Public Policy

  • August 12, 2024

    Top 4 Trade Policy Developments Of 2024: Midyear Report

    International trade continued its ascent as a national security and industrial policy tool this year, including through new sanctions aimed at isolating Russia, updated tariffs on Chinese goods, new solar import policies and an expanded definition of unfair subsidies. Here, Law360 takes a look back at the top trade policy developments of 2024 so far.

  • August 12, 2024

    US Seeks To Omit Fair Split Of Tax Rights From UN Tax Pact

    The U.S. government proposed on Monday dropping the fair allocation of taxing rights as a principle to guide negotiators on the United Nations framework convention on international tax cooperation, saying that the agenda risks duplication, but the organization's African bloc and others opposed its move.

  • August 12, 2024

    UN Eyes Two Early Changes For Tax Pact In Latest Draft

    Diplomats would draft two legally binding protocols under the United Nations framework convention on international tax cooperation while creating the convention itself under the latest draft guidance for negotiators after they select from a shortlist of possible topics, including the digital economy and wealth taxation.

  • August 12, 2024

    Intelsat Dinged $160K For Sending Satellite To Wrong Area

    Intelsat has agreed to pay the $160,000 penalty associated with deploying a satellite out into a region of space outside what the satellite network provider's authorization from the Federal Communications Commission permitted.

  • August 12, 2024

    Another Christian Org. Cleared To Fight Wash. Bias Law

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday said a Christian nonprofit that wants to hire only other Christians can sue to block Washington state from enforcing its antidiscrimination law, echoing an earlier panel that found a Christian university with anti-LGBTQ+ hiring practices could contest the law. 

  • August 12, 2024

    Tougher 'Spectrum Screen' Would Spur Competition, FCC Told

    To make room for at least a fourth competitor in the wireless industry, advocacy groups want the Federal Communications Commission to further tighten limits on the holdings of the three biggest holders of commercial spectrum.

  • August 12, 2024

    States Want Teva Generic Price Fixing Case Tried 1st

    A coalition of state attorneys general suing a slew of generic drugmakers are asking for a Connecticut federal court to proceed with one of the two cases before the other, saying the outcome in that case will have a "significant impact" on settlement talks with other pharmaceutical company plaintiffs.

  • August 12, 2024

    The Biggest Telecom Developments Of 2024: Midyear Report

    The first half of 2024 saw sweeping change in the telecom sphere as the Federal Communications Commission's Democratic majority pushed through controversial net neutrality rules and confronted challenges on artificial intelligence, national security and more, but also faces the prospect of new headwinds as the nation's top court pared back powers of federal agencies.

  • August 12, 2024

    US Falls Short In Protecting Undersea Cables, Cruz Says

    Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is hopping mad that the U.S. Maritime Administration has not requested any funds for its undersea cable security fleet but included requests for diversity and climate change initiatives in its proposed budget, which the Texas senator decries as "woke nonsense."

  • August 12, 2024

    Ease Letter Of Credit Rules For Tribal Broadband, FCC Urged

    Tribal telecom carriers have called on the Federal Communications Commission to ease or eliminate bank credit restrictions for tribes bidding on federally funded broadband deployment projects, pointing to unique challenges they face in securing the required letters of credit.

  • August 12, 2024

    Visa Lottery Winners Ask Full DC Circ. To Allow Processing

    Attorneys for 2020 and 2021 diversity visa lottery winners asked the full D.C. Circuit to undo a panel decision barring the U.S. Department of State from processing their expired visa applications, saying the decision flouts precedent.

  • August 12, 2024

    Ill. To Require Employers To Notify Workers When Using AI

    Illinois employers will soon have to tell workers and applicants when they're using artificial intelligence in employment decisions and be barred from using technology that has a discriminatory impact under legislation signed by Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker.

  • August 12, 2024

    Nokia Resets Merger Review Clock For $2.3B Infinera Deal

    Nokia has agreed to give the U.S. Department of Justice more time to review its planned $2.3 billion purchase of Silicon Valley optical-transmission equipment maker Infinera for potential competition concerns.

