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Public Policy
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June 28, 2024
3 Biggest Benefits Policy Developments From 2024's 1st Half
The U.S. Department of Labor and other agencies finalized significant changes to regulations affecting employee benefits in the first half of 2024. Here are three policy moves that benefits attorneys should have on their radar.
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June 28, 2024
Satellite Cos. Call For More Detail On FCC's Space Debris Plan
Satellite companies are telling the Federal Communications Commission that more work needs to be done before it moves forward on an accidental explosion probability threshold for satellites, with several arguing in recent weeks that the agency needs more comment to establish a clear metric.
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June 28, 2024
ITC Advances Probe Into Chinese Disposable Containers
The U.S. International Trade Commission on Friday advanced an investigation into Chinese imports of disposable aluminum containers, pans, trays and lids after finding that the imports were potentially injuring domestic manufacturing.
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June 28, 2024
Texas Judge Who Axed DACA To Retire In January 2025
U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen — a controversial Republican appointee best known for twice ruling against President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration policy — has announced that he will take senior status on Jan. 2, 2025, allowing the next president to name his replacement.
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June 28, 2024
EU Wraps Antitrust Probe Of Microsoft's OpenAI Stake
The European antitrust authorities have ended their probe into tech giant Microsoft's control of authority in artificial intelligence-powered chatbot ChatGPT's owner OpenAI, but are switching the angle of the investigation in the partnership that could lead to a formal competition probe.
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June 28, 2024
Eric Trump Can Shield Most Docs In Ex-Aide's Retaliation Suit
Eric Trump can assert attorney-client privilege to avoid turning over most of a batch of emails sought by Trump 2016 campaign aide Arlene "AJ" Delgado in her pregnancy retaliation suit claiming she was banished from former President Donald Trump's orbit after a fellow staffer got her pregnant.
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June 28, 2024
GOP Rep. Says 'Inherent Contempt' Vote Coming After Recess
The Republican lawmaker spearheading a new inherent contempt effort for Attorney General Merrick Garland said it has the backing of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and would occur after the July 4 congressional recess.
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June 28, 2024
IRS Reminds Marijuana Businesses They Can't Get Tax Breaks
The Internal Revenue Service sought to remind taxpayers Friday that businesses selling marijuana, even in states where it's legal, are not entitled to federal tax deductions, saying some taxpayers are filing invalid claims for refunds through amended returns.
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June 28, 2024
Mass. Senate OKs $5B Housing Bill Without Local-Option Tax
Massachusetts would authorize about $5 billion in bonding authority to promote housing under legislation passed by the state Senate that leaves out a local-option real estate transfer fee sought by Democratic Gov. Maura Healey.
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June 28, 2024
Providers Need More Time To Meet SIM Swap Rules, FCC Told
Mobile providers are increasing pressure on the Federal Communications Commission for more time to roll out new phone card swapping policies to comply with an FCC rule aiming to protect wireless consumers from fraud.
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June 28, 2024
Afghans Who Aided U.S. Gov't Sue Over Kids' Visa Denials
A group of Afghan nationals who supported the U.S. government in its decades-long war against the Taliban sued the federal government in Virginia federal court Thursday, claiming their children's visa applications were arbitrarily denied after years of processing delays, forcing them to remain in Afghanistan and putting them in grave danger.
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June 28, 2024
4 Things To Know As New SPAC Rules Take Effect
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new rules governing special-purpose acquisition companies take effect on Monday, marking an expansive attempt to strengthen oversight of SPAC deals. Here, Law360 examines what to expect as the agency's 581-page rule package goes live.
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June 28, 2024
Chevron Ruling No Sea Change For Tax Court, Judge Says
The U.S. Tax Court will continue to rely on the IRS and Treasury's expertise in the tax code following the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision to overturn the 40-year-old Chevron doctrine that directed courts to defer to federal agencies' interpretations of ambiguous law, a judge said Friday.
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June 28, 2024
Ga. Secretary Of State Seeks Denial Of Fees In Voting Case
The Georgia secretary of state has urged a federal judge not to award attorney fees and costs to a coalition of voting rights groups that challenged the legality of how the state adds newly naturalized citizens to its voter rolls.
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June 28, 2024
Bannon Can't Dodge Prison In Contempt Appeal
Steve Bannon must go to prison Monday, according to a U.S. Supreme Court order Friday rejecting the former Trump White House chief strategist's bid to stave off his four-month sentence for contempt of Congress.
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June 28, 2024
High Court Enters July With 3 Rulings To Go
In a rare move, the U.S. Supreme Court will issue opinions into the beginning of July as the court tries to clear its merits docket of three remaining cases dealing with presidential immunity, whether governments can control social media platforms' content moderation policies and the appropriate deadline to challenge agency action.
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June 28, 2024
Justices Limit Fed. Use Of Obstruction Charge In Jan. 6 Cases
The U.S. Supreme Court limited Friday the U.S. Department of Justice's use of an obstruction of Congress statute against defendants accused of storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, ruling the law enacted in the wake of an accounting scandal requires the obstructive act must somehow impair the availability or integrity of official documents or proceedings.
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June 28, 2024
Supreme Court Strikes Down Chevron Deference
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned a decades-old precedent that instructed judges about when they could defer to federal agencies' interpretations of law in rulemaking, depriving courts of a commonly used analytic tool and leaving lots of questions about what comes next.
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June 28, 2024
Supreme Court Backs Oregon City's Anti-Camping Laws
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld an Oregon city's anti-camping ordinances Friday against a challenge from homeless residents who allege the laws penalize them for being homeless.
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June 27, 2024
Biden, Trump Spar On Abortion Access In The Wake Of Dobbs
The U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision upending Americans' access to abortion care made an early appearance at Thursday night's presidential debate, with President Joe Biden lamenting the end of Roe v. Wade and former President Donald Trump taking credit for handing the issue of abortion rights "back to the states."
