Public Policy

  • July 30, 2024

    Judge OKs Deal Ending Asylum Seekers' Work Eligibility Suit

    A Washington federal court signed off Tuesday on a preliminary settlement resolving asylum seekers' claims that federal immigration agencies have forced them to wait longer than the 180-day waiting period to apply for work permits.

  • July 30, 2024

    Sidney Powell Settles Dominion Exec's Election Lies Suit

    Sidney Powell, a former attorney to Donald Trump, has settled a defamation lawsuit brought by a former executive for Dominion Voting Systems accused of taking part in unfounded 2020 election conspiracy theories.

  • July 30, 2024

    NYC Loses Injunction Bid In Texas Migrant Busing Suit

    A New York state judge has denied New York City's bid to bar charter bus companies from transporting migrants from Texas, saying the state law the city leaned on is "essentially identical" to one the U.S. Supreme Court struck down in 1941.

  • July 30, 2024

    DC Circ. Finds NIH's Comment Restrictions Unconstitutional

    The National Institutes of Health violated the First Amendment when the agency used keyword filters to hide comments from animal rights activists on its official Facebook and Instagram pages, a D.C. Circuit panel ruled Tuesday.

  • July 30, 2024

    Army Bug Repellent Case Heads To Mediation

    A qui tam case in which the government alleges a North Carolina maker of bug-repellent clothing skimped on the amount of insect control chemicals it applied to combat uniforms will go to mediation, with a former federal magistrate judge serving as mediator, according to an order issued Tuesday.

  • July 30, 2024

    DC Circ. Must Block EPA Mercury Rule, Challengers Say

    Challengers of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new rule tightening mercury and other toxic metal emission standards for some coal-fired power plants are hitting back against arguments by the agency and its supporters that their requested stay of the rule isn't warranted.

  • July 30, 2024

    Monsanto PCB Plaintiffs Say Expert Can Survive Appeals Loss

    A group of families suing Monsanto alleging chemical poisoning urged a Washington state judge on Monday to reject the company's bid to derail their case nearing trial, arguing testimony from an exposure expert cannot be ruled out just because an appellate court struck some of his opinions in a different case.

  • July 30, 2024

    High Court Ruling Dooms EPA Smog Plan, DC Circ. Told

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to halt the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's plan to reduce smog-forming emissions across several states is reason enough for the D.C. Circuit to invalidate the rule, several states, industry groups and energy companies argued.

  • July 30, 2024

    10th Circ. Shields Feds From Fire Mismanagement Suit

    The U.S. Forest Service doesn't have to face allegations it mismanaged the response to two Utah wildfires in 2018, the Tenth Circuit said Tuesday.

  • July 30, 2024

    Legalization Foes Mount New Challenge To NY Pot Program

    A group of anti-cannabis activists renewed their challenge to New York's proposal to use public funds to help marijuana retailers launch their businesses, alleging in a new state court lawsuit that the policy violates federal law.

  • July 30, 2024

    Student Loan Borrower Takes Debt Fight To High Court

    A borrower is seeking the U.S. Supreme Court's review of the dismissal of his lawsuit alleging a state student-loan-servicing agency's misrepresentations ended a loan forgiveness opportunity, arguing a circuit court decision that shielded the agency from the suit conflicts with the prior rulings.

  • July 30, 2024

    Exxon Loses Bid For Avangrid Docs In Mass. Climate Suit

    ExxonMobil will not gain access to potentially millions of documents from wind energy company Avangrid as part of the Massachusetts attorney general's long-running climate change suit, after a state court judge found it "inconceivable" that the sought-after material could be relevant to the case.

  • July 30, 2024

    Low-Power TV Stations Seek More Latitude From FCC

    Low-power television stations believe it's time for the Federal Communications Commission to allow them to start operating at higher levels of power as long as they remain in their service contours.

