on remediation, appeals and confidentiality, while other changes could result in institutions causing undue harm to scientists accused of such misconduct, say attorneys at Cohen Seglias.
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To Report Or Not To Report Others' Export Control Violations
A recent Bureau of Industry and Security enforcement policy change grants cooperation credit to those that report violations of the Export Administration Regulations committed by others, but the benefits of doing so must be weighed against significant drawbacks, including the costs of preparing and submitting a report, says Megan Lew at Cravath.
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Earned Wage Access Laws Form A Prickly Policy Patchwork
Conflicting earned wage access laws across the country, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recently issued rule, mean providers must adopt a proactive compliance approach and adjust business models where needed, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
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What FDIC Expansion Of Change In Bank Control Could Mean
A recent Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. proposal pertaining to the Change in Bank Control Act has the potential to create uncertainty around investments by mutual fund complexes in banking organizations, which represent a stable source of capital for the banking industry, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.
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HSR Amendments Intensify Merger Filing Burdens, Data Risk
The antitrust agencies' long-awaited changes to premerger notification rules under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act stand to significantly increase the time and cost involved in preparing an initial HSR notification, and will require more proactive attention to data issues, says Andrew Szwez at FTI Technology.
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Deadline Extension Highlights PFAS Reporting Complexities
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent extension of reporting and recordkeeping timelines for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act offers relief to the regulated community, but the unprecedented volume of data required means that businesses must remain diligent in their data collection efforts, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
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Can SEC's Consolidated Audit Trail Survive Post-Chevron?
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is currently in a showdown at the Eleventh Circuit over its authority to maintain a national market system and require that the industry spend billions to maintain its consolidated audit trail, a case that is further complicated by the Loper Bright decision, says Daniel Hawke at Arnold & Porter.
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What's Inside Feds' Latest Bank Merger Review Proposals
Recent bank merger proposals from a trio of federal agencies highlight the need for banks looking to grow through acquisition to consider several key issues much earlier in the planning process than has historically been necessary, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape
Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.
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Cos. Should Focus On State AI Laws Despite New DOL Site
Because a new U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored website about the disability discrimination risks of AI hiring tools mostly echoes old guidance, employers should focus on complying with the state and local AI workplace laws springing up where Congress and federal regulators have yet to act, say attorneys at Littler.
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How Biden Admin Has Used Antitrust Tools, And What's Next
The last four years have been marked by an aggressive whole-of-government approach to antitrust enforcement using a broad range of tools, and may result in lasting change regardless of the upcoming presidential election result, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
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Cos. Face Increasing Risk From Environmental Citizen Suits
Environmental citizen suits stepping in to fill the regulatory vacuum concerning consumer goods waste may soon become more common, and the evolving procedural landscape and changes to environmental law may contribute to companies' increased exposure, say J. Michael Showalter and Bradley Rochlen at ArentFox Schiff.
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How BIS' Rule Seeks To Encourage More Voluntary Disclosure
Updated incentives, penalties and enforcement resources in the Bureau of Industry and Security's recently published final rule revising the Export Administration Regulations should help companies decide how to implement export control compliance programs and whether to disclose possible violations, say attorneys at Freshfields.
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Series
Florida Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3
With the implementation of H.B. 989, the third quarter of 2024 has been transformative for banking law and regulation in Florida, and this new law places a strong emphasis on fair access to banking, and prohibits ideologically or politically motivated decisions by financial institutions, says Sha’Ron James at Gunster.
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8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney
A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.