Public Policy

  • September 09, 2024

    Red States, Industry Look To Sink EPA Vehicle Emissions Rule

    The federal government's rule requiring reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trucks and vans must be squashed because it favors electric vehicles in a way only Congress can do, 26 red states and a coalition of business groups have told the D.C. Circuit.

  • September 09, 2024

    Think Tank Leader Re-Arrested On Foreign Agent Charges

    An Israeli-American professor who was indicted on charges of working as an unregistered agent for the Chinese government and international arms trafficking has been arrested again after he fled the authorities last year in Cyprus, the U.S. government told a federal judge in Manhattan on Monday.

  • September 09, 2024

    Meta Wants Mike Huckabee's Fake CBD Ad Suit Tossed

    Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. asked a Delaware federal judge to throw out former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's suit alleging it allowed false advertisements claiming he endorsed CBD gummies on its popular social media platform, arguing the claims are clearly barred by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

  • September 09, 2024

    Baltimore Strikes $80M Opioid Settlement With Teva

    Teva Pharmaceuticals will pay Baltimore $80 million to resolve claims that the company inflamed the city's opioid crisis, the city of Baltimore announced Monday ahead of a trial slated to begin next week against the remaining defendants in the Maryland state court litigation.

  • September 09, 2024

    Tax Court's Take Shouldn't Loom Over Kyocera Case, US Says

    The U.S. Tax Court's opinion that allowed a company to treat a gross-up for taxes paid by its foreign subsidiaries as a dividend received goes against what Congress intended and shouldn't be applied to Kyocera's similar claims, the U.S. Department of Justice told a South Carolina federal court.

  • September 09, 2024

    Colo. Justices Rule Amazon's Holiday Pay Must Be In OT Math

    Amazon's holiday incentive pay is the type of compensation Colorado wage law requires to be included in overtime calculations, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday, agreeing with warehouse workers that the incentive pay needed to be included in their regular rate when calculating overtime.

  • September 09, 2024

    FERC Botched Tenn. Pipeline Approval, Enviros Tell DC Circ.

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission relied on a botched climate change analysis to unlawfully approve a Tennessee pipeline project that will serve a Tennessee Valley Authority gas-fired power plant that is set to replace a coal-fired plant, environmentalists told the D.C. Circuit.

  • September 09, 2024

    Illinois Judge Won't Block Chicago Rental Protections

    An Illinois federal judge refused Friday to grant a property company an injunction blocking the enforcement of a Chicago ordinance intended to protect renters living in foreclosed residential properties by entitling them to $10,000 payouts.

  • September 09, 2024

    No Re-Do In Ex-Defender's Sex Bias Case Against Judiciary

    A Massachusetts federal judge declined on Monday to reconsider his ruling that the federal judiciary did not violate the rights of a former North Carolina public defender because the attorney had not adequately put her office on notice of her sexual harassment claims.

  • September 09, 2024

    DOL Issues Updated Cybersecurity Guidance For ERISA Plans

    The U.S. Department of Labor released new cybersecurity guidance applicable to the full gamut of retirement plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, offering advice on topics including hiring service providers and best practices for keeping workers' information safe.

  • September 09, 2024

    Frankfurt Kurnit Adds Ex-Copyright Office GC In LA

    Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC has brought in a new partner to the entertainment litigation group in its Los Angeles office, an attorney with vast experience in copyright law that includes serving as general counsel for the U.S. Copyright Office.

  • September 09, 2024

    DOJ Says Judge Missing 'Egregious' Slur In Race Bias Suit

    A Georgia federal judge ignored crucial context and overlooked the "egregious nature" of a racial slur leveled at a Black worker when recommending that a race bias suit brought against a Georgia county by the federal government be thrown out, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

  • September 09, 2024

    NJ Court Won't Rush UAW's Smoking Law Case Appeal

    The New Jersey Appellate Division rejected the United Auto Workers' emergency bid to overturn the dismissal of its suit alleging a law excluding casino workers from secondhand smoking protections violates the state constitution, according to a Friday order.