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June 27, 2024
Biden Takes Dig At 'Convicted Felon' Trump In 1st Debate
President Joe Biden referred to former President Donald Trump as a "convicted felon" during Thursday's presidential debate, while Trump suggested that Biden could be criminally prosecuted after leaving office.
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June 27, 2024
Menendez Met Alleged Briber Pre-Gold Price Search, Jury Told
An FBI cell tower expert told Sen. Robert Menendez's bribery jury Thursday that the phones of the senator, his wife and co-defendant developer Fred Daibes all pinged in the same location minutes before the senator did a web search for "how much is one kilo of gold worth."
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June 27, 2024
Freedmen Heir Has Standing In Land Leasing Row, Court Says
A descendant of those enslaved by the Cherokee Nation can challenge the federal government's alleged restriction on funds from early 20th century land allotments, a D.C. Circuit judge said, arguing that she suffered a cognizable injury due to the Interior Department's failure to provide an accounting of the transactions.
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June 27, 2024
Tesla Error Doomed Bid To Arbitrate Race Bias Suit, Court Says
Tesla must face a Black ex-employee's claims of race discrimination in court, a California appeals court ruled Wednesday, affirming a lower court's finding that the electric vehicle maker lost its chance to arbitrate the claims after it failed to pay arbitration fees on time.
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June 27, 2024
Sen. Brown Asks White House To Enforce Mexican Steel Curbs
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, has argued an alleged surge of Mexican steel into the U.S. threatens to undermine the domestic economy in a letter urging the Biden administration to enforce a trade deal restricting Mexican steel.
Expert Analysis
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How Cos. Can Comply With New PFAS Superfund Rule
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new rule designating two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances as "hazardous substances" under the Superfund law will likely trigger additional enforcement and litigation at sites across the country — so companies should evaluate any associated reporting obligations and liability risks, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
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How EB-5 Regional Centers Can Prepare For USCIS Audits
In response to the recently announced U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services guidelines that require EB-5 regional center audits every five years to verify their compliance with immigration and securities laws, regional centers should take steps to facilitate a seamless audit process, say Jennifer Hermansky and Miriam Thompson at Greenberg Traurig.
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Social Media Free Speech Issues Are Trending At High Court
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision examining what constitutes state action on social media can be viewed in conjunction with oral arguments in two other cases to indicate that the court sees a need for more clarity regarding how social media usage implicates the First Amendment, say attorneys at Kean Miller.
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Opinion
CFPB Could, And Should, Revise Open Banking Rulemaking
In light of continued global developments in open banking, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau should evaluate whether it actually should use its proposed rule on Section 1033 of the Dodd-Frank Act to amplify personal financial data rights in the U.S., says Brian Fritzsche at the Consumer Bankers Association.
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How Cos. Can Protect IP In Light Of FTC Noncompete Rule
While several groups are challenging the Federal Trade Commission’s recently approved rule banning noncompetition agreements, employers should begin planning other ways to protect their valuable trade secrets, confidential information and other intellectual property, says Thomas Duston at Marshall Gerstein.
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Understanding The IRC's Excessive Refund Claim Penalty
Taxpayers considering protective refund claims pending resolution of major questions in tax cases like Moore v. U.S., which is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, should understand how doing so may also leave them vulnerable to an excessive refund claim penalty under Internal Revenue Code Section 6676, say attorneys at McDermott.
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Why RWI Insurers Should Consider Excluding PFAS
As regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances escalates, carriers providing representations and warranties insurance should reconsider providing PFAS coverage on a case-by-case basis, say Dave Bartoletti and Ina Avalon at Taft Stettinius.
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Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert
As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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Don't Fall On That Hill: Keys To Testifying Before Congress
Because congressional testimony often comes with political, reputational and financial risks in addition to legal pitfalls, witnesses and their attorneys should take a multifaceted approach to preparation, walking a fine line between legal and business considerations, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.
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Takeaways From FDIC's Spring Supervisory Highlights
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s spring 2024 consumer compliance supervisory report found that relatively few institutions had significant consumer compliance issues last year, but the common thread among those that did were inadequacies or failures in disclosures to consumers, says Matthew Hanaghan at Nutter.
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Online Portal Helps Fortify Feds' Unfair Health Practices Fight
The Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently launched an online portal where the public can report potentially unfair healthcare practices, effectively maximizing enforcers' abilities to police anti-competitive actions that can drive up healthcare costs and chill innovation, say attorneys at Seyfarth.
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What To Expect From The DOL's Final Overtime Rule
The U.S. Department of Labor's final overtime rule dramatically increases the salary threshold for white collar workers to be exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act, so employers should prioritize identifying the potentially affected positions and strategically consider next steps, say Leslie Selig Byrd and Deryck Van Alstyne at Bracewell.
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Data Shows H-2B Wages May Be Skewed High By Sample Size
Occupational Wage and Employment Statistics wage data from April illustrates that smaller sample sizes from less populated areas may be skewing prevailing wages for H-2B visas artificially high, potentially harming businesses that rely on the visa program, says Stephen Bronars at Edgeworth Economics.
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10b-5 Litigation Questions Follow Justices' Macquarie Ruling
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Macquarie v. Moab that pure omissions are not actionable under U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 10b–5(b), creating a slightly higher bar for plaintiffs and setting the stage for further litigation over several issues, say Steve Quinlivan and Sean Colligan at Stinson.
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Series
Walking With My Dog Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Thanks to my dog Birdie, I've learned that carving out an activity different from the practice of law — like daily outdoor walks that allow you to interact with new people — can contribute to professional success by boosting creativity and mental acuity, as well as expanding your social network, says Sarah Petrie at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.