  • July 30, 2024

    Ohio Bill Would Create Credit For Property Tax, Rent

    Ohio would allow homeowners and renters to claim a refundable property tax credit or rebate if their property tax or rent-equivalent tax exceeds 5% of their household income under a bill introduced in the House of Representatives.

  • July 30, 2024

    DC Circ. Tosses FERC's OK Of Northeast Pipeline Expansion

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday threw out the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's approval of a Northeast pipeline expansion, ruling that the agency overlooked the project's "enormous" greenhouse gas emissions and failed to properly consider the lack of market need for the added natural gas capacity.

  • July 30, 2024

    Boston's Ex-Top Cop Says Abuse Claims Lack Corroboration

    A terminated Boston Police commissioner argued to a federal judge Tuesday that he was unconstitutionally denied a public forum to clear his name after the city released a report citing decades-old domestic abuse claims made by his ex-wife.

  • July 30, 2024

    Ga. School District Wants 'Divisive Concepts' Suit Tossed

    A metro Atlanta school district facing charges that it censors LGBTQ+ content and punishes educators who advocate for inclusivity asked a Georgia federal judge to dismiss a suit from a fired teacher that the district claimed would strip schools of the power to decide what's appropriate material for students.

  • July 30, 2024

    Murray Plumb Partner Confirmed As Fed. Judge For Maine

    The U.S. Senate voted 50-43 on Tuesday to confirm Stacey Neumann, a partner at Murray Plumb & Murray, to serve on the District of Maine.

  • July 30, 2024

    No Damage Needed To Replace NJ Beach House, Panel Says

    New Jersey property owners looking to replace an existing structure located in a flood hazard area don't have to show it's in an unusable condition, a state appellate panel ruled Tuesday, backing the state Department of Environmental Protection's denial of a request by neighbors to rescind a developer's permit to replace a beachfront home.

  • July 30, 2024

    Crypto Groups Say Loper Bright Defeats SEC Dealer Rule

    The crypto industry groups fighting U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regulations that could force some of their members to register with the agency as securities dealers are arguing that the U.S. Supreme Court's recent abandonment of Chevron deference bolsters their argument that the SEC lacked the authority to expand its definition of dealer. 

  • July 30, 2024

    Mass. Says $30M Funding For Steward Will Fund Quick Sales

    The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has told a Texas bankruptcy judge that its agreement to pay $30 million to debtor Steward Health Care is designed to help fund operations at the debtor's struggling hospitals while sales are pursued.

  • July 30, 2024

    PBMs Urge Justices To Reject Review Of Okla. Law Dispute

    An industry trade group representing pharmacy benefits managers urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to disturb its Tenth Circuit victory, which held that an Oklahoma statute regulating PBMs ran afoul of preemption provisions in both the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and Medicare Part D.

  • July 30, 2024

    DC Circ. Wants Chevron Ruling Addressed In GHG Case

    The D.C. Circuit asked challengers of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's tighter greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles to discuss how the litigation is affected by recent court decisions, including the U.S. Supreme Court's blockbuster ruling that undid what is known as Chevron deference.

  • July 30, 2024

    SF Fed Tells 9th Circ. Banks Not Entitled To Master Accounts

    The San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank told the Ninth Circuit that it was not obligated to give a master account to an Idaho trade finance fintech, arguing federal law does not make these payment system gateways available to everyone regardless of risk.

  • July 30, 2024

    AI Dominance In Startup Funding Has Small Biz Concerned

    Except for funding for artificial-intelligence startups, early-stage companies are struggling to raise capital amid higher interest rates and lean markets for initial public offerings and mergers and acquisitions, members of a small business-focused panel advising the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Tuesday.