  • September 09, 2024

    Ore. Tax Court Nixes Parcel Owners' Bid To Raise Valuation

    The Oregon Tax Court rejected an attempt by owners of a property to increase its tax valuation, saying the owners failed to show they were aggrieved by the valuation and did not first appeal to the local assessment board.

  • September 09, 2024

    EPA Enforcement Alert Issued For Illegal HFC Imports

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it is cracking down on illegal imports of hydrofluorocarbons, a potent greenhouse gas that's used in refrigeration and air-conditioning and slated to be phased down.

  • September 09, 2024

    Ore. Seeks Dismissal Of Psilocybin Disabilities Suit

    Oregon's health regulator has asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit challenging aspects of the state's pioneering regulated psilocybin treatment program, saying that the program's illegality under federal law makes the lawsuit untenable.

  • September 09, 2024

    White House Final Rule On Mental Health Parity Unveiled

    The White House released a final rule Monday meant to boost employer health plans' compliance with a federal law requiring coverage for mental health and substance use disorder treatments that's at the same level as physical health care.

  • September 06, 2024

    DC Circ. Considers Age Of Ex-Trump Aide's Surveillance Claims

    Even after more than an hour of argument, the D.C. Circuit didn't seem convinced Friday that ex-Trump 2016 campaign adviser Carter Page timely accused the Justice Department, the FBI and several individuals of various violations tied to their surveillance of him as they probed Russian election interference.

  • September 06, 2024

    ICE Is Failing Language Service Obligations, Report Says

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has routinely violated internal standards for providing detainees with language services, leaving detainees unable to communicate severe medical conditions and being deported for missing simple filing requirements, according to a report from Yeshiva University's Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

  • September 06, 2024

    Ft. Lauderdale Must Face 2020 Protest Suit, But Cops Get Win

    A Florida federal judge has ruled that several Fort Lauderdale police officers can't be sued by a protester who alleged that her civil rights were violated in a violent response to 2020 demonstrations over the death of George Floyd but said the city itself must still face various claims in her lawsuit.

  • September 06, 2024

    Texas Biz Court Will Be A Brave New World For Energy Cos.

    Energy companies gained a new forum to hash out their legal fights Sept. 1 when the Texas business court recently started hearing cases, but questions about the court and how it'll operate might give companies pause before they take the plunge. Here's what energy companies and energy attorneys should know as the new court gets up and running.

  • September 06, 2024

    Calif. Takes AI Reins With Looming Safety, Transparency Laws

    A pair of groundbreaking legislative proposals aimed at ensuring the safe and transparent deployment of artificial intelligence systems are headed to the California governor's desk, raising questions about whether lawmakers are taking the right approach to regulating the emerging technology and how the state's privacy regulator will respond. 

  • September 06, 2024

    TV Stations Fined $3.3M For Mixing Hot Wheels Shows And Ads

    The Federal Communications Commission on Friday confirmed fines totaling $3.33 million for Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. and 18 other broadcasters for violating the Children's Television Act and commission rules by running Hot Wheels toy commercials during a Hot Wheels show on the air.

  • September 06, 2024

    5th Circ. Urged To Act Fast On Green Card Rule Suit Appeal

    A nonprofit immigrant rights group has asked the Fifth Circuit to accelerate its challenge to a lower court's refusal to let them intervene in a Texas lawsuit against a program allowing noncitizen relatives of U.S. citizens to seek green cards, noting a bench trial could proceed soon without its participation.

  • September 06, 2024

    Arkema Calls Timing 'Suspect' In Bid To Lift NJ PFAS Suit Stay

    Chemical company Arkema Inc. is arguing that if rival Solvay is allowed to sue it, the litigation could upend an impending settlement worth up to $108 million it negotiated with the state of New Jersey that would end claims over "forever chemical" contamination at a facility both companies owned.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    CFPB's AI Stance Backslides On Innovation Issues

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent response to a Treasury Department's request for information about artificial intelligence in the financial services sector uses alarmist rhetoric about the technology's risks, ceding an opportunity to help shape this important discussion, says Mike Silver at Husch Blackwell.

  • Strategies To Defend Against Healthcare Nuclear Verdicts

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    The healthcare industry is increasingly the target of megaclaims, particularly those alleging medical malpractice, but attorneys representing providers can use a few tools to push back on flimsy litigation and reduce the likelihood of a nuclear verdict, says LaMar Jost at Wheeler Trigg.