  • August 12, 2024

    States Oppose Shkreli High Court Bid For $64M Disgorgement

    State enforcers are opposing a petition from ex-pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a disgorgement order requiring him to pay up to $64 million for an alleged scheme to increase the price of a life-saving drug by 4,000%

  • August 12, 2024

    Cannabis Drink Cos. Drop Challenge To Iowa THC Law

    After failing to temporarily block an Iowa law that imposed new restrictions on hemp-derived THC consumables, two manufactures of cannabis-infused drinks have decided to drop their lawsuit seeking to upend the statute, according to a notice filed in federal court.

  • August 12, 2024

    IRS Extends Tax Deadlines For Minn. Storm Victims

    Minnesota taxpayers affected by severe storms and flooding have until February to file tax returns and make payments, the Internal Revenue Service said Monday.

  • August 12, 2024

    DC Circ. Revives Businessman's Suit Over Mueller Report

    A Georgian-American businessman discussed in special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election can pursue claims that inaccuracies in the report harmed his reputation and business dealings, the D.C. Circuit said Friday.

  • August 12, 2024

    Roberta Kaplan Keeps Trump Case, But Ex-Firm Wants A Cut

    Trailblazing litigator Roberta Kaplan will keep E. Jean Carroll as a client after leaving Hecker Fink LLP amid claims she fostered a hostile work environment at the firm she co-founded, but her former colleagues still want a cut of the $83 million verdict Kaplan recently won for Carroll in a defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump.

  • August 12, 2024

    Convicted Fla. Atty Says Bogus Threat Testimony Tainted Trial

    A Florida attorney has urged the Eleventh Circuit to toss her criminal wire fraud conviction and six-year prison sentence, because she said the trial court wrongly let prosecutors "throw a loaded grenade" at her by allowing testimony about an "unsubstantiated and uncorroborated claim" that the attorney threatened a co-defendant.

  • August 12, 2024

    Jenner & Block Launches Post-Chevron Task Force

    Jenner & Block LLP said Monday that it has started a task force to help clients navigate the reversal of Chevron deference, tapping three Washington, D.C.-based attorneys to helm that effort.

  • August 12, 2024

    Texas AG To Investigate CenterPoint Over Beryl Outages

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Monday that his office had opened an investigation into CenterPoint Energy Inc. over its preparation and response to Hurricane Beryl.

  • August 12, 2024

    Ally Bank Latest Auto Lender To Challenge Mass. Towing Law

    Ally Bank has told a Massachusetts federal judge that a towing company should be on the hook for the value of a Lexus it sold despite the bank's lien, marking the latest challenge to what the lender calls an "outdated and unconstitutional" state law.

  • August 12, 2024

    DOL Tweaks 2 Parts Of Asset Manager Exemption

    The U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits arm made two mostly technical changes Monday to a popular exemption used by asset managers who also manage retirement assets known as the qualified professional asset manager exemption.

  • August 12, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Multimillion-dollar share conversions, power struggles in a classic rock band, a good deal for fandom collectibles, and a pindown by two heavyweights were all part of the spectacle in Delaware's Court of Chancery last week. New cases involved pharmaceutical companies, cannabis, drones and liquid-gas exports. In case you missed it, here's the latest from the Chancery Court.

  • August 12, 2024

    Top Immigration Policies To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2024

    The final months of the Biden administration could bring last-minute policymaking to address worker shortages, while new asylum restrictions could be solidified along with a program to offer protections and work permits to unauthorized spouses of U.S. citizens.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    After Chevron: Delegation Of Authority And Tax Regulators

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service will face higher standards following Loper Bright’s finding that courts should determine whether agency rules meet the best possible interpretation of the tax code, as well as the scope of the authority delegated by Congress, says Edward Froelich at McDermott.

  • Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act

    Author Photo

    As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.

  • Decoding CFPB Priorities Amid Ramp-Up In Nonbank Actions

    Author Photo

    Based on recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau enforcement actions and press releases about its supervisory activities, the agency appears poised to continue increasing its scrutiny over nonbank entities — particularly with respect to emerging financial products and services — into next year, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Series

    After Chevron: What Loper Bright Portends For The NLRB

    Author Photo

    While the U.S. Supreme Court has a long history of deferring to the National Labor Relations Board's readings of federal labor law, the court's Loper Bright v. Raimondo decision forces courts to take a harder look at the judgment of an agency — and the NLRB will not be immune from such greater scrutiny, says Irving Geslewitz at Much Shelist.

  • PE Firms Should Prepare For Increased False Claims Scrutiny

    Author Photo

    The impact private equity firms may have over medical decisions and care is increasingly attracting potential liability under the False Claims Act and attention from states and the federal government, so investors should follow best practices including conducting due diligence both before and after acquisitions, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Series

    After Chevron: NRC Is Shielded From Loper Bright's Effects

    Author Photo

    While the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Loper Bright v. Relentless decision brought an end to Chevron deference, Congress' unique delegation of discretionary authority to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will likely insulate it from the additional judicial scrutiny that other federal agencies will face, say Ryan Lighty and Scott Clausen at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    Unclear Intellectual Property Laws Are Stifling US Innovation

    Author Photo

    U.S. intellectual property law’s lack of predictability means far less job-creating investments for companies that need patent protection to compete, and Congress must step in with legislation like the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act to help address the problem, says Michael Gulliford at Soryn IP Capital Management.

  • Pros And Cons Of 2025 NDAA's Space Contracting Proposal

    Author Photo

    The introduction of a Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve fleet in the pending 2025 National Defense Authorization Act presents a significant opportunity for space and satellite companies — despite outstanding questions, and potential risks, for operators, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • How 3rd Circ. Raised Bar For Constitutional Case Injunctions

    Author Photo

    The Third Circuit's decision in Delaware State Sportsmen's Association v. Delaware Department of Safety & Homeland Security, rejecting the relaxed preliminary injunction standards many courts have used when plaintiffs allege constitutional harms, could portend a shift in such cases in at least four ways, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • New Russia Sanctions Law: Bank Compliance Insights

    Author Photo

    Financial institutions must familiarize themselves with the new reporting obligations imposed by the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act, a recent law that authorizes seizures of Russian sovereign assets under U.S. jurisdiction, say attorneys at Seward & Kissel.

  • Opinion

    Dreamer Green Card Updates Offer Too Little For Too Few

    Author Photo

    Despite the Biden administration’s good intentions in announcing a new pathway for college-educated Dreamers to receive green cards, the initiative ultimately does little to improve the status quo for most beneficiaries, and could even leave applicants in a worse position, says Adam Moses at Harris Beach.

  • 3 Healthcare FCA Deals Provide Self-Disclosure Takeaways

    Author Photo

    Several civil False Claims Act settlements of alleged healthcare fraud violations over the past year demonstrate that healthcare providers may benefit substantially from voluntarily disclosing potential misconduct to both the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, say Brian Albritton and Raquel Ramirez Jefferson at Phelps Dunbar.

  • Opinion

    Congress Must Increase Small Biz Ch. 11 Debt Cap

    Author Photo

    Congress must act to reinstate Subchapter V, which recently sunsetted when the debt threshold to qualify reverted from $7.5 million to just over $3 million, meaning thousands of small businesses will no longer be able to use the means of reorganization, says Daniel Gielchinsky at DGIM Law.

  • How Loper Bright Weakens NEPA Enviro Justice Strategy

    Author Photo

    The National Environmental Policy Act is central to the Biden administration's environmental justice agenda — but the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo casts doubt on the government's ability to rely on NEPA for this purpose, and a pending federal case will test the strategy's limits, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Series

    After Chevron: ERISA Challenges To Watch

    Author Photo

    The end of Chevron deference makes the outcome of Employee Retirement Income Security Act regulatory challenges more uncertain as courts become final arbiters of pending lawsuits about ESG investments, the definition of a fiduciary, unallocated pension forfeitures and discrimination in healthcare plans, says Evelyn Haralampu at Burns & Levinson.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Public Policy archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!