Expert Analysis

  • Analyzing FDA Draft Guidance On Clinical Trial Diversity

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    In light of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's draft guidance on clinical trial diversity action plans, there are several important considerations for sponsors and clinical researchers to keep in mind to prevent delay in a drug or device application, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Justices' Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review

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    Each of the 11 criminal decisions issued in the U.S. Supreme Court’s recently concluded term is independently important, but taken together, they reveal trends in the court’s broader approach to criminal law, presenting both pitfalls and opportunities for defendants and their counsel, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • What's New In The AI Healthcare Regulatory Space

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    Attorneys at Hogan Lovells review the current legal and regulatory landscape for artificial intelligence applications in healthcare, touching on policies around safety, transparency, nondiscrimination and reimbursement, and what to expect in the future.

  • Biden Policy Gives Employers New Ways To Help Dreamers

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    A new Biden administration immigration policy makes the process more predictable for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients to seek employment visas, and, given uncertainties surrounding DACA’s future, employers should immediately determine which of their employees may be eligible, says Jennifer Kim at Moore & Van Allen.

  • 25 Years Of OECD's Anti-Bribery Convention

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    Marking its 25th anniversary this year, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's anti-bribery convention has advanced legislative reforms and reshaped corporate conduct in dozens of countries amid the persistent challenges of uneven enforcement and political pressure, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Despite Calif. Delays, Climate Disclosure Rules Are Coming

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    Progress continues on state, federal and international climate disclosure regimes, making compliance a key concern for companies — but the timeline for implementation of California's disclosure laws remains unclear due to funding and timing disputes, says David Smith at Manatt Phelps.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Bid Protest Litigation Will Hold Steady For Now

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    Though the substantive holding of Loper Bright is unlikely to affect bid protests because questions of statutory interpretation are rare, the spirit of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision may signal a general trend away from agency deference even on the complex technical issues that often arise, say Kayleigh Scalzo and Andrew Guy at Covington.

  • Challenging Prosecutors' Use Of Defendants' Jail Phone Calls

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    Although it’s an uphill battle under current case law, counsel for pretrial detainees may be able to challenge prosecutors’ use of jail-recorded phone calls between the defendant and their attorney by taking certain advance measures, say Jim McLoughlin and Fielding Huseth at Moore & Van Allen.

  • 1 Year At The UPC: Implications For Transatlantic Disputes

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    In its first year, the Unified Patent Court has issued important decisions on procedures like provisional measures, but complexities remain when it comes to coordinating proceedings across jurisdictions like the U.S. due to differences in timelines and discovery practices, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Opinion

    H-2 Visas Offer Humane, Economic Solution To Border Crisis

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    Congress should leverage the H-2 agricultural and temporary worker visa programs to match qualified migrants with employers facing shortages of workers — a nonpolitical solution to a highly divisive humanitarian issue, say Ashley Dees and Jeffrey Joseph at BAL.

  • PAGA Reforms Encourage Proactive Employer Compliance

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    Recently enacted reforms to California's Private Attorneys General Act should make litigation under the law less burdensome for employers, presenting a valuable opportunity to streamline compliance and reduce litigation risks by proactively addressing many of the issues that have historically attracted PAGA claims, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • Opinion

    Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism

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    As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Piercing FEMA Authority Is Not Insurmountable

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    While the Federal Emergency Management Agency's discretionary authority continues to provide significant protection from claims under the Administrative Procedure Act, Loper Bright is a blow to the argument that Congress gave FEMA unfettered discretion to administer its own programs, says Wendy Huff Ellard at Baker Donelson.

  • What Happens After Hawaii Kids' Historic Climate Deal

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    Implications of the Hawaii Department of Transportation's first-of-its-kind settlement with youth plaintiffs over constitutional climate claims may be limited, but it could incite similar claims, says J. Michael Showalter and Robert Middleton at ArentFox Schiff.

  • How Tech Trackers May Implicate HIPAA After Hospital Ruling

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    A recent Texas federal court order in American Hospital Association v. Becerra adds a legal protection on key data, clarifying when tracking technologies implicate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, so organizations should ensure all technology used is known and accounted for, say John Howard and Myriah Jaworski at Clark Hill.

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