  • 5 Tips To Succeed In A Master Of Laws Program And Beyond

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    As lawyers and recent law school graduates begin their Master of Laws coursework across the country, they should keep a few pointers in mind to get the most out of their programs and kick-start successful careers in their practice areas, says Kelley Miller at Reed Smith.

  • Opinion

    Portland's Gross Receipts Tax Oversteps City's Authority

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    Recent measures by Portland, Oregon, that expand the voter-approved scope of the Clean Energy Surcharge on certain retail sales eviscerate the common meaning of the word "retail" and exceed the city's chartered authority to levy tax, say Nikki Dobay at Greenberg Traurig and Jeff Newgard at Peak Policy.

  • Series

    After Chevron: SEC Climate And ESG Rules Likely Doomed

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    Under the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Loper Bright, without agency deference, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate disclosure and environmental, social and governance rules would likely be found lacking in statutory support and vacated by the courts, says Justin Chretien at Carlton Fields.

  • NYC Wage Info Bill Highlights Rise In Pay Transparency Laws

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    With New York City the latest to mull requiring companies to annually report employee wage data, national employers should consider adapting their compliance practices to comply with increasingly common pay transparency and disclosure obligations at state and local levels, says Kelly Cardin at Littler Mendelson.

  • Assessing Whether Jarkesy May Limit FINRA Prosecutions

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Jarkesy v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, holding that civil securities fraud defendants are entitled to jury trials, may cause unpredictable results when applied to Financial Industry Regulatory Authority prosecutions, say Barry Temkin and Kate DiGeronimo at Mound Cotton.

  • The Bank Preemption Ripple Effects After Cantero, Flagstar

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    The importance of federal preemption for financial institutions will only increase as technology-driven innovations evolve, which is why the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Cantero v. Bank of America and vacatur of Kivett v. Flagstar Bank have real modern-day significance for national banks, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Examining Patent Subject Matter Eligibility Of AI Inventions

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    In light of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office data showing that patent applications for artificial intelligence inventions are likelier to get rejected based on patent-ineligible subject matter, inventors seeking protection should be aware of the difficulties and challenges pertaining to patent eligibility, say Georgios Effraimidis at NERA and Joel Lehrer at Goodwin.

  • Series

    Being An Opera Singer Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    My journey from the stage to the courtroom has shown that the skills I honed as an opera singer – punctuality, memorization, creativity and more – have all played a vital role in my success as an attorney, says Gerard D'Emilio at GableGotwals.

  • What Cos. Need to Know About Battery Labeling Law

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    With new labeling requirements for button cell battery packaging taking effect in September, manufacturers and importers must review compliance, testing procedures, and necessary paperwork as the consequences of noncompliance can lead to costly penalties and supply chain woes, says Aasheesh Shravah at CM Law.

  • What Drug Cos. Must Know About NY Price Transparency Law

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    Drug manufacturers must understand the contours of New York's recently implemented law requiring self-reporting of drug price increases, as well as best practices for compliance and challenges against similar laws in other states, say Elizabeth Bierut and Angie Garcia at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Navigating The Uncertain Landscape Of Solar Tariffs

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    Solar cell and module manufacturers, exporters and importers must navigate an uncertain compliance landscape, given ongoing challenges to U.S. Department of Commerce antidumping and countervailing duty determinations, which have been mounted both by U.S. and non-U.S. manufacturers, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Amid SEC Rule Limbo, US Cos. Subject To ESG Regs In EU

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    Though the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is facing legal challenges to its climate-disclosure rulemaking, the implementation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive in the European Union will force U.S. companies to comply with exactly the kinds of ESG disclosures that are not yet mandated in the U.S., say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • Pros, Cons Of Disclosing Improper Employee Retention Credit

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    Employers considering the Internal Revenue Service’s second voluntary disclosure program, which allows companies to avoid penalties for erroneously claiming employee retention credits for the 2021 tax year by repaying the credits and naming the tax advisers who encouraged these abusive practices, should carefully weigh the program’s benefits against its potential drawbacks, